Bikefix reviews
Very surprised to see such bad reviews. Look Mum No Hands recommended the shop when I was looking for panniers for a 1930s Gazelle. Modified Carradice saddle bags in store and charged just the price of the bags. Strongly recommend.
by PuncturedTyre, 05 Feb 2012
by PuncturedTyre, 05 Feb 2012
I went to Bikefix last week and I asked about pricing for fixing brake tension and putting some new bar tape on. Before giving me any prices, the man appeared to size me up before telling me that the labour for putting bar tape on would be £15. So that was £15 + £12 for the tape - £27 for some new bar tape. I left before we got to the subject of brakes. I then bought some bar tape (round the corner at Condor) and did it myself and it took me 2 minutes. I am never going near Bikefix again.
by Mary Land, 20 Oct 2011
by Mary Land, 20 Oct 2011
My goodness, these reviews are quite damning - think I'll just give Bikefix a miss and spend my hard earned cash elsewhere. On the plus side, they are based on a wonderful street, well worth a visit!
by Tachyonstorm, 26 Sep 2011
by Tachyonstorm, 26 Sep 2011
Not sure that the other reviews are very representative. I was looking up Bikefix's details for a friend and came across these reviews. I've shopped at Bikefix plenty over the years and there isn't another bike shop in London like it; they have the breadth of stock (recumbent trikes to folders) and are always happy to let you out on a test ride. Shops like this need supporting - go and make friends with Bikefix!
by recumbentism, 13 Jun 2011
by recumbentism, 13 Jun 2011
Bikefix in Lambs Conduit have a foot pump outside their shop, for use either during or after business hours - a real lifesaver this morning! Thanks Bikefix.
by setherland2001, 01 Sep 2010
by setherland2001, 01 Sep 2010
The only reason to go to Bikefix is to buy a machine that no one else sells, and they have quite a few of these. Customer service is appalling. I recently bought a Tout Terrain Silkroad for more than £4,000. They promised 3 weeks delivery and it was 10 weeks. I went in to collect it and half the order was missing. When I eventually picked it up, it was given to me in an unsafe state (e.g. rear axle loose, 10lbs pressure in the tyres etc etc). This is just a flavour of how bad they were. There's more to tell but life's too short. In the midst of the biggest cycling boom ever seen in London, with Evans seemingly opening a new shop every month, Bikefix somehow contrives to have a scruffy shop with next to no stock and useless staff. Quite an achievement!
by dwm51, 21 Jul 2010
by dwm51, 21 Jul 2010
Have to say this is by far the worst online retailer I've ever dealt with. They sent me damaged goods and refused to refund me until I'd jumped through hoops to return items to them. Stuart (the manager, apparently) is awkward and appears to know nothing about consumer law.
by steve1212, 23 Apr 2010
by steve1212, 23 Apr 2010
I concur with the comments below - in fact, it's a relief to see that I am not alone in my experience of this place. I've been in three times over the last fifteen years and each time vowed I would never go back. Then I forgot and tried again, most recently because I had a bit of frame work that needed doing and there aren't many places in London that do it. What can I say? I sent the frame to Bristol rather than deal with these people. If you like supercilious, sneering staff, then this is the place for you. If not, don't go near it. Shame...
by destry, 12 Mar 2010
by destry, 12 Mar 2010
I do not live in London, so the only reason I have had to visit Bikefix has been very simple: I ride recumbent bikes, and shops that deal in them are very hard to come by.
Sadly, my experiences have been similar to those described by other reviewers on here. Given that it's a shop that deals in a very specialised niche, they don't seem all that interested in helping people out who may be just getting in to these bikes. The first time I went there the lad working there was nice enough to let me ride a trike round the block. However, there wasn't really much more to it, no "This is good, but maybe you'd like to try this?" or "What exactly are you looking for in a bike?". I ended up buying it and ultimately realised it wasn't the right one for me, as I'd been given no advice, being as I was a recumbent noob back then.
