Cycle Shops

I support CRC as their service is excellent, and they usually are the cheapest without phaffing around. Evens know full well they are overcharging, and reply on people not realising it. And they offer to price match (not that they ever mention in IME - whoopie shite.

@bigtwin: Word!

Selling at MSRP/RRP can't really be classed as overcharging can it?

Props to Halim & Future Cycle - dropped in to say hello and welcome. Very friendly, and is planning some rides from the shop on a Sunday in the next month or so,

I support CRC as their service is excellent, and they usually are the cheapest without phaffing around. Evens know full well they are overcharging, and reply on people not realising it. And they offer to price match (not that they ever mention in IME - whoopie shite.

You have it all wrong, CRC are killing off LBS's. They and other online retailers are selling at stupidly low prices and with small margins, if LBS's sold at those prices they would not even be able to pay the rent!
All bike shops sell at a price which is agreed by the manufacturer and the distributor. So don't go blaming bike shops for their prices, they don't set the price.

Why do so many bike shops have the shyest staff in the world? The few I go to, you walk in, and you don't get a hello, walk around a bit, end up approaching staff, who often say two words then mumble off into incomprehensible gibberish then walk off leaving you slightly confused.

Anyone know what I'm talking about?

Many people are better with their hands than they are with people. I can't stand meeting new people and would much prefer to be hidden away in the workshop. But that's not how things work.

Try going to Brick Lane Bike, they practically tell you to F off most the time. "We don't know, if we haven't got it then we haven't got it... "

Having said that, I find the Evans I go to the guys are usually very friendly, they almost always jump out of the counter and ask me if I need any help... erm... yeah, can I just borrow your pump?

to be honest, as a customer, i prefer that they do not disturb me while im looking at the stuffs. i will ask them when i have to :)

Go to Cavendish Cycles. Great shop.

Brixton cycles are always friendly, some of the nicest staff in London.

Cyclefit is dangerous, they love helping people to enjoy cycling. There is no hard sell yet it is v easy to spend money there.

Sigma sport, Putney cycles and Prologue also get my vote.

I have also had great service at some branches of Evans and Cycle surgery.

I'd vote for Brixton Cycles. Friendly & knowledgeable staff.
I have never heard anything good about Brick Lane. The mechanics there have a horrible approach to working on bikes. I've seen their mechanic turning the barrel adjuster of the rear derailleur with a pair of pliers to adjust gears (and a couple of things of similar nature)
I wouldn't service a scooter at that workshop (which is my lowest mark for a workshop)

By the way - I don't understand what can be 'great' about Cavendish Cycles?

+1 for Brixton Cycle. I love them!!! The good thing about them is they really don't mind if you just go there to ask stupid questions, and if there are things they don't have, they always try their bext to tell to where to go to get what you want.

With Brick Lane Bike, really, if you know everything and have everything at home, would you still go there? NO, but this is what they expect.

By the way - I don't understand what can be 'great' about Cavendish Cycles?

Well, their passion and honesty go a long way. They're straight-up in there, not out to fleece anybody, and very generous too. I have no qualms putting my money in their till. They're all sound as a pound the lads in there.

I've generally had good experiences with BLB. The only strange thing is there seems to be a reverse corrilation to how much money I spend vs the service - ie the less j sped the better it is.

For me one of the big pluses is their stock and opening hours. They stock the little things like a wid range of ball bearings and top end Phil stuff. Plus where else in central London can you pick up a set of drops or a stem for £5? Or a range of old stems, saddles seatposts or forks?

Velourunion at Great Tichfield Street. They have boxes of stems, bars, spokes, you name it the have it, and very patient guys work there.

Mosquito have helped me out a couple of times, when nobody else had stuff in stock. They're not exactly my local, as I'm in Camden Town, but I'll spend money there again.

To be honest, Tokyo Fixed is pretty good too. Yes a lot of the stuff is slightly overpriced but then you do get very personal advice to suit your needs and they do give you little things you can't find for free if they have them in the workshop etc etc. This is the same for Brixton Cycle, they have a whole box of goodies... they have given a few little bits for free... the only problem I find with Brixton Cycle is that a lot of the stuff I want they don't stock so if I want something here and now, it might not be the best place to go, but then again, if you are willing to wait a couple of days, they never say no to order whatever you want when they can.

So thumbs up to Brixton Cycle. And talking of which, I owe them a bottle of whiskey or was it rum?? Oh NO!!

I went to Brick Lane Bike hoping to get some cheap crosstop levers, I was treated like a primary school kid. Yes I want both left and right, so what? Does it make me a lesser cyclist? Never to return again. And I do believe however small the item might be, a thread here might just get your problem sorted if you are patient.

+ 1 For Mosquito Bikes. My local independent shop and very helpful. Have been dealing quite a bit recently with Greg, one of their mechanics and a terrific guy extremely helpful and very knowledgerable. Highly reccomend them to some of the bigger bike chains.

Anyone knows anystores that sell NOS or vintage used bicycle parts here in the UK?

for anyone in SW london i can't recommend luciano cycles and stratton cycles in battersea / wandsworth enough -

proper old school bike shops run by guys who have been around cycling for long enough to help with pretty much anything and decent to chat to -

(stratton cycles used to be claud butler's shop)

Thanks. I've made the updates to the list.

Just want to drop a post in here to say that I cannot recommend and praise the London Bicycle Repair Shop (http://www.londonbicycle.com/repairs.html) on Hatfields (off the Cut) SE1 highly enough for their service to my new build - they ought to be added to this list without delay.

I needed a few things doing to a new bike I'm building up; namely, installing bottom bracket and cranks, and then fitting a CK headset and sorting the fork out nicely.

For this they charged just £15. When compared to the likes of Evans who were trying to charge me in excess of EIGHTY pounds for this service and even Brixton Cycles who totalled it all up to £48, it is quite incredible.

Even more brilliant was the fact that I brought the frame in at 11 in the morning and it was ready to pick up at half past 2 the same day!

Maximum reespek.

After that glowing recommendation, I shall certainly be popping in and using their services also.

Was wondering if anyone had ever bought a bike from "Sick" on Redchurch street? It's a 2nd hand shop but the prices looked quite cheap so I wanted to double check if anyone had dealt with them or I should know anything about them.