Top Bike shops in Ireland .

MacDonald Cycles in Rathgar has possibly the friendliest and most helpful customer service I've encountered in this country. It's terrible isn't it when good customer service seems out of the ordinary!

The prices are reasonable too.

kmick wrote:

There is a little place in Tenple Bar which is underground. This is the best value for a service or parts. The guy is sound but it can tend to be slow as he has a big backlog. He is beside the rcord shop close enough to the Temple bar music center. Above all he will tell you the truth which is rare.

SqureWheels Cycles is the place, Ciaran is the guys name - honest and reasonably priced.

kmick wrote:

Cycleways Parnell Street - not that interested and will tell you whatever you want to hear. You never know where you stand with these guys. Steer clear.

Cyclelogical - they dont do servicing so in my mind they are not a proper bike shop.

Yep, these two places are ones to avoid - I had two very bad experiences with Cycleways - I've a Specialized and foolishly thought the main agent might know what they were doing...

As for Cyclelogical - they're very elitist but I believe they do service bikes that cost over €1500 To be fair though they're honest enough to admit when they're not interested - it was they who directed me to SquareWheels with my g/f's budget end Ridgeback...

Halfords - Oh My God. For starters you will be left standing for at least half an hour like a complete tool. The you will be served by some barely living spotty sixteen year old who can barely talk. Every transaction, no matter how small, is like pulling teeth. Don't expect quality service, repairs or advice. They have no knowledge whatsoever and don't care one bit about customers.
They do have some good deals though - but learn to do basic repairs yourself.

Money Shot wrote:

Halfords - Oh My God. For starters you will be left standing for at least half an hour like a complete tool. The you will be served by some barely living spotty sixteen year old who can barely talk. Every transaction, no matter how small, is like pulling teeth. Don't expect quality service, repairs or advice. They have no knowledge whatsoever and don't care one bit about customers.
They do have some good deals though - but learn to do basic repairs yourself.

Aha, I see you've visited the Coolock Branch... or are all of them that bad?!

I love these threads......

30 seconds....Too long to wait for service? Give me a break....

I won't argue with you Damo, you and I've both been around long enough to know there are pro's and con's in dealing with EVERY bike shop in Dublin, let alone Ireland.

The point is that sometimes it's more about the customers approach than the sales persons response. If someone hovered around the bike shop for a while before ending up over around the counter, then they might not attract too much attention. Think about the layout in Cycleogical too - The counter is choc' full of stock, overhead is full of N.O.S brake parts, chainrings and saddles etc. I often stand there looking for bits and pieces as opportunity buys, without a nod from the staff, and that's the way I want it. I want to stand there with my nostalgia drool pooling on my manboobs while I contemplate another purchase of something that's stashed behind the counter, or overhead....There a set of AMP B3 forks in there, NOS, that I could spend 20 minutes looking at.... I doubt I'm the only one who's like this in that shop.

Now in fairness, I would expect someone who walks up to the counter and says "Excuse me, can you help?" would be met with a response. But if the approach was more like my usual one, I'd actually expect to be ignored...

Different strokes for different folks. I'd rather ask for help and be left alone by shop staff apart from that. Maybe others expect staff who might be on their way out the door to lunch, or passing through on their day off to snap to it.... But you'll never get that in Cycleogical, as you and I both know. That doesn't make it a crap shop - It just appeals to a different type of customer.

magicbastarder wrote:

i've only ever been in cyclelogical twice; both times, i waited for about 30 seconds a couple of foot from the counter, waiting for the staff to finish talking to their mates/other staff, both times i walked out without them even acknowledging my presence.
.

That's just an Irish thing...not only bike shops

I find cyclelogical very helpful anytime i have any problems, they are fixed straight away. The lads are very friendly and helpful.

Three posts in a row boosting Cyclelogical.

top shop on the northside is richies bike shop in swords . On south side joe dalys dundrum and cycle superstore in tallaght . All have have great value for money , good service and excellent repairs .

