Bike shops - quality of service

janullrich

I was in today to get new brake pads for my back wheel and I rang in Cyclelogical beforehand to see if they would do it quickly and I would be back later. (Cycleways told me honestly they could not do it today). They said they would.

To my (non) surprise when I got to the shop they said they would not. However one of the guys said he would do it quickly. That was until that friendly owner (Dave I think it is) said no no way they were doing it, before quickly saying that there was something wrong with the wheel and to get out of the shop. Eurocycles said they was a bit of a buckle but nothing serious and they did it without repair charges and without fuss.

Aside from being crap at this time of thing is it just me or do the guys in Cyclelogical just deal mainly with their friends or the Irish team, or other major teams without giving two hoots about the ordinary general public who cycle but ain't the Mark Scanlons of this world. Any time they are in there there are the same guys who are from the racing world yet ordinary people get short change. Any thoughts on this?

Trojan

My experience is that they're superb to buy stuff off, but not great to get work done (being very generous there). Actually, to go further than the one shop, here's my rating of shops I've used (been into looking for something specific) recently:

Cyclogical: 8/10 for prices, 2/10 service, 8/10 selection
Cycleways: 2/10 prices, 8/10 service, 8/10 selection
Cycle Super store: 7/10 prices, 7/10 service, 7/10 selection
City Cycles (Fairview): 7/10 prices, 8/10 service, 5/10 selection
Little Sport (Fairview): 3/10 prices, 9/10 service, 3/10 selection

Oh, and Chain Reaction who I just bought off online:

ChainReactionCycles.com: 9/10 prices, 8/10 service, 9/10 selection

Be careful not to get too personal on the comments about specific companies and people there guys

Johnny Jukebox

You should add The Bike Rack in Cabineetly to this list - I'd recommend them.

Itsfixed

Trojan wrote:

My experience is that they're superb to buy stuff off, but not great to get work done (being very generous there). Actually, to go further than the one shop, here's my rating of shops I've used (been into looking for something specific) recently:

Cyclogical: 8/10 for prices, 2/10 service, 8/10 selection
Cycleways: 2/10 prices, 8/10 service, 8/10 selection
Cycle Super store: 7/10 prices, 7/10 service, 7/10 selection
City Cycles (Fairview): 7/10 prices, 8/10 service, 5/10 selection
Little Sport (Fairview): 3/10 prices, 9/10 service, 3/10 selection

Oh, and Chain Reaction who I just bought off online:

ChainReactionCycles.com: 9/10 prices, 8/10 service, 9/10 selection

Be careful not to get too personal on the comments about specific companies and people there guys

I would add Wolfe Cycles on the Sundrive Road - shop itself is ok, but the service is very friendly and prompt.

ChainReactionCycles.com i buy almost every part from, very prompt service.

Its good to learn how to fix the minor things yourself - like brakes. Changing pads is a doodle, for instance.

BeardyGit

I've always found the guys in Cyclogical to be quite helpful, as long as it was with something I'd bought from them, or if I was there with a clear intention of buying something - And I don't mean a €15 set of brake pads. It's a business and like it or not, you're unlikely to be a valued repeat customer - You sound like too much work for the return to be honest.

You should have known you had a buckle in your back wheel. And if you're going to a 'pro' shop where the staff know their stuff and take pride in the tech work they do (which they do) then you were wasting their time trying to get them to do a half arsed job just swapping some pads for you. If I were the owner I would have sent you packing too unless you were prepared to book the job in and have the wheel and brakes done properly, not a half arsed bodge job. Weak and damaged wheels are unsafe. FFS, It would be like going to a car tyre depot looking for a set of their cheapest part-worn tyres and asking them to fit them but not balance them. Stupid bloody idea in case you don't know.

You could always have bought the pads and done it yourself. If you think that's too complicated, you're unlikely to understand why some businesses don't really want every bit of custom that comes their way. Sometimes it's just too much hassle on a Monday morning, when there's cleaning and restocking to be done, to earn €10 from fitting your brake pads.

