Excel Bike & Fitness 44 East Main Street, Norwalk, OH 44857

"(Please see update below addressing owner’s allegations) — Pretty unfriendly staff. Surly even. And it wasn't just me, they completely ignored another customer who was legit looking at bikes and ended up leaving the store completely unhelped. — Edited to add, the owner just responded, "This is a fabricated lie. You were not a customer, you walked in, grabbed a bike pump without asking to use it, started waking [sic] towards the door, and we called you on it. You got your feelings hurt and decided to leave a nasty review. Like your attitude it was complety [sic] uncalled for. " So I'll add full details since I was accused of a making a "fabricated lie." Readers can decide for themselves. I was on a tour from Michigan to Virginia. Passing through town and needing air, extra tubes, and CO2 cannisters, I stopped at the shop. Walked in with my loaded bike and leaned it against the wall near the door. A nice couple behind me thought I worked there because of the gear I was wearing and asked me for help looking at bikes. They'd clearly been there awhile wanting help. After explaining I didn't work there, I looked around for a pump. Perhaps it's a Virginia thing—the shops where I live have them out for customers to use when needed. When I saw one near the service counter I went to borrow it. I didn't see any staff available, so I grabbed it and walked toward my bike (near the door). Suspicious optics to be sure I'll freely acknowledge. At that point a voice came from the work area behind a bike stand asking accusingly, "Where are you going with that?" "To pump up my bike." I answered, pointing to it. "You should have asked." he answered brusquely. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you there. I would have asked you if I knew you were there. Seriously." Even after this genuine apology, my mea culpa, and the obvious conclusion that I wasn't planning to leave my loaded bike behind to steal an air pump, he refused to say a word. He just glared at me without response. An entirely bizarre approach to customer relations. While pumping my tires, the couple who thought I'd worked there asked me a few questions about my trip, then told me, "thank you again" as they walked out of the store unhelped. I finished pumping air, put the pump back, and told the shop employee "Thank you." Again, no answer or acknowledgement whatsoever. So that is what happened. And I stand by my assessment of it as "pretty unfriendly staff, surly even." I believe it to be an accurate assessment and not a "nasty review" as you've characterized, but again—readers can assess. You are correct that I did not make a purchase. Though I walked in intending to, your employee's demeanor certainly changed my mind. Respectfully, I stand by my review."

"Bought my Aventon Aventure eBike from them a couple weeks ago because they have awesome customer service. Eric was great and very patient with me and all my newbie questions. Joe is as friendly as you can get and obviously knows his stuff. I just returned from getting a tune-up from Joe after the initial 100 mile break-in period (I have been riding this thing A LOT and have 170 already). No charge because it is part of purchasing a bike from them. While it may be slightly less expensive initially to buy online and have it shipped to you, you will possibly regret not supporting the local shop. A friend ordered one and had issues he has to resolve through the bike company. If he had ordered from Excel and bought from them, it would've been a non-issue because they inspect and adjust everything for you as part of the purchase, so if you are thinking of getting an eBike, shop local, buy local and you will be rewarded with a fantastic experience. Regarding eBikes, you really must test ride one of theirs. It is addicting and makes bike riding enjoyable, especially when faced with a steep hill or bridge. For the part of actually riding the bike, the pedal assist makes it so you can go as fast or as slow as you want with whatever speed and resistance you want. If you start having your hamstrings cramp on you, no problem, just go into max pedal assist mode and lightly pedal to keep things loose until you are able to exert force again. There are a couple downsides to them - upfront cost first, then the weight of the bikes make it so most traditional bike racks and stationary converters won't work with them. Mine weights 73 lbs with battery so to transport it, I needed to install a hitch in my car and get a bike rack rated for eBikes of my weight."

"Great friendly people in there. First time being inside, very Clean environment. Very experienced workers. Brought 2 bike tires to be fixed, and they were fix in a short amount of time. Fast service. I would give them 5 stars, and I would advise anybody and everybody to go if they need repairs to their bike."

"I was riding the North Coast Inland Trail with my dad when my chain start jumping. We found this place and without batting and eye the person working dropped what he was doing, propped up my bike, and sorted out the problem for us. He spent the better part of an hour helping us, even though we were just a walk-in. Without this bike shop, the rest of my ride would have been absolutely miserable. Super nice people, incredibly helpful, I can't recommend this place enough."

"Joe is super helpful and knowledgeable. He not only got my bike in top shape for my cross country trip, but also explained what he was doing and what I should pay attention to on the road. When we were all done the price was half of what I expected."