LBS Recommendations

[John the Monkey]

Anywhere decent around Crewe? I'm thinking more for buying bits than repairs/maintenence.
I've ridden past "Cycle Centre" http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/ in Congleton which looks decent, but not been in. Any good? Instore pricing the same as the website??

Joe, sorry to be late replying to this, but I've found Supreme Cycles to be friendly and helpful. Chap I get the train with sometimes uses them as well, and has benefited from their willingness to order stuff in, and their "bargain box" on several occasions.

There's another shop Williams' (I think) which seemed ok (not used them for much), and one quite far down West Street (nice bloke, but does mostly commutery/hybrid stuff - did help me out getting a cassette of a wheel for me a while back though). If I had to recommend one, it'd be Supreme.

 

[Matt]

The Cyclery in Uppermill is a very good shop

Sell loads of bikes (mainly Trek I think)

I bought a helmet from there last week, and they fitted it for me as I was unsure of the sizing. Very helpful

 

[John the Monkey]

**REVISED LIST** England A-G

England, A - G
Arrow Cycles North Hykham, Lincoln

Avon Valley Cyclery

Special mention to Avon Valley Cyclery who have the most amazing range of folders and other esoteric stuff that I've seen outside of York/Oxford/Cambridge/London

AW Cycles, Caversham

If I want to check out a range of products.

Bakers Bikes, Bishops Stortford, Essex.

Banjo cycles, Newbury

run by Mark Letters, does a bit of racing (cat.4) or as he likes to joke 'fat boys racing', (he's not fat!) main dealer for - Specialized, Trek, Van Nic. etc. usually price matches, and if (like me) your'e in the Newbury Road Club, then 10% discount too!

Beeline bicycles, Oxford

good knowledge very friendly, if you like a bike show some ID, and they send you out for a test ride for as long as you like.

Bicycle Ambulance, Cambridge

Best LBS in Cambridge mainly in Park Street car park...also in Cambridge Science Park near Milton on Monday....Rick and andy are the best....

Bicycle Boutique (No Website) Hillcourt Street, All Saints, Manchester M1 7HU (10am-6pm, M-F; 10am-4pm Sats).

Offers a reasonably priced repair service (eg a fiver for puncture repair including new inner tube). Same day servicing. New/second hand bikes from £60. A small, reasonably priced range of parts and tools (including tyres, inner tubes, puncture kits, lights, locks and multi-tools etc) The Bicycle Boutique is situated in a small shop next to the Sugden Sports Centre.
These guys are great - their stuff is very reasonable, they're more than willing to talk bike with you and offer (good) advice - they matched the best internet price on my Stelvio tyres too.

yes Bicycle Boutique is good, nice guys.

Bicycle Doctor, Rusholme

enthusiastic and friendly co-op.

Bigfoot Bikes Bromley, Kent (nr Croydon, S London)

Built me a set of wheels, which, despite my best efforts, haven't gone out of true in over a year!

Bike Hut in Exeter.

Living in Devon there's a plethora of shops to chose from, I'd chose these guys everytime.

There's any number of reasons I'd chose them over somewhere else :

1. They're all cyclists themselves from all sorts of disciplines like trials / road / mtb and various flavours in between. They're great ambassadors for cycling as both a past time and a sport.

2. They've never tried to sell me something I didn't want and are more than happy to put the time in with you making sure you get the right bike / part whether it be a £500 entry level hybrid or £5000 carbon dream machine.

3. They put the time in even out of hours by happily taking people along with them on shop rides, both road and mtb. Whether than be local weekly rides or trips further afield.

4. They went to the trouble of having a lad from another shop over 50 miles away, drive over a bike for my wife to try. This was on a bank holiday Monday in mid summer when the place was rammed.

bikelab, Poole.

Dream bikes galore and staff who know their stuff.

Bike Plus South Croydon

Nice bunch of guys, who are incredibly helpful and really seem to know their stuff!

bikes of macclesfield.

not one of the kind of shops that sell top end roadie stuff, but they are excellent for repairs (usually same day) and are the kind of place that will have the bit you need in a hurry in a box somewhere.

they are also stockists of merida, massi and claud butler, among others.

there's also a very good selection of second hand bikes, including a couple just begging to be a good fixie project.