The second time I went there I noticed they only seemed to have one recumbent in the shop. When I asked why this was they mentioned they had a couple downstairs. Great. Except had I not asked I wouldn't have even known there was a downstairs! It wasn't exactly advertised.
Recumbents are a very specialist market. A lot of people, especially those new to these bikes, need help and encouragement, particularly when it comes to buying components or weird-sized tyres. If you're after a recumbent, I'd recommend D-Tek near Ely in Cambridgeshire - a bit further away if you are in London but the extra distance is well worth it. They offer friendly, helpful, informative and enthusiastic service and a great range of bikes/trikes on hand.
by hvitiris, 04 Mar 2010
Sadly, my experiences have been similar to those described by other reviewers on here. Given that it's a shop that deals in a very specialised niche, they don't seem all that interested in helping people out who may be just getting in to these bikes. The first time I went there the lad working there was nice enough to let me ride a trike round the block. However, there wasn't really much more to it, no "This is good, but maybe you'd like to try this?" or "What exactly are you looking for in a bike?". I ended up buying it and ultimately realised it wasn't the right one for me, as I'd been given no advice, being as I was a recumbent noob back then.
The second time I went there I noticed they only seemed to have one recumbent in the shop. When I asked why this was they mentioned they had a couple downstairs. Great. Except had I not asked I wouldn't have even known there was a downstairs! It wasn't exactly advertised.
Recumbents are a very specialist market. A lot of people, especially those new to these bikes, need help and encouragement, particularly when it comes to buying components or weird-sized tyres. If you're after a recumbent, I'd recommend D-Tek near Ely in Cambridgeshire - a bit further away if you are in London but the extra distance is well worth it. They offer friendly, helpful, informative and enthusiastic service and a great range of bikes/trikes on hand.
by hvitiris, 04 Mar 2010
Rude, ignorant, hostile. None of the mechanics knows anything about bikes at all! Got puncture repaired. When I got my bike back, wrong tyre and wrong size of tyre put on. Only noticed when I left the shop. Treated me like shit when I went back to complain. Also broke chainguard and became aggressive when I complained. DO NOT spend your money here. Go to Velorution instead. Much better place to spend your hard earned £££.
by gordonrhay, 17 Jan 2010
by gordonrhay, 17 Jan 2010
Awful staff. Phoned the other week to have my bike repaired and the person couldn't hear me as he had loud music playing. He just kept repeating that he couldn't hear me and my suggestions to turn the music down, so I just hung up. I went into the shop after work, as it's close by, to ask about the repair and witnessed a member of staff being rude to a customer who'd just bought a light. I was then told he wouldn't commit to a successful repair for a very simple task (I just didn't have a power drill at the time or I would've done it myself).
As they are part of the cycle scheme, I thought I'd buy my new folding bike from there even after this previous experience. My most recent encounter went like this:
Me: Hello, do you sell Ridgeback folding bikes?
Him: No.
Me: Well do you sell anything similar?
Him: Like what?
Me: Similar folding bikes, maybe with 20" wheels?
Him: No, we sell Airnimals and Bromptons.
Me: I think the Airnimals are a bit bigger than I wanted, do you have the Brompton P models?
Him: No.
Me: Will you be getting any in?
Him: No, we try and predict the market and order eleven weeks in advance and we mainly order the M.
Me: Is that because they're cheaper or more popular?
Him: No.
Me: Can I order the P through you?
Him: It'll be eleven weeks.
And so on...
I'll never go in that shop again. My better half wants to buy a folding bike too, so they've lost her custom as well. I was warned that they're strange in there. How do they survive?
by proxy131619, 28 Oct 2009
As they are part of the cycle scheme, I thought I'd buy my new folding bike from there even after this previous experience. My most recent encounter went like this:
Me: Hello, do you sell Ridgeback folding bikes?
Him: No.
Me: Well do you sell anything similar?
Him: Like what?
Me: Similar folding bikes, maybe with 20" wheels?
