Any good bike shops - LONDON
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As someone who visits London annually around the holidays, if you do not have a car, I would highly recommend getting an Oyster card which offers access to the tube, buses, and many of the trains. While the locals will obviously have better input, last Christmas, I visited the Giant concept store not far from the St. Paul Cathedral, Condor Cycles store on Gray's Inn Rd., and took a train out to Sigma Sport in HamptonWick.
- Michael
"People should stop expecting normal from me... seriously, we all know it's never going to happen"
"People should stop expecting normal from me... seriously, we all know it's never going to happen"
What are you after ?
Bike / coffee -
try Look Mum No Hands (aim for busier slots AM / lunch / evening - its weird when its quiet) which is Clerkenwell.. not much bling in the shop though.. its quite 'urban' cycling theme so don't be surprised that you can't buy bits & pieces in there.
Rapha in soho is an option too but I've never really been convinced its for genuine cycling people, its just not really that bike accessible / friendly - but its an option. Nordic cafe is around the corner & does a really nice cinnamon bun that would be worth the trip anyway..
or
Actual shop with parts to buy or select from?
Condor / Bespoke / Sigma.. all these shops will charge pretty much 100% retail & do not really entertain discounts unless you get lucky or are particularly persuasive .. but they all know their beans & do actually have stock.. Sigma probably being the most likely for holding higher end pieces if you are looking to things to tempt you. There are other shops that are good but much less likely to hold stock to make it a worthwhile trip.
FWIW also - there are a couple of bespoke frame builders as well worth visiting.. but I am widening the aspect of what you might be wanting to get from your bike shop .. you normally need to book in a visit if that was on your radar to get properly dealt with. If so - consider Pretorious / Saffron / Talbot which could all get a mention & look in.
Bike / coffee -
try Look Mum No Hands (aim for busier slots AM / lunch / evening - its weird when its quiet) which is Clerkenwell.. not much bling in the shop though.. its quite 'urban' cycling theme so don't be surprised that you can't buy bits & pieces in there.
Rapha in soho is an option too but I've never really been convinced its for genuine cycling people, its just not really that bike accessible / friendly - but its an option. Nordic cafe is around the corner & does a really nice cinnamon bun that would be worth the trip anyway..
or
Actual shop with parts to buy or select from?
Condor / Bespoke / Sigma.. all these shops will charge pretty much 100% retail & do not really entertain discounts unless you get lucky or are particularly persuasive .. but they all know their beans & do actually have stock.. Sigma probably being the most likely for holding higher end pieces if you are looking to things to tempt you. There are other shops that are good but much less likely to hold stock to make it a worthwhile trip.
FWIW also - there are a couple of bespoke frame builders as well worth visiting.. but I am widening the aspect of what you might be wanting to get from your bike shop .. you normally need to book in a visit if that was on your radar to get properly dealt with. If so - consider Pretorious / Saffron / Talbot which could all get a mention & look in.
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- Posts: 622
- Joined: Fri Feb 10, 2012 4:27 pm
I was really impressed with Condor. worth a visit to see how a well run bike shop should look like.
- MattSoutherden
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- Joined: Fri Jul 10, 2009 7:22 pm
- Location: London
Condor: Good general bike shop
Bespoke: Spend a lunchtime dreaming
Giant Store, Specialized Store: Kill 10 minutes browsing
Mosquito: Small. Something a bit different. (http://mosquito-bikes.co.uk/)
Look Mum No Hands: Coffee and watch the race du jour
Sigma Sport: Good shop. Quite a way out of town
LCW: Some Ridley and Genesis stuff (near Condor - http://www.thelondoncycleworkshop.co.uk/)
EDIT:
Brick Lane Bikes: hipster heaven
Cyclefit Covent Garden: Usually have some nice stuff to oggle.
Bespoke: Spend a lunchtime dreaming
Giant Store, Specialized Store: Kill 10 minutes browsing
Mosquito: Small. Something a bit different. (http://mosquito-bikes.co.uk/)
Look Mum No Hands: Coffee and watch the race du jour
Sigma Sport: Good shop. Quite a way out of town
LCW: Some Ridley and Genesis stuff (near Condor - http://www.thelondoncycleworkshop.co.uk/)
EDIT:
Brick Lane Bikes: hipster heaven
Cyclefit Covent Garden: Usually have some nice stuff to oggle.
Sigma have a fantastic showroom and most of the nice high-end brands. Worth a visit. That and Condor (albeit much smaller)
Skip Evans or Cycle Surgery.
Skip Evans or Cycle Surgery.
Swift Cycles is decent but for me you can't beat The Bike Rooms. Absolute bike porn in that place!
SL8 S-Works Project Black - 6.29kg
IG: RhinosWorkshop
IG: RhinosWorkshop
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- Joined: Thu Jul 24, 2014 8:36 am
Condor, Bespoke (city branch) and Mosquito are my faves. Pinarello showroom on Lower Regent street is also usually good for some £10k+ steeds!
2014 Parlee Z-Zero DADi2 & ENVE (6.2kg)
2015 Colnago C60 RSWH Campag Chorus & Mavic SLR (c.7kg)
2015 Colnago C60 RSWH Campag Chorus & Mavic SLR (c.7kg)
- ultimobici
- in the industry
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- Location: Trento, Italia
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greentimgreen wrote:Condor, Bespoke (city branch) and Mosquito are my faves. Pinarello showroom on Lower Regent street is also usually good for some £10k+ steeds!
Well, unfortunately Mosquito is no more. Went into receivership a little while ago and is up for sale. So much for retail being on the up.....
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- Posts: 224
- Joined: Thu Jul 24, 2014 8:36 am
Oh no! Sorry to hear that. They had some nice bikes, and we're good at fittings. Shame.
2014 Parlee Z-Zero DADi2 & ENVE (6.2kg)
2015 Colnago C60 RSWH Campag Chorus & Mavic SLR (c.7kg)
2015 Colnago C60 RSWH Campag Chorus & Mavic SLR (c.7kg)
ultimobici wrote:greentimgreen wrote:Condor, Bespoke (city branch) and Mosquito are my faves. Pinarello showroom on Lower Regent street is also usually good for some £10k+ steeds!
Well, unfortunately Mosquito is no more. Went into receivership a little while ago and is up for sale. So much for retail being on the up.....
Bit much to base an assessment of retail on the failure of one shop! Mosquito seriously underwhelmed me a couple of times FWIW
Anyway, mattsouthwordsroads has it about right. TBH I don't really see the attraction in going to shops unless you actually want something done, but for pure bike porn browsing Sigma is quite something ...
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Stiff, Light, Aero - Pick Three!!
Stiff, Light, Aero - Pick Three!!
Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
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If you are after Phil Wood's waterproof grease, Brick Lane Bikes is the place When you get one, short walk to see all Cervelos in one place, Swift Cycles Spitalfields. From there, stone throw, you can enjoy quite good espresso served in Rapha, Spitalfields as well.