Their green signposts-bikes strapped to the lamposts on Curry Mile alerted me to the existence of…read moreThe Bicycle Doctor, which is located on one of the larger side roads off Wilmslow Road. While Neil M. makes an obvious and valid point about the larger stock of Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op, I don't feel that is necessarily a deal-breaker against buying a bike from The Bicycle Doctor which is still quite sizeable. Plus, I get the feeling that the stock offered by The Bicycle Doctor is quite savvy in its own way, with some unique products which may be hard to find elsewhere in Manchester. For example, an electric bike by Trek at £1,700 and a rainbow of cute pastel-coloured Brompton folding bikes both suggest that people are spending serious money here - in fact I don't think EBC stock electric bikes at all. I parted with cash for an interestingly versatile 100% merino wool 'buff', which can be to protect and the cold and UV also, plus a neat pair of cycling sunglasses which several people have asked me where I bought them from. I am in the market for cycle panniers, and I will definitely consider buying them from the good Bicycle Doctor, especially since they stock the high-end Ortlieb roll-top waterproof designs and even had four or so different colours in stock. On the repairs front, their website states that all their mechanics are Cytech-certified which sounds good enough to me! Lastly, The Bicycle Doctor allocates a significant corner of their precious floorspace to a rack of cycling leaflets detailing local routes, mass rides, and cycle-friendly tourism further afield - an authentic touch which typifies this Workers' Co-op which has been 'Serving the Cycling Community for over 25 years'. Thanks, Doc - you left me feeling good, and good to go!

It's worth going out of your way to go to a good bike shop, bf says, and he's had two bikes from…read morehere and many services and upgrades/alterations (180,000 mi on one of the bikes) and highly recommends. It's a coop where the staff are passionate, knowledgeable and cater to all customer types. In stock are great brands such as Surly and Brompton. They won't try to force you to buy something off the shelf, they will help you customise it and go the extra mile e.g. offering to loan us a bike so bf could accompany me home and giving us flapjacks! Purchase also comes with 3 free services after which bike is a good as new.

This shop is packed from floor to ceiling with a bewildering array of bikes - new and second hand,…read moreadults and childrens, cheap and expensive. It's not quite so well organised or spacious as Edinburgh Cycles or Cycle Logic, but they do the best they can with the limited space available. The knowledgeable staff are on hand to advise you, and every new bike purchased comes with 2 free services. They can also order bikes and accessories in for you. I've never had any repairs done here, but wouldn't hesitate to take my bike in if I was nearby. They offer a full repair service from punctures to a complete makeover for your bike. A basic service will set you back £40 not including parts. A great little bike shop suitable for everyone from students looking for a cheap and quick way to get to uni, to cycle pros.

Withington Cycles helped me out when I got a flat tyre last year. I was miles away from home and…read moreonly had a few pounds in my backpack. The usual price for taking off the wheel and replacing the inner tube is £10 (plus the price of the tube). After a little bit of persuading and a lot of eyelash batting, the kind gentleman helped me remove the wheel for £6 and allowed me to come back with some cash for the tube. It's well worth getting your bike serviced here too, if you use it frequently. Cleaning and degrease is £10 and brake service is £8 each. If you look after your bike, your bike will keep looking after you!

Bought a bike 8 months ago at a good price. Wanted to ride it before buying, preferably somewhere…read morelocal. Set it up perfectly, just by looking at me. They gave it a look over after I'd had it a spell. Upgraded the gears for me for a small charge (I'm getting old). Been back for bits and bobs, panniers etc. Been very impressed with them and I love the bike (Genesis Equilibrium, cycled England coast to coat, Scotland and Northern Spain with it). If you want to be gushed at and fawned over, it's probably not the place for you. They give you the facts and let you decide for yourself. Friendly though. I don't think that they do the very bottom end of the cycle sales market. Steve

This is an old school, proper bike shop. It is run by people who have spent their lives messing…read moreabout with bikes. The prices are very reasonable, and absolutely every effort is made to give the customer what she/he requires. For service, advice, repairs and knowledge about bikes, Wills is hands down the best bike shop in Manchester. Leighton

Sitting in one of the railway arches on Whitworth Street, Harry Hall's Cycles is a cycle shop for…read moreserious cyclists. It's well set out and sells mountain and road bikes as well as loads of accessories. I'm a bit of a cycling novice, but I recently acquired quite a good road bike and my old pump didn't seem to fit the valves on the new bike's tyres. I popped into the shop and feeling like a complete idiot, explained that I had no idea how to pump up the tyres on my new bike. The chap serving me was really polite despite my clear cycling ignorance, and explained the technicalities of the valves and what pump I needed to buy. He presented me with a few options of what I should get and I've now got something perfect for the job that's also really light and fits snugly on my bike. The pump was quite expensive, and this typifies the cost of most of the cycling gear in the shop, which includes a good range of pumps, tyres, helmets and accessories as well as lots of different cycle clothing. However, it's all quality stuff and the staff know exactly what they're talking about. Though you would probably find cheaper gear at somewhere like Halfords, its worth going to Harry Hall's to know that you'll walk away with some kit that will be right for you, work properly and last a long time.