As they might have said.... "On yer bike, sunshine"

BTW, I don't work in any bike shop, nor do my friends or family. I shop in any bike shop that has what I want to buy as long as they're proportionately helpful. If I'm buying a consumable, a "thanks" is all I expect. If I'm spending lots more, I want a bit of customer service. And I'm prepared to pay for good service and ensure I don't waste their time with silly little jobs that anyone that rides a bike should be able to do themselves.

tunney

I spend alot of money on bikes and wouldn't spend a cent in Cycelogical. Good selection alright though.

Ghost Rider

That's all very well but if they didn't want to do the job, they should have said so on the phone, instead of dragging the guy into the shop and wasting his time.

Gil_Dub wrote:

I've always found the guys in Cyclogical to be quite helpful, as long as it was with something I'd bought from them, or if I was there with a clear intention of buying something - And I don't mean a €15 set of brake pads. It's a business and like it or not, you're unlikely to be a valued repeat customer - You sound like too much work for the return to be honest.

You should have known you had a buckle in your back wheel. And if you're going to a 'pro' shop where the staff know their stuff and take pride in the tech work they do (which they do) then you were wasting their time trying to get them to do a half arsed job just swapping some pads for you. If I were the owner I would have sent you packing too unless you were prepared to book the job in and have the wheel and brakes done properly, not a half arsed bodge job. Weak and damaged wheels are unsafe. FFS, It would be like going to a car tyre depot looking for a set of their cheapest part-worn tyres and asking them to fit them but not balance them. Stupid bloody idea in case you don't know.

You could always have bought the pads and done it yourself. If you think that's too complicated, you're unlikely to understand why some businesses don't really want every bit of custom that comes their way. Sometimes it's just too much hassle on a Monday morning, when there's cleaning and restocking to be done, to earn €10 from fitting your brake pads.

As they might have said.... "On yer bike, sunshine"

BTW, I don't work in any bike shop, nor do my friends or family. I shop in any bike shop that has what I want to buy as long as they're proportionately helpful. If I'm buying a consumable, a "thanks" is all I expect. If I'm spending lots more, I want a bit of customer service. And I'm prepared to pay for good service and ensure I don't waste their time with silly little jobs that anyone that rides a bike should be able to do themselves.

skidpatches

i've spent quite a chunk of money in cyclogical, perhaps a grand or more, but usually in small amounts. 50 here 100 there. i've rarely found them helpful, and quite often ignorant. i avoid them when i can.

they see themselves as dealing with the high end of the market, and get p1ssed off with what they percieve to be the low end of the market coming in and taking up their time. for example i think that because i'm always doing up old bikes, they percieve me as the low end of the market, even though i've spent several thousands on them. if i'd bought one single bike from them, they'd treat me with much more respect, and make much less money from it

i've seen them get annoyed when people come in or phone asking whether they fix punctures. there's a sign in cycle ways dungeon saying they charge €1 to pump tyres. i asked the guy do people really come in looking to get tyres pumped? and he said that they have no problem pumping a tyre for someone, but they were getting people coming in every day getting the same dodgy tyres pumped, instead of spending some small change on replacing them.

in most other areas of retail, the prices have a good effect on the type of customer coming through the door... not so us cyclists

tunney

I do spend huge chunks on single pieces of equipment, €1500 for a rear wheel, €1500 for another set of wheels and so on. Everytime I go in there its a pain, even though I'm trying to spend aload of money and know what I want I can't get any customer service nor a straight sales assistant. Some shops bend over backwards for your money, some will barely acknowledge your existance and are happy to fill you full of sh*t.

Trojan

Gil_Dub wrote:

You should have known you had a buckle in your back wheel. And if you're going to a 'pro' shop where the staff know their stuff and take pride in the tech work they do (which they do) then you were wasting their time trying to get them to do a half arsed job just swapping some pads for you. If I were the owner I would have sent you packing too unless you were prepared to book the job in and have the wheel and brakes done properly

A business owner should have a lot more cop on than to "send someone packing". The owner should have the ability and cop on to say what you've said in a positive, friendly way, without frustrating or annoying the customer. If it were me, I might try to sell you a multi-tool and a book on simple bike maintenance and convince you to try it yourself

The staff in Cyclelogical appear to treat customers in the same way that they see the owner does. However, I'm sure he makes a lot of money from servicing and parts to high-end customers and sales to mid-range customers, so without agreeing with his style, I can understand why a brake-pad replacement is low priority in the immediate sense. He needs to understand the knock-on effect of treating the OP badly (this discussion for one thing).

