Bodfish Bicycles & Quiet Mountain Sports

Meh. Friendly guy who can do good work when he wants and sloppy work when I guess he doesn’t want. But he’s the only game in town so we roll the dice on him when we need service. Doesn’t keep his word. Made a commitment to sell a couple of old rental bikes to me. When I went back with cash later the same day he said his wife told him not to sell the bikes. Seems two “regulars” would be too disappointed if those two bikes were not available. I try to support local businesses when I travel, but I’ll be taking a pass on Bodfish for awhile. Was thinking of special ordering a couple Hobie kayaks through Bodfish. I’ll be thinking elsewhere now.

Worst customer service ever! We called a few days before heading out to Chester to make sure there would be X country skiing equipment and they told us they were stocked up. When we got there the older man told us the skis were put away for the season and was completely rude to us. He barely looked at us as he was doing other things in the store and did not want to be bothered. I’ve never been treated so rudely at a business before.

My wife's Specialized ebike rear tire was repaired rapidly. We were planning a ride up to Juniper lake and Chuck provided expert guidance on navigating the trail up. Both Chuck and Lisa were professional, helpful and pleasant to work with!

I have gone to Bodfish bicycles for service and parts for years and today bought the Cadillac of the bike racks and a new bike, Every time I go in there I get excellent service and greeted by happy people and get great service and products. THANK YOU BODFISH!

I think that this is the best bicycle shop iv ever visited the owner is a man that loves what he does and it shows . I truly wish there were more people that were passionate about what they do. Thank you for all your help.

Please correct your business hours. Very disappointed after driving 45 miles with three bikes to find your business closed.

Very nice shop with a great selection of bikes to rent and parts to buy. The owner is very friendly and helpful 🙂

Stopped in to chat about local trails and had a nice conversation with the owner. Ended up buying a shirt!

I have used them for service and miscellaneous repairs for years with great happy service and quality work. We recently bought a top-of-the-line bike rack and a new bike to go with it. Again, my wife and I received great service and a happy customer once again.

The proprietor often does not answer the phone even on the days he is supposed to be open. I finally got to speak with him on the phone on the fourth try, saying that in a few months I would be spending quite a bit of money on an electric bike. I asked him if he could guarantee that the cells in the battery were Panasonic or LG (high-quality, less chance of catching on fire), he said no, all his batteries are Bosch, and he said, "No guarantees. I don't guarantee anything, and I can't guarantee I'll even be here in Sept 2024 if I sell the shop." My response was, "Then I won't be shopping at your store." ... I guess I will have to shop in Reno, even though that is farther away from where I live.

Meh. Friendly guy who can do good work when he wants and sloppy work when I guess he doesn't want. But he's the only game in town so we roll the dice on him when we need service. Doesn't keep his word. Made a commitment to sell a couple of old rental bikes to me. When I went back with cash later the same day he said his wife told him not to sell the bikes. Seems two "regulars" would be too disappointed if those two bikes were not available. I try to support local businesses when I travel, but I'll be taking a pass on Bodfish for awhile. Was thinking of special ordering a couple Hobie kayaks through Bodfish. I'll be thinking elsewhere now.

Nice bicycle rental shop . I had fun with their Raleigh. They need to be open more days a week

We came into town for the first time looking for a new spot to camp and enjoy the long weekend with our kids. Since we had not been to Chester Ca before a lot of our research about this town was done on the internet. We usually rent a boat and camp but since it was still cold weather we opted to hike and rent bikes on our weekend getaway. We researched this bike shop online and it had good reviews. The website said this business offers bike rentals. So planning our entire day around this bike day with our kids we show up to hopefully get bikes since the website stated first come first serve on bike rentals. We arrived at 12:15 due to the Sunday hours of this shop. We walk in excited to spend the day on bikes enjoying this special cute town. There where two people working in this shop, the woman was working with another customer and seemed kind and efficient. We waited a few minutes then an older man behind the counter finally asked if we needed assistance. My husband then told him we would like to rent bikes. Then literally in seconds after my husband told the man why we where in this shop he started aggressively yelling at us saying he doesn't rent bikes to children because the insurance is too high. He continues to yell at us about even thinking he would rent bikes to us. It was so strange. I know what you are thinking we had to have said something rude to him about not renting bikes to us ect. Maybe exchanged equally rude comments to him but no I promise we did not. This man is incredibly rude and unkind. We like to support small business since we own our own small business. We enjoy keeping small communities like Chester Ca lucrative because we need more small communities like this is our world. I don't know why this man was so rude. He screamed my family and I out of the building. We couldn't leave fast enough. I will never recommend this business to anyone and if you do brave this shop make sure you work with the woman who was there, she is nice.

