Big up your LBS

biondino

...if it deserves it, that is.

1. Holdsworth Cycles, Lower Richmond Road

I took my Trek 1200 (aka the winter bike) in to be made ready for service after CJCP's extremely kind attentions the previous week. I've done about 3500 miles on the Trek and I've never had it serviced :oops: so I was expecting a hefty bill for a lot of work.

So I get a call today, and as I'm off work I can go and collect it. The whole bill - including new bar tape, pedal replacement (pedals provided by me) and a bottom bracket refit - came to £69. I'd been expecting nearer £200...

And it runs like a dream! No noises whatsoever (when previously it ticked so much I almost had it blown up by the bomb squad) and everything perfect.

Thanks, Holdsworth.

zanes

Johns bikes, Bath. Always helpful, labour costs very reasonable. Spend lots of time with you and don't try and oversell you anything. Don't mind you turning up on your bike and dropping it off for service without calling ahead.

Avon Valley Cyclery, on the other hand.....

micken

Chevin Cycles - Otley. Got my fist road bike from there 3 or 4 weeks ago after many years away, other than my MTB from 1992 (and others preceding that in the 70's!).
Fantastic service from Matt and the rest of the staff, excellent deal negotiated. Have been out riding the bike 3 or 4 times each week since then and looking forward to going in for 1st free service and having a chat.

Good team

salsarider79

Streetlife in Norwich 01603 626660
They really got me into cycling, offered me really good deals all the time. I ended up working there. I moved out the area, but they still offer me the same good deals. Not many companies do that....

dav1

all-lite cycles in norwich

A great small bike shop, the guy is very friendly and always willing to help out a regular customer with small jobs on short notice and good prices for new bits.

He also takes time to get a bike perfect before leaving his shop and always providing great tips and pointers for keeping the bike sweet.

@ salsarider79

I hear many good things about street life as well, they are my #2 LBS when the above shop doesnt have something in stock or is closed.

feel

Cyclops - Syston . friendly, knowledgeable and time to chat . good people.

skinnypunter

Birdie Bikes in Hampton, Middx.

Smiliest, friendliest place I know.

Mayhemwmb

Breeze Bikes in Amble, Northumberland.

Had a very embarrassing moment when the wank**s at Lloyds TSB(whom I believe I have subsidised) stopped a payment on me to the tune of £315. :oops: :oops: . When I received the letter from the bank got straight on the phone to them, the attitude was sooooo understanding, was told not to worry, they would see me when I went in next. Hot footed it back to the shop on Saturday and faced the walk of shame back into the shop to settle my debt.

The quality of service is great, would highly recommend.

Sukh

Have to "big up" Evans in Spitafields, excellent staff, ask anyone of them about any equipment and they know about it or quickly get some one that does.
ALso took my bike in for a quick service 2 month after I bought it, they trued the back wheel which I had bent, fitted a riser in the locking seat post skewer I got and tightened all the slack from the wire and the bill came to a big fat 0

Couldn't recommend this particular branch highly enough, the lack of bill spurred me to spend money on a new bag

RSV_Ecosse

Velo Ecosse in Edinburgh.

http://www.veloecosse.com

Did me a cracking deal on my Pinarello as well as a great deal for a newbie on Ultegra SPD-L's and Shimano shoes.

Very helpful and they all know their stuff.

As a complete newcomer to road bikes, I would highly recommend them for the sales side of things although I have not used them for servicing as yet, not had bike long enough. Although I hear great things about them as far as servicing goes.

I will be using them again, thats for sure. 8)

Lysander

aw cycles Caversham

unclemalc

Fred Williams', Wolverhampton.

gradiric

biondino wrote:

...if it deserves it, that is.

1. Holdsworth Cycles, Lower Richmond Road

.

+1 for Holdsworth.

Eventually started getting my bikes serviced at Holdsworth at the beginning of this year after getting throughly fed up with Condor's complete after-sales incompetence and repeated trips to Condor to sort out unresolved problems. My (Condor) bike came back from a Holdsworth service sweet as, and running far better than even the initial build/assembly by Condor. Have since spent far too much time and money in Holdsworth (see weekend steed below!) and Condor no longer get my money or my recommendation. Have put several people Holdsworth's way since and all very happy - expert advice, skilled labour, honest opinion, and often cheaper than the original quote/alternative.

Brassknocker

...I'd agree with Velo Ecosse in Edinburgh, always very helpful + friendly.

biondino

Actually, it occurred to me some weeks after starting this thread that when I asked Holdsworth to replace my Wellgo SPDs with Crank Bros Eggbeaters, they did so but kept the Wellgos...

gradiric

biondino wrote:

Actually, it occurred to me some weeks after starting this thread that when I asked Holdsworth to replace my Wellgo SPDs with Crank Bros Eggbeaters, they did so but kept the Wellgos...

