A few weeks ago I visited Evan.s Mortimer St store in central London where I spoke to one of the…read moremanagers about using the cycle to work scheme to buy a bike. Together we chose a bike suitable for me, mudguards, a back rack and a cycling jacket, coming together to just under £600. He sent me away with a receipt for the quote and knew that it might take two or three weeks for my hire certificate to come through from my employer. I asked him if the bike could be kept on one side for me - he said it couldn't (reason unclear) but seemed to think that the model I wanted wouldn't go out of stock. A few days ago I rang him to let him know that I was still waiting for the hire agreement to be processed and to check the bike we'd chosen would still be in stock. He assured me that it would be. The voucher finally came through at the end of last week and this Monday morning, at the first opportunity, I visited the store to hand it over and get the bike properly ordered. You can guess what happened - I was told that the bike is no longer available "in any size", as if I'd want a size that isn't right for me. I am very disappointed. I now have to cancel the voucher, tell my employer not to make the salary deductions from next month and start the whole bureaucratic process again. It seems to me that Evans don't take this scheme seriously - or they'd find a way of making sure this didn't happen. They have lost me as a customer as a result. I shall try a small independent shop next time, where maybe the bike deals aren't quite always as good but at least I might actually end up with a bike.

I didn't buy a bike here but had one reassembled after shipping it from overseas. The repair…read moredept. was quick, thorough and very friendly. They took care of some small details that I didn't mention. I'll definitely re-visit for any bike-related matters.

Good spot, very good coffee. Wifi can be unreliable. Great option in this area. Random location but…read moreit works.

A search for a cycling gift brought me to this unusual store in Soho…read more It's a cycle shop and coffee rolled into one. You can enjoy fresh coffee fumes as you browse the serious cycling paraphernalia on offer. If you're a cycling noob like me, fear not. The knowledgeable staff are very patient with answering any queries, however inane It's a fine cycling (cf fine dining) cycle shop, so bring some hefty means of payment

Great shop to rent riser-bar-stanced, solid, well-maintained single-speed bikes, with an incredibly…read morehelpful and knowledgeable staff. They're also open ALL day so you can get plenty of sightseeing in if you're just on a short-term visit, and they offer lights as well. I will return.

I had the back wheel stolen off my bike very annoying and went into Cloud 9 for a replacement…read more Great service: 2nd hand wheel offered and they were able to complete the work there and then, fitting a new cassette, puncture proof tyre etc. At my request they also fitted some Wellgo pedals. When I returned they had also cleaned up the bike and replaced a fraying cable. The bike goes better than before, and best of all I wasn't made to feel an idiot about my limited technical knowledge. Bill came to £150 but with a voucher from their website I paid £140. I think that's pretty good. They are total enthusiasts! Highly recommended.

Well I was lucky enough to get a puncture right by Cavendish Cycles and popped in to get a new…read moretire. I had actually been meaning to go there for a while and have a look at what they stocked but hadn't had an excuse to do so. First, absolutely great service. Really spot on, friendly, knowledgable, helpful, above and beyond the call of service and far beyond the cost of an inner tube. Second, a good selection of bikes and other all the other stuff. Three, they were putting together a custom build which I got to have a look at and I was really impressed. They had sourced an unusual frame, got it custom sprayed, imported Paul Comp hubs and had put together an understated stonker of a bike. I will get punctures by here more often.

I went to the Fitzrovia Bicycle shop and I only had a bolt to be screwed in on my gear box at the…read moretyre, which my son unscrewed in order to pull the chain and tyre and then could screw it back into place. There were three men in the shop, one was on the phone, one was a costumers and the other one answered me and said the job needed 6 hours and I needed to leave the bike and pick it up later in the day around 5pm or the next day at lunch. I told him that I didn't want my gear box to be changed as it was working perfectly, all it needed was the right tools for the bolt to be screwed into place. I was willing to pay any price to fix the screw into place but he refused to do the job in front of me and wouldn't give me a reason why he wouldn't do it, telling me it would take him 6 hours. I took my bike to another shop and the sales assistant at Evans Cycles in Camden Town told me that the previous guy probably just wanted to charge me more and just remove the gear box and change the gear box entirely. I wouldn't recommend Fitzrovia Bicycles as for anyone to go there to repair their bikes or buy one. There is really bad customer service as the guy shouted at me and made me feel really uncomfortable. I would never go there or recommend it. Mrs Thomson

A friend first suggested this place to me, as after hunting all around hackney for a bike shop…read morewhich would mend her Vintage Dutch bike, was so happy when she found this shop. After hearing such great stories about here, I decided to check it out for myself. Outside were many retro looking bikes, and mountain bikes and inside even more. I spoke to the mechanical man about prices and fixing old bikes, and he was really knowledgable, welcoming and friendly. Their prices are pretty average, £35 for a full service with a turn around of about three hours, and £15 for new wheels and tubes.

