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| - First off, let's talk a little philosophy. You want to get a bike. You don't want to get a toy. A bike is a highly efficient human powered piece of engineering marvel that will give you a decade of enjoyment if not more. It will not let you down, will give back whatever you put into it, and will not go out of fashion. A toy is something that will keep you amused for a single afternoon, and doomed to be abandoned and to rust on a city bike lock post within a year. A bike will cost you anywhere between $500 and $10,000. The sweet spot is somewhere in the $800-1000 range. A toy will cost you maybe $250-ish. For a toy, go to your Wal-Mart.
You want a bike. Ok, we on the same page?
Now I would say Duke's the best place in Toronto to get it. I visited close to 10 reputable stores in Toronto before deciding to buy my bike here. If this is your first why-so-serious bike, for whatever purpose, just march into this place, and try not to look nervous. The people here can sense fear... just kidding. They are all actually super nice, but you have to know who to talk to and who to avoid entirely. I will tell you...
If you are a woman, then you MUST MUST buy your bike at this store. Anywhere else is run by a bunch of dudes that will bore you to death with specs and technical blah blah no one gives a damn. But don't just to talk anyone when you go to this store. Clearly they are all bike addicts, but the girls here can give you the best advice specific for women, If you are interested in mountain biking and off-road riding, ask for Lisa. She is super sweet, and super knowledgeable. She will ask you the right questions, but more importantly will shut up and listen to exactly what you want and what you need. If you want a bike for commuting or road riding, then ask for Gisele. Also a super sweet girl that will hook you up with exactly the right road machine.
If you are a guy, pretty much everyone here is good to talk to depending on your need. Just first ask them what type of riding they do mostly, and if it is similar to your own then you are on the right track. BUT really try to avoid Michael, the store manager. I have nothing against him personally, but don't care for his attitude. His customer service falls quite short also, in contrast to everyone else here. Actually if it was writing this review after only talking to him, I would be giving a 1-star rating to the store.
Now you might ask, is Duke's the cheapest place to get a bike in Toronto? I am not sure... it has a reputation for being on the expensive side. But two pieces of advice for you 1) if it comes down to a lower sale price you find somewhere else, they will surely beat it anyway and 2) forget about haggling to save $25-$75, and instead think about building a long-term relationship to take care of this amazing machine you are about to buy. Duke's offers excellent service and deals with warranties in a customer-always-right attitude, that much I know... that fact alone has saved me hundreds of dollars so far which might not have if I had tried to get the bargain at another store, or worse, I would have lost thousands of dollars if I had bought the on-line sale which doesn't come with the local store service benefit.
So there you have it. Have a good ride!
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