Shopping in Paris

howiejmidlands

I am off to Paris on Thursday for a week of romance with my beloved. In between holding hands, are there any department stores or dedicated cycling stores where i can get some cycling clothing, and most of all, a Credit Lyonais lion as seen on TV and TdF stage winners.

pdstsp

I think the holding hands in Paris is meant to lead to something a little more exciting than shopping for lycra and cuddly toys

ddraver

depends what you do with the lycra and the cuddly toys boy!!

btw - bike shops are everywhere in france, and they put most british ones to shame, although having said that they tend to have their local team tops only!

howiejmidlands

I am looking for a team top, but something different from the usual top team gear.

And as for the cuddly toy i have always wanted one of them there lions.

And as for lycra, cuddly toys and holding hands, well thats my little secret!

el_presidente

there will be no bargains to be had thanks to the exchange rate

eskimo Joe

if no one telss you were any shops are , I usually buy a cycling mag when I get to the country and usually find some that way

howiejmidlands

Cunning plan Eskimo Joe, i will look at the magazine stand in Gard du Nord for a French version of Cycling weekly or equivalent.

I am not bothered so much about the Euro rate, its my holibob money so i will spend it on what i want, especially one of those lions.

TheBoyBilly

Howie, you could try Cycles Laurent at 9, boulevard Voltaire :

www.cycleslaurent.com

Have er, fun

(p.s. boulevard Voltaire is just a short walk from the Cimitiere Paul Lachaise where the likes of Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Chopin and Bizet (not to mention Mareschal Ney) are laid to rest. Just right for a romantic weekend. :roll:

turkeytickler

There is a huge Decathlon on Ave Wagram just off the Charles de Gaul Etoille if Decathlon floats your boat.... there is also a good shop on the road that runs the other side of the Champs (ie cross the Arc de Triomphe with the Champs Elysees behind you and its down the hill on the right) i think its Ave de Grande Armee - also a top place to spot the stars after the TdF...

ricadus

turkeytickler wrote:

... there is also a good shop on the road that runs the other side of the Champs (ie cross the Arc de Triomphe with the Champs Elysees behind you and its down the hill on the right)

Velo et Oxygen - great shop if you like off-the-shelf Bianchi's etc. and the usual range of clothing & accessories, so probably not worth the hike unless you are staying somewhere west of the centre. They did have some very nice black/white Breton jerseys (heraldic symbols all over it) but unfortunately L& XL only.

A better option is to seek out a good bookshop and browse the cycling-related books there. I bought a number last time I was there, including the magnificent Cols Mythiques du Tour de France, a hefty coffee table book of classic photos from the archives of l'Equipe: http://tinyurl.com/3mk3kc

They also published books on Paris-Roubaix and other classics in the same series and there are no doubt loads of other gems on the shelves that would be impossible to find in the UK.

redvee

I'd imagine the CL lions are TDF only and unlikely available to Joe Public, in much the same way as the blue Michelin hats you used to see the winners in motorsport on the podium wearing. As soon as they cam off the podium they had to give them back to the Micehlin promo man at the event. I tried to blag on off the Michelin two wheel rep when I was in the ttrade and got told the above. I did manage to blag T-shirts and a metal bibendum ketring


Going up the tower is the romantinc thng to do if you plan to pop the Q but don't do it on a weekend as it gets busy and the queue for te lift to the top can be quite long. You can do the stairs but they only go to the 2nd level.

TheBoyBilly

How did it go Howard?

howiejmidlands

I am still here.

Its bloody hot, and trying to convince my beloved to search is getting tough.

Managed to find the Decathlon on Avenue Wagram. Did not have a massive range of clothing or bikes to be fair, but did get some bidons, at 2.50E each. THey had some great winter jackets on sale, from E60 to E29 but not my size.

Also the exchange rate is just rubbish, so no real bargains.