[madnessmoose]

I just got a plane ticket to Asheville for the middle of March for a riding trip.:thumbsup:

I need to ship my bike from Salt Lake and need a good bike shop to unpack my baby....n then pack it back up when I need to go home. Anyone have suggestions?

Thanks in advance!

 

[mattnmtns]

I have no real allegiance or affiliation to any of the shops in town. Nor do I know for sure if any will do that type of thing but I suspect any of them would. For me easy access from the interstate and the airport would probably be as big of a factor as any. So this may depend on where you planning on ridding or staying. In no particular order.

http://carolinafatz.blogspot.com/ Great shop and the staff has always been super helpful and knowledgeable. Pretty easy access from the interstate and right next to Bent Creek

http://www.motionmakersbikes.com/ I'm not the biggest fan of Specialized and they are kind of the new kids on the block, right up the road from Carolina Fatz, while they didn't have the part I was needing(none of the other shops in Asheville did either) they went out of their way looking for the part and seeing if they could order it.

I'll mention Pro Bikes since I know that they go out of their way to help out of towners. I know the owner sized/fitted a tourist then delivered a rental to the hotel.
http://www.pro-bikes.com

In all honesty I don't have anything negative to report about any of the shops in Asheville, but the ones listed are all straight shots of the interstate.

PS I want to travel out your way this summer, though I don't think it will happen this year. I flew out to Jackson WY last summer with more backpacking and fishing gear than 2 bikes weigh and it wasn't cheap. I just shipped it UPS general pickup, luckily I called the day before in because apparently Betty, the person who was supposed to be manning the station, was having a baby and wouldn't be in that day. They arranged for someone to be there, umm thanks. Anyways that is always an option, I'm not exactly sure where the UPS general delivery pick up is but the Fedex is right off the interstate and close to downtown.

 

[M-U-M]

I hit the ezey button: Needs some updating, but 90% accurate

http://www.mtbikewnc.com/areainfo/bikeshops.html

There are also locals who assist in this sort of thing.

 

[thumpduster]

Carolina Fatz offers free pats on the tush with any purchase. They'd certainly pack your baby up.

 

[Mike Brown]

madness- No LBS here will do a bad job of that. They all are decently competent. You cannot go wrong. Just call and ask about pricing and go from there.

Disclaimer: There is one shop I have not been into since moved (Hearn's). Might be great, might not be. No clue. That is all.

 

[motobutane]

+1 on
this shop I used to go to the Sylva store quite often and the Asheville store seems just as good.

 

[brokeONE]

Checkout pro bikes I've used them for about ten years. http://www.pro-bikes.com

 

[Maida7]

madness- No LBS here will do a bad job of that. They all are decently competent. You cannot go wrong. Just call and ask about pricing and go from there.

Disclaimer: There is one shop I have not been into since moved (Hearn's). Might be great, might not be. No clue. That is all.

Yes you could throw a dart at a board and hit a great bike shop.

I have also never been to Hern's

Enjoy your visit:thumbsup:

 

[salmansp]

Why you going to Asheville? There is no Mtbiking in Asheville. They just wish they were Brevard, and had riding 5 min. In any direction. Don't let them fool you.

 

[cruso414]

Why you going to Asheville? There is no Mtbiking in Asheville. They just wish they were Brevard, and had riding 5 min. In any direction. Don't let them fool you.

what he said.

I use local shops rarely but when I do, the hub has REALLY impressed me. I like Wes @ Sycamore (right across the street from the hub) but don't support specialized in any form. (same reason I don't buy anything from motionmakers)

if you have to use an asheville shop, FATZ would be my choice too.

 

[plume]

Any local shop would be able to handle this well. I'll mention that my vote is biased since I'm employed there - Liberty Bikes. We pack/unpack bikes all the time. We're also pretty darn convenient to get to the trails depending on where you're staying. Again, all the other shops already listed would likely do a great job too as I know most of the folks who work there.

Enjoy your trip!

 

[Mercurial]

Before I moved to Greenville in October, I had my bikes shipped to Liberty in Hendersonville for my vacation. They handled both the delivery / assembly and also they broke them down and recrated them to send back to Miami. First class experience with no problems.

If it is your first time shipping bikes just make sure you know the size limits on Fed Ex / UPS before it becomes oversized and adds like $50-75 on top of the weight.

 

[dobovedo]

I am very biased towards and highly recommend Motion Makers. Their Asheville shop is new, but they're not "new kids on the block". The Sylva store is in it's 26th year. I've bought three bikes (road/mtb/'cross) from them in the past two years and have had great sales and service experience from both shops on those and my other bikes.

No matter what route you go, I hope you enjoy Asheville while you're here! If you're looking for folks to ride with, check out the Asheville Mountain Biking Meetup Group at: http://www.meetup.com/Asheville-MTB-Meetup-Group/

 

[madnessmoose]

Thanks a lot everybody!

I've been wanting to ride the Asheville/Brevard area for what seems like forever, and am now even more geeked with all the positive vibes I've been getting on here from the locals.

I'll let you all know how things go when I get home.