Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Please be fair and thoughtful in your opinions. No rants please.
fivebikes
Posts: 233
Joined: 9 Mar 2008, 12:46pm
Location: West Yorks

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by fivebikes »

Always had good service from Spa, mainly over the phone and two visits to the store. One to the old shop where an older fella was really helpful scouring the shelves and storeroom for an odd collection of bits that I needed, plus giving advice on gear inches while I was there. It was a Saturday so extremely busy. The second to the new shop, midweek so quieter, with a bit of a shopping list and a wheel, built by them some years ago that had a broken spoke. I’d bought it on the for sale section here, unused, a few years before and had given it some use. The fella, younger this time, checked out the stickers and was able to date it and said they’d had a few spoke breakages from that era....They fitted a new spoke free of charge!
philsknees
Posts: 174
Joined: 14 May 2017, 2:29pm
Location: St. Ockport

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by philsknees »

This thread really has me wondering. When I were a lad (yawn) we had proper shops not supermarkets - a double-fronted shop was posh - and most dealt civilly with their customers or soon drove them away. There were always the "rogue" shopkeepers, often their shops were of a more specialised nature who really had to know their stuff to survive but were sometimes lacking in the finer arts of customer service. (A particular local hardware shop who's owner's attitude frequently had me seething but invariably leaving with exactly what I needed springs to mind.) Nevertheless such shops did survive because of their specialist knowledge until the likes of B&Q, etc, large chains drove them out of business and then provided inferior products and service.
My first visit to Spa's old premises (a 120 mile round trip) to test ride a bike saw me witness a near-fight round the back between a customer and two shop employees (the customer wanted to take his bike away without paying the bill because it included an extra charge for some essential work undertaken for safety reasons). The language was choice and the threats of violence were real but the chap serving me while this was going on in the background was as helpful and attentive as could be!
Another time I 'phoned them to enquire about a delayed multiple order, to be gruffly greeted with " *****dy h*ll, I'm trying to build a wheel here, what do you want? Give us a minute " (Much audible muttering in the background as the build was secured.) Then, after being told they were waiting for one small item which they'd had to order in, I was quizzed with "what do you want them things for anyway?" After explaining and saying that I was happy to wait for them things if they'd send the rest now, I received my order the following afternoon, also containing half a dozen used but eminently usable pairs of the problem item, free of charge!
I've placed orders, phoned or visited the shop on many occasions since and had excellent service though I always anticipate and prepare for hassle. I'm even getting to the stage of being a little disappointed now things go so smoothly.....
It bewilders me that people who will happily cycle off miles from home, unaccompanied, perhaps wild camping, often in foreign lands seem unable to cope with slightly prickly service from what is a wonderful resource of products and knowledge.
Beware or we'll end up with no choice but to deal with large chains offering a limited range of mediocre goods and polite service from staff who have little or no practical product knowledge.
Cyril Haearn
Posts: 15215
Joined: 30 Nov 2013, 11:26am

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by Cyril Haearn »

Slightly prickly language? Could be tolerated maybe, do they talk thus to women and children? I would not like it from a stranger

Real threats of violence?

I should dial 999 :?
Entertainer, juvenile, curmudgeon, PoB, 30120
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Antbrewer
Posts: 179
Joined: 1 Jul 2016, 9:14am

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by Antbrewer »

I have recently ordered two items from Spa Cycles. I telephoned them initially and found them excellent in their response and equally so in the delivery time even though they suggested due to the Covid 19 situation things might take longer. Ordered on the Saturday and delivered on the following Wednesday. Packaging was good. In a cardboard wrap without lots of unnecessary plastic.
Very pleased
TimeTraveller
Posts: 189
Joined: 7 Mar 2019, 8:49pm

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by TimeTraveller »

Plus for Spa Cycle here,got some stuff from them because I like traditional cycle shops...
Maybe by today's standards not the most internet savy instant dispatch shop, but telephones are still the best way if you need a person and not a automated till calculating robot.

We used to have a good old school bike shop round my way (Armstrongs Middlesbrough) which sadly went the way of the dinosaur :(
I could go in for a chat about cycling, even when I did'nt buy anything.
Never too busy to have a look around in the many storage boxes out back for a odd item most shops would'nt even consider holding, which often cost nowt... advice was free not sales driven :) and the price... well not always as high as the sales ticket said ;)

I'm so happy that real cycle shops are still around (even like grumpy owners) these days click and spec buy and pay leaves me wanting the good old fashioned sales folk , humans are not robots .
humans are very varilble creatures.. we all have off days
spend at Spa Cycles folk.. keep a resource alive.. coz when its gone you will miss it.
Last edited by TimeTraveller on 10 Jun 2020, 10:02am, edited 1 time in total.
Pete... I think
Shuggie
Posts: 176
Joined: 21 Aug 2009, 7:38pm

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by Shuggie »

TimeTraveller wrote:Plus for Spa Cycle here,got some stuff from them because I like traditional cycle shops...
Maybe by today's standards not the most internet savy instant dispatch shop, but telephones are still the best way if you need a person and not a automated till calculating robot.