UCD bike shop, great for repairs!! Cheap service too

I actually work in one of these shops... Let the firestorm begin. I'll speak for myself anyway here. I'm a cycling enthusiast and cyclist first, a sales assistant second when it comes to work (i see a p-45 coing my way!). It's a pity to hear alot of the negativity coming out. And again, I'll speak for myself, I'm sorry that we've ticked you off in any manner or pushed your patience in the past.

I'll address some of the issues from my point of view. So, in future you can come on and gripe to me, however you want to play it, rather than vent on the web, where untill recently the wrench bearers couldnt try and make amends....

Lack of interest? Not in my case, if you enjoy pushing your pedals around, we'll get along. Honestly, I've been cycling since i can remember, I'm in my twenties and i don't drive because i cycle everywhere. It's a passion first and a job second, guess i'm lucky in that respect. And yes, i count myself lucky to work in one of "those" shops a lot of the time. I know a lot of the others in the shop feel that way, all bicycle nuts. Competing athletes, ex athletes, the lot, they work there. If i walked into a shop and expressed no interest in the people working there and only wanted to buy something quickly and walked out, I'd hardly expect the time of day from them. Now i'm not saying you should have a lengthy conversation, but understand that while they're there to serve you, they're still people! Bored out of their minds from re-stocking tubes and getting berated because the factory in italy which has nothing to do with them is out of stock of a certain gillet!

One of the issues there is, if you connect on the same level, you'll get a lot better service. Goes with any shop. I can't tell you how many times a smile, or a "how's it going" has caught me off guard. Good manners on both sides of the counter are detrimental to a good relationship, because let's face it, you grow loyal to certain bike shops, it's not like a self service tesco now is it? And while you're 100% right to expect top notch service, you can't expect the best reaction to a bad attitude. I remember one customer telling me i wasn't a "real cyclist" because i wasn't a roadie. And no, he wasn't joking. Insult and injury when he asked for a staff member who "knew about real bikes" and wanted discounted goods.

I have recurring customers who i look forward to seeing because they brighten up the day by being friendly and nice. The reason they come back is because i've done my damndest to treat them with respect, do right by them and even if i make a mistake make sure that in the end they get what they need! At least i hope that's why they come back! There are some days customers make you feel like the scum on their shoes. Rather than get pissy and refuse to serve them like some do, in my case i try and grin and bear it. It's not always easy, and as can be expected if you're rude and aren't all that understanding, you may not be handed everything on a silver platter. Sometimes if you can't get a part or a straight answer IT'S BECAUSE NEITHER CAN WE. It's not in my nature to lie to people, but sometimes there are thing beyond the bike shop employees control.... Local distro- Euro distro- etc etc etc

In terms of recognition, yes if you are in a shop a lot and they dont recognise you, it's a bit off. But i can tell you this for free, there are some customers I look forward to dealing with when they roll in, or if i spot 'em outside. Not even for the banter, some people are just nice. However, some people...well. you know yourself. I'm not saying that if you aren't getting discount you're a) b) or c). Or if you're getting talked down to that you know nothing about bikes. But if you can build up a relationship with the person youre dealing with, note person, then i'm sure you'll have a much better experience in any shop you go into. If i was looking for a bike, i wouldn't presume that the person dealing with me knew how much i knew about bikes!

Some customers get discount and deals because they've been coming in for years and have built up a rapport. Some get it because they know a staff member. Some get it because they make a bloody good first impression. Sometimes, you may have to point out you've been coming in a lot, not the fairest, but it happens. And in my case i actually like doing deals with people, makes them satisfied and me happy because they are.. blah...

I'm going to leave my reply there, hopefully that adds a little to our side of the scales (the bike shop employees all over)

I understand where youre all coming from, i've been in your shoes. If you have complaints, go into the shop, tell them. Up front, it can be embarrassing, but it is also appreciated, I have had to rethink how i deal with people everyday from my first week in work. Everyday i have to.. But also, remember that we work in a bike shop because we love bikes, and if you can maybe treat us as fellow cyclists too, it'll benefit both of us... I should replace jerry springer...