Salute your Local Bike Shop heroes!

[RedRider]

I just had great bike shop experience.

Bungling an attempt to adjust a slipped brake lever on my bike I pulled out some kind of pin thing in the lever to get better access to the bolt tightening the unit to the bar. There was an explosion of springs and things and suddenly I had no front brake.

I took my life in my hands and raced to my LBS getting there just before it closed. Not only did the mechanic desist from commenting on my cackhandedness but he also spent the next half hour trying to put the whole thing back together. It was an incredibly fiddly-looking job involving an attempted reshaping of a spring with pliers. In the process he tipped me off that in future removing the wheel and squeezing the brake blocks together would give me all the access I needed to that troublemaking bolt.

By this time the shop shutters had long shut and another mechanic had cracked open a beers for us.

The repair just wasn't happening and I reckon the guy was probably gutted to be beaten by a broken brake but time was getting on when he stood up and said he would fit an entirely intact new lever. He did this then re-wrapped my tape and refused to take any money for the job.

I'm so glad I bought my bike from this place. I suppose I could've shaved a few quid off the price by shopping online or further afield but what can I say?

Take a bow Brixton Cycles! There's a box of beers winging its way next time I pass!

 

[TheDoctor]

Out on a ride, I changed a tube and snapped my plastic tyre levers in the process.
I dropped into my LBS to buy replacements.
They had none in, so they gave me some used ones and wouldn't take any payment for them.
And that's why I'll always recommend Byercycles.

 

[wiggydiggy]

Edingburgh Bicycle Co Op in Leeds gave me free brake pads when I was in on their bike maintenance training course

 

[DougieAB]

The Bike Shed, Newtongrange Midlothian. Great personnal sevice. Can always remember what was changed on the bike. Didn't have the correct seven speed cassette recently so used an almost new one from a scrapped bike and fitted it at no charge.

 

[RedRider]

Perfect examples! I must admit, it was the which tipped it into greatness this time but without the continuity of care, knowledge, little gifts and sheer nearness it'd just be beer.

 

[IanT]

Really, I can't speak highly enough of my local bike shop - Richardsons Cycles in Leigh on Sea.

The service I get in there is amazing - they have sorted warped wheels for me (free of charge), sorted a disintegrating freehub for me in a matter of hours (when the 'shed' that supplied the bike insisted it would take days) and, more importantly, treat me like a person - not just another sale.

I actually discovered them almost by accident. Just before Christmas, I had booked an appointment with a local large(ish) chain to get measured for and order a Cannondale CAAD8. After taking the afternoon off and cycling excitedly to said 'shed' I was informed by the guy in there (who had actually booked the appointment with me) that he was far too busy to help me......with the pre-booked appointment!!! I waited for fifteen minutes to see if he could 'fit me in' (during which time, he sold a good forty quids worth of lights and accessories) and then left.

Passing Rischardsons on the way home, I decided to pop in and see if he had anything that would interest me. Despite being as busy as the aforementioned shed, the guy in there managed to size me and find (from stock) a cracking Trek 2.3 (which I actually preferred to the CAAD). What's more, he did me a deal that saved me a good few hundred quid!!!

Since then, I have purchased a further three bikes from them - a new MTB for me and an MTB and a roadie for my wife.

Because of the service that I get in there, I now use them for practically everything - accessories, consumables and kit.

Just recently, my wife purchased herself a pair of premium brand winter gloves from another large chain (won't name them - suffice to say that they have a lot of branches in London and a one-word name). After using these just twice they became unusable when the lining detached itself from the outer glove - meaning that she had to complete the last half of the ride, on a cold Sunday morning, sans gloves. I returned the gloves to the store that they were purchased from, where the assistant and manager spent a good ten minutes (unsuccessfully) trying to sort the lining out - before declaring that there was nothing wrong with them!!!

Following this, I took my wife into Richardsons to get some replacements. Whilst we were in there, we mentioned what had forced the purchase. The guy in Richardsons agreed that he would not expect this from a decent brand. What's more, he even offered to take the defective gloves off of us and deal with it through the importer on our behalf - honestly, I was astounded; here was a local business, offering to help with a problem created by a national chain - and wasn't even his problem to solve!!!

Really guys, support your local bike shop - if the service is anything like the service that I get in Richardsons, you really won't regret it.