Bike Shak in Altrincham.

Really good shop, measured me up, and knocked me quite a bit of money off the bike

They sell loads of stuff in there and most of its pretty cheap and good quality

Bright Cycles in Raynes Park, London SW20

Knowldgeable, helpful staff, always repair my bikes well. They will normally fix little problems on the spot and will give helpful friendly advice.

That creates a lot of loyalty as far as i'm concerned...and compare that with the bike shop chain "that shall not be named!"

Bristol Bike Workshop, Colston Street Bristol

More interested in sorted you out with something practical and fit for purpose than anything else. Also have shedloads of used bikes and old frames which they build up to suit.

Brixton Cycles, London

friendly staff, and good mechanics. Great music on the sound system.

Ciclos Uno, 37 New North Road, Hainault, Ilford IG6 2UE Essex

Cliff Pratt & Ken Elleker - Hull

Condor, London

Quite possibly the best bike shop in London.

(Mike) Cookson Cycles, Whitefield - Shop name now just "Cookson Cycles"

Family bike shop

superb personal service, always willing to discuss customer needs.

Corridori, London

for range of Specialised and Bianchi + v helpful service

Cycle Heaven, York

I live in North Wales and I can highly recommend Cycle Heaven. Not exactly local for me, but the best LBS I have found.

Cycle Logic, Helston, Cornwall.

Just the place to browse and dream of spending lots of money on Spesh and Giant

Cyclesense - Tadcaster

Big shout out for Cyclesense in Tadcaster.

Bought a new Giant Terrago 4 weeks ago and felt some roughness when pedaling in gears 6, 7 and 8 on the rear cartridge (the smaller cogs).

Took the bike back and they've changed the cartridge and the chain to resolve the issue.

I was looking at purchasing the bike on-line to save a small amount of cash, I guess my experience proves the benefit of purchasing from a good local bike shop.

They have a great range of clothing and accessories and offer great advice.

D-Tek in Little Thetford near Ely (not Thetford, Norwich)

For recumbents (trikes and bikes) ... were fantastic. The chappie there, Kevin, gave excellent service and supplied me with just the right trike that was suitable for me.

Dauphin Cycles on Box Hill, London

for awesome advice and beautiful road bikes.

Dave Mellor Cycles, Shrewsbury

one of the best shops in the UK

DJ Cycles, Holcombe Brook

small one-man MTB shop, deserves support.

Dorchester Cycles Dorset

always happy to help

Drakes Cycles, Leeds.

Small and friendly.

Dyson cycles in Dunstable,

good service, and very friendly.

Eddie McGrath, Umrston

they built me a nice set of wheels, very pleased.

Ellis Briggs, in Shipley, West Yorks.

They were helpful in my selection of bike, fitted all the bits I wanted, and even knocked a few quid off a lock I bought as an afterthought without any prompting from me.

I'm sure anybody local to the Shipley area will be well aware of Ellis Briggs but I thought I'd mention them here anyway.

Eric Burgess Cycles, Padiham

serious roadies, a bit cliquey for me.

Evernden Cycles, Paddock Wood, Kent

Ewood Bikes - Blackburn.

Good, friendly and plenty of advice.

Flynnstar cycles, Felixstowe

Nearly as good as (pedal power, see below) however being open 7 days a week, bank holidays etc is a real winner and means you avoid having to venture into halfrauds.

Fosters Cycles, Thames Street, Rotheram

Fred Williams of Wolverhampton.

Still my LBS even though I now live in Monmouth - that's how good they are. Helpful, friendly and they stock a good range of stuff. And I don't think I've ever bought anything without them giving me a discount.

Another vote here for Fred Williams.

I collected my new Bianchi from them at the weekend and the service I have received right from the first visit to browse, through the test ride, and then coming up with a final specification has been great. They (Steve) were very flexible and accomodating with changing things on the bike and nothing seemed to be too much trouble. If the follow up service is as good, then I shall keep going back there - even though it is not my nearest LBS.

I would also agree with RT comments about the range of bikes they stock. For what is quite a small shop, they have an incredible choice - Bianchi, Trek, Felt, Wilier, Pinarello, Dolan etc.

Another one for Fred Williams, as whats already been said, very friendly and helpfull, got both my bikes from them, the follow up sevice is just as good

...especially for repairs/upgrades to high end bikes.

