Which city has the best bike shops?

MaxwellBygraves

As the title says, which town or city has the best road bike shops?

Towns and cities only, so the likes of Epic don't count.

Personally, in Cambridge the only road shop to go to is Primo cycles, they're really really good, but since all the other shops are cr@p I'd have to say that Cambridge probably isn't up there with the best.

So which city is lucky enough to have the best bike shops?

davelakers

Preston and its surrounding area has its fair share of quality shops.

Paul Hewitts
Ribble
Bill Nickson
and 2 Halfords................

Herbie The Dog

Exeter is pretty good. The Bike Shed and Sidwell Cycles in the centre, Richards Bikes just outside, Cycle Surgery a little further out and Partridge Cycles on the way to Haldon.

We even have a couple of Halfords plus three small independent shops that I know of.

rick_chasey

MaxwellBygraves wrote:

As the title says, which town or city has the best road bike shops?

Towns and cities only, so the likes of Epic don't count.

Personally, in Cambridge the only road shop to go to is Primo cycles, they're really really good, but since all the other shops are cr@p I'd have to say that Cambridge probably isn't up there with the best.

So which city is lucky enough to have the best bike shops?

Cambridge is awful for bike shops.

I'd venture London probably wins by sheer weight and force.

guinea

London - by a mile.

jonrwg

How about Birmingham?

-spider-

Per head of population and good bike shops - it has to be Clachan of Campsie.

MaxwellBygraves

Rick Chasey wrote:

MaxwellBygraves wrote:

As the title says, which town or city has the best road bike shops?

Towns and cities only, so the likes of Epic don't count.

Personally, in Cambridge the only road shop to go to is Primo cycles, they're really really good, but since all the other shops are cr@p I'd have to say that Cambridge probably isn't up there with the best.

So which city is lucky enough to have the best bike shops?

Cambridge is awful for bike shops.

I'd venture London probably wins by sheer weight and force.

Agreed - only one good one. All others are unfriendly miserable sods.

glasgowbhoy

-spider- wrote:

Per head of population and good bike shops - it has to be Clachan of Campsie.

Never mind yer fancy bling showroom. Just clamber over all the bits of bikes and rummage about to find what you need.

A real bike shop.

dilemna

MaxwellBygraves wrote:

As the title says, which town or city has the best road bike shops?

Towns and cities only, so the likes of Epic don't count.

Personally, in Cambridge the only road shop to go to is Primo cycles, they're really really good, but since all the other shops are cr@p I'd have to say that Cambridge probably isn't up there with the best.

So which city is lucky enough to have the best bike shops?

Where are they then as never heard of them?

Best city for bike shops - Amsterdam.

JonClean

Oxford, I'm sorry to say, suffers in the same way as Cambridge: plenty of bike shops, no really good ones.

If I had to chose one, I'd give a shout to Warlands on Botley Road. But they're not really a 'road bike' shop, they're more about tourers, shoppers, folders and tandems. Their knowledge is pretty exhaustive, and I trust them as mechanics (unlike some of the others) but it ain't the place to go for your next pair of carbon soled Sidi road shoes.