I won't hear a bad word said against them
Highly unlikely that was underhand - probably assumed you didn't want them or just plain forgot to hand them back to you. I've always got my replaced items back from Holdsworth.

roger_merriman

skinnypunter wrote:

Birdie Bikes in Hampton, Middx.

Smiliest, friendliest place I know.

yes they are great, one of the real boons of moving to hamton is birdy bikes.

linsen

Hargroves in Southampton will let me take anything out for a spin - having said that they know I will probably buy it, so they're onto a winner!

W5454

Drakes Cycles,Leeds.
Always helpful .

il_principe

biondino wrote:

Actually, it occurred to me some weeks after starting this thread that when I asked Holdsworth to replace my Wellgo SPDs with Crank Bros Eggbeaters, they did so but kept the Wellgos...

Serves you right for not MTFU'ing. Getting the LBS to change pedals. :roll:

biondino

I did try - couldn't shift the buggers, and since I'd broken a tool last time I tried, and since I was taking it to the lbs for a service anyway...

edhornby

GBH Cycles in Manchester, Tib St - brilliant, know their stuff and very helpful. They're not about expensive shiny new italian bikes but do brilliant repairs and rebuilds etc.

chuckcork

biondino wrote:

I did try - couldn't shift the buggers, and since I'd broken a tool last time I tried, and since I was taking it to the lbs for a service anyway...

Using an ordinary spanner or a pedal spanner?

My LBS in naturally enough Midleton, Co.Cork is nice and friendly. Changed a stem with them and they kept the old one until I asked for it back....I think really its like most things though, if you paid for cables to be replaced they wouldn't think you'd have any use for it, so would probably just keep it to one side for use somewhere else. I say that as I've occasionally picked up some little bit or other from them for 0 cost.

My Old stem is now mounted under my replacement stem, with a bit of short tube picked up at no cost, and presently has 3 lights mounted on it. Bright Light!

The Chingford Skinhead

Can I cheat and have two. One isn't exactly local though

London Fields Cycles on Mare Street Hackney have always been v good. I bought my first decent bike from them after a recommendation from a guy at work. They were really good, helpful with information and had a good range of stock.

I go back occassionally to pick things up (and just for a ride)

Rediscovered my local shop too. Heales Cycles, Highams Park. Was a bit put off initially a it is a small shop and one of the guys seemed a bit mouthy (though clearly that is more about his style with his regulars). However when I got the road bike recently I took it in and they were great. Even phoned when they realised the estimate they gave would be a few pounds out, checking it would be OK. When picking it up I had an accident on my main bike which broke the pedal so while I took the road bike home they fitted new pedals free of charge Been in a few times since, (buckled back wheel the other week) no longer over awed and have become a bit of a regular myself. When WHEN I get work to adopt cycle-to-work I'll repay their service

richardvaltos

Gear Bikes, Gibson Street in Glasgow. Great shop, v. helpful knowledgeable friendly staff, great custom singlespeed builds.

http://www.gearbikes.com/

Rich158

Tri The Bike Shop in Gravesend have always been good to me. They're now getting some Giant TCR and Trek Madone test bikes in for me to try, ready for my next purchase. I reallise that this is the minimum I should expect given I want to spend £2.5k, but I haven' t found any other shop locally willing to arrange this for me.

mclarent

Everything Cycling Ltd, Forest Road Walthamstow - 020 8521 5812

Proper old school east london, any repair £6, nice. (well, any I've had done anyway!!)

Tail end Charlie

Rick Green cycles in Handforth near Wilmslow. Good common sense advice and I've never had the feeling of being ripped off. In fact it always turns out to be less than I expected and often less than quoted. Doesn't do unnecessary repairs and always has time for a customer. Very good wheel builder aswell.

Clever Pun

Geoffry Butler Cycles croydon

Loads of lovely kit and bikes in there very helpful friendly service to boot

http://www.gbcycles.co.uk

Bike2work

Another vote for Drakes Cycles in Leeds. Friendly, helpful, quick service and good value for money.

Underscore

Newdales in Saffron Walden.

Bought my MTB from them and they were spot on with the aftersales when I had some problems with the front brake and fork.

Went there yesterday with two other guys looking for road bikes on C2W. The guy there spent half an hour on each on us putting the bikes on a turbo and fitting us to the bike, even to the point of swapping stems to get the perfect fit. No charge, he does it to differentiate them from the on-line dealers. Subject to a test ride next week, two of us will be sending our business his way...

_