Turin Bicycle

Positive Experiences - from: '' - Rating: 5/5 - 17-Aug-10
I've been to Turin countless times in the last few years. I've had nothing but good luck for repairs & mechanical advice (thanks for telling me how to stop my chain from rubbing on the front derailleur!). They've helped me find the right supplies for my first big bike trip, pick out my first pair of bike shorts, oh the milestones of my biking life! Their selection is decent and the staff knows their stuff. This shop will always have a special place in my heart.
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Service Dept. - from: '' - Rating: 4/5 - 03-Nov-08
I have never bought a bike there but I take my bike there for service and they are outstanding. I have a very fussy front derailleur and they spent over an hour adjusting it and charged me just $20 for a job that took them a long time and two mechanics. I have also gone there with minor problems (a creak or two, a brake adjustment after a fall) and they have helped me and not charged me.
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Helpful - from: '' - Rating: 5/5 - 19-Aug-08
I had a positive experience. The two people who helped me were enthusiastic about bike riding, knowledgeable, friendly, and not at all pushy--even though they didn't really have what I wanted, they didn't try to push anything else.
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laid back - from: '' - Rating: 5/5 - 30-Jul-08
The staff here is very laid back, so don't expect someone to be attending to your every need from the moment you walk in the door. However, they are very, very knowledgable and have always shown me that they are willing to spend as much time as it takes to make sure I'm making the right purchase. I'd love to buy my next bike here, but unfortunately I'm not going to be in the market for a Cervelo or a Tarmac anytime soon.
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very stuck up... - from: '' - Rating: 3/5 - 24-Jul-08
folks here try i guess, but the managers seem very impatient and unfriendly. they will not tell you your size after they size you, they don';t want you to steal the information. and their prices are some of the highest i have seen.....
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pretty awful - from: 'dissapointed' - Rating: 1/5 - 22-Jul-08
employees always seem unhappy, burdened when assisting customers.

Bikes are over priced.

If you are looking for a place where you know the employees care about your purchase...this definetly is not the place.

They just want your money.
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decent - from: 'Nancy' - Rating: 4/5 - 14-Jul-08
Could service overall be better? Possibly as possibly not every employee is great. But the three people I often deal with -- a manager (Chris), a sales person (John) and a tech/mechanic (Ed,I think?)-- have been very helpful. They have taken time to explain techincl details to me and to fit me to the bike I bought there. They were more than willing to adjust and later readjust the fit of the bike to me and then refit me when I bought a new saddle. Not sure about other people there but my experience has been good so far. So fnd someone you connect well with and seek them out. Yes, I have to wait if I come in on a weekend when it's packed, but I expect that. Overall, have had a good experience.
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unfitting fit - from: '' - Rating: 2/5 - 22-Feb-08
I've been fitted at Turin twice in two years and in that time both fittings provided me miserable riding. It's my feeling Turin won't fit me to the best bike but to the bike they have in stock--what they have in the store is what I get.
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not so great - from: '' - Rating: 2/5 - 02-Oct-07
A bike shop lives and dies by its salespeople. Some may carry different brands or have better mechanics, but if you don't get a good vibe from the first face in the door, its all for nothing. I went to Turin last weekend with a female friend who was looking into buying a road/tri bike for an ironman race. The person helping us basically didn't take her seriously and asked condescending questions, and then proceeded to show us the most expensive bike on the floor and talked non-stop for 5 minutes before I interrupted him and mentioned that it might be out of her price range. Also, he kept deferring to me, instead of my friend, even though I was just there for moral support. He gave us several fancy sales pitches on bikes that were still out of her price range, again, spewing a bunch of BS, never asking any questions to better understand what SHE NEEDED, only what he wanted to sell.
There are a lot of great bike shops with great people - Johnny Sprokets, Get A Grip and the Pony Shop, just to name a few. I won't be wasting any more time/money at Turin.
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excellent service - from: '' - Rating: 5/5 - 28-Jul-07
After calling several stores to bend and align my rear dropouts to 130mm (standard for road bikes)and getting refused, Turin's said to bring it right in. It took them only 15 minutes and they did a fantastic job. Plus it only cost $15. The store also looks very nice with a great selection of bikes and accessories. I would definitely go back.
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Turnin - from: 'SK' - Rating: 2/5 - 20-Jul-07
I have had extremely erratic service from Turin. The first time I went, the sales person was exceptional. The second time, the sales person didn't really listen to what I wanted which was a hybrid bike.

The third time I went back with a friend and we both planned to purchase a bike in the $500 range. We waited approximately 30 minutes. When I finally said something to the sales person who seemed to be helpful to his customer, he suggested he get us someone else, because he was still helping someone.

We first asked about used/rental bikes to purchase, because a customer in the shop raved about the one she just purchased. He totally dissed these and told us to definitely purchase a new bike. After helping us for 3 minutes, he went to answer the phone and NEVER returned. Although we stood right where he left us, he proceeded to help 3 other customers and ignored us. We went back to the first salesman and he said they were short handed and to come back another time. We came from Chicago. I asked if we could make an appointment so this wouldn't happen again. He said that they didn't make appointments.

Since this was my friend's first experience with Turin and there are lots of other bike shops in Chicago, she wanted to leave and NOT return.

Service is clearly something lacking at Turin UNLESS you are there at the "RIGHT" time and happen to get a salesperson who takes an interest in you.

I would suggest you try another bike shop first unless you plan to wait for a long time and get the "right" sales person.

Perhaps we just weren't spending the "right" amount of money to take a serious interest in although we both said we wanted to buy a bike immediately and planned to spend $500.

