g00se said:
Hi,
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Pedal Revolution are good with a lot of kit - one of the best places to get new bikes I think. Streetwise have a good rep, but I found one of the guys in there a bit snobbish.
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Finally, the best shop in Norwich by far is Specialised (with an S) on Connaught Road. However, it's mainly spares and repairs in there - the bikes they do sell are Bromptons and other folders and some high end kit. But definitely worth a look to see if they do have anything in.
I would agree with this; Pedal Revolution is the sort of place to go for off-the-peg bikes and they seem pretty knowledgeable but mainly interested in sales rather than after-sales. They have a few second hand bikes and a lot of decent hybrids/road bikes in the right price range (plus the usual free service within a year IIRC).
I've used Specialised Cycles for almost 7 years and they've never let me down. As you point out it's a small shop with mainly folding bikes and custom builds on display (they used to sell full sized off-the-peg bikes, but that was winding down when I bought my Dawes there in 2003). But in the past if they haven't been able to supply something, they have been able to advise where to go.
I've only heard good things about Madgetts, but Diss is a bit far away...
Fat Birds Don't Fly is even more remote than Diss, but I got a frame from them a few years ago and they were very friendly etc. Had a massive stock of Airborne (Van Nicholas) but I'm not sure what they have in the £500 range - probably fairly decent.
Hope you find a bike you like!
Jens