Many of the sales staff are pleasant and helpful, no complaints there. Some are very knowledgeable about road and racing bikes. However, I haven't run into anyone that knows much about commuter, touring, or mountain bikes.
The reason I go down to 1 star is the service department. I have dealt with pleasant folks that aren't very knowledgeable, and knowledgeable folks that aren't very pleasant. Flat tire repair, fine. New bike assembly, so-so. I bought a high-end mountain bike there a few years ago and it was so poorly assembled that it was not safe to ride.
Once I got the cables properly secured, tires and shocks inflated, I took a ride. The first big bump I hit the handlebars rotated 45 degrees. When I took it back the mechanic told me that it was just breaking in, and one has to expect some things like that. No, it is clear that the bike was either poorly or incompletely assembled, and he tried to cover that up.
After a couple more dismal experiences, I will not trust them to service my bike. I've built a few bikes from the frame up, and I do a lot of my own wrenching so I don't really use a shop that much. That said, I don't want to buy a bike somewhere I can't trust to service it as well, even if I can get a good price. It's not worth it in the long run.
more