Another vote for Fred Williams Cycles in Wolverhampton. Very pleasant and knowledgable staff, great range of bikes and above all for me (as a hoarder of older bikes) superb service on repairs and maintenance jobs I can't do.

Gascoignes in Coleshill.

 

[John the Monkey]

**REVISED LIST** England H - R

England H - R
Harry Hall's, Manchester

helpful and knowledgeable staff.

Harry Perry Cycles in Woolwich, SE London:

Great advice always willingly given, generous with their time and thorough in their work. My current bike has been serviced there and received the benefit of their wise words several times.

Haven't bought a bike off them but their own name frames look tempting! Someone also recommended his spraying service on londonfgss.

Herne Hill bikes in South London,

They have a lovely range of road and town bikes for commuting and also some folding bikes. Mostly from the ridge back range.

Hewitt Cycles, Leyland: www.hewittbikefitting.co.uk/

]good mechanic, nice service, relaxed staff, good stock. Prices okay for parts but not cheap for full bikes. They seem to be keen to sell you what you need, not what you want. They also have a massive stock of rims and spokes and offer a wheel-building service, can't comment on that as I haven't used it.

BTW anyone cycling to the shop sould be alert as Leyland s*cks: narrow rough roads, fast inconsiderate drivers etc.

Jack Hateleys on the A449 in Fordhouses, Wolverhampton

do a decent service for £15 and don't rob you. Absolutely crap at bike fitting though and only sell low end models.

John's Bikes[url] Walcot Street Bath

very helpful and I've only bought a couple of things but get the 'feel good' factor every time. Good stock of clothing too.

They are an excellent shop, always keen to mod any bike to fit, always ready to do a deal. Head and shoulders better than the local competition.

Went with g/f to buy a road bike at the weekend, they said she could bring it back for an exchange after a few days if not happy! That's really impressive!

She got a Trek 1.2 triple, (£500), they gave her a bottle cage and bottle (£10), SKS mudguards (£26), upgraded saddle (£25), upgraded pedals (£17), and a Giro Monza Helmet (£50) for £550 all in, so saving about £78), and with the quality of service she left very pleased.

[URL="http://www.langdalelightweights.co.uk/"]Langdale Lightweights Westdale Lane, Mapperley, Nottingham

They are exclusively a roadie shop, so no MTB stuff. He doesn't carry a vast range but he's very helpful and will try to match internet prices if he can.

Merlin Cycles, Leyland

fantastic value own-brand MTBs.

Used their mail order service a lot - great service and an expanding range of road stuff too

Mick Madgetts on Shelfanger Rd in Diss

Minster Cycles - Beverley

I'll second that. They were very helpful when I went in as a complete novice last summer looking for some clothing for my first cycling holiday. I've been back since for servicing and other bits and had good service.

on yer bike, High Street, Street

very friendly.
I went in there the other day for advice I asked if he thought I need new tyres and he said no he said they have a lot more life in them.
Not a lot of LBS would do that no website that I know of

Outspoken Cycles, Cambridge

....good range of stuff and Peter makes exceedingly good wheels!

Pearson Cycles

for road bikes. Friendly, know their stuff and will also customise bikes.

Pedal Power, Martlesham Heath, Ipswich

Always well stocked and the customer care Adrian gives is first class.

Pedal Power, Clitheroe

small family shop with good mechanic.

Pedal Revolution Bethel Street Norwich

biggest choice. They do brands such as Bianchi, Giant, Cervelo, Trek.

Phil Corley Cycles, Milton Keynes

None of the people that work there are 'sales people' so can come across as a bit ?(don't really know the right word for it, but a bit offish) but they are all bikers, who know how bikes work and whats good for what. And they have some lovely machines in there if you have a spare 4k... but still do cheap (but not rubbish) bikes as well.

+ 1

Priory Marina Cycling Ltd., Bedford,

a marvellous experience for people like me who know next to nothing about bicycles. The customer service and advice is of a very professional level. I was most impressed with the old fashioned level of customer care which leads to you feeling as a friend as well as a valued customer.
They do servicing, repairs and stock a good range of clothing and accessories. They also do cycle hire and are in a lovely location. I'm happy to be a customer of this establishment and look forward to a long association with them.

quest bikes- the bike shop north harrow,

not the largest selection but good service and knowledgable staff

Rick Green Cycles, 61 Wilmslow Road, Handforth, Wilmslow, Cheshire. SK9 3EN

Stock Specialized, Giant, Bianchi and Raleigh bikes, and a range of tools, clothes, parts and accessories.