Raam

I bought a bike from them a few years ago and was under the impression that they only service bikes which are bought from them.

Could be wrong though

1380 mini

ive never had any problems when dealing with Cyclelogical, i always go there first before any other bike shop, ive found them infinitely better value and more friendly than cycleways who i found are only interested in customers buying E1000+ spesh bikes. The only other bike shop ive ever dealt with much is the bike rack witch used to be great until it was sold a few years ago to a different owner who I feel is happy to sell shoddy products (wheels and a rear cassette that didn't last a month).
thats my 2 pence worth anyhoo

BeardyGit

@ Ghostrider:

I'd agree if he went in there with a bike that needed no more than a set of pads. Fact is, it needed more work. IMHO they were right to refuse to touch it if he was happy to ride away on something that still needed fixing - That's not the type of customer I'd deal with in my line of business either. I'd imagine he wasn't so far away anyway, or else he could easily have gone to the LBS to have it done....

@ Trojan:

I agree - It would be great if every person we deal with daily has the time, patience and experience required to enable them deliver 'bad news' in a positive manner. But I reckon in this case the OP was probably going on the cheap or else he would have left the bike in for the day to have the wheel trued, pads swapped and a general once over to make sure all was well. In fact, I'd imagine he would also have expected the pads to be fitted for next to nothing - I could be wrong but it's the impression I have at this time. If that's the case, he's hardly likely to have responded positively - Let's face it, the local hardware store will sell you a cheapo set of Allen keys for less than a fiver and he has internet access already so learning how to change the parts would hardly pose a major difficulty. But I understand and agree with the sentiment of your reply. And maybe I'm appearing a little harsh on the OP, but I think everyone could have a pretty relaxing life if they just took care of simple things like this themselves - Learn how to do it and never face the hassle again, you know?

blorg

I bought a second-hand Trek 1000 from Cycleogical. _Perfect_ condition, half RRP, and when I asked they included SPD pedals for free (while also giving me the originals.) So that's just my experience, very happy and can't complain.

Having said that, I _can_ understand how you would be pissed off if you needed something done, rang to confirm that they would do it in a certain time frame, and then when you turn up they refuse. Sounds to me like the owner was having a bad day.

janullrich

Gil_Dub what are you on about????? Eurocycles put on the breakepads for me no problems. They said that there was a buckle but they wanted to make it known and said it nicely. I cycled over 100 km today in Wicklow no problem. I have not a problem for a long time. It is not up to you to tell me how I should take care of my bike or whether or not I should fix brake pads. I will decide that not you.

If the (removed) owner had any cop on he would have said it nicely and I would not have a problem. Your attitude means that a young person coming into a shop should not get a 5 cent sweet because they are not spending enough. Sorry to not be in your or Cyclelogical's bracket. No wonder customer service is going down the tubes in this country with people like you.

Trojan

I agree with your sentiment janullrich, but please watch your choice of words. (next time's a ban).

BeardyGit

janullrich wrote:

Gil_Dub what are you on about????? Eurocycles put on the breakepads for me no problems. They said that there was a buckle but they wanted to make it known and said it nicely. I cycled over 100 km today in Wicklow no problem. I have not a problem for a long time. It is not up to you to tell me how I should take care of my bike or whether or not I should fix brake pads. I will decide that not you.

If the (removed) owner had any cop on he would have said it nicely and I would not have a problem. Your attitude means that a young person coming into a shop should not get a 5 cent sweet because they are not spending enough. Sorry to not be in your or Cyclelogical's bracket. No wonder customer service is going down the tubes in this country with people like you.

Okay, my apologies - I misread your original posting. But there are a few things that I believe are still relevant.

1. You would still be complaining if you'd travelled to the city centre to have a set of pads swapped and were sent packing, no matter how nicely the news was broken to you. But I still have to question how it is that someone who can cycle 100km in a day in Wicklow would have been incapable of swapping a set of brake pads themselves....And if you could have done it yourself, why the big deal? If you're not able to carry out such simple work, you really shouldn't be out alone on your bike. And I'm not being a smart arse. Replacing and readjusting brake pads is a rudimentary requirement in self maintaining a roadworthy bike. I find it incredible that an accomplished cyclist needed to phone a bike shop to confirm they could carry out such a simple 'repair'.....

