Ernie's Bike Shop

[MTigers006]

Recently I purchased a NEXT Dual Suspension Mountain Ridge Mountain Bike from Wal-Mart and paid $146.00 for it. I purchased it in the evening and rode it hope. It rode great the front suspension felt all wrong and the bike was hard to petal and didnt want to roll very good on a good coast. Anyways the next morning in the daylight I got it out to ride it and noticed the forks looked like someone took a ball-pean hammer to it and to top it off the chain broke and fell off after only 5 days of having it. Anyways after returning the bike and much concideration and almost buying a Triax Full Suspension 21 Speed from Target my friend took me to Ernie's and I explained what I was looking for and my price range of $300 Max they showed me a Trek 820 and I got on it and it fit me very well. Anyone that knows Trek knows they are awsome bikes that are a bit pricey. Anyways the bike was at my limit and I was going to get it. Now the funny part. I got to looking at the bike and I told the girl I only have one major problem with this bike and I told her its Red, Black, and White. My friend chimes in and says yeah you can go supporting McKinley can you. The girl said she completely understood. I would guess they get that alot or maybe im just a die hard Tiger fan who wouldnt be caught dead riding a bike with those colors on it. lol.
Anyways they ordered me the same bike with different colors from the New Philly store. They shipped it from that store and put it together for me free of charge and a free future tune up. I was very pleased with the friendly curtious service and fast shipment. I ended up spending $259+tax. They told me that the Wal-Mart and Target bikes arent any good. So next time your looking for a bike it would be stupid not to check out Ernie's and save your self of time and trouble.

[Indiana95]

Great advice. Spending a few extra bucks for a well built bike will end up saving you $ in the end. Great choice in Ernie's.

[PurpleArmy]

I agree about Wal-Mart bikes being junk. I would never waste my money on a bike from there.

My husband and I own a set of Trek's and got them both at Eddie's (or maybe it's Ernie's) up in Stow on Route 59. The service was great, the bikes were exactly what we were looking for. We wanted bikes that were made in America, and we had to pay an extra $40.00 per bike (for the exact same model as the cheaper ones that were made overseas) to get ones that were made here, but we did it anyways.

Oh....and ours are both purple. :drinkem:

Seriously, though, Trek makes some decent bikes, and they come in all price ranges. We paid around $700.00 each for ours a few years back, but we ride a lot, and they have been problem free since we've owned them, so I think they were worth the money spent.

Just make sure you get your new bike serviced every Spring at Ernie's. They offer a package deal thing on Spring tune ups, and it's a good idea to get them, so your bike will stay in great working order.

[MTigers006]

It also doesnt hurt to get them registered with the MPD in the event of theft which I plan to do ASAP. At last I heard they record your serial and model numbers as well as photograph them to trace them in the event they are stolen. Im not sure about cost though. I use 2 locks on mine for double security. I cant get over how smoothly everything works and the over all ride. I couldnt be happier. I will be sure to let Ernie know this personally.

[TigerBob75]

Treks are good bikes. I bought a 320 racing bike in 90,91 to do triathlons. I paid over $300. for it. Still have it. Other than tires and a new seat it's stil in very good condition. Don't ride it because my body wants to stay more erect than bent over. Three or four years ago when MPD had their bike auction they had a Trek 820 mountain bike. I knew what it was a how good it was. Determined to get. Out bidded everyone and got it for $99. I knew what I got. Only had it for a season, someone stoled it from my fensed back. Got my racer at Ernie's. My wife and I did get a pair of mountain bikes at Wal Mart in 2000. Only costed $99 a piece. I believe mine was a Murray. We had them for a couple of years. Had no complaints about them. We really liked them. Someone must have liked mine also. Looked out back one day, gone. The elements eventually got the wife's. I know that you get what you pay for, but that year we got some good bikes for good prices. I still look for my Trek.

[CarlE]

With gas hovering at $4/gallon $500-$700 for a bike doesn't seem that extravagant anymore does it?? Great story, MTigers006. I swear, I probably wouldn't have even noticed the colors if I were paying that much for a bike but by Gosh, YOU sure did!!! LOL.

[howard roark]

As an avid bike rider, I went thru those department store bikes yearly until I did the math and fianlly broke down and bought a bike out of Ernie's. The difference is amazing.

I ened up buying my sons bike out of Ernies and he gets a b-day card and a reminder to have our tune ups done yearly. I think its a fantastic store and the fact that Ernie is involved in the community and passionate about his healthy lifestyle is commendable. I'll pay extra for that type of service.

Kudos to Ernie and his staff. :thumbsup:

[Banks]

It also doesnt hurt to get them registered with the MPD in the event of theft which I plan to do ASAP. At last I heard they record your serial and model numbers as well as photograph them to trace them in the event they are stolen. Im not sure about cost though..

WOW that brings back memories of the early 60's when you would take your bike to your local neighborhood fire dept. for its annual safety check and registration .