Great service, friendly people - they saved me once when one of my tyres exploded in fairly spectacular fashion by opening up the shop early and fitting the new tyre for me while I got warm again (it was December!) Bought my Giant from them and was very impressed by their willingness to answer daft questions, let me try bikes out, and it was set up very well for me to ride away when I took delivery.

The bicycle repair man, Prudhoe, northumberland.

good range of bikes, accessories, plenty of good advice and friendly and knowledgeble staff

Second Rick Greens - and son Paul - he's built a fair number of wheels for me - they lasted years with no truing issues

another vote for Rick Green in Handforth...
great service..
they do very good prices for regulars...
real cycle enthusiasts...
Paul a very good machanic...
And you can talk bikes all morning with them

Ride Cycle Works, Lower Parkstone, Poole, Dorset

for the serious off road and road kit

Ride On, Rawtenstall

serious about MTBs and snowsports and the home of Global titanium bikes. Owns a chalet in Les Gets.

Rob Winstanley, Anlaby Road. Hull

Specialized dealer and all-round nice bloke.

Rotec Cycles, Shinfield

if I want to get anything done

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[John the Monkey]

**REVISED LIST** England S - Z

England S - Z
Saddle Safari in Marlow

a great LBS. The staff are all friendly and most are also very knowledgeable, they also have a really good workshop and, most of the time, their prices seem to be about as hood as Wiggle’s.

Scott's in Hall Green, Birmingham.

Sondec cycles, Wellgate in Rotherham

Sondec is quite a small shop but the owner is helpful and friendly.

Spa Cycles - Harrogate

I traveled out to Harrogate to buy my Dawes Super Galaxy from Spa Cycles, mainly because they were one of the few (only?) shops to have them in stock and available to sit on. Enjoyed the chat with the guy who served me, a guy who obviously loved cycling and regaled me with stories of crewing a yacht to the med and cycling home!

Specialized Cycles, Connaught Road, Norwich

bikes built from parts to customer specification. Also for *excellent* bike servicing, repairs, bike bits and bobs, folders.. The guys there really know their stuff. It's my first port of call for anything bike related locally. Plus, if you want a hand-built wheel, this is the place.

The only decent bike shop with staff that actually know something about cycling in Norwich!
Great for repairs too.

Spokes, in Epping, Essex.

Only been in there a few times but the staff are friendly and knowlegable and they even sent me off to a competitor when they didn't have the part I needed.

Tavistock Cycles, London?.

Show me another shop that spends upwards of an hour and a half on each new bike between box and shop floor - going over every little bit and bob and spoke and derailleur hanger and bearing......

Thatto Cycles/bikesyoulike Nutgrove Road, St. Helens

a the bloke whom ive known for a good while: they give good concise advice and sell some nice stuff - the shops not cluttered and for me to recommend a shop is going some.

A nice place

I have bought mail order from Bikesyoulike and the parts arrived quickly and were cheap too. Glad to hear that the LBS is good too.

Sivyer Cycles in North Street Arcade (and in Waterlooville too) Portsmouth.

Excellent advice and service.

Solent cycles in lee on solent/porchester, Hampshire

very good LBS, brilliant staff.

The Bicycle Chain in Bridgwater

the staff are friendly and knowledgeable, they offer an extensive range of bikes and accessories.

The Bike Factory Chester

excellent service; very helpful; too busy on a Saturday tho'!

The Bike Factory was set up as Davies Brothers Cycles outgrew their shop in Cuppin Street (now the premises are La Tasca). At that point it was always by far the best shop in Chster and the one all the club cyclists used to hang around in.

The Bike Shed, Exeter.

Always had good service, very helpful and friendly and were still cheerful after I'd tried on 20 pairs of bike shoes. Good range of road and mountain bikes.

The Bike Shop.Leeds

On my first visit I'd only been in the shop a few minutes when the owner offered me a couple of bikes to test ride.I bought a Spesh Globe hybrid.A big shop but friendly.

