I was coming from the U.S. to do a 190 mile challenge ride. Deciding not to bring my own bike, I…read morehired one from On Your Bike London Bridge location. The entire team, (but especially Dave) were brilliant. I didn't know what to expect and there was a lot of planning going in. The On Your Bike team was with me every step of the way. Once I got there, they got the bike set up quickly, provided useful info (the brakes are opposite of what they are in U.S. - good to know!). The bike itself was excellent and exactly what I needed for the ride. They even picked up the bike at the end for a small fee. They made what could have been a complex situation super easy. Fabulous customer service and I highly recommend them.

I like this bike shop. It's on cavernous premises. Something of a bike supermarket so it's…read morepossible to wander the aisles in awe of all this bike stuff. Stuff you never knew you needed. Or even existed. It's a bit like that. They have so much kit, a pretty exhaustive range of stock. Drinks bottles (a range). Biking clothing. Helmets. New slinky wheels. New tyres. A unicycle. And lots and lots of bikes. I found the staff really friendly. Very knowledgeable, which you'd expect, all clearly enthusiasts themselves, which is nice. And all together, really well-presented shop with A LOT of bike products.

Yet another shocking experience from Evans Cycles. They've had my bike for five days and only go…read morethe repair it when I turn up to collect it. It was meant to be ready on Friday but I couldn't collect as I was off work. You think they'd have it ready three days later! Having been advised it would 'just take five minutes' I was still waiting ten minutes later. This is the second time in a row this branch have made me wait while they repair my bike, despite coming back for collection. Last time they rushed the repair and I had to bring it back two more times to be done again. What's the betting they rush this repair and I break down on the way home? Next time I'll be using The London Bicycle Company round the corner - they're a professional organisation. Further to my last review - to top it all off after they rushed my bike repair on the spot I pointed out to Evans Waterloo that this is when mistakes happen - queue - a problem with my gears on the way home; what a surprise! They had messed up the gears when replacing the back wheel inner tube and I was missing a gear. They made such a mess of re-repairing my bike last time I just got my husband to fix it this time. On my first interaction with Evans I really felt they couldn't organize a children's tea party let alone repair a bike. The only reason I returned this time was because I have an injured ankle and I couldn't walk far enough with a flat tire to get to the London Bicycle Company. This time Evans Waterloo really excelled themselves proving that they can't even repair a flat tire - nice work guys. DO NOT USE THIS SHOP - they're utter amateurs.

I think the reason this store is worth a mention over many of the other Evans Cycles stores is that…read moreit is set-up as Road specialist store. This means that most of their bike stock, clothing, and accessories are geared up towards road bikes. Out of interest there is a mountain bike specialist around the corner on Waterloo Road. As a road specialist the store and its staff are very much geared up for giving you the best advice and support for road bikes. Whenever I've been in here it has always been busy, but the staff are very helpful when you get to speak with them, and are never in a rush to get rid of you and serve the next person. They finish with you when you are good and ready. The store is well laid out and there is room for wheeling in your bike.

Action Bikes is situated about a ten minute walk from Wimbledon station, and is a truly special…read morelittle bike shop. You can find everything you need to safely tackle the London traffic or the weekend forest run, and the staff are amazing and very knowledgeable. In addition to most types of bicycles, gloves, clothing, seats, locks, helmets and other accessories adorn the walls. They also specialise in BMX bicycles and have a great fold-up bicycle range, great for travelling on the Tube, or maybe for the kids as a pre-pubescent getaway vehicle. Their repair centre is second to none: I had my BMX in there for repairs it came out bright as a button in good time and for a good price, even though parts had to be ordered from America. their slogan is "The chain that won't let you down", and I am inclined to agree.

For cycling fanatics or just a slightly alternative afternoon activity, London Recumbents in…read moreDulwich Park offers a huge selection of recumbents, tandems and alternative bikes available to hire. Dulwich Park itself must be one of the best kept parks in London made even more enjoyable by racing along in a side by side tandem tricycle. Great for a family day out or exercise that is more enjoyable than the gym and with prices starting at just £7 an hour, you have no excuse to spend the day sitting at home.

Because of my physical problems I cannot ride an ordinary bike, so I went here to try their Hase…read moreKettwiesels. The staff were friendly and knowledgeable. In the end I didn't buy from them as I could only afford a 2nd hand trike. However their main business is renting out trikes for people to ride round beautiful Dulwich Park. Go and hire a trike for 30 mins and have a fun time round one of London's less-well-known parks.