[TigerLily]

I have only had success in purchasing bikes at Ernie’s. From buying them for my kids (when they were kids) to purchasing my grandson a tricycle, with a parrot horn (because my daughter, his mom, is a Jimmy Buffet nut) and experiences in-between, I have always found quality, service and a hometown way of doing business. Ernie’s is a really great place to shop. (And that tricycle has been passed down and is still working like a charm -- horn and all.)

The same way with Home Appliance. Sometimes it really pays to stay home and shop the smaller business owners!

http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/7/7_9_5.gif
(This is how one of my other grandsons -- the dare-devil -- rides his!)

[howard roark]

Agree. Home Appliance is the only place I shop . The hometown discount is unbeatable.

[TigerCoach]

I've also had a Trek Mountain Bike for years and it is a very good bike. For a guy my size, it holds up well. Problem is, it's harder and harder to get time to ride anymore!

[BigTime]

Ernie’s is THE bike shop in the area if you are in the market for a superior product (Trek, Giant etc). I bought 4 Trek bikes at Ernie for about a grand 5 years ago. Great bikes!

My only complaint is their recent unwillingness to negotiate. I looked at upgrading my son’s Trek mono-speed “tweener” frame to a full size men’s 21 speed. The clerk at Ernie’s showed me a very nice front style shift Trek mountain bike for about $280. I asked about a deal, and was told “we don’t really do that here”. Knowing that is never true if you talk to the right person (after all I got a deal a few years earlier) I thanked the clerk for his time and shopped elsewhere. I ended up buying a very nice Schwinn that , like the Trek, had Shimano works from Target for about $160. Also a very nice bike.

Good bikes at a good price are out there if you do your home work and shop around.

[CarlE]

Ernie’s is THE bike shop in the area if you are in the market for a superior product (Trek, Giant etc). I bought 4 Trek bikes at Ernie for about a grand 5 years ago. Great bikes!

My only complaint is their recent unwillingness to negotiate. I looked at upgrading my son’s Trek mono-speed “tweener” frame to a full size men’s 21 speed. The clerk at Ernie’s showed me a very nice front style shift Trek mountain bike for about $280. I asked about a deal, and was told “we don’t really do that here”. Knowing that is never true if you talk to the right person (after all I got a deal a few years earlier) I thanked the clerk for his time and shopped elsewhere. I ended up buying a very nice Schwinn that , like the Trek, had Shimano works from Target for about $160. Also a very nice bike.

Good bikes at a good price are out there if you do your home work and shop around.

BT:

YOu should have gone back to Ernie's and let them know what someone else was willing to do for you. That way, you possibly could have kept the business local. Or talked to someone other than a clerk. That usually works, too.

[MTigers006]

With gas hovering at $4/gallon $500-$700 for a bike doesn't seem that extravagant anymore does it?? Great story, MTigers006. I swear, I probably wouldn't have even noticed the colors if I were paying that much for a bike but by Gosh, YOU sure did!!! LOL.

Almost made me puke. J/K. Just a die hard Tiger fan here CarlE. If I culd have I would have gotten it in Orange and Black. The best colors in the world that look great together. LOL

[shooter]

Glad to see the folks at MP are getting into biking. I've got three main bikes, two Fuji's and one bianci. The fujis are a very light carbon fiber frame with dura-ace group, and a cyclo cross for riding on trails, though it will go pretty good on the road with the right tires.
I also have a bianchi mountain bike that I use for riding around town and (illegally) riding on my own personal trails in the giant metro park system. My day honestly revolves around my daily ride. I'm a contract worker so i pretty much pick my assignments so I can commute by bike. Right now i've got about a 17 mile one way commute. Very good, almost all through metro parks, and when things dry out i can finish up with my own trail that just about ends up in my front yard. the ride takes me over I 77 and sometimes when the traffic is backed up I wave at the 9 to 5 humanoids sitting in traffic.

The trail riding I do is mostly in Pa on the GAP and C&O towpath. Very remote, and scenic. I sometimes ride from pittsburgh to dc and take the train back. Very cool sitting on amtrak drinking Buds and looking at the trtail you just rode.

My adventures, however, are very, very mild compared to some. Here is link to a guy riding from Alaska to the tip of south america. This is real adventure. These guys take a laptop and digital camera along and post every few days, so you can sort of ride along with them. This journal on http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/?o=3Tzut is one of the best.

Oh yeah, I've been to ernie's on the trail you've got there in massillon and it seemed like a good shop. Don't buy the department store bikes. They are mostly junk and will not hold up under any real riding.
The trail there is ok, but it doesn't go anywhere, and I'm kind of a destination guy. Massillon is kind of like the town I live, and a mountain bike would be pretty good for zipping around town.




Here is the link to the journal from alaska to chile, good photos!
http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=3Tzut&page_id=76519&v=7m

[howard roark]

Just took the train to DC for a little vacation and saw the trail.

had the same idea; take the train over and ride back. Do alot of riding down in southern Ohio and in Nelson Ledges. thanks for the info

[shooter]

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/page/?o=3Tzut&page_id=79091&v=29

Here is another great journal. This guy is riding from Japan to England. He's in Austria now. Some of the photos from Nepal and Pakistan are unbelievable. A really great trip.

[shooter]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=au0Zjn3eB9k

Here is a video of my ride to work!