2. If it was just a set of brakepads and you really just had to have someone do it for you, why didn't you go to the local bike shop? Furthermore, if you were just passing through town that day and called ahead to see if they could do the work, is it really that much of a deal if the owner decides he wants his staff to concentrate on something more important to his business than your brake pads? His business, his staff, his time and resources....Don't like it? Shop elsewhere.... And if he told you they didn't have time, is it possible you got a bit shirty with him? I'd guess so, if you were annoyed enough to fire up a thread here complaining about them. Like I say, if you were going to be passing by anyway, what's the big deal? But if you were travelling to the city just to have this work done you might need your head examined anyway

4. Did you ever have to stand in a queue behind the kid who's trying to decide what kind of penny sweets he wants from the counter? But money's money you argue, right? Well then, why have most corner shops scrapped the sweets from behind the counter? I'll tell you why - People stand around, waiting to spend their money on a quick transaction for say e10, while the brat with 50c and no idea what they're looking to buy holds up the queue. 'Real customers' get bored/annoyed waiting around and walk out, choosing to spend their money somewhere they don't have to suffer interminable delays and timewasting caused by someone who 'shops' at a different level - I do it all the time. You are the equivalent of that kid shopping for sweets from what you say. And a business with rents, rates and staffing costs like Cycleogical will have with a prime city centre retail location are not interested in your small business. You should know this. Either that or you don't understand the simple concepts of tiered and targeted retail sales.

5. I've dealt with Cycleogical (and many, many other bike retailers) and can report that at all times I've dealt with them, I've been treated fairly. I can't say they've always been friendly or polite but then again, sometimes I was just annoying them looking for low value, low margin parts, asking for them to do small jobs at short notice when I could see they were busy. I too have travelled to many shops over the years to get parts they said they had, only to find they actually didn't. No big deal really - I can always try elsewhere.

6. What I think in this case is that you may be having some difficulty in accepting that in the eyes of the owner of that business you're a bottom feeder as far as your needs as a cycling consumer extend. You're valued and would be treated as such when you're going to spend enough to justify the requisite efforts to please you by purchasing a higher value, higher margin product. But until then, your money will be as valued as the kid holding up the queue in the corner shop. I hope that makes sense.

Look, I could go on but there's really no point. I know there are people reading this thread who will agree with you and likewise others who get exactly what I'm writing too. Don't take what I'm saying personally - It's not meant that way. But you have to try putting this into perspective before going off on one, complaining about a business and slamming the owner. If you already know the owners name I'd imagine you've possibly a bit of history with them anyway, or else you've been allowing your dealings with them become a bit distorted by third party mumblings.

Anyway, I'm out on this one. You can moan at me if you want but I'm opting out in the interests of avoiding a pointless argument - I've made mine and I think it's pretty clear.

Hope that buckle didn't drive you mad on your epic >100km cycle in Wicklow yesterday.

skidpatches

yeah, it's a really simple task, but one thing that really bothers me (and cycle campaigns aroung the world for that matter) is that societies should be trying to double / treble / whatever the number of cyclists. there's lots of barriers to this, such as percieved safety and weather, but if we start sending out the message that people *must* learn bike mechanics, then we're creating another significant barrier.

i like to do 95% of bike jobs myself, but i don't think that everyone should be expected to maintain their own bike. most people don't maintain their own cars, houses, computers. many don't cut their own lawns or clean/paint their houses. we can hire all of these services easily and relatively cheaply, and it's socially acceptable. what is so wrong about wanting to pay someone to do simple tasks on a bike? if it was easier to do this, there would be lots less squeeky chains around

anyway, the owner of cycleogical has always struck me as a twat. i thought it was just me, but i find it interesting that so many other people have reservations.

why can't they put a sign in the window telling people that they don't fix punctures, etc.

Ghost Rider

If this was all about the "type of customer" they prefer to deal with in Cycleogical (and bear in mind that most businesses don't have the luxury of being selective), then they shouldn't have made a promise on the phone without knowing who that customer was, and especially not without seeing the bike. The point is they accepted the OP's word on the phone but then changed their minds when they saw the bike. That's not only inconsistent, it's rude.