Him: No, we sell Airnimals and Bromptons.
Me: I think the Airnimals are a bit bigger than I wanted, do you have the Brompton P models?
Him: No.
Me: Will you be getting any in?
Him: No, we try and predict the market and order eleven weeks in advance and we mainly order the M.
Me: Is that because they're cheaper or more popular?
Him: No.
Me: Can I order the P through you?
Him: It'll be eleven weeks.
And so on...
I'll never go in that shop again. My better half wants to buy a folding bike too, so they've lost her custom as well. I was warned that they're strange in there. How do they survive?
by proxy131619, 28 Oct 2009
Ditto to most of the other reviews on here. Having had to deal with them for several years after having bought one of their bikes, I can safely say that these guys are ignorant, technically incompetent and bizarrely indifferent to customer queries. Avoid, avoid, avoid.
by Mr S, 18 Oct 2009
by Mr S, 18 Oct 2009
I've wasted my time going to this bike shop for the last 8 years. On Tuesday 16 June 2009 I went to collect my Brompton bike for rear wheel adjustment. When unfolding my bike I found out the rear brake was loose and touching the handlebar.
When I spoke to the technician about it he started shouting and threatening me with violence. I was told to go away after they reluctantly replaced the brake cable which they had tried to ignore. When I further complained to the owner, he was rude - covered his face with his cycle helmet, increased the music volume and ignored me.
by adempaw, 17 Jun 2009
When I spoke to the technician about it he started shouting and threatening me with violence. I was told to go away after they reluctantly replaced the brake cable which they had tried to ignore. When I further complained to the owner, he was rude - covered his face with his cycle helmet, increased the music volume and ignored me.
by adempaw, 17 Jun 2009
I bought a rather expensive bike. They didn't explain anything at all. The only time they spoke was when they asked me for my card to pay. Avoid that shop.
by Ziko, 06 Jun 2009
by Ziko, 06 Jun 2009
Unbelievable. I have never received such rude and unhelpful service. The assistant was acting like a disgruntled teenager, and made me feel as if I was wasting his precious time in enquiring about a replacement tyre for the bike. The contemptuous manner in which I was treated left me wondering whether he was just trying to disguise his own ignorance. I was in and out of the shop within about 3 minutes.
by jrc, 12 Sep 2008
by jrc, 12 Sep 2008
As previous reviews have stated: awful, slow, overpriced customer service. Disinterested shop staff, arrogant but incompetent mechanics.
by CityCommuter, 08 May 2008
by CityCommuter, 08 May 2008
Good: On very nice street and they allow test rides.
Poor: Arrogant and disinterested staff. Don't follow up on queries and very condescending to everyday cyclists who aren't hobbyists or experts. Steer clear and use Velorution. They are professional people.
by foldingman, 23 Apr 2008
Poor: Arrogant and disinterested staff. Don't follow up on queries and very condescending to everyday cyclists who aren't hobbyists or experts. Steer clear and use Velorution. They are professional people.
by foldingman, 23 Apr 2008
This place is weird. If you are looking for attentive and customer-oriented staff, then forget Bikefix. It's more like a commune experience with all sorts of weird and wonderful people hanging out. If you are a busy person that wants an efficient service, then go elsewhere, but if you want an idiosyncratic place with character then Bikefix certainly has that in spades. BTW - the street they are on is a lovely place to visit.
by virtual3 (2 reviews), 31 Oct 2007
by virtual3 (2 reviews), 31 Oct 2007
Very helpful when I was looking at bikes, but as soon as they have your money they suddenly lose interest! Female at front stroppy and unhelpful; owner downright hostile. The repair shop broke the chainguard changing the tyre and didn't tell me - made worse by putting the wrong size tyre on the bike. Don't touch them with a bargepole. Try Velorution instead - much more consumer/customer oriented.
by eyedoclondon, 15 Jul 2007
by eyedoclondon, 15 Jul 2007
Have we missed a great bike shop in London? Let us know.
