Great Shopping Experiences

[Max]

I had a great shopping experience with Epic Cycles a couple weeks ago. I posted about it in my "My New Commuter" thread, but it got lost in The Great MySQL Crash of 2010.

The full story is here on my blog. The long and short of it is that they helped me find a bike that would suit my needs, then spent a full day getting the fit right and making sure I was absolutely happy with the outcome. They really went above and beyond. I've bought parts and accessories from them in the past, but this is the first time I've bought a bike from them. I know where I'll be getting my next bike from! Very happy customer.

Max

[snark]

Another happy bike shopping experience, this one at Hendry Cycles in Ocean Grove.

I had a good chat for the first round of tyre kicking, where they asked lots of questions about what sort of riding I did. I've had a flat bar for about two years, and was looking for my first roadie.

I went back about three weeks later, and took one bike (a Trek) for a test ride. I probably spent about an hour and a half in the shop, again lots of questions, a good amount of time getting the test ride setup feeling good. We talked about a couple of options too.

The following weekend, I went back and test rode two other bikes (an Orbea and a different Trek). I'd guess between two and two and a half hours in the shop this time around. The second Trek they swapped wheels around with some up-specced wheels too before the test ride. Signed on the dotted line before leaving, and picked up the new bike this morning.

I was always made to feel welcome, and will definitely return here when upgradeitis returns.

Big thanks to Mike at Hendry's.

Cheers,
Simon.

[Platypus]

My friend bought a bike at Woolys Wheels in Paddington (NSW) yesterday. We'd been to a number of other bike shops and found we were largely ignored or they just didn't listen to what we wanted. I have a good knowledge of bikes and I hate that many bike shop assistants assume that because I am a woman I don't know anything. It was pretty disappointing considering we had $1200 to spend there and then. The young lady at Woolys was great and was the first to really listen to what we wanted. The bike my friend bought was clearly the best we'd seen for her requirements so it was a no-brainer to buy it at Wooleys but if it had been a toss up with another bike shop I'd have chosen Wooley's because of the service and respect we were given. Other shops should take note: good service is really easy to give!

[casual_cyclist]

My friend bought a bike at Woolys Wheels in Paddington (NSW) yesterday. We'd been to a number of other bike shops and found we were largely ignored or they just didn't listen to what we wanted. I have a good knowledge of bikes and I hate that many bike shop assistants assume that because I am a woman I don't know anything. It was pretty disappointing considering we had $1200 to spend there and then. The young lady at Woolys was great and was the first to really listen to what we wanted. The bike my friend bought was clearly the best we'd seen for her requirements so it was a no-brainer to buy it at Wooleys but if it had been a toss up with another bike shop I'd have chosen Wooley's because of the service and respect we were given. Other shops should take note: good service is really easy to give!

What kind of bike did your friend buy? (bonus points if you can post a picture!)

[jpgibson]

As per another post, I recently bought a 2010 Wilier Izoard from Con, the owner of Greengrocer Cycles in Goulbourn.
I'd been to a number of other shops in Sydney but nothing came close to the attention and deal I got there. Well worth the time and petrol.if you're after a slightly to massively high end bike (2000 to 20000) ,this is the place to go.he stocks giant,wilier,cervelo,pinarello and stacks of 'stuff'.i can't recommend them highly enough..

[Jerry68]