The Cyclery in Uppermill

is a very good shop

Sell loads of bikes (mainly Trek I think)

I bought a helmet from there last week, and they fitted it for me as I was unsure of the sizing. Very helpful

The Cycle Store, Friern Barnet

Shiite web sight but so far excellent service.

The Edge Cycleworks, Chester

the staff are top and they actually ride, too

The Edge Cycleworks Lancaster

really friendly helpful staff and they will spend ages with you to make sure they get you on the right bike, size and all... Also happy to let you have a test ride and will assess your position on the bike while you are testriding...

Try Cycling in Kirkburton, Huddersfield.

It's an old scjhool type bike shop. Not a huge amount of stock but seemingly a tardis like back room from where they can produce lots of odds and sods seemingly at will.

Both the main guys in there seem a bit shy and / or brusque on first aquaintance but give good advice based on your needs rather than what they want to sell to you.

TSW Woodborough

It was where i bought my bike from. Had trouble with my rearbrake even when it went into there to be fixed and ended up fixing it myself.
The guy has been very helpfull though, has fitted chains for me with no labour charge, and when i needed a new cassette after the chain had worn it down and i had just had the chain fitted and took the cassette off another new bike and put it on. Even let me pay for it the next day because i didnt have any more money on me. That was nice.
He also does Giants(maybe other makes) cheaper as he is a factory store so he will knock a decent amount off for a small amount of paint being chipped off.

Twenty3c in Stony Stratford, Milton Keynes.

Great shop and really nice people (Alan and Ceri). Fantastic range of bikes including Bianchi and Colnago (drool).

Alan runs maintenance courses on a Wednesday evening, I've just been on a couple and my previously awful skills are now very nearly adequate.

Wallis Cycles in Preston.

I walked out with exactly the right bike for me at a (relatively speaking) bargain price. Absolutely brilliant service. Why I've never used them before I don't know but I'll certainly be back.

Wills Wheels - A6, Heaton Chapel.

Excellent !

Wizz Bikes on Brentford high street ,TW8 8AT (London)

They aren't a very big store, and tend to cater more for beginners and learners, but a good stock of folders.

In the higher end they only do Trek but prices are comparable to the chain stores.

Their website is competitively priced and is good for your basics or spare parts.

The owner is always on the shop floor, and I have been impressed with their customer service so far.

I've had a couple of small things fitted in their and I have yet to be charged labour. Their service charges also look very good and a lot less than a close by Chain store.

They aslo do bike hires, and apparently will lend you bike if you need one while getting a service.

York Cycle Works, York

 

[John the Monkey]

**REVISED LIST** Scotland and Wales

Scotland and Wales
Scotland

Alpine Bikes Aberdeen

Alpine Bikes, Hamilton Place, Edinburgh

gets my vote (and my money). Friendly, knowledgeable staff who actually seem to care, if you just want to browse they'll leave you to it but any questions they'll help and advise. (ps my only involvement with them is as a happy customer)

Alpine Bikes, Glasgow

For clothing and other bicycle related items I would go to Alpine Bikes in the city centre. They have good staff and decent prices.

Banchory Cycles in Banchory nearish Aberdeen.

They have good repair facilities, a good selection of kit, along with friendly expertise which is offered by active cyclists who understand the needs of beginners as well as more advanced people.

When my Thorn Raven was crash damaged recently, Peter the mechanic diagnosed the tracking problem quickly and took considerable trouble to obtain an appropriate replacement set of forks when it became obvious that the original type had become obsolete - all included as part of the service.

Highly recommended.

Bike Trax Edinburgh

Billybilsland cycles, Glasgow

Neil, Billy's son, gives great service, knows his bikes, and is reliable. I've been impressed at his integrity (eg he refuses to stock bike-shaped objects, even though he'd probably make more money if he did).

Freewheelin' Cycles Edinburgh

Leith Cycle Co Edinburgh

Best customer service I've ever had and would trust the guys totally. They go the extra mile - e.g. had bike clattered by a car recently, they had me back on the road within a day or so - even arranged for the car driver to pay the bill for me! Richard Dowsett and team - many thanks. LBS the only way to go if you are a newbie

Phillip langs gallowgate glasgow

excellent service and good range of bikes i use him quite a lot when you go in often enough does minor things with no charge, been there since 1966 used to be his dad's shop.

