(May 6, 2014, 8:09 pm)
I bought a Cannondale hardtail mountain bike from Mark at Sickler's this past weekend, and the whole experience couldn't have gone smoother. First off, the building that Sickler's is in, the Hawley Silk Mill, is beautiful. The bike shop is one of many stores inside, so it's worth wandering around, even if you are just casually interested in bikes. And the Cocoon Coffee House just outside the shop is top notch too. Now onto the actual review...
The selection of mountain bikes gave me a lot of options, including entry level & high end bikes. Although I didn't look at the road bikes or kids bikes, they had a nice selection of those too. After talking to Mark about why I wanted a mountain bike (upcoming triathlon at a ski resort) and my previous experience (not much), he recommended an entry level Cannondale bike. While I shopped around, Mark taught me about bike maintenance, disc vs. conventional brakes, and told me about some cool trails near Hawley. I shopped around the rest of the selection, but eventually decided on the Cannondale that Mark recommended initially because of the price, the features, the size, and the look. I've taken it for a few road rides (no trails yet), and I'm very happy with it.
After my fiance & I left the shop, we both commented on how friendly & helpful that Mark was. The buying process took about a half hour to 45 minutes overall, and he was incredibly helpful the whole way through. I'd highly recommend Sickler's, and Mark in particular.