The railway arches of Whitworth Street West serve as a magnet for cool stuff, housing Green Room…read morealt: performance space, an achingly cool interior design showroom, Cocotoo Italian restaurant (?) and the cool effect spreads across the road to froyo café Frurt and round the corner to The Engine Room Café in Cambridge Street and even the front of restaurants in Chester Street. Plus, access the canal via any of a number of entry points on the same side as Frurt to view a timeline of the late Haçienda Club. (The canal path is a fantastic traffic-free route to Castlefield, Piccadilly and Stockport). Harry Hall Cycles is a good general purpose cycle shop, but I also commend them for showcasing some niche bikes. The current window display is mainly given over to the current trend for stripped down fixed gear or single speed bikes - fewer moving parts means less to go wrong and also lighter. I was also amused to read a poster publicising a Brompton bike race to be staged by that leading manufacturer of folding bikes - I've not seen that poster elsewhere in Manchester, so well done HH for showcasing that. (One cool thing about Brompton bikes for a cycle shop is how small they fold up, allowing many more Bromptons to be stored per sq. metre than regular bikes!) Downstairs is also home to road bikes, cyclo-cross bikes and the usual bike accessories. Upstairs features mountain bikes, style/girly bikes and some retro stuff including a modern take on a butchers bike. I think you have to pay them a visit and test ride a bike or two to decide if Harry Hall is the bike shop for you, but I enjoy the laid-back atmosphere and friendly staff who are generally happy to talk. I'll end by sharing a tip given to me by one of the guys here, which is to dismount and push your bike up over kerbs and such - apparently mounting kerbs wrecks the wheel bearings, and was something he would never do with any of his bikes. He had me at 'bikes' :-) I find something precious about city centre cycle shops - they are there in the midst of the polluting traffic offering a highly-effective, low-tech transport solution. The young and able-bodied car drivers amongst us, let's get on our bikes! And if you are an apartment dweller unsure how you would store your bike, all the more reason to get along to Harry Hall as they have a variety of storage solutions from wall hooks to floor-to-ceiling bike stands to store your speed machine up out of the way.

Top notch mechanics and great guys all around. They've sorted punctures on short notice and also…read moredone great work on my drivechain and brakes in the past. Their prices are super reasonable and the turnarounds are super quick. Also, it's a great place to find very cool custom vintage builds.

Great local business. A simple store but great bicycle mechanic who can build custom bikes and has…read morea few new and recycled bikes for sale. Should be the first stop for any uni students looking to pick up a bike to use over the course of their studies. 5 min walk from Uni of Manchester main campus. On Denmark St just past Whitworth Art Gallery. Fantastic for any bicycle commuters who work at the university's is the hospitals nearby or commute along Oxford Rd. Sorted out my weird clunky sound on a same day turn around. Planning on taking the bike in for a full service in the near future.

I pass Bicycle Boutique on my way to eatGoody, so although I haven't bought anything or had a…read moreservice/repair by Bicycle Boutique I've looked in a few times. According to staff here, Bicycle Boutique is one of only two places in Manchester which does cycle hire and you can have a good look at their hire fleet which is chained up outside the front of the shop on the edge of the plaza in front of the Sudgen Sports Centre. If you are reading this as a tourist planning a visit to Manchester, definitely consider hiring a bike for the day as there are some great traffic-free routes on canal paths, in parks and also the Fallowfield Loop cycle path - to name just a few. Piccadilly to Chorlton (on the Ashton Canal and Fallowfield Loop) with a short detour to Gorton Reservoir I can personally recommend. Pick up a Manchester cycle routes map from the Visitor Information Centre in Piccadilly. Repairs and resprays seem to be emphasised at Bicycle Boutique, and the workshop has always been busy when I've looked in. Other than that, it's a small bike shop. Personally, I always try to have repairs and servicing done by the bike shop nearest to home (Lancashire), allowing me to drop in for quick fixes or easily drop off/collect when it's not a while-you-wait repair. This cycle shop could be handiest for you, especially if you are a student, and all you really need - so give it a look.

Went to the shop for the flat tire of my bike around 1pm on 28 March 2015. Kindly inquired the…read morestaff if there are any discounts for students. The staff replied to me in a very rude manner and kept on mocking me if I would want him to call his boss for a discount in for a good several times. VERY IRRITATING and poor mannered. Not recommended at all