AVOID AT ALL COSTS!…read more EXTREMELY RUDE beyond belief! Got my bike serviced there, and oh my gosh, what an ordeal! Firstly let me say I'm a polite, smiley, friendly well respected local doctor who never has problems with anybody and am well liked. a) I got the wrong pricing. Two equally rude guys there don't seem to agree about the cost of a service and I ended up paying more than I was quoted on the phone. Fine no problem, only money. b) Then they didn't do what I asked for, charged the same for labour despite not changing the cable, which is what I had asked for. Either labour should have been less for less work or should have done what I'd asked for. Still, again it's only money and it didn't bother me too much if it didn't need doing anyway. c) I started getting a little irked at the pickup process. They called me to say the bike's ready a day sooner than I was told it would be but of course I couldn't go as I wasn't expecting it. But then they called me a couple of days later not to politely remind me, like anyone else would have done, but to leave a VERY rude threatening message saying the bike's ready, and I need to pick it up "or we will charge you storage costs"!!!! This is odd behaviour I thought and totally uncalled for, but still, I could understand they need the room, so I arranged to pick it up that day and was nothing but smiles and politeness pretending they hadn't been rude to me (I couldn't be sure if they guy there was the actual guy who left the message [Steve] so wasn't going to say anything to him, just smiled, was overly polite as I always am. Maybe they had a bad day I thought. d) THIS WAS THE FINAL STRAW: I was quite happy to put it all down to bad experience and pay (over the quote price), ignore the rudeness, and take the bike away, but as I was wheeling the bike away he said "well the bike's knackered anyway" so I thought I'd ask him with polite smiles (as usual for me) what he'd recommend we do to it and why it was "knackered" (I was genuinely interested) only to be STUNNED at his response which was "I'm not going to stand here and give you a diagnostic on the bike, unless you want to pay me £9 per 15mins for my time" !!! I was rather taken aback, thought he must've misunderstood what was gonig on and politely smiled and just pointed out that he said my bike is "knackered", so I just asked for some clarification on what he thought I would need doing next... but he just continued "I'm not giving you a free diagnostic here, your bike is knackered. Pay me for my time or go away". I was shocked, then politely told him I wouldn't be going back there again after such rudeness. The irony of it was that the shop was empty (as it was when I dropped the bike off), so I'd have thought they'd have time to tell me what was wrong with the bike. I'm a polite, friendly, locally respected professional who is nothing other than (overly) polite to everyone. I meant no ill will to these guys (despite their behaviour) and was willing to accept all the little irritations of my experience and even willing to listen to suggestions and get further work done by them (wasn't too happy with the service but it's literally round the corner from my house). I have NEVER been treated so badly by a place. Completely uncalled for, completely shocking, and I'm still getting over it. I'll now gladly drive down the Wokingham Road to another bike shop as that place (who I don't know if I am allowed to name) seem polite and helpful as you'd expect. I have no idea how a place like this stays in business when they seem to have utter contempt for their customers. Maybe they're stressed or are going under, I don't know, but whatever their excuse is this is no way to treat customers. They have real issues and not only will I be not using them again ever, I strongly advise others to steer clear, including 1000s of my local patients. I'm still fuming. The fact that I am spending 30mins of of my precious free time to join up and write this review should speak volumes. AVOID THIS PLACE. PS It is unfair of my to tar all cyclezones with the same brush so maybe the other ones are ok I don't know. I suspect the problem is this particular one on Wokingham Rd, in which case I'd strongly suggest looking at the other cycle shop options further down this road!!!! PPS My brother had a bad experience there where they were similarly rude. I will get him to do his own review if he could be bothered. Seems it's not just me.

i use the cyclezone in crowthorne berkshire staff are very…read moreknowlagable and helpful great place for all your biking needs

Avoid Brixton Cycles: Unacceptable Service and Rude Staff…read more Dear Potential Customers, I am writing to share my extreme frustration and disappointment with the service I received from Brixton Cycles. I brought my bike in for a repair that was promised to be completed within 2 to 5 days. However, it has now been over 9 days, and every time I call for an update, I am told the bike is not ready, but they will look at it right now. This has been the case for the past 4 days, causing me significant inconvenience and additional commuting costs. This is the second time I have used Brixton Cycles services, and both times the service has been delayed and mishandled. On this occasion, I called around 18:40 to inquire if my bike was ready. A woman informed me that it was not, but she could look at it. I expressed my frustration and asked how this could be, as every time I call, I get the same response. She then started saying she is not responsible for her colleagues' work and will not take accountability for their failures. She repeatedly talked over me, preventing me from explaining that I needed the bike ready before my holiday, which now forces me to rent a bike, incurring additional costs. The lack of responsibility and basic customer service skills displayed by the staff at Brixton Cycles is unacceptable. I cannot understand how a company allows such disorganized and dysfunctional behavior to persist. The employee's refusal to take any form of accountability and her disrespectful attitude reflect poorly on the business. As a customer, I am understandably furious. Not only have I been lied to repeatedly, but I have also been disrespected and ignored. To make matters worse, when I tried to explain my situation, the call was transferred to another employee who also talked over me and eventually hung up on me. When I rushed to the store, there was no one available to address my concerns. This level of service is beyond unacceptable. I have worked in customer service for 5 years, and I am appalled at the way I was treated. It is evident that the team at Brixton Cycles lacks basic customer service skills and manners. Such behavior should not be tolerated, and it is clear that there are significant issues within the company's culture and operations. I will never again take my bike to Brixton Cycles or advise any of my friends and family to use their services. It is incredible that this generation of young people has no social or professional skills to deal with customers, especially when customers have every right to be angry. I demand a resolution to this situation. I expect my bike to be repaired immediately. I don't even want any compensation for the additional costs I have incurred, nor a formal apology for the rude and unprofessional behavior of the staff because it is clear that Brixton Cycles allows this as part of its company culture. If these issues are not addressed promptly, I will have no choice but to take further action, including sharing my experience on social media and review platforms. I hope this review helps others make an informed decision and avoid the frustrations I have experienced with Brixton Cycles. Sincerely, Adilson Mendes