Stirling Cycle Repairs, Stirling

for repairs ... great service and the bloke who does it is really friendly.

Stuart Wilson Cycles Stirling

The Bicycle Works Edinburgh

On the club run on Sat, I decided to ask everyone I was alongside which bike shop they recommended. Bicycle Works was the shop of choice.

offer a good efficient, well priced service after having used them a couple of times, I know why people recommend them

Walkers' Cycling Ayrshire

Staff are all cyclists, organise MTB and road rides, own cycling club etc.

Wales

Beics Betws Betws Y Coed

I have always had good service and have bought 2 MTBs from Beics Betws in Betws y Coed. In winter, phone before travelling to check when they will be open as they tend to close in the quiet times out of the holiday season.

Beiciau Hobbs (Hobbs Bikes for those who haven't already guessed) in Carmarthen.

Brilliant

Damian Harris Cycles, 55 Merthyr Road, Whitchurch Village, Cardiff,CF14 1DD

Chris Harris Cycles was a well established shop in Cardiff city centre. My whole family bought bikes from there and they always provided great service, with a good range and helpful friendly staff. Unfortunately the shop had to close due to a large part of the city centre being knocked down to build a new shopping centre. As a result Damian Harris has carried the business on, but a little further out of town.

County Cycles in Cross Hands, they are right on the roundabout on the A48.

Excellent set of boys in there.

Dare Valley Cycles, RCT area of South Wales.

Mark Webber is a local legend in the cycling world and the shops prices are amazing.

East End Cycles, Colwyn Bay

Small shop, good no nonsense advice reasonable rates, but perhaps not the stock, but for repairs and bits brill.

Hughes Cycles, Rhyl

When I worked in Rhyl 7 years ago I swore by Hughes Cycles's, family run at the time and excellent mechanics. Not been there recently but note they have had a major refit of the shop by the look of it the last time I passed.

Revolution Bikes Bangor

Work colleague always recommends them, and since I couldn't get my front mech sorted, thought I'd give them a try.
Sorted my problem and also tweaked my brakes (basically they did a "first service" on the bike, as I'd brought it over the internet and I wasn't happy the brakes either). Pleased with the service and I'm going to take my badly abused Hybrid there for a service next month I think.

 

[fossyant]

Wills Wheels - A6, Heaton Chapel. Excellent !

 

[nailseacycles]

Simply the best in west lol http://www.nailseacycles.co.uk/

 

[Theseus]

Does self promotion count as a recommendation?

 

[dq1]

Chaineys Cycles in Milton keynes gets my vote

 

[colinr]

All-lite Cycles in Eaton (just outside Norwich) has been very good for me. He mainly deals in service and repairs and accessories. Something of a perfectionist and enjoys talking about bikes, as well as being happy to answer all my questions and offer advice.

A friend of mine also highly recommended Freemans Cycles in Norwich for parts and technical advice.

 

[Wheeledweenie]

The Bike Shop in Greenford, west London are good and don't charge the earth even when you're a newbie beginner person who could seriously be taken advantage of.

Oh and they call my bikes by their names.

 

[lukesdad]

Hampshire. Owens cycles at steep(Petersfield) and four marks,try to speak to Owen himself if he s around .I still use them and ive been in west wales for 6 years!

 

[Nickl52]

Very helpful LBS

I am in the early stages of buying a road bike and went to my LBS in Manchester called 'Ken Foster's Cycle Logic' The guy there was very helpful and spent a lot of time offering me advice. The only problem was that they didnt have to Giant Defy 3 in my size, but he said he would give me a ring when the 2010 model comes in.

I have also come across a company called cyclestore.co.uk who deal on the web. They also have a store in Congleton, Cheshire and after ringing for some advice about a Giant road bike, they were very helpful and didnt give me the hard sell. I am going to have a look on Thursday, but I was just wondering whether anyone else has used them before? The web store was offering 10% of the cost of a bike in 'free' goods. When I mentioned this to the assistant over the phone, he said they would be able to offer what the web were offering, so this seems good.

 

[a_n_t]

I got my Grifter from Ken Fosters around 1979!