Condor

The poor reviews don't tally with my experience. I went to Condor last weekend to order a bicycle, having carried out a lot of research beforehand - including reading these reviews. I was attended to by a young chap who was polite, friendly, helpful, patient, not at all pushy or arrogant and took the order for my Condor Italia with humour and grace. I look forward to going back there as often as I need to. Now, the five-week wait for the bike is going to be tough...

Some of the greediest retailers I know. I can save up to 40% of my money by just going somewhere else and putting in a bit of training. I am loathe to criticise, but all told the management is dreadful.

It's shocking how the store can continue trading with the present standard (or lack of?) of decent courtesy. Quite recently, I was quite willing to part with £2000-ish on frame, parts etc for a classic pista. I patiently waited a good part of an hour for any decent service (I was very polite). What eventually put me off was the lazy attitude - patronising at times - and an amazing lack of knowledge regarding vintage and classic track components. I eventually ended up ordering a customised track bike from Mercian in Derby.

Expensive shop, mediocre service. Got some wheels built-up. Actual price was way above what I'd been quoted. Leaves a nasty taste.

Fantastic shop. I read some of the negative reviews and expected that I would get crappy service. However, I was delighted to find that everyone has been helpful, informative and honest. I recently bought a Dahon folder and accessories. They answered every question, despite me grilling them during 3-4 lunchtime visits before actually making the purchase.

I have travelled the world and Condor is easily the best bike shop I have ever dealt with, and I have been dealing with them for many years. I have always found the sevice fantastic, even if I may have had to wait, but who wants to be a customer of a shop that does no business? They have always accepted my word that faulty (not very often) goods are not my fault and have replaced then without question. We should be supporting family run shops like Condor.

Good to hear that my experience wasn't isolated. Bought a pair of large Assos Bibtights. On my way into the changing room I was recommended to try the XL. Despite stating that I already own another set of Assos tights which are large, I tried these on. When I returned, and was asked about the fit, I said "Perfect, just like my others". To which the chap looked surprised, as if I had snubbed him somehow, avoiding eye contact all the while.

Good range of stuff, but customer service has always been appalling. Staff seem to be up their own backsides and treat customers according to how much cash they're spending that day. I bought a set of Campagnolo wheels, only to find when I got home that they'd swapped out the factory Q/R skewers for some low-grade ones! Moral of the story is that there are plenty of other bike shops, either chain or on-line, that offer better prices and service.

Took plenty of time with me, ensured I got the right bike and not the most expensive. They underestimated the build time, which was a pain, but the handover and bike were brilliant. The place is always mobbed with what look like regulars and pro bikers. That's got to be a good sign. These guys definitely know their stuff. I hold one star back beacuse I haven't had the bike that long and I want to see the after-sales service (although that's free for the first one!)

Can't say I agree with the comments about rudeness and arrogance below. A bit of patience is necessary as it is generally very busy, but once you get your turn and you start off with a little bit of politeness (not too much to ask, I think), then you'll get decent and respectful service.

Echo others' remarks that they aren't the cheapest, but one of the best. Not a huge-sized shop, but they seem to cram in just the right kind of items that are often hard to find elsewhere. I bought a Pista fixed wheel bike last year and service was excellent. Lots of time taken to get the measurements right (tricky with me as I am very tall), about 5 days to build and lots of checks on hand-over to make sure I was happy. Also insisted that I bring the bike back for the first free service to ensure warranty valid. I make a point to visit almost every time I go to London. Nearby several decent cafes too.

Bought a handbuilt from them quite a few years back.

They managed to get the sizing right... but got the tubing wrong.

Generally speaking, on a day-to-day basis, they can be quite good with advice but are too often lazy and verging on the arrogant (sadly a normal state of affairs in many cycle shops).

Dreadful place. Purchased Assos bib shorts and two Michelin A1 inner tubes. They are always more expensive at Condor's compared to elsewhere, because they are in London. On return home found that the shorts were starting to come apart at the leg and I had been charged for 4 inner tubes not 2. I then had to jump on the bus again to return the items and exchange shorts - three hours in bus journeys, which they do not appreciate. Saying sorry is not enough; it cost an afternoon in time and extra money on the bus and was very inconvenient.

Interesting that it is all fine and well for the customer to lose money but not Condor. Will order off the internet in future at a fraction of the price. As a serious club cyclist I do not recommend this outlet, though I used to in the past. The service and customer good will just aren't there. Appalling!

I am afraid that reading these reviews confirms my experience of Condor cycles. I had to return a jersey to them (bought in the sale, well known manufacturer) after the stitching on the rear pockets had started to come undone. After explaining I had only bought the item the week before, it then took over 6 weeks to get my money back.

I would have been very happy for them to replace the jersey, but the staff instead blamed me for 'overfilling' the pockets right from the word go. Despite protesting that the garment was faulty and explaining that I had plenty of other jerseys that were filled and used exactly the same and were fine, all they could do was send the jersey back to the distributor to be tested (a total lie, 4 weeks wasted time, and still claiming it was my fault). In the end it took a letter quoting the sales of goods act and a copy to trading standards to get them to do the right and legal thing: full refund.

I have never had such poor service from any retailer. A real shame, because cycle shops and their staff generally do such a good job and up to now have I have always had 100% satisfaction.

Impressive retail space with good quality products. BUT, I've been very unimpressed with the attitude of staff, which is cocky and extremely careless. I ordered a pista, it took 5 weeks to arrive and it was in the wrong frame size! How many shops would get this wrong? And I nearly got overcharged!

Basically, it's overpriced and overhyped. There are better deals online where you won't have to deal with arrogant salesmen. A real shame.

Has to be the best bike shop in London!

Am sad to say I was not presented with good customer service. The assistant didn't know what light bracket I needed, was unable to tell me when they would have one in stock, and they do not (apparently) have a computer system to check their stock details.

Excellent service. They took the time to answer ALL my questions and were not in a hurry to get off the phone. The result of the exploratory call is that I am now going to go and see them.

Certainly not the cheapest bike shop in London, and you can get almost everything cheaper on the internet nowadays, but by far the best in terms of quality of build (for new bikes), range of products and customer service. No pressure to buy more expensive or unnecessary items by salesmen and friendly, informed guidance across the board.

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