We were staying in Susanville and wanted to ride the east part of the Bizz Johnson Trail. There are no bike rentals anymore in Susanville, so we drove to Chester to Bodfish Bicycles to pick up 2 trail bikes. Chuck was very friendly and helpful with the rental, and let us keep them overnight with only a 1-day charge as long as we got them back early the next morning. We drove back to Susanville and had a great ride on the Bizz. After locking the bikes up at our motel, we returned them the next morning. Thanks, Chuck, for a great experience.

For some time I have heard through word of mouth from locals, of negative experiences of doing business with Bodfish. A couple of months ago I was in a jam and needed my mnt bike hydraulic brake fluid serviced, so I thought I would have it done locally rather than doing it myself to save time. I called ahead and talked to the owner's son to see if they did that type of service, and if they had the proper equipment to do so. He said it would ne no problem, they could take care of it, and to bring the bike in. After the service I noticed the braking was a bit squishy, but it was minor and the bike was still rideable. Also the levers were in the same position as when i gave it to them. In my experience, levers need to be adjusted prior to fluid exchange. Red flags. A couple of months later, the bike levers completely bottomed out and needed to be pumped to gain brake pressure. I took it back in and spoke to the owner about my issues. His response was "each brake manufacturer needs special tools to service the brake fluid. We can't keep all those tools on hand so we don't do that type of work." I then scan the show room taking note of all the bikes they are selling with hydraulic brakes. I tell him that i had called prior to coming in to make sure the right tools were available and that his son had told me they did, and that that's why I brought the bike to them. His response was, "well my son only works here a couple hours a week"... Like that was an excuse for him not to know what he was doing. He then referred me to Chico to have my bike serviced. He implied I should be taking my bike to a hydraulic specialist. Right, like bike shops, other than Bodfish, know nothing about hydraulic disc brakes, gimmee a break. I say, "so you are not willing to touch my bike?" He says, "I will not touch your bike." So I walked out. It's really unfortunate because I feel it is important to support small businesses in small communities such as Chester. You would think that this would be appreciated and there would be some customer support. Take what you will from my experience, I certainly will not be spending my hard earned dime on so much as a patch kit at Bodfish Bicycle in years to come.

We have cabin in Mineral. Love to visit Bodfish... for quality sales & service. Oh, great advice on rides, trails, etc. Chester is so fortunate to have QUALITY SALES/ SERVICE @ Bodfish .... Thank You Chuck Oh, they have great T's, caps & misc Fingers crossed you're safe from fires C U soon, Kelly & Bob

This is a great bike shop and the proprietor knows all things bicycles. And he is willing to share his knowledge. Great inventory, everything you'd need for your bike riding.

Great bike shop with a mountain of knowledge...I feel very lucky to have this shop in our community. Thank you Chuck and Lisa!

After spending weeks researching bikes and visiting shops in Chico, we decided to take a break and head up to Lassen for a hike. On our way back, we decided to stop at Bodfish just to check things out. The store's been there as long as we've been spending time in the Lassen area and we'd always wanted to check it out. Good thing we did! My hubby's a solid 6'4" and finding a bike that would fit him was quite the challenge. Chuck (the owner) had numerous bikes for taller menfolk in stock, and was more than willing to pull one down for a test-drive. We got a quality bike at a reasonable price with excellent service. Chuck carries something for everyone, all the way up to high end Gary Fisher. Not only can you purchase bikes but you can rent them as well. I spied a pretty purple tandem bike sitting in the parking lot just waiting to be ridden around town. Not into cycling? He also carries kayaks during summer, and snowshoes & cross-country skis in winter. The Chester area is great for recreation and if you find yourself in the area, drop into Bodfish and say hello. You'll be glad you did.

