Bristol & South-West bike shops?
I'm a newcomer to Bristol in need of a new pair of shoes but am really struggling to find somewhere with a decent range of stock that isn't Shimano! Are there any really good roadie type shops in the area which carry lots of clothing/footwear stock?
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None of the bike shops in Bristol have filled me with any great enthusiasm, and I've never found one with much stock of anything interesting,
If you want racy roadie stuff, Avon Valley Cyclery or Total Fitness in Bath are IME better bets - if you want general stuff then John's Bikes, also in Bath, is excellent and well worth a visit. If tourer-ish stuff is OK, the St John Street Cycles in Bridgewater is great fun to visit.
If you insist on Bristol, Fred Baker in Stoke's Croft is OK, as is Garland in Bedminster. Hardly inspiring though, the pair of them. My wildcard would be Terry's in Yate - mainly mountain bike nutters but a bit eccentric and wildly enthusiastic if you catch them on a good day. They build good wheels.
There's an Evans just opened, which might be OK. I think I've also clocked an advert for a Specialised store (I can't bring myself to use the American spelling, in the same way that I will never refer to a frame as a "frameset" or a pair of wheels as a "wheelset") (Cue loads of people scanning my previous posts pointing out me having done just those things..)
If you fancy a bit of an adventure and can afford the entrance fee to god's country, Bike Base in Abergavenny are a friendly bunch.0 -
Cheers Rob, a trip to Bath is on the cards anyway to visit a shoe shop for the other half to get some boots :roll:
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I would agree with rob that Bristol bike shops are uninspiring or poor. On my poor/don't use list (for previous sins) are Mud Dock and Blackboy Hill Cycles.
I have had good and friendly service from Bike (aka Bike Bristol) in Queens Avenue, Clifton - they gave me a discount without me asking, gave me a handful of p-clips and bolts for free, and lent me some tools to do some running repairs - very impressed, but they may not carry the brands you are after.
Webbs of Warmley - I like this shop, the guy that runs it is very helpful, limited stock though, but I guess he would get stuff in.
None of the others I have visited (and thats most of them) get my vote because the service is generally "disinterested".
Aparently, Pembury Cycles have opened "the UK’s largest Cycle Superstore at The Junction, Imperial Retail Park, Hartcliffe" - I have no idea how good it is.
As for Bath, I would also agree, Johns Bikes is excellent - friendly and enthusiastic service, good workshop, always ready to do a deal and / or customise any bike they sell to suit.
Total Fitness - they have the gear, do Specialized stuff, tiny shop but an Aladin's cave, service fairly good, though my friend (a lady) found them surly / condescending, and won't use them..
Avon Valley Cyclery, okay, best for folders, front of shop staff have seemed willing but not too knowledgeable on recent visits (I do hate it when you go for advice on a product, with a view to buy, and you know more about it than those who sell it - a Dixons experience).0 -
If you go to Hartcliffe make sure you lock your car and keep valuables out of sight!
The retail park is slap bang in between Hartcliffe and Knowle West and is plagued by shoplifting and theft from motor vehicles.0 -
There's nothing very blingy to look at in the bike shops of Bath. I've just come back from a wander around them all. There doesn't seem to be any campag in the city at all and there's nothing very shiny and exciting to drool over. Still, the 3 bike shops are all good on the whole.0
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bike of a trek but you could always combine it with a shopping trip, Stonehenge Cycles in Sailsbury, have a good selection of bikes and kit. Alot packed in to a tiny space though.
Have a look at their website for more info
http://www.stonehengecycles.com/
HTH0 -
AVC & John's Bikes both v good. John's Bikes better for more general kit & service.
Philip0 -
Yes, strange for a Roman city!Heavymental wrote:There's nothing very blingy to look at in the bike shops of Bath. I've just come back from a wander around them all. There doesn't seem to be any campag in the city at all and there's nothing very shiny and exciting to drool over. Still, the 3 bike shops are all good on the whole.0 -
Heavymental wrote:There's nothing very blingy to look at in the bike shops of Bath. I've just come back from a wander around them all. There doesn't seem to be any campag in the city at all and there's nothing very shiny and exciting to drool over. Still, the 3 bike shops are all good on the whole.
Not strictly true....the last time I was in the bike shop behind Bath railway station there was some Campag on a Moulton for sale there.I'd rather walk than use Shimano0 -
Well folks, came back a happy camper from John's bikes this afternoon with the last pair of Shimano R099 shoes reduced to £50 and pair of Altura night vision gloves which I'd been putting off ordering over the net due to my small hands (they had a great selection of sizes).
Next job is to get some road pedals/cleats as I've been using spd's up until now.
Thanks,
Graham0 -
I don't think Bristol's too bad for bike shops... You've got Bike, and Webbs of Warmley that do Orbea; Fred Baker for Trek; Dave Bater for Wilier and GT (with loads of the former - dripping with Campag - at the Downend branch); Pemburys for Felt; and Psyclewerx for Lemonde + the new Evans which has a bit of everything.
Certainly, there was enough around to mean that I had to spend a good couple of days touring the various shops trying out different bikes when I had a grand's worth of Cycle to Work money burning a hole in my pocket...0 -
Fair point!
Reason for that was that I thought that Shimano shoes all used leather in their construction (I wanted synthetics as I'm vegan) but I hadn't looked at their 'high-end' shoes as I didn't anticipate findng any in the sales!0
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