Where can I get my tricycle repaired?
Where can I get my tricycle repaired? That’s a question that we get asked a lot. The simplest answer is apparently not the most obvious, and that is at your local bicycle shop. With the expansion of big box stores the number of local bicycle sales & repair shops has dwindled, but most every town with 10K people or more has at least one, or in a worse case scenario, you might have to drive to the next town.
You can use Google to find shops in your area. Once you’ve located one, keep in mind that the shop is unlikely to have parts for your tricycle, especially if it’s vintage or antique or a daycare model. You should be extremely polite and gracious when dealing with your local shop, and be willing to spend some money (after all, if you can’t do the repair yourself, you shouldn’t expect to find someone to do it for nothing). If you need parts, the shop may have to go through a significant amount of paperwork and hassle to get set up as a dealer with certain manufacturers and distributors, and may have to make a considerable minimum order for some. So be prepared for the shop to tell you that it basically isn’t worth it to do all the credit apps and order $1000 worth of merchandise in order to replace the rear wheel on your kid’s Kettler.
It’s better to make a call to your local shop, describe your problem and what needs fixed, and ask them if they have the necessary parts. Be ready to order your parts online if they don’t have them. Make sure to always ask the bike shop if they have parts first. They may not say anything, but no shop likes putting parts that were purchased online or at another store on a bicycle or tricycle brought into their store.
Hourly rates at bicycle shops probably average in the $20-40 range.
If you are looking to have a tricycle restored, visit our Tricycle Services page for a number of restorers. Auto body and car restoration shops are also a good place to inquire about tricycle restorations as they have the equipment and know-how to paint the tricycle.