Stopped by the shop to pick up a gift for my Beau. My Beau is a lifelong hardcore cyclist and has a few of Bodfish Books including "Butte Country Bicycle Journeys with Bodfish C 1979. His books are like the Bibles of cycle routes,and roads! Bodfish was ahead of his time when he wrote them decades ago. I think he may have a newer book too! After hearing him mentioned over the years, it was great meeting Bodfish! What a nice guy! His store is packed with high quality stuff for the gear head! Unlike the young uppity punks at stores in Chico my Beau has encountered, Bodfish knows his stuff! If in Chester, be sure to stop the store!

Love this spot. The owners are so friendly and knowledgeable and passionate about getting people outdoors to have fun. They have a great selection of gear -- much better than you'd expect in a small town. I love their hand drawn ride maps. They're a great source of information for advice on rides and hikes, having more or less done them all.

Chuck, Lisa, and Colby at Bodfish helped me pick out my new mountain bike, and I couldn't be happier with it. I've been thinking about a new bike for years, but the huge variety of styles, parts, components specs, and sizes available were getting me stuck. I really appreciated their help and guidance cruising through the selection process and getting me exactly what i wanted. I got an awesome Trek mountain bike, the perfect size, great components, good color, and feels great on the trails. They put it all together, added cages, better handlebar grips, seat and the whole nine yards. My new ride has been awesome on the trails this spring, and I've been riding more often than ever. I can't thank Bodfish enough for setting me up with the perfect ride! While you're there, check out Chuck's awesome books including "California Dream Cycling with Bodfish (Sixty of the Finest Bicycle Rides in the Golden State)."

We arrived at 4:45 pm on a Friday with a racing wheel with a broken spoke and a ride planned the next morning around the lake. The next closest bike shops are in Susanville, 45 minutes away (and after closing time). Colby was our man! He actually HAD the spoke AND was able to install it (rear wheel, cluster side of course), and true the wheel not bothered about going past closing time. What a great experience for us! Really made our day because we were able to ride the next morning, and then ride Mt. Lassen hwy the next. Now I have a Bodfish T-shirt that I proudly love. If you are driving through Chester, stop in, check out the white board, pet the dog, say hi to Colby, and look at all the bike stuff they have. This is a really neat bike shop. Thanks Colby for b'n there for us!

This place is run by a guy named Chuck. Very friendly and knowledgeable. He will make sure you get what you need and his service/maintenance on bikes is outstanding.

Beware of this tourist trap bike shop. There are great bike shops in Chico, Redding and Reno, as well as great on line retailers like Performance Bike. Bodfish treated me poorly, the owner flew of the handle when I tried to return a defective road bike. He did give me a refund though, but gave attitude and flipped me the bird as I was leaving. Whatever... I will make my purchase elsewhere and I advise you to do the same.

This place is not customer friendly. My wife and I waited for the store to open and we arrived a few minutes after they opened. I just needed a battery for my cycle computer and they had it in stock. The guy said "I have the battery but I have no idea how to put the new one in." I asked if I could borrow a knife and the instructions from the packaged computer and he said "we are trying to open, so you are going to have to wait." I guess we should have known the owner would be nasty when he told my wife, who had called his dog buddy, that his dog was a female and that she didn't like to be called "buddy" (well, excuse me--I did not know the dog was so sensitive). I told the guy, I am a customer, I waited for you to open, no one else is here, couldn't you help me and then put the 20 beach cruisers in front of your store. He told me "well, if you have a special problem then you will have to wait, otherwise go to the next bicycle store down the road." Great attitude for a business person. If I owned the business, and a customer was waiting at the door, I would help the customer (they are going to pay some money for one or more products) and then finish everything else. Another oddity, the guy said he had no computer to look up the circumference for the tire (it is also in the cycle computer instructions, which he would not share with me). I told him we would just go on our ride around Lake Almanor and the young guy, who said he couldn't figure out how to change the battery told us to "go back to the city." If it wasn't for the rest of the great businesses in town I would think all of Chester was this nasty. Turns out this was the only difficulty we had in our week near Lassen NP. Do not patronize this guy. He does not deserve the business.