Shops

I totally agree about brixton cycles, my first time ever using them.. rang them up about a part (Surly hub)...they had it, I paid for it on the phone, then wanted to maybe get it delivered (I work in covent garden.. but i'm lazy what can I say..) the fella said he'd feel bad about charging me postage, and that I should just come and get it so he didn't have to feel guilty.... then he was like "hold on a sec".... goes away, comes back, one of their dudes is going to be in Covent Garden tomorrow and is dropping it off free of charge... how F***ING great is that?!! customer service at its finest.

I like London Fields cycles too, they helpful, took my bottom bracket off free of charge, stopped me from buying the wrong peddles, recommended a good reasonably priced crank.. etc... just nice people. Building my wheels up for me too...

I was wary about Brick Lane bikes at first, the girls in their seemed a bit .. well.. off, but i've been in a couple of times since, and once I got past the initial impression they were really helpful and chatty (are they Danish??.. I can't tell)

Evans is appalling, as is cyclesurgery, as is that shitty shop at the end of commercial street...

http://www.poshbikes.com
that shop should be in bike porn period lots of carbon innovations if you want to lighten your bike check it out

natureboy I was in Edwards today, and overheard the following conversation:

kid: I need a freewheel.
shop guy: what for?
kid: my bike
shop guy: well I didn't think it was for an aeroplane.
etc...

having said that, the other guy who i was talking to was very helpful.

:-o

lpg If you don't want to get skanked, learn to do repairs yourselves!

Exactly. I'm so paranoid that they'll bugger it up or scratch my paintwork etc!

@cultural elite: I wish my experience with them was as good as that. I mail ordered a goldtec hub, and it arrives with scratched flange and dented end caps. They should have told me on the phone :-/ plus I was on "hold" but the guy was just talking to his friend laughing about.

hello all, just joined fgss. Always interested to see feedback on good shops. Here is my list
Brixton: knowledgeable, helpful
On Your Bike London Bridge: very helpful, great workshop staff, no track stuff though
Condor: nice when you spend your month's salary, but otherwise annoying habit of talking down to you. I avoid them now
London Fields: my best experience so far, the only shop that didn't try to suggest an expensive solution when a simple one was available
Evans: da pits

it seems condor is now refered to as CONdor........but then again the legend that is TED works at CONdor so if you do happen to take your pride and joy there you know its in good hands:)

I bought some wheels from Brick Lane Bikes last weekend. I've just fit them only to find out that the front wheel is far from perfectly true, and the rear wheel is way out. I'm less than impressed...

brufix London Fields: my best experience so far, the only shop that didn't try to suggest an expensive solution when a simple one was available

you hit the nail on the head there mate. went down to my LBS recently with some wheels. I was prepared for them to say we'd have to rebuild them with new hubs etc. Nope, the dude said fuck that, we'll sort them out for you, re-dish etc and it'll only cost you a tenner. Helpful to know that they don't always want to rinse you for your wages.

Can I put a shout in for Bike Fix on Lamb's Conduit St? (Near to Condor and Holborn Cycle Surgery). Good workshop, knowledgeable & friendly guys. The also get the local kids helping out in the shop and learning a bit about bikes, rather than excluding / ignoring them cos they've no money to spend.

cool

I've had good experiences in Condor, london bicycle repair center, and even evans! In fact, evans on the cut replaced a cog free of charge, and my local (Gateshead) evans knocked a fair amount off my pista, waved the charges of materials for fitting the front brake, and gave me a free set of MKS pedals, toeclips & a water bottle! All in all they saved me about £60.

Not saying that evans is a great shop mind. I think i'm lucky more than anything else! Gateshead being in the north east doesnt see to many fixed riders, and i think the guy who served me was just happy to see a like-minded fellow.

I've never had good vibes from cyclesurgery - the bloke quoted me insane amounts for wheel replacements etc.

brixton is my favourite of the lot. the guys in brick lane are cool but the woman is just rude.

jv the guys in brick lane are cool but the woman is just rude.

See i find it the other way around there most of the time.

I know a few who wont buy anything from there because
of the attitude they have received from staff. This is after
I recommended they go there to get stuff.

Hi all, my first post is just to add to the Evans woe: I had a bike serviced there a few years ago, mentioning noisy cranks on the way in, and on the way out, since they'd plainly done nothing to them. Their response was to fix the cranks but set the bike up on the highest possible gear with the seatpost 6 inches too high. Ha, ha. I presume this is standard bike mechanic's fun but I vowed never to set foot in Evans again.

for wheels contact arup he'll hand you back a beautiful and true set od wheels

yeah lets boycott the big bike shops eg CONdor and evans and go to the little shops eg blb and brixton cycles.....im sure alot of you do anyway....and if you need any wheels building go to people on here like: andy at fixed gear london and arup

Scrapper [quote]jv the guys in brick lane are cool but the woman is just rude.

See i find it the other way around there most of the time.

I know a few who wont buy anything from there because
of the attitude they have received from staff. This is after
I recommended they go there to get stuff.[/quote]

Me too. When I went there last week to buy my PAC she was real helpful. They all seemed pretty friendly.

dicki for wheels contact arup he'll hand you back a beautiful and true set od wheels

I'll true wheels for a beer or build for beers :)

*grins with new, freshly built, goldtec track + open pro cd in hand, perfectly true*

who is this arup you speak of? i have a front hub and a rim kicking about with no spokes in...
edit: doh... i just realised he's on here :/

http://www.yogarup.com/wheels/

Good customer service / cheap prices / good range of stock

pick 2

and what exactly do we mean by independent?

Bit harsh... I've always found the people at Camden Cycle Surgery really helpful... Know what they're talking about, happy to advise on what's a good product (without upselling), they also gave me some bits and some maintenance work for free.

yeah, there is a dude in the Camden Cycle Surgery, must be late 30's or something, rides BMX predominantly I believe...he is really helpful and, to the extent that I can judge, knowledgeable too...

yeah, there is a dude in the Camden Cycle Surgery, must be late 30's or something, rides BMX predominantly I believe...he is really helpful and, to the extent that I can judge, knowledgeable too...

Krisz perhaps?

Amazing mechanic, love watching him work. Really knows his stuff.
He used to race bmx and now spends most of his time at Herne hill.

He also does a lot of work outside of scurgery...
http://kriszscyclelab.com/