Bike Shops in Kingston upon Thames

Chad_c_Mulligan

I've recently moved to Kingston and I'm looking for a bike shop which meets the following criteria.

Good mechanics

Decent turn around time

Good stock of common items - brake pads, tyres, tubes, and useful spares

Prices reasonably comparable with online for things like parts, pumps, clothes

I don't mind paying a small premium for convenience but I'm not willing to pay 20% on top of price + delivery just for having something that day.

hstiles

There's a good selection of bike shops

Kingston

Halfords & Evans Cycles - caveat emptor
Specialized concept store/sigma cycles
There's a small independent bike shop on the london road just by the junction with cambridge road (Waldens?). Scruffy old fashioned shop, but he specialised in repairs.

Surbiton
Recycle Cycles

Tolworth - Cyclopedia. Great selection of bikes. Focussed more on mountain bikes, but have some very nice road bikes. Good mechanics, but servicing isnt cheap.

Long Ditton
Paul's Cycles. My favourite. Sometimes gets some good 2nd hand items in, servicing is great value and done to a good standard.

cjcp

Hi Chad,

I live in Kingston - welcome to the area! What hstiles said.

Also, Sigma Sport have a new, spacious, three-storey shop in Hampton Wick (go across Kingston Bridge, turn right at the roundabout, and it's about 250 yards on the corner of the next left turn).

I think there's also Surbiton Cycles in Surbiton. A clubmate of mine had a good experience with them recently when he needed his bike sorting out ahead of a trip to Flanders.

A bit further afield, there's Prologue and Velosport, and Holdsworths on the Lower Richmond Road. I think there's a shop called Action Bikes in Sheen or Richmond.

Chad_c_Mulligan

Excellent, I will venture out tomorrow in search of a new track pump as mine suffered a catastrophic failure.

After a year of not being able to get out on the bike very much I'm looking forward to being close to Richmond park and getting back into the swing of things. The plan is to get my fitness up to the point where I can start commuting to work (Westminster).

I used to be able to ride 80 miles without a care, now I think 15 will be a stretch.

cjcp

Good stuff - there's a good few of us on here who ride the route from Kingston/SW into the City via Richmond Park, so feel free to ask any questions about possible routes. The commute's almost pan flat, so you should be fine. It got to the point where I was fed up with SW Trains, so jumped straight in to a five day a week commute into the City.

If you're looking to build up your fitness again, might be worth trying out one of the local clubs' Sunday morning runs to see if you want to join a club. I'm a member of Kingston Wheelers, but there's also Twickenham CC and London Dynamo in the area. Their websites will have details of the rides being organised.

Chad_c_Mulligan

Thanks for the welcome. I've looked at Kingston Wheelers but need to back back into the swing of things before joining the rides. My old club had a slower social ride that I used to love, it was mainly gents in their 60s and we'd go out for a leisurely 60 mile ride around the countryside and try different tea rooms.

When I looked at the commute route I couldn't work out if you'd do

Kingston > Richmond Park> A3003 to Hammersmith > Kensington > Green Park

or

Kingston > Richmond Park> Wandsworth > Battersea > Cross over at Millbank

cjcp

Yep, fair enough.

I do Kingston Gate -> Roehampton Gate -> Priory Lane -> Upper Richmond Road -> Queen's Ride -> Lower Richmond Road (into Putney) -> Putney Bridge -> New King's Road -> right onto Edith Grove/Cheyne Walk -> Embankment all the way.

Some people head down the King's Road rather than Embankment, but - and this is my opinion only - I find the KR more stop-start because of the lights, although there are also more peds to worry about. As you will appreciate from the SCR thread, Embankment can be a lot of fun, too!

hstiles

I'd be happy to ride shotgun with you once I'm back on my bike. I was in an accident this morning - got broadsided at 20mph by a car on the roundabout at the bottom of kingston hill so will be off work for as few days.

Just think, I'll be able to point out all of the accident blackspots.

cjcp

Jesus. You ok?

hstiles

I have discovered, after 36 years on god's earth, that being hit by a car hurts. Lots.

Chad_c_Mulligan

Bloody hell, I hope the driver was apologetic.

Not going to tell my wife about that.

Chad_c_Mulligan

Bloody hell, I hope the driver was apologetic.

Not going to tell my wife about that.

Chad_c_Mulligan

Bloody hell, I hope the driver was apologetic.

Not going to tell my wife about that.

thefilbertfox

Have also used Surbiton Cycles.
Broke a spoke in the morning. Dropped the wheel off at lunch and picked up ready for the commute home.

Koncordski

Hi Chad,

I also do the richmond park to london route and I would add a thumbs up for the, URR, LRR, Putney bridge, NKR embankment route. Happy to do a ride along one morning to point out some of the known potholes/craters.

Can\'tPedalSlowly

Hi Chad,

A new suggestion to add to your list is Bright Cycles in New Malden (on the corner of Elm Rd and Kingston Rd.) I live nearby so I have to admit to some bias due to proximity but they are a part of an independant chain so you get really good, professional service but with a bit more buying power than a typical one-shop independant.

I can't offer any tips for the route into the city since I work in Sunbury (I know Hampton Court Rd like the back of my hand,) however my girlfriend usually cycles over Putney Bridge and down NKR towards Westminster.

Safe riding!

joelsim

Kingston > RP > Putney Bridge > New Kings Road > Lots Road > Embankment > Westminster. Windy but good.