Brilliant shop. Possibly the best in London. A wealth of knowledge and expertise. All given in the…read moremost friendly of manners. No branding or big push just a down to earth honest know their sheet bike shop. I took my beloved 80"s legendary Bontrager Racelight for a rebuild. Awesome job and kept most of the original spec by sourcing stuff for me. It is a great shame that this shop has to fight for a space in the ever growing moneyed mono-cultured Brixton And whats more suffer idyat people buying bikes on line then expecting a bespoke mending service for a basically rubbish bike - something I observed a while ago when I was in there. Use it or loose it people.

So much better than riding the Tube and unless you get sideswiped by a taxi drive, so much…read morehealthier! And you can't beat the price. £1 for 24 hours, though you can only use the bike for 30 minutes at a time with 15 minutes in between. Great for seeing parts of the city you wouldn't otherwise see. And for someone like me, who tends to get a tad lost, you get to see even MORE of the city. I picked up one bike near Hyde Park Corner and rode it to South Kensington. Then a second from South Ken to Sloane Square. And a third from Sloane Square to Victoria. The downsides: - You must have a "chip & pin" card to rent. American "swipe & sign" cards are not accepted. - It's quite frustrating when you do finally manage to find a cycle rack to return your cycle and all the slots are full. While you can add another 15 minutes of riding time for free, you're not where you want to be. - The three bikes I've rented had an annoying tendency of shifting gears at the most inopportune times. I nearly banged my chin with my knee when it slipped one time. Also, the bell didn't work on any. - The fenders are great, but you will still want to lift your feet when you go through a puddle. The upsides: - Price! - Convenience! - Health! - Very easy to operate. Slide the seat to the right level and off you go. Would I rent again? Yeah, I think so. Tips: - You really should get a bike helmet. No, they're not stylish. But then, a fractured skull won't win you Project Runway. - Set a count down timer on your phone for 20 minutes so that you know when it's time to start looking for a cycle rack. It would be really great if there was a decent iPhone app for this!

Boris's bikes have got to be one of the best things to happen to London in a long time…read more On a Friday I went on an adventure at lunch. I picked up a bike at the back of Smithfield Market and rode it to Covent Garden. The journey was quicker that it would have been on foot and far more pleasant then taking the Tube. On a Saturday I borrowed a bike on Clerkenwell Road and rode it to Spitalfields. On a Sunday I hired another and went to St Paul's and over to the Southbank. All of these are journeys I otherwise would not have taken, or at the very least would not have been nearly as enjoyable as they were on a bike. I find myself now waking up at the weekend thinking about where I'm gonna ride. With more than 300 hire points located throughout central London and 5,000 bikes in total, I have high hopes that it will help London become a kinder, gentler place. The bikes feel a bit better than the Paris Vélib' and the front basket with its elastic cord held my purse snugly. They're still ironing out the wrinkles in the scheme but with the exception of one small snag, I've ridden these bikes at least ten times without incident and enjoyed the experience tremendously.

There's not many decent independently owned bicycle shops left in South London but this one is a…read moregem. This shop has been here for many years and I remember it as a child (which was, er hem, a long time ago). Anyway the staff are friendly and were able to fix my bike within the afternoon. Seem to be well stocked with accessories and bikes...the shop also had a good vibe, with customers passing through who seemed familiar to staff which is good to see. The shop is also located on the London to Brighton route in case you breakdown!!!

Excellent service: friendly, honest, listen to their customers and do the best job for them…read more Whether it's buying a bike, fixing a puncture, planning a trip or getting a full on pro bike fitting these guys are awesome!