Gil_Dub wrote:

@ Ghostrider:

I'd agree if he went in there with a bike that needed no more than a set of pads. Fact is, it needed more work. IMHO they were right to refuse to touch it if he was happy to ride away on something that still needed fixing - That's not the type of customer I'd deal with in my line of business either. I'd imagine he wasn't so far away anyway, or else he could easily have gone to the LBS to have it done....
QUOTE]

Trojan

I'm quite convinced it's bad business practice. Unfortunately they do seem to have the luxury of annoying potential customers.

I've suffered the same when trying to have my bike purchased there serviced by them. I just go elsewhere for service (if it's something I don't want to try myself). They still have a superb range of gear at good prices so for when I don't want to wait for mail order I'll still buy there.

If I'm making a bigger purchase (e.g. a bike) I'll avoid doing it if the owner is there in future. He won't let the guys give a reasonable discount if he's near the sale. Given the 4 bikes (Trek 4300, 3900, Ridgeback Velocity x2) & 100s of euros worth of gear (panniers, racks, locks tyres) and potential for future sales I'd hope for a discount of some sort. Again, bad business practice.

Maybe I should stick to mail order and LBS in future

I forgot about wheels, they do seem to do great wheel builds, so that might be a necessary purchase.

King Eric

just want to give a thumbs up for cyclogical,

i dont spend millions in there, havnt even bough a bike there, bought my bike in sligo as i lived there at a time

needed to get my wheel retrued, not a major job, yer man did it quickly for me cos i needed it in a hurry and charged me feck all, ill be back again for sure

janullrich

Gil_Dub I still do not have a clue what u are on about. U must have been completely bored to write so much crap. Anyway to cut to the chase what I do with my money or whether I want to fix my bike myself or not is my business not yours. Understand? Maybe u and ur friend in Cycleways should do a course in customer service. It sounds like u very much need it.

Capt'n Midnight

Trojan wrote:

I forgot about wheels, they do seem to do great wheel builds, so that might be a necessary purchase.

or you could find out who does their wheels

or you could ask them to tune up a set of wheels, best to make them a little dirty so they look used.

BeardyGit

janullrich wrote:

Gil_Dub I still do not have a clue what u are on about. U must have been completely bored to write so much crap. Anyway to cut to the chase what I do with my money or whether I want to fix my bike myself or not is my business not yours. Understand? Maybe u and ur friend in Cycleways should do a course in customer service. It sounds like u very much need it.

I was just questioning why you'd want to kick up a stink over this when you could have easily bought the new pads anyway, fitted them yourself that evening and decided not to shop there again based on your experience. But I understand it's your business entirely and I haven't suggested otherwise at any time. You should of course understand that I'm quite within my rights to discuss your 'business' when you decide to discuss it on a public forum. Anyway, I now see that you were talking about opening a bike shop yourself back in February of last year but your mechanical skills weren't up to scratch - If that's still the case, you could just say so. You know, people here, me included, are actually pretty helpful if you're willing to accept it.

But it's okay, take out the frustration on me and pretend you can't see the logic in what I'm saying. That's fine with me, it's what people do when they're so annoyed about something that they don't think about it at all. I won't take it personally, really I won't. You know why? You don't really matter to me. You're not my friend and you're not my enemy. You're just a guy who's decided to have a pop because you were flipped off by a guy in a shop who made you feel a bit small. I happens from time to time to all of us.

But you know what? I'm bored with you now. I don't really care any more because in much the same way as Cycleogical didn't want to entertain you, nor do I. You're just looking for an argument, and you won't get it from me. Go back to bashing foreign nationals in your other thread where people will care enough about the rubbish you spew to take you seriously and engage in a real argument. I'm making an educated guess that you actually really enjoy a bit of conflict and controversy.

Apologies to everyone else for this - I was just trying to understand where the OP was coming from. I didn't realise a tantrum was on the cards. I'm out now - I promise.

Gil

Trojan

While perhaps this minor altercation gives some insight into the OPs original issue, I think we've had enough of that. Go reply to one of the other threads I've been spamming on this forum today

--

Capt Midnight: the guy who builds wheels in there is Cliff. He's a gruff exterior but fairly friendly chap. If I was looking to get something decent (read: expensive) built e.g. for touring or racing he would probably be my first port of call.