Oh well....We're now off to try another bike shop.
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Great for Oddball Parts - from: '' - Rating: 5/5 - 11-May-07
I like the fact that they're open on Sundays. Though I've never bought a whole bike from them, I've come to them for small parts (master link for a 6sp chain and other doo-dads) that I needed right away. When I called on the phone, someone actually verified availability). To do this on a busy Sunday for a low margin part means a great deal to me.
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Jerks - from: '' - Rating: 1/5 - 25-Apr-07
Here's a copy of an e mail I received from an employee at Turin's because I complained about the price of a "spring"...
think i remember this one.

you came in asking for a part for an obsolete derrailuer that was made from a company that doesn't exist anymore and you couldn't find a match anywhere...right? oh, and i actually found the part for you in new condition and now you feel bad that i charged you actual money....actually, two times the cost of a derrailuer cable!!! oh my!

i did not force you to buy anything. you could have taken it upon yourself to search the various shops across the land for that precious spring. possibly, someone in iowa has one up for sale on ebay and will happily pack it up and send it to you for free. probably not, but you can always try.

it's too bad you have decided not to come back to us. we have never been known to be the cheapest shop around. there are plenty cheap places in this world to go to. i hope you find one to go to soon.

jon


ps. i will be happy to take the spring back with a receipt minus restocking fee. provided that it has not been used.
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• Re: Jerks - from: '' - 25-Apr-07
  What, they should just give you the part for nothing? You should be happy that someone spent their time (labor) to find such a low profit item for you, instead of just trying to upsell you a whole new derrailuer.
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  • Re: Re: Jerks - from: 'd' - 11-Jul-08
    You're missing the issue completely.
    1. The consumer bought the part and then decided to tell the vendor that the price seemed iffy. Nothing wrong with that. If consumers don't do that, vendors get more leverage for consistently raising prices.
    
    2. The crux of the issue is not the price, it's that unbelievably rude email. A better email would have been, "Thank you for getting in touch. While on one had we think you could have opted to not purchase the spring, on the other hand, we do spend shop time looking for unusual/rare/obsolete parts and this does have an associated expense. We do our best to make it fair for all parties, and we'll take your feedback into account for the future."
    
    That's how you talk to a customer. Otherwise, you're dead in the water.
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    • Re: Re: Re: Jerks - from: '' - 13-Jul-08
      trimmed reply
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Good turin, good turin - from: '' - Rating: 5/5 - 01-Sep-06
The service department is top notch. They answer some pretty technical questions for me. The sales staff is relaxed and for the most part knowledgable and willing to help. The first review regarding "tatooed city folk" is ridiculous. I am a messenger, I have tattoos and they are more than willing to help. Some people fail to have situational awareness and are unwilling to understand a situation that is not instantaniously revolving around them. Lay off budy!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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• Re: Good turin, good turin - from: '' - 01-Feb-08
  The fact that so many people (including myself) complain about the lack of quality service shows that it isn't, as you say, "a lack of situational awareness." Unfortunately Turin is full of snobs on both sides of the counter. The service is horrendous and the one repair I had done there was so badly screwed up that I was without my bike for 2 months!! At the end of this ordeal, one of the people I was dealing with told me that maybe I should have went to the Pony Shop because they are better at servicing mountain bikes. I gladly took that advice and I will never ever go back to Turin.
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never had a chance to find out - from: '' - no rating given - 14-Jul-06
Went in to look at bikes on a weeknight evening. They were slightly busy, but I did see a couple staff members "double-teaming" a customer, so I know they had a spare person to help me out. Yet after about 20min. of pacing around the bikes, even sitting on a couple, and another 5min. of standing in front of the counter, nobody said a word to me, I got plenty of looks though. Maybe this isn't a good place for a tattoo'd, city dweller to shop, too bad for them, the next day I spent $1500 at Boulevard in Logan Square, where the selection was small but the service was excellent. I'm about a block away from Turin every wed. evening to visit my child, but I will never go in there again.
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knowledgeable staff - from: '' - Rating: 5/5 - 13-Feb-06
I have been repeatedly impressed with how knowledgeable the Turin staff members are. They are excellent at explaining the differences between products and identifying the ones that best meet my needs even when I'm having difficulty articulating those needs. They're also a friendly bunch of people to deal with.
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excellent service & good selection - from: '' - Rating: 4/5 - 05-Sep-05
Their selection of merchandise is good. Staff is very knowledgeable. If you're having trouble getting a bike to fit you well, this is an excellent place to buy, or to get help in modifying the bike you have to suit you better. Service is excellent, but turnaround times can be a bit long. That's been my only complaint. If you're a frequent rider and need service during the summer, it can be tough unless you have more than one bike, so that you can still ride while your other bike is in the shop.
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Bad Turin Experience - from: '' - Rating: 2/5 - 20-Aug-05
We ordered a bike a month ago. Turin has been very non-communicative about the status of the order, and today when we called, they simply said that the bike was not likely to be available and tried to upsell us to another model. This doesn't strike me as very professional.
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Turin is a great shop - from: 'Sporty' - Rating: 5/5 - 21-Jul-05
I have had nothing but very good luck with Turin. When my last shop closed, they helped me get a new warranty frame, even though I had never bought anything from them previously. Several of my more casual-rider friends have gotten there bikes there, as well, and have been very happy with the selection and service.
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• Re: Turin is a great shop - from: 'Ben' - 26-Feb-07
  a frame warranty is from the manufacturer, not the shop you bought the bike from. You can really go to any dealer that sells your brand of bike for warranty. You just need to be able to prove that you are the original owner.
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