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February 2024 by Melissa Pico
They do great repair work on any bike (not just R+E bikes) would definitely recommend!!
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February 2024 by Cedric Easley
Fantastic company building great bikes! Just had a custom Phinney Ridge built around 650B, thru axles, all the proper refinements you’d come to expect. Smiley did my initial fit, great experience, and the final product just oozes comfort. Such a comfortable bike and I felt right at home on it from the first day. 5 weeks in, 1,200 miles on it, absolutely enamored with how it rides, how it looks and can confidently say this will be my #1 drop bar bike for a very long time. I use this bike recreationally, it’s my road bike, my training bike, gravel grinder, gravel race, and light bikepacking/touring/rando rig. It does it all, comfortably, and that speaks volumes. Just did a 130 mile day like it was nothing, ride quality allows for the big days to be a success. Can’t go wrong with a Rodriguez, long live USA hand built frames! The shop is also well stocked with anything else you might need and as always, if they don’t have it, it can be ordered.
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December 2023 by Mitchel Wilson
This place builds amazing bikes. The build quality on my bike is exceptional. Star lost because I wanted a kick stand but they didn't install one, and mistakenly told me I said I didn't want one. Another star lost because the process to set up the follow up inspection/maintenance was confusing and never happened as a result.
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December 2023 by Peter M.
I have ridden two different Rodriguez bikes on multi week tours: twice across Europe and twice across the US. Literally zero problems other than flats and worn out brake pads. The brand was popular with other riders on these trips as well.
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September 2023 by Molly A.
I have been lax at taking my Rodriguez bike in for regular service. Finally got it to the R&E shop for a full tune-up. Wow! What a difference. Thanks guys, for making my bike awesome to ride again!Cheers!
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August 2023 by Colin Berg
After 8.5 years and 35,000 miles of bike commuting and recreational riding in the Pacific Northwest and down the Pacific Coast, the frame of my Mosaic road bike was showing signs of extensive, dangerous rust. I went to R+E cycles, and they built me a Rodriguez Phinney Ridge that's even sweeter than the Mosaic.After a couple of months and 1,200+ miles of riding, the bike is proving to be perfect in every way. From Smiley's meticulous fitting process to Alder's expert build and advice to the entire team's attention to every detail, the experience of letting go of a loved ride and finding an even better one has been more than I could have hoped for. I just got back from a 6-day, 400-mile circuit of the Olympic Peninsula. Fantastic. I look forward to a lot of years of a lot of miles on my Rodriguez, and consider myself lucky to be part of the R+E Cycles community.
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July 2023 by Sam Crawford
The place to go if you want a custom designed and built bike. Great work, grest bikes and excellent, knowledgeable and friendly staff.
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June 2023 by Joseph Sutton
Had our tandem worked on here. I’ve been to a lot of bike shops, and I’ve never quite felt as welcome or open to ask questions and learn as I did here. I’ll be back!
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June 2023 by Mike Callan
This shop is an absolute Seattle essential. I’ve never before interacted with mechanics that are so consistently knowledgeable and precise with their work.
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June 2023 by Stephanie Harold
The incredibly helpful and accommodating staff fit in my short notice repair job involving a broken gates belt and new gearing for my Rohloff Speedhub. They also took time to explain some of the fine points of using the system I have. I am visiting Seattle from Alaska; I arrived with an unrideable bike, but now I’m ready to roll.
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May 2023 by Andrew Lim
R+E’s motto says that when you buy a bike from them, you buy the entire shop team- and it is absolutely true! I built a custom gravel bike with them in 2020, and have been going to them for services/repairs ever since. From custom frame design/decal/paint options with owner Dan, to personalized bike fitting and choosing components/parts with Smiley in sales, these guys really made the process of building your dream bike a joy every step of the way, from start to “new bike day”, without some of the attitude that one can get at other custom bike shops :) While going custom may seem pricey at first, I can attest to the fact that I’ve saved so much $ over time by having exactly the bike I wanted, done right the first time, with a steel frame that fits me like a glove, is stiff, light, indestructible, and rides like butter through pretty much anything I throw at it.Since that day, I’ve gone back for services with lead mechanic Alder and the whole crew. They take all the stress out of bike maintenance, are super kind, thorough, attentive to detail, and really do a fantastic job of thoughtfully catering their services to how YOU want to ride your bike. They will make honest recommendations and offer the right advice for you, not trying to make a profit for them or upsale on anything, and will be really fair about doing right by your bike until you are satisfied. Yeah the service may not be the cheapest you’ll find in town, but I promise that with R&E you get what you pay for- I.e bike tune ups done so right by experienced mechanics that I only have needed to go back on average once a year for minor adjustments, despite commuting/gravel riding/ bike camping / generally abusing my bike through rain and snow, year round - of course speaking from my own experience here, your miles will vary :).Anyways, R&E is that rare Seattle gem that retains so much soul, local charm, and personal touches from all the staff while still providing truly the best bike service I’ve experienced in my 20+ years of riding. It’s a rare and very special shop, team, and really a whole community !Pictures of my bike and a recent R&E organized group ride :)
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May 2023 by John McGonigle
I finally pulled the trigger on getting a Rodriguez bike. I had a lot of requests that I could not find off the shelf anywhere and R+E was open to all of my ideas and helped me hone in on something custom, just for me. Starting with a floor model they were able to customize everything from the graphics, to the tubing shapes and lengths, to the fork crown lug, and everything else. I get compliments on my ride just about every time I go out on my Rod. More than that "you are buying a bike shop, not just a bike" is one of their favorite slogans and this is probably truest and best part of my purchase. They have been so accommodating to my schedule and price point and have provided endless last minute emergency support to get my ride up and running in tip top shape for another rainy Monday commute or all out PNW adventure. Would totally recommend to a friend!
