Value for money cycle dealers.

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fudgepanda

Active Member
Location
Manchester U.K.
I realise there are members of this forum who could order a bike on-line, have it arrive in a series of cardboard boxes then while supping a brew and chomping on a bacon sarnie knock it together in half an hour.....but, I'm a Bornagain (if there is such a thing in cycling) and the last bike I had boasted a massive FIVE gears.

After a fair amount of hummin' and ha-hin' I fell in love with a Bianchi Camalenonte 3 hybrid. I saw it in the Bicycle Doctor in Fallowfield Manchester which is a Co-operative. The young thin lad(s) who dealt with me were matter of fact, provided what seemed (and still does) good advice. I chose a helmet, mudguards and lock to be bought on the Cyclescheme. They fitted the 'guards and lock as well as the SPD pedals that came with it. At the time I picked it up I also chose some Shimano shoes and not only did the guy fit the cleats he also advised and helped me work out the best way of starting to use them. The front wheel had to come off to get it in the car, which he also took off and provided some cable ties to keep the tailgate down.

When I got home I didn't put the wheel back on properly, although it was secure enough. The next day I made my way the 6 miles back to the shop where they fixed it properly. At that time I bought a basic speedo. which the chap even set up for me in mph and fixed the device to the bars.

Mrs. F on the other hand picked a bike from a large chain and although I thought it wasn't a bad bike, but obviously not a patch on the mighty Bianchi. This also wouldn't fit in the car but as we put it in ourselves had to take off the wheel, and this time put it back on properly. When it came to fitting the 'U'-lock onto the frame it was too big.

To me, the Bike Doctor's service was outstanding whereas the chain was at best adequate. I was wondering how much service is important to others on here.
 

MrJamie

Oaf on a Bike
Not at all so far, I like fixing and learning to set things right myself, which is also often a lot cheaper too and modern bikes are quite easy to fix it seems. That said I'd be inclined to pay a little extra for an expensive bike to have the warranty and servicing from a decent LBS. :smile:
 
OP
OP
F

fudgepanda

Active Member
Location
Manchester U.K.
Mmmmmmmm bacon!!
For God's sake wipe up that drool, it does nothing for your yellow shirt. I must admit though that I've reached a time in my life where I don't really want to muck around with my bike, I just want to ride it, a bit like my motorbike and car really. The other thing I liked was that Bicycle Doctor also included three free services in the first twelve months which I know don't include oil at 20 quid plus a throw plus filters and so on, but I don't see it as a bad thing and I may well carry on having a couple of services a year, which is possibly the idea behind the free services in the first place.
 
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