Went looking for some decent riding sunglasses the other day with my brother as my 3 year old, scratched up, fog prone Oakleys had done their dash.
Tried a reputable local chain which in fairness to them was flat out. I found a nice pair of Limar glasses on special for $70, (down from $130). I was all set to buy them but wanted to know how the lenses got changed first.
On waiting 15 minutes and asking a salesperson when he was free he didn't know either.
Out of frustration and without explanation he just walked off and we stood there for another ten minutes wondering if he was coming back. Meanwhile a line of people streamed through and got served one after the other beside us.
Needless to say we walked out feeling none too impressed.
A quick internet check revealed the same glasses for sale at Ideal Cycles in O'Connor at a more appealing $50.
Made the trip down there today. What a great place. Reminded me of some of the bike shops in Malaysia. More stock than floor space! They had 2 boards up behind the counter. One with old cycle related news clippings and the other with the old, (i don't know the correct term), face plates? from very early model bicycles - the small metal badges that used to adorn the front of the head tube. Very interesting anyway.
There was an old lounge chair adjacent to the counter with an old lycra clad cyclist sitting in it..... and a dog. Then a local drove past in his motorised bath-tub. I felt like I was home.
Anyway.... a friendly lady greeted me and presented me with my very own pair of shiny sunglasses. She went off to fetch the owner who kindly and promptly showed me how to swap the lenses. As a consequence they made a sale and I will definitely be back.
As for the first place..... not bloody likely.
Oh and special mention also to Mel at Bikeforce, Southern River. Great service there and great advice. Very happy to have that as my LBS, (although I am tempted by specials at other stores sometimes).

[rennie]

On that note, I can also highly recommend Bikeforce Southern River! Excellent service when I was away on holiday in desperate need of bicycle repair.

[Bingis]

Good experience with TBSM.com.au - ordered a new set of forks + chain + axle, they rung me 30 mins after I placed the order to check that I was ok with the upgraded chain, and said they would have it shipped out this afternoon to arrive before xmas.

Also the forks were significantly cheaper than c r c, hopefully a sign of increased competetiveness of Australian retailers.

[BigVin]

Great experience with c r c. Ordered my shoes on the 23rd, and even with the weather and the xmas postage, they arrived today

Just fired off an order today for some DA brakes from Ribble, expect them to arrive next week!

[GaryFM]

I would like to add Panther Cycles-Penrith as a LBS that really look after you.

They recently did some service work for me, quick, effective and on time. As a Nooby to cycling they have never made me feel like an idiot and always keen to impart knowledge.

It should be noted that they, like many other good LBSs, support local clubs including a Tri, MTB and Cycle Club.

Regards, Gary

[BigVin]

Order arrived today, 2 days after ordering the shoes from the UK, they arrived in Perth. 1 day from Perth to me at work.

Excellent service!

[queequeg]

Went looking for some decent riding sunglasses the other day with my brother as my 3 year old, scratched up, fog prone Oakleys had done their dash.
Tried a reputable local chain which in fairness to them was flat out. I found a nice pair of Limar glasses on special for $70, (down from $130). I was all set to buy them but wanted to know how the lenses got changed first.

As an aside, which glasses did you end up buying? My latest set of cheapie glasses I use for commuting have cracked from the constant changing of the lenses, and I want to get something a bit more robust. For commuting I need a clear lens (winter night riding), plus at least one other glare reducing lens for day riding. If it also has a low light oragne lens then great, but not mandatory.

[Jerry68]

These ones here:

http://www.bikeexchange.com.au/bikes/sh ... ve-over-50

So far so good. They come with three sets of lenses, (dark, clear and orange). Have tried the dark and clear so far with no problems. The lenses change easily once you know how and for $50 I feel they are great value!

[triangle]

Bought my first roadie today (Giant TCR Composite 2) to complement my Talon MTB and did so at Kalamunda Cycles in Perth's hills. Tim and Simon were outstanding. I haven't ridden a road bike for over 20 years and I *needed* help and these two guys, from my first phone call to my actual visit, were nothing but attentive and objective. I spent two hours with them today while they ran me through all the possibilities they had in stock, got me to test drive bikes, settle on one, negotiate a deal and then Tim spent the last hour fitting the bike. For the record, Tim threw in a pair of $170 Shimano clipless shoes for nix, chopped $100 off the RRP for the bike and pretty much half priced me a spare tube and floor pump. I also wanted a second Garmin cadence sensor so he added me to their pre-order list for the week and thoughtfully gave me a bunch of clip ties so i could fit my second Garmin Ege 705 mount to the new bike. Free services for 12 months, too. Great guys, great experience, great bike for my needs. Highly recommended.

