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Retail experiences

After riding my bikes, buying stuff for my bikes comes next. In a retailer I’m looking for (i) sells the stuff I want (ii) doesn’t charge too much for despatch and doesn’t use crappy deliverer (iii) prices (iv) reasonable website. 

(IV) makes Amazon a fail for me, (iii) makes Halfords a no go but they do redeem themselves for being open Sundays and evenings for urgent requirements.  Decathlon is a bit hit and miss IME but they do as we all know put out some real bargains on latest bikes.  Planet X are even more hit and miss on anything other than complete bikes. 

I use EBay a fair bit - this can be a way of finding sellers like Hopkinson Cycles and Velo Duo (I'm a sucker for Nissen cable) who also have their own sites. EBay has helped rescue a few vintage restos with things like old vintage cable guides from specialist dealers.  EBay is good for finding spokes and inner tubes, if you shop around.  I get things like 7 and 8s flat bar Brifters for repair cafe jobs for around £12. I like getting coloured cable ferrules from China that take 6 weeks to arrive. 

A local garden centre has a few things like a wet or a dry lube for £1, Silverhook bike cleaner and a tonne of general purpose tools.  My work stand is the Crevit/ Lidl £40 offering and I've got a set of coloured Allen keys of theirs. 

With the demise of such greats as Wiggle and Probikeit, and the acquisition by the Fraser Group of Evans and CRC, what are the main retail contenders now?  

Spa Cycles tick all my 4 boxes and St John St, although it tends to be pricey - pretty good on obscure spares. Spa sell Titanium frames for <£1000, but aren’t they place for the latest thru axle CF 12s. Condor is a good site and not always pricey.  

Cycle Solutions (good for wheel building) Tweeks, Santafixie (Spain, does sell gearing stuff).  Other honourable mentions that I’ve used: High on Bikes, Sprockets, Wolf Cycles, Sigma Sports, Sport & Leisure, Triton.  

Clothing from Galibier - one of many small niche makers/sellers - e.g. Vulpine, Corinne Dennis (old-fashioned touring gear).

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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11 comments

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Dnnnnnn | 3 weeks ago
1 like

Remember the discounts on Decathlon and Halfords via Cycling UK. It can tip the balance, esp. if you are able to collect in person.

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d10brp | 4 weeks ago
4 likes

I just bought a bike from Tredz and their service was excellent. Quick responses, plenty of flexibility, easy to get through to a human and have a conversation. 

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Tom_77 | 1 month ago
3 likes

I've got accounts with Amazon, Bike Inn, Decathlon, Fawkes, Merlin, Outdoor GB, Sigma Sports, Sport Pursuit, Trendz and Tweeks (possibly a few others as well). So usually it's just a question of who has the thing that I want, in stock, for the lowest price (including delivery).

A few years ago Decathlon were meant to be opening a store almost on my doorstep, but for whatever reason that didn't happen. Halfords is really the only bike retailer close to me, but I haven't been there in years.

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OnYerBike | 1 month ago
0 likes

I would have said Halfords are OK, if they stock the specific thing you want. Prices tend to be reasonable, and don't need to spend a fortune to get free delivery.

I tend to avoid eBay for buying anything "new". Sometimes a reputable retailer has a eBay channel selling ex-demo or items that have been returned but can't be sold as new any more, and some bargains can be had, but you have to be pretty lucky for the thing you want to be listed. I would be suspicious of anyone using eBay as their main selling channel, although maybe I'm just a cynic. 

Other than that, I tend to shop around. For widely stocked parts (e.g. Shimano components) will most likely be Sigma Sports, Merlin or Tredz. SJS are good for all the small bits you can't find anywhere else. I like Condor Cycles, although they don't have the widest range. For more niche items, start with google and see what the options are - High on Bikes, Sprockets, Wolf Cycles etc. often come through for me too. 

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momove | 1 month ago
3 likes

The only one I could add that I've used is Velozone. The range, price and service is good, although their website needs a good filtering system, so may fall down on (iv).

I'm with the other comments on the dearth of local bike shops. The last one I bought from had the stereotypical elitist bullshit so I'm not going back there. Others around me are almost all just servicing. Although there is a Balfe's not too far away which I've bought from when they've had what I'm looking for.

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mark1a | 1 month ago
5 likes

Used to like/use Wiggle & ProBikeKit a lot.

Since then, Sigma Sports, Merlin & SJS are worth a mention. 

BikeInn in Spain are great value if you're not in a hurry for stuff, their prices are "what you see is what you pay" and fully inclusive of any duty & tax. 

Woolly Hat Shop (https://www.bikeparts.co.uk/) I've also had good experience with.

Before anyone says "buying online is putting your LBS out of business", the only one local to me worth walking through the door is great for service jobs I can't/won't do, but doesn't really retail much in the way of parts, tools, accessories, clothing, or even bikes. So I use them when I can. The others are either crap or 30+ miles away. 

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bensynnock replied to mark1a | 1 month ago
5 likes

My local bike shop is similar. They're really a repair/servicing shop and although they sell a few basic consumables it isn't their core business. I think online is always going to be cheaper for physical items, but you can't service a bike on the internet.

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David9694 replied to mark1a | 1 month ago
2 likes

I do feel bad about the whole LBS thing. The two LBSs in Salisbury don't reliably sell the things I want to buy, so I never go to them.  This makes me a small-scale stock-holder for many parts.  I build my own bikes, do my own maintenance - I got a my iffy Shimano crankset checked in Salisbury and I needed a stuck seatpost sorted by a shop in Bournemouth, apart from that I haven't purchased in years. 

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thax1 replied to David9694 | 4 weeks ago
1 like

Yes, I've increasingly taken to buying consumables when prices fall, and then having a few in the garage.

I've got a little stack of Pirelli tyres and SRAM chains, pads etc now, which means I get a little less gouged when I need to swap out something. These can be highly volatile in cost as availability changes.

Bought a couple of 12speed flat top chains from Fife cycles last week as they were cheaper than anywhere else. Turned up on my doorstep next day (450 miles south of them) with a hand written personal thank you note!

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SimoninSpalding replied to mark1a | 1 month ago
2 likes

The thing is Merlin, SJS, Bikeparts, Sprockets etc are somebody's LBS, just not mine. I have a couple of local shops that I will use for jobs beyond my competence/ tools, but neither of them stock the stuff I want/ need (my bikes all run Campag, so I often use Sprockets since the demise of GB Cycles) and they are not interested in sourcing stuff for me.

I have recently bought some bits from the distressingly named Bankrupt Bike Parts (very quick service, good price) and Fawkes Cycles (again good service if they have what you want).

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Ladywriter replied to mark1a | 1 month ago
1 like

Have to agree with you Woolly hat shop are good, plenty of stock fast despatch 

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