I recently purchased a brand-new Specialized Rockhopper mountain bike online from University Bicycles in Boulder, Colorado. What should have been an exciting purchase turned into one of the most frustrating retail experiences I’ve had.When I picked up the bike, I immediately noticed that the wheels were dusty. I didn’t think much of it at the time. I assumed perhaps the bike had simply been test-ridden by the shop to make sure everything was working properly.Unfortunately, once I started riding it, I noticed something wasn’t right with the shifting.At times, I would have to try four or five times just to get the bike to change gears. After only my third ride, the gear shifter failed completely.I initially treated it as a freak mechanical problem. I brought the bike back to University Bicycles, and the shop replaced the shifter.I took the bike home expecting the problem to be solved.It wasn’t.The same bizarre shifting behavior started happening again. Rather than continue riding until another component failed, I brought the bike back to the shop.This is where the experience became particularly frustrating.A mechanic inspected the bike and acknowledged to me that it was, in fact, changing gears in an unusual way. I also had my older bicycle at the shop for repairs following an accident, and I want to be fair about this: they did a fine job repairing that bike.A few days later, however, I received a call asking me to speak with a manager.When I returned the call, I was told there was nothing wrong with the Rockhopper’s shifting. The conversation then turned into a lesson on how I should be changing gears.That was incredibly frustrating.This was a brand-new bicycle. I had already experienced a complete shifter failure, the replacement was beginning to exhibit similar behavior, and one of their own mechanics had acknowledged to me that the bike was shifting strangely.I told the manager that at this point I wanted either a replacement bicycle or a refund.I was then told I would have to pay a 15% restocking fee.On a roughly $1,500 purchase, that is not an insignificant amount of money.When I continued explaining that I believed something was wrong with the bike, I was told that I had simply purchased a “cheap bike.”Maybe $1,500 is considered inexpensive in some corners of the bicycle industry. It certainly isn't a cheap purchase to me.I still tried to find a reasonable solution. I said I would happily take a replacement Rockhopper and even mentioned that a darker color would be nice. I was told the bikes were in boxes and they couldn't tell me what colors they were.At that point, the entire situation stopped feeling right to me.I wasn't asking for special treatment. I wasn't trying to return a perfectly functioning bicycle because I changed my mind.I had purchased what was represented to me as a new bike, experienced unusual shifting almost immediately, had the shifter fail completely after only a few rides, had the component replaced, and then began experiencing similar shifting problems again.Yet I was being told there was nothing wrong with the bike while simultaneously being told I would lose 15% if I returned it.I finally told the manager that I intended to document my experience publicly, write a review and article about it, and report what had happened.The tone of the conversation changed.The manager apologized and said the general manager would call me. I said I didn't need another lesson on how to shift gears and asked that they communicate with me in writing instead.The following day, I received an email informing me that I would receive a full refund and that I should purchase my next bicycle somewhere else. The message ended by wishing me “good luck.”I did ultimately receive my full refund, and I want to make that absolutely clear.But receiving the refund doesn't erase the experience that led up to it.I cannot say whether anyone else has experienced something similar, and I am not claiming that the shop has a broader policy or scheme involving restocking fees. I can only describe exactly what happened to me.What concerns me is that I was initially facing a 15% restocking fee while trying to return a bicycle that I believed had a recurring mechanical problem—and that the demand disappeared only after I said I intended to publicly document and report the situation.That is something I believe prospective customers deserve to know.If you've had a similar experience with University Bicycles in Boulder—particularly involving a defective or problematic new bicycle and a proposed 15% restocking fee—I would be interested to hear what happened.And one final note:If you happen to purchase a dark green Specialized Rockhopper from this shop and begin experiencing strange shifting problems, I would be very interested in hearing from you.Maybe my experience was an isolated one.I sincerely hope it was.

We stopped by and reserved 2 ebikes the day before we planned to ride. When we arrived to pick up the bikes, the staff was so great. Everyone said hello, offered assistance and seemed happy to be there! Our bikes were ready when we got there, they gave us a run through on operation and made adjustments to seat height and gave us locks and helmets. (Helmets are required to be worn, but they are required to issue them) We took off on one of the many bike trails and spent 2 hours touring around Boulder, up and along Boulder Creek. The bikes were lite ebikes but had plenty of assist for uphill sections of the path. The seats are pretty firm and can get uncomfortable after 1.5 hours or so. We thoroughly enjoyed the scenery on the bikes and would highly recommend University Bicycles if you plan to rent a bike. The staff is the best!

My wife and I rented bikes during a trip to Boulder. Road bike for me and an E-bike for my wife. Great, friendly service from the entire staff. They’ll fit your bike with whatever pedals you want. They gave my wife a quick tutorial for the E-bike. Helmets and locks were provided. I would rent from this shop again if I was in Boulder.

Unexpected flat tire passing by and they fixed it in no time. Nicest people, very friendly. This place is efficiently run. We also bumped into a a very friendly person unloading in the back who helped us to put the tire back on.

I had a day off in Boulder & hired an e-bike to explore the local hills above Boulder & through the town. The staff were friendly & helpful. The e-bike was awesome and made riding 50 m easy! I would recommend these guys to you.