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May 2023 by Nathaniel Hoe
Awesome place and a staple in the Seattle bike community for a reason! The heart and soul of this city's cycling scene. You can feel the history in here. Alder is an exceptional mechanic and has worked on all of my bikes, including my Rod.
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May 2023 by Kristin S.
Kind of a nightmare, my experience at Rodriguez. Just over a year ago I decided to have a professional bike fitting to help me figure out why I was in so much pain on my Trek 520 touring bike. Long story short: it just didn't fit and no amount of tweaking would make it right. After some research, I found Rodriguez, relatively close to home. They sounded magnificent on paper (both the bikes themselves and the philosophy of the company) and after reading practically every article on their website, decided to make the trip up to Seattle (from Portland) to see them in person and get fitted.My sister had been up the week before after I shared with her my enthusiasm for the company and their bikes and had placed an order herself. (Her husband attended the fitting with her. I went by myself.)Smiley greeted me warmly enough and we chatted a little about what I was looking for: the Adventure with travel couplings. He immediately upsold me to a UTB. I was straightforward with him about needing to keep to a very strict budget, so could not afford any bells and whistles. The travel couplings alone added almost $1000. I gave in to the UTB upgrade. There were good reasons for it.I was also adamant about cantilever brakes, compact handle bars and compact brake levers. I felt his demeanor toward me change at this point. Less engaged. When he asked me why I wanted cantis instead of disc brakes I told him about the article I'd read on the store's website listing all the reasons they were the best choice for touring bikes. He told me those articles were out of date. Um...what?I did put a deposit down that day but walked out of the store feeling a little sick to my stomach; like something was off.When my bike arrived (a little earlier than expected) I was thrilled. Beautiful frame! But when I assembled it I found the canti brakes not installed properly and of a very low quality. Like, the cheapest brakes on the market. Um...what? Neither my husband or I are trained bike mechanics but we're not newbies either and have done tons of riding and touring. Neither of us could figure out what was going on with the brakes.I took it up to my local bike shop who took one look at it and said they wouldn't touch it. They strongly suggested I bring it back to Rodriguez to fix, with a much better (though by no means expensive) set of brakes.So I called Rodriguez and told them I was coming up. Smiley was not pleased at all to see me. He wanted to charge me for the correct installation of the new brakes (which I bought myself). I was aghast. I had to sneak/whisper to the cashier about my situation. She pulled a mechanic over to explain what was going on. He assured me they would not charge me. Smiley, when I questioned him about the brakes they originally installed, was running around the shop trying to find another bike with the same brakes. There weren't any. It was bizarre.Once the brakes were installed I took my maiden voyage and proceeded to almost get myself killed because I couldn't stop in time at an intersection. Brake levers were very hard to reach, and very stiff. Front end was very, very twitchy.I told Smiley about my experience; asked if the levers were adjustable. He said no, they weren't and I would get used to the twitchiness. What about the compact levers I asked for? He did nothing to help me. I spent $4500 on this bike. I thought that cost would include some customer service, or at the very least, a gracious response to necessary adjustments.I walked out shaking with nervous frustration.I got back to Portland and immediately wrote an email to Rodriguez, cc-ing Smiley. I ended up ordering the correct levers myself and having them installed at my local shop. Rodriguez reimbursed me those costs.But I've spent a year getting the fit corrected.For some reason they installed an offset seat post and a very short stem. No wonder I couldn't keep my front tire down on steep climbs and why I felt so out of control anytime I tried to stand up and pedal.Smiley's behavior is an absolute mystery to
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May 2023 by Scott
So happy with my new Phinney Ridge bike! Smiley and Alder and all the folks at Rodriguez did a fantastic job, from the custom fit to helping me figure out all the final details. I love the color and the bike only came in at only 23lbs! It's a dream to ride!