Bunny

I've had trouble with every bike shop in the past, from Malahide cycles to Cycleways.. from badly built wheels to cracked suspension, you name it. I gave up never bought a thing from any southern Irish bike shops and just learnt how to fix everything on the bike myself.

1380 mini

[Capt Midnight: the guy who builds wheels in there is Cliff. He's a gruff exterior but fairly friendly chap. If I was looking to get something decent (read: expensive) built e.g. for touring or racing he would probably be my first port of call.[/QUOTE]


i always thought Cliff was the manager/owner?

Dopey

I went into cyclogical a few years back and asked if I could borrow a pump. Someone let the air out of my wheels. The guy in the shop said no.

I thought he was joking. The shop was empty and he was just standing there.

I never went back. I have been a loyal customer to Cycleways for almost 10 years but they have cancelled appointments on three or four occassions when I have arrived with my bike saying that they were too busy or had to build a bike for someone.

I've been waiting for five weeks for Cycleways to replace a broken frame under their warranty. They have given me a "don't call us we'll call you" response each week I phone.

I'm going to use www.chainreactioncycles.com in future. The service is useless in the shops anyway.

Dopey

Trojan

Dopey, regarding "quality of service" issues, try one of the smaller shops that sell to normal people - they're usually willing to give you a hand with stuff like that, and plenty of times they'll fall over themselves to give good service. Check out Little Sport on Fairview, they're a family owned and run place (real "mom & pop" style).

I'm changing the thread title as this is not just about Cyclelogical.

Raam

Trojan wrote:

Check out Little Sport on Fairview, they're a family owned and run place (real "mom & pop" style).

I like that place. The older guy (owner I guess) always seems to be giving out free advice. I always enjoy going into that shop

beans

One Saturday during last summer, the guy behind the counter in the shop on the Quays was knecking cans of cider. He had three on the counter and an open one in his hand. Is it just me, or is that a bit mental?

Only ever bought tools and a saddle from them, and found their advice, price and service pretty much spot on. From a sales point of view, that's where I go. No disrespect, but the younger sales staff in the Parnell St shop don't really have a clue. Their service centre is great though.

Oh, I love the Fairview shop also, bought my first bike there all those years ago

And the Rathmines shop seems to get the thumbs up from a friend who pops in from time to time

Ghost Rider

My tuppence worth: I've always found the staff in Cycleways (both the shop and the workshop) helpful and professional. The shop is over-priced on equipment but that's shops for you. The guy who manages the workshop has thrown several bits and pieces my way for nothing, and I value his good will.

My experience of Cyclelogical is mixed. I've experienced staffmembers being rude and dismissive. I've also experienced them being helpful and attentive. I find the atmosphere of the shop a bit "clubby" for my liking (as if working in a shop was a secondary activity to hanging out with their mates) but I don't have a big problem with that; in general, I prefer to see people happy "at work", even if it means I have to work a bit harder to get their attention!

I had one negative experience at Commuting Solutions in Rathmines but a lot of very good ones.

The bike shop in Ranelagh I've always found to embody the "mom and pop" style, in both the positive and negative senses of that term. That is to say, it may not have the range of products of a larger shop or a chain store, but the owner is personable and conscientious.

blorg

Seconded about Ranelagh, great place to go to get something fixed, he will nearly always do it on the spot (e.g. come back in half an hour.) Got a bike there also. Nearest bike shop to my house but can only really go there weekends due to the opening hours (tend to go to Hollingsworth in Stillorgan as it's near work, or Commuting Solutions due to their opening hours otherwise.)

janullrich

Good research Gil_Dub and good ridence. I am glad that you have so much time to look what everybody else does and writes. You probably haven't anything else to do in this poor lonely life.

Trojan

1 week ban for stupidity. I'll unban you next Friday.

RainyDay

Ghost Rider wrote:

I had one negative experience at Commuting Solutions in Rathmines but a lot of very good ones.

The bike shop in Ranelagh I've always found to embody the "mom and pop" style, in both the positive and negative senses of that term. That is to say, it may not have the range of products of a larger shop or a chain store, but the owner is personable and conscientious.

