Help needed. Bike shops in the Yorkshire selling Bianchis

[marinyork]

I'm looking for a road bike of some sorts. I was quite interested in the specialized roubaix but looking at Bianchi alu/alu carbon/928s but few places seem to do them.

The fabled Edge cycles don't seem to do them, Spa cycles in Harrogate don't seem to do them nor Cycle Sense in Tadcaster. So I'm looking for shop recommendations in Yorkshire for those Bianchis or similar that is NOT JE James or York Cycleworks.

Also opinions on the via nirone?

 

[spandex]

Halfords say they can and will get in any bike you wish!

Bob Trotters in York did have them in!

Evans did have them in as well!


Or

Minster cycles in Beverley Have some very very lovely road bikes in and seems to be one of the main things He sells.

There is Star bikes in Hull that have a good range in and staff that seem to know a lot about road bikes.

 

[postman]

I was going to say Evans.But much more from Spandex

 

[marinyork]

Wonderful. That's very useful. **Sends spandex a virtual pint and chip butty at The Maltings**

Evans people say. I suppose I could head to Nottingham or Leeds at a weekend, not the end of the world.

 

[gavintc]

Star Bikes in Hull - Bianchi dealer. Roy Irwin is a bit grumpy initially, but he is a genuine bloke - recommended.

 

[tc01947]

might be a bit to far north but biketraks great ayton do bianchis

39 High Street
Great Ayton
North Yorkshire
TS9 6NH
http://www.biketraks.com

 

[Gerry Attrick]

+1 for Star Bikes. I have found Roy to be very helpful.

 

[marinyork]

Helpful is what I want. I didn't get on too well yesterday in Sheffield .

 

[bonj2]

why not, what's wrong with je james
you didn't go in the workshop and ask about road bikes did you

 

[marinyork]

The staff.

 

[bonj2]

what, all of them?
what bad experience have you had, i'm intrigued

if you go in there again try and speak to craig (the asian looking fella with short dark hair) he's pretty sound.

 

[marinyork]

Well most importantly I found out from another branch they won't be getting any bianchis in for a while so I have to travel anyway. I may still buy it from JE James but I sure as hell won't be doing the selection process there.

No, not all of the staff are the problem. There are of course quite a few staff there in the two halves of the shop but it's been more than one member of staff.

I've bought stuff in there for four years including my bike and the experiences go back over this time. When I rang up about the free check up they were extremely weird about it so I never bothered. A mate wanted a new saddle that was comfortable after great problems, I foolishly recommended he go down there. Someone down there recommended and sold a foam saddle to him, I can only think that it was a malicious prank as no sane person would do that to someone? When he tried to take it back they couldn't see the problem so he ended up keeping it. My LBS runs a much smaller operation with cash flow and stock issues so I've tried to special order stuff from JE James in the past. I don't know what it is but everytime I do no one ever rings back or even has the faintest idea what I'm talking about. Maybe it's not lucratice enough business for them. I've had a speedometer from there break.

The only positive recent things I have to say about the place are that when I bought my shoes from there they had very good stock and were helpful. When I had to go in there months and months ago in a hurry I had a suit on and the attitude was markedly different, they couldn't do enough to help. I know quite a few people who shop there/have shopped there through Sheffield Cycling links. I think the universal opinion is that if you're buying a bike there on credit or through bike to work scheme and have money or power it's good and some of the stock is. In all other cases opinions on the place are mixed to say the least with very similar complaints and the odd bit of praise for buying a bike there. I get the impression talking to others with more power that they are making big bucks on cycle to work and on credit. That's brilliant but not really for me, perhaps they should have a sign on the door saying something like "cyclists spending less than £2000 not welcome". I've never heard of a single complaint against the Chesterfield branch though, Sheffield Branch many.

 

[bonj2]

hmmm two of my mates who are always going in there and chatting to them bought themselves new frames and a load of kit there, and one of the sales guys always talks to me now ever since he saw me with them, as if he's thought 'oh, so you know him, then do you, must be quite serious...'

regarding special order and stuff, they don't not ring you back 'cos they don't think you're important enough or worth bothering with 'cos you're not spending enough - they don't ring you back 'cos they're just a bunch of disorganised buggers! I think if you just rang up and said 'I want to buy a 2 grand bike please, can you ring me back', they'd probably forget. When my mates were buying theirs they kept going in every other day and hassling them about when will it be ready and gabbing about what bits they were going to put on them, etc....

 

[bonj2]

and yes the chesterfield branch is great, i had a problem with a brake caliper bolt that i'd stripped some threads on 'cos id been using too short nuts, he not only gave me some longer nuts for the end but re built the thread on it using a 'special machine' in the back

but a foam saddle though? there's saddles on both sides of the road. the ones on the toyota garage side are the big spongy ones for e.g. shoppers, trekking bikes, the ones in the london road side are the ones you want for any sort of long distance cycling...