[steveagle]

My friends and I have had a great purchasing experience at King Of the Mountain (KOM) Cyclery in Crowsnest, Sydney, specifically dealing with Brad.

Brad spent a good amount of time talking to each of us about our needs and wants when it came to mountain bikes. He sized up properly by giving us test rides in several bikes and observing out pedalling and body positions. This is not on a trainer but on the street behind the store. There is a pretty big difference between the two.

Where some stores recommended small bikes Brad took the proper steps and found the medium frames suited us better. All bikes sold are custom ordered so there is no pressure to sell the floor stock which mainly serve to demonstrate not just look pretty.

Having decided on the bikes Brad ordered all of them in on he Saturday. Testament to his service, the bikes arrived on Friday and Brad had them assembled and ready to go the following afternoon. He went through all the functions and settings for each bike (they were all slightly different), dialed us in, and answered all the questions we could throw at him. He even stayed back after normal working hours as the process was taking longer than he had anticipated. Despite this he was all smiles.

If you are looking for a Giant bike in Sydney, this is definitely the place to go.

[BigVin]

Purchased a 2nd set of Specialized S Works from Cyclestore.uk on Thursday, got them today.
Excellent work Cyclestore!

[Mustang]

One for the LBS, (Get Biking Caloundra) took my 14 month old shoes back to see what could be done with a missing front cleat screw & base. They were replaced on the spot without question, although I did an upgrade & I was on my way in 20 minutes, sure beats sending them back to England!!!!

[CommuRider]

The boys (Dan, James etc) at Anaconda Auburn on Parramatta Rd have just won me over.

They're part of a big chain store but these blokes are uber-friendly and helpful. No-nonsense advice and they just don't do basic repair and service. They're more than happy to acknowledge that Anaconda doesn't aim for the "top-end" but aren't awkward to give you suggestions of other places besides them. They know their limits and they know their customer base but happy to talk to more about specialised stuff.

Also saw a Ricardo being fixed while I was waiting. Looked nice. Suggestion: go on a weekday rather than a weekend.

[steve-waters]

Cycleogical Online - cheapest prices on Garmin bits cheaper than wiggle for my 310XT.

Ordered on Sunday afternoon and delivered on Tuesday morning (Brisbane to Port Macquarie) - essentially next day delviery.

Everything as ordered and very shiny.

Cheers,
Steve

[booge]

Quality Bicycle Repairs in Surrey Hills Victoria are brilliant. Simon there just swapped my groupset and other components over to a new frame, the service and quality of his work is impeccable. Really nice bloke as well. I'd told him I felt a bit guilty about buying my frame online....not a problem for him, he even told me i should be getting more bits and pieces online!

[number21]

Ordered a set of rollers and a sweat catcher thingo on a Friday night from PBK. The rollers arrived on the following Tuesday but with no sweat catcher. Contacted them and was told it was sent seperately via first class air mail. Arrived exactly two weeks from date of purchased, its label confirmed it was despatched on the same day as the rollers. I was happy overall.

[MDL]

Just brought a pair of 3/4 skins bib knicks from my LBS. Was meant to be $240 with 40% off down to $160ish. Now on the skins site is was looking for a skins shirts an they have the bibs I brought for $125, would u complain?

MDL

[martinjs]

Ground Effect clothing, did and order on Sunday Night only a couple of weeks after all the troubles they had and with their usual efficiency they had it all packed and sent the next day.

Martin

[hendez12]

chain reaction cycles are great they sent me free drinkbottles and also get the occasional 10% off my shopping cart great sevice

[pumapants]

Garmin Edge 500 bundle from Highly Tuned Athletes for $329 delivered. Ordered yesterday at 2pm, arrived on my door at 11am this morning. Fantastic price and service with E-mails advising of reciept of order and shipping confirmation.