Camden Cycles sells used bicycles. You would think at 250 for a Dahon fold up bike it would be new…read more No way! You can get better deals on Ebay. True enough, a Dahon can run upwards of 400 quid so maybe I am being cheap. All bikes come fully serviced here and there are loads to choose from. Some of the bikes are new but not very many. You'll find dirt still in the bikes locked up and draped all different ways.

Brand spanking new branch (the 18th apparently!) of Cycle Surgery. Of all the chain cycle stores in…read moreLondon, Cycle Surgery are probably the best - the staff are always helpful and knowledgeable, and the shop normally has a decent amount if interesting stock. Wouldn't bother with this particular branch if your a hardcore roadie - it's pretty sparse on flashy road bikes compared to some of the larger branches. Probably a good bet if you are looking for a decent mid range bike though.

A conveniently located bike shop if you're unlucky enough to suffer a puncture near Oxford St. Not…read morethe largest range of bikes available in the store, but they do squeeze as many as possible in on the lower floor. To make up for it, they were happy to look up and ring around other cyclesurgery stores to help find the bike I was looking for. I've gotta say I've found the service at this store absolutely outstanding. Looking for a new pannier rack on my first visit, the sales guy pointed out that they had another version of the same product available under an old product code and dug it out for me to save 1/3 off what I was about to pay. Champion.

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.

As an amateur cyclist, I happened to walk by this new-ish (open since June '15) Pinarello flagship…read morestore in Piccadilly - what can I say! Breathtaking bikes on display at price tags equally staggering! Lots of smaller cycle accessories are also for sale - at more reasonable prices. There are lots of brochures for cycling events around Europe, and tablets for more information on each bike. As a fan of cycling over cars, it was good to see a bike show room take iver some prime real estate much like a fancy car showroom (think Tesla). Some bikes' prices are definitely within the range of a decent road bike - something to work towards. A must see for any bike enthusiast. Staff are friendly and are willing to help if necessary.

Reliable place - old school - suits me. Thanks for the great bike and non-fussy advice.read more

Edwardes is like stepping back to a time before there was any urban fashion or moral obligation to…read morecycle. The staff here are passionate about cycling as a sport and probably have been since the day they first sat on a tricycle. As well as having a huge range of mountain, racing and all kinds of bikes, they are immensely knowledgeable and good at repair jobs. On the downside, it is often quite difficult to get served you really do have to fight for their attention. Be prepared for a bit of cockney banter and you can even haggle down the price on occasions. This is nothing like shopping at Evans Bike Superstore, but so much more of a personal and interesting experience.

While greeted at the door, once on the floor that held my purchase, no one was there to assist…read more There were several other shoppers also in need of assistance.

Lillywhites in Piccadilly Circus, London is a large sports shop, which is much to my surprise owned…read moreby Sports Direct in central London (not too far away from their own large, flagship branch which is less popular on Yelp in terms of the number of reviews). It is located in a fairly old building and the only disabled/wheelchair entrance due to the oddly shaped step going into the store is the offputting, dirty, back "staff entrance" I have long avoided this store as its name Llilywhites is associated with Tottenham Hotspur FC - I stupidly thought this was actually their club shop until I noticed a sign which confused me "The world's finest sports store", after doing some research later I found the name comes from the family which used to own and run the store, located at 25 Regent St since the year of 1925 - it is nice to see it is still in its' original old building, which surely must be Grade listed by now - fairly impressive for a sports shop and especially considering it is now owned by the UK's largest sports retailer, for them to keep the original branding including the website (same website as Sports Direct just with the Lilywhites logo), despite other branches in other cities changing hands such as Leeds, Newcastle and Nottingham. It seems despite seeming to be a higher-end brand the overall store feel and layout is the same - and that includes the staff who didn't seem friendly or helpful by any means to struggling disabled customers or just shoppers looking to find something. It is over multiple floors and does have a decent selection, however. Is it as good as Sports Direct's flagship central London location? No, of course not - other than keeping the brand name it seems the store which seemed so historic and cool has become a boring branded store in every other regard, it's just a more expensive Sports Direct without improved quality/service etc. 2* - For the store size and location, nothing else.