We used to have a good old school bike shop round my way (Armstrongs Middlesbrough) which sadly went the way of the dinosaur :(
I could go in for a chat about cycling, even when I did'nt buy anything.
Never too busy to have a look around in the many storage boxes out back for a odd item most shops would'nt even consider holding, which often cost nowt... advice was free not sales driven :) any the price... well not always as high as the sales ticket said ;)

I'm so happy that real cycle shops are still around (even like grumpy owners) these days click and spec buy and pay leaves me wanting the good old fashioned sales folk , humans are not robots .
humans are very varilble creatures.. we all have off days
spend at Spa Cycles folk.. keep a resource alive.. coz when its gone you will miss it.


+1
Oldjohnw
Posts: 7764
Joined: 16 Oct 2018, 4:23am
Location: South Warwickshire

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by Oldjohnw »

Second Carradice bag arrived, within 4 days of order. Can't complain.
John
yostumpy
Posts: 994
Joined: 29 Oct 2010, 6:56pm

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by yostumpy »

mixed bag here, ordered 2 tyres, some brake pads, and a disc caliper on 23 may, order confirmed, then nothing, I e-mail on 7 June, and they say caliper out of stock, so they agree to send part order of tyres, received yesterday, fitted front, took off rear tyre, and ....bugga, they sent me the wrong size tyre. This is on a 'bent, so a bit more messin' about. Can't be bothered to refit old tyre, so now without my ride till new tyre turns up, not replied to my 'new' e-mail yet........ho hum. I always try to buy thro' them, so being patient....... :roll:
TimeTraveller
Posts: 189
Joined: 7 Mar 2019, 8:49pm

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by TimeTraveller »

sometimes the phone works better than the email..... busy complicated times right now.

Must be me ? I think I rather be served or deal with a busy shop staffed by cyclists than spend my cash in a shop staffed by underskilled till jockeys anyday.
Pete... I think
yostumpy
Posts: 994
Joined: 29 Oct 2010, 6:56pm

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by yostumpy »

TimeTraveller wrote:sometimes the phone works better than the email..... busy complicated times right now.

Must be me ? I think I rather be served or deal with a busy shop staffed by cyclists than spend my cash in a shop staffed by underskilled till jockeys anyday.


Done, new tyre on its way tonight. Have used Spa for over 20 years, and I like them because they still bother to put full page detailed adverts in certain publications. I might be sad, but I like reading endless lists of bits and bobs for sale.
markjohnobrien
Posts: 1037
Joined: 4 Oct 2007, 8:15pm

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by markjohnobrien »

It’s not sad: I like reading full page detailed adverts as well.
Raleigh Randonneur 708 (Magura hydraulic brakes); Blue Raleigh Randonneur 708 dynamo; Pearson Compass 631 tourer; Dawes One Down 631 dynamo winter bike;Raleigh Travelogue 708 tourer dynamo; Kona Sutra; Trek 920 disc Sram Force.
JohnW
Posts: 6667
Joined: 6 Jan 2007, 9:12pm
Location: Yorkshire

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by JohnW »

markjohnobrien wrote:It’s not sad: I like reading full page detailed adverts as well.

I agree with you John (or is it Mark?) - I see the Spa advert as something of a directory, and I have to say that whilst I look forward to, and study, the Spa advert full-page I almost never read the new products review page.
pwa
Posts: 17366
Joined: 2 Oct 2011, 8:55pm

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by pwa »

Spa have given their website a nice new look, making it a bit easier to navigate.

And they are plugging their 725 Elan, which looks to me like an Audax for disc lovers. It would make a fine commuter for someone who wants their ride to and from work to be fun.
Paul Fenton
Posts: 10
Joined: 19 Jun 2020, 3:07pm

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by Paul Fenton »

I agree. Spa's mail order service and advice on the telephone is outstanding. They are my automatic go to retailer for all bike bits. Rarely get things wrong and delivery is usually within 3 days. As an experienced cyclist of 50+ years on the bike I rate them top cycle retailer in the country with Madgett Cycles of Diss (