This is a list of bike stores to avoid with a vengeance. :evil:
Any bike stores big or small. If they treat you like shit, over charge you, sell you dented frames (Heavy Metal I am talking to you), etc. I want to hear your story.
First up is Bike Bar Bondi. I recently went there to get my new roadie’s gears and brakes done and a couple of other things. The bike was 80% built. I was quoted $120 for the build, and that it would be ready in a couple of days. A week and half later… Yes that is how long it took, they wanted to charge me $350 for the build!!! Saying that, they had problems with this and that, and they did not have enough white brake cable blah blah. (I actually went to another bike store and got more cable for them twice! To round it off, when I picked up my bike the cable was unused!!) One more thing, my unused Campy cable outers, which they were to return, they stole and swapped for shit BBB ones!
There you have it, my worst bike shop experience ever!
i’ve posted elsewhere about pedals plus bondi junction: shit service, shit mechanics, shit shit shit.
the avanti shop at baulkham hills: i dropped some forks in to get cut down, they said call tomorrow. called, werent ready. said theyd call me the next day. a WEEK later, i called again, they said theyd were ready, i could pick them up. went there to pick them up, they werent ready. i arced up. the guy went out the back and did the job. took 5 minutes. i waited a week and a half for the dickhead to do something that took 5 minutes. fuck those guys.
Unfortunately yes, but not the full wack! I was so excited to get my ride back after it taking so long to pull the parts together. I did not realize the shit I had been dealt. Fuckers!
I too could rant about my worst experiences, but it highlights the few ‘best’ around and why you should remain loyal to the ones that are and support ‘bike culture’.
It was a bit of a running gag in the shop I worked for in London as staff would pick parts of bikes that came in for service for their own needs, and tell them they needed replacing.
any service industry is the same. there are a few good, and a lot of mediocre/bad.
I’ve been around the sydney shops a bit lately and reckon City Bike Depot on Kent St are awesome. Have good stuff, are helpful on the phone and are actually human-type friendly people. Also Cheeky Transport are good if you don’t piss them off too much by asking stupid questions.
Not so impressed by Clarence St or Wooly’s Wheels, but maybe that was just me.
I have been amazed at the lack of service in this industry for a couple of years.At most shops if your not a roadie with a 10k bike and a paunch it seems you get dissed. I have been dealt a poor service by two of the shops mentioned above but I would go out of my way to sat that CBD are good though very busy ,and a big up to the friendly folk at Maroubra Cycles. Grant down there is a young dude into bikes of all kinds ,seems to have a good personal quiver of rides and keeps his shit on the down low . I meet him only a couple of months ago and trusted him with my build .He did it sweet and reasonable and quick and is a nice guy to boot.All my stuff now goes to them.Check em out. ED
Bike Bar Bici in bondi junction are the worst bike shop I’ve been to, ever. I’ve lived in Melbourne for a year, Sydney for 2 years, and Brisbane for 23 years beforehand.
Its like you walk into a deserted room that has bikes in it - does anyone even work there? I went there with $400 in my pocket to buy a helmet (none of which had prices on them, I HATE that) and no one even acknowledged me for 1 hour. Not 45 minutes, not 50 minutes, one hour. I cursed the stupid shop loudly and swore to boycott it ever since and have to this date held that promise to myself.
On the contrary I have had much success at Maroubra cycles and Wooly’s Wheels look after me too, though they are quite a bit dearer than Maroubra. I don’t mind riding the extra few km’s to maroubra to get the same drink bottle $7 cheaper.
The Bike Bar does have nice stuff in there… but the attitude of the workers there shits me. I went in about a month ago for some saint brake pads, and all i got was an idiot trying to tell me that i have to bring my bike in for them to do it as saint brake pads change on a 6 month basis…
Against my better judgement i went in there yesterday for a half link, and i was cut off mid sentence, being told that he doesn’t deal with that kind of stuff and to go see another employee.
As for shops i like, i don’t mind Ashfield cycles and maroubra cycles.
for a postive spin bike stores i recommend include…
Endeavour Cycles Gymea-friendly advice
Beacon Cycles Padstow - the old bloke who runs it is helpful
Fraser cycles taren point - like a bike supermarket… heaps of stuff
Bike shed mortdale - pretty friendly and a fair bit of stuff there too
Dont like
Europa Cycles kensington -> couldnt give a stuff when i came in on my beater and needed something tightened
wow so much hate for wooly’s, i’ve been in a couple times and i also bought my bike there and have had no attitude from the people on the ground floor, maybe it’s the service people downstairs who are the pricks??
much <3 for CBD on kent, and all the cranks stores (bike depot in enmore included)
Hey,
Have recieved pretty ordinary service from bike bar bondi & woolys wheels. Service seems to be abit to hard basket for the staff there.
Cheeky transport is always fairly helpfull i have found.
There is a lack of fixie orientated shops though!
