Any bicyclists here who can recommend a really good mechanic? OKC

[jmike314]

I've been a loyal and happy customer @ Wheeler Dealer for 10+ years. Good people & good service everytime I go in. By far my favorite bike shop...of course I'll only ride Specialized.

I've been by 405 Cycles in Moore when I'm on that side of town a few times. The guys are good people. Haven't had an opportunity to sample their mechanic services though.

 

[Stan Upchurch]

Thanks for the help about builders!

 

[TripleD]

Already mentioned:
Schlegal
Celestial

I also like:
Charley's Bicycle Lab

Edit: Fred Karcher, previous owner of Buchanan's in Norman still builds bikes, i think. The owner at Buchanans (Tobin?) could probably tell you for sure.

Just checked Buchanans website : http://buchananbikes.com/frames-by-freddie/

 

[SoonerP226]

I haven't been there in years, but my experiences with Buchanan were all good. Their only drawback is that they're on Campus Corner, so parking can be hard to come by at times.

 

[corwin1968]

Wow, I had no idea this thread had been resurrected. I've been to several bicycle shops that were mentioned in this thread and had good experiences with all of them. I've decided to go with Sheriden at Celestial. I never could find any solid recommendations for a wheel builder here in OKC so I went with Hands On Wheels out in California. He builds wheels for Rivendell Bicycle Works, has built well over 6000 of them and specializes in heavy duty builds. He used 40-spoke touring hubs, Velocity Dyad rims and DTSwiss spokes with brass nipples. The cost was about $40 more than the local quotes I got and he warranties them for the life of the rim. So far I've had zero problems with the wheels.

I also decided to abandon my upgrade plans and instead bought a new frameset, the Handsome Devil. It took me a long time to find what I wanted but the Devil seems to be it. I wanted road bike geometry in a cro-moly frame with cantilever posts and clearance for fat tires. I've got most of the components I need and will be taking it down to Celestial for a good, professional build in the near future. I'll be setting it up as an all-rounder with mtb handlebars and a couple of sets of tires (40mm Schwalbe Duremes for adventure and 32mm Vittoria Randonneur Hyper's for strictly road). I'll be running a Deore drivetrain (48/36/26) and V-brakes. I plan to try some group rides with the Oklahoma Bicycle Society and if I enjoy that and get in better shape, I'll switch over to drop handlebars and shoot for some longer rides.

Here is a mock-up with the 40mm Duremes on it:

 

[corwin1968]

Already mentioned:
Schlegal
Celestial

I also like:
Charley's Bicycle Lab

Edit: Fred Karcher, previous owner of Buchanan's in Norman still builds bikes, i think. The owner at Buchanans (Tobin?) could probably tell you for sure.

Just checked Buchanans website : http://buchananbikes.com/frames-by-freddie/

As of just a few months ago, Buchanan was willing to build me a frameset. I communicated with Tobin but he was obviously working with someone he had to consult so I'm guessing is the previous owner that was mentioned. Their quote for a filet brazed frame was very reasonable.

 

[SABOT]

Charlie @ Charley's Bicycle Lab is an absolute wheel building wizard.