My experience has been pretty much the reverse. I found the guy in Ranalagh to be unhelpful. He won't keep bikes overnight, so you have to collect it that day, which doesn't always suit. It is impossible to get him to answer the phone, and he had repeated broken promises of when a part was to arrive.

By contrast, the guys in Commuting Solutions fixed the problem same day, with no fuss or drama.

Trojan

And today I spent a glorious 45 minutes in Cyclelogical discussing the various options for my new rig (damn those Surlys are heavy!). Got some great info. Then I bought a repair kit and left[1]

Then I headed up to Cycleways and dropped a cool 150 EUR on some shoes (Spec Comp Carbon MTB). Because the guy spent 20 mins talking to me, and I like getting shoes in person (I should practice re: frames too, eh?)

So for me...

o Cheap purchases -- internet (chainreaction or pricepoint),

o In person purchases (shoes etc) needing assistance -- LBS (Fairview) or Cycleways (depending on complexity & required knowledge)

o Major purchases (200e +) -- Cyclelogical or internet (depending on prices)

It works for me, ymmv.

btw just on the "cheap prices" thing - Cyclelogical are usually pretty good, but Cliff was pretty proud of his 1/2 price RockShox Judy for 140e (yeah I was looking at a replacement for the 4300 stock InSync). Anyway, a quick look on chainreaction finds the Judy for 70e... maybe it's a year different, but interesting to check before you buy, even if it seems a great deal.

(ok, ok, I also bought a 40 EUR Bell helmet for my mate who's heading to Kilternan tomorrow with this MAD crowd. But it wasn't for me!)

Karma

like every thing in life, you have to approch it in the right? way. yes the guys in Cyclogical can be difficult, but i have put up with it and they have been this way to many people(why? dont know or care any more) they do take good care of many of my friends and annoy others. not always about the cash. I was in there at 6 weekend before last and the door was closed and then opened to move something, this old guy with his"world tourer comuting bike" demanding they fix it there and then, its 6.03pm they said no, he got ratty so he was told no again-point made, no cursing and he was escorted to the door.

so, i know the lads in there, its easier for me but hey you can show anywhere, and i do-except for cycleways-they accused me of buying a stolen specialized
epic- nice.
ps Trojan, what Surly did you get(had a steamroller-got nicked and now on a Karate Monkey-sweet)
take it easy,
dotC

Civilian_Target

I got my bike serviced with Cycleways twice - the first time they did a good job at a reasonable price. The second time it was very shoddily done - and they charged me a fortune! The one thing I asked them to fix they did, to be fair but within a week of service I had to:
- Readjust the front and rear brakes as they were catching on the wheels
- Re-set the back wheel as the chain wasn't sufficiently tight and was "hopping" every now and again.
- Re-set the rear mudguard and tighten it so that it didn't come back off

For a service that cost the guts of €50 (that's over half a day's wages!) I would expect a lot better! Especially since I hadn't even covered massive distance in the time inbetween.

grizzly

Civilian_Target wrote:

I got my bike serviced with Cycleways twice - the first time they did a good job at a reasonable price. The second time it was very shoddily done - and they charged me a fortune! The one thing I asked them to fix they did, to be fair but within a week of service I had to:
- Readjust the front and rear brakes as they were catching on the wheels
- Re-set the back wheel as the chain wasn't sufficiently tight and was "hopping" every now and again.
- Re-set the rear mudguard and tighten it so that it didn't come back off

For a service that cost the guts of €50 (that's over half a day's wages!) I would expect a lot better! Especially since I hadn't even covered massive distance in the time inbetween.

Yes! I had the very same experience 6 months ago. Paid €50 expecting a good job, waited 3 days and knew that if I had done it myself I would have done a (slightly) better job. Which isn't good as I'm inept.

As for Cyclogical I find them quite snotty, but on the plus side I brought in a bike with a cracked handle bar (11 months old) and they fixed it the next day, no qualms.

Trojan

Hey dotC, didnt know about the name change. I ordered a green Cross Check, which still ain't in - took ages, Surly's distributer had a conflict with their carrier or some bull like that... ah well, I hurt my back (muscle strain) so couldn't go out anyway

What happened your Steamroller in the end? Was it a black one, and was it found, and found in the possession of another courier? I heard a story...

Back on topic, I thought I'd mention an experience with Cycleways & Cyclelogical... my friend taco'ed his front wheel during but luckily at the very end of one of the MAD rides they had recently. As it was on Sunday and Cycleways have the retail part of the shop open we stripped the hub and dropped it into them asking for them to have it rebuilt with some Mavic rims, double butted DT Swiss spokes.

Anyway we needed the wheel for the following Saturday's ride, so I thought dropping it by Sunday, they'd give it to the workshop on Monday morning, they have all week, no problems building one wheel before close of business Friday, right?

'Fraid not! I called in on Thursday lunchtime to pick it up after calling them and they told me they didn't know anything about it. Luckily we had not unbolted the disc brake rotor on the Sunday, so it was easy to say "the black Giant hub with a rotor with red paint on it" to identify it. It had been sitting in the shop from Sunday til Thursday without anyone looking at it.

Disgusted, I brought it up to Cyclelogical straight away, and stressed that I needed it by Friday afternoon cos we were heading out early Saturday. When I called by Friday I was asked if I hadn't listened to my voicemail - cos it was ready for pickup on Thursday afternoon.

Guess I must be one of the Irish team now, eh?

milod

Civilian_Target wrote:

I got my bike serviced with Cycleways twice - the first time they did a good job at a reasonable price. The second time it was very shoddily done - and they charged me a fortune! The one thing I asked them to fix they did, to be fair but within a week of service I had to:
- Readjust the front and rear brakes as they were catching on the wheels
- Re-set the back wheel as the chain wasn't sufficiently tight and was "hopping" every now and again.
- Re-set the rear mudguard and tighten it so that it didn't come back off

For a service that cost the guts of €50 (that's over half a day's wages!) I would expect a lot better! Especially since I hadn't even covered massive distance in the time inbetween.

I've noticed the quality of cycleways work is not as good as it used to be. I've 2 bikes and have had a bad run of luck with both recently, requiring things like chainrings, cranks, derailleurs etc.

Just this morning, my newly fitted crank literally fell off on the way to work - noticed a slight wobble and assumed it was a worn pedal spindle and then clunk. I'm rightly pissed off and won't be returning, other than to demand a new retaining bolt... The frustrating thing is that it took them over a month to actually order and fit the new part - a series of cock-ups with wrong sizes etc.

Over time, and by necessity, I've learned to do a lot for myself, but the really complicated or specialist tool stuff like bottom brackets, and groupsets still evade me. Anyone know of any evening courses...??

smcclaw

Just to add that my experiences of cyclelogical have been overwhelmingly positive. I did buy a eur700 bike off them a while back and they gave me a great package. All my more expensive bikes I've bought second hand but when there has been any issues with them (maybe twice) I was able to just drop in and have it done there and then for no charge (including fitting small bits and pieces such as spacers with no charge). They also price matched a set of wheels for me no questions asked.

I think these kinds of stores do operate in a particular niche that is distinct from the local bike shops. The LBS probably deal with more general maintenance/small repair type jobs. The shop on camden st (raleigh shop, don't know the name) put my cassette back together for me yesterday when the lockring came loose on the way to work and handed it back to me with a smile and no charge. The next brake pads I need will be bought there so!

daymobrew

beans wrote:

Oh, I love the Fairview shop also

Wow, Little Sport is more popular than I thought. It's close to my work (East Point Business Park) so I drop the bike off on the way in, walk to work (or the DART shuttle) and collect it in the afternoon. Always quick and a great price.

Titiritero

Hi,

I remember this post from months ago and decided to bring it back to life, for all the new people looking for new bikes now that the summer is coming. I visited Cyclelogical last week to check the price in a Kona I´m particularly interested on, and the treatment and customer service, as usual, was appalling.

I met a friend for a spin on Sunday and told him about it and he said he doesn´t go there anymore for the same reason, which was a bit of a relief because I thought maybe it was something personal towards me.

I only wish I could run a business where I can completely ignore and be rude to my customers and survive despite that. By the way, the bike they had, despite being a 2005 model, was 150 EUR more expensive than the 2007 model on the Kona website (thank god for internet shopping, some get even surprised for getting out of business!).

Thinking about it, I think I´ll email Kona to let them know about their "friendly" dealer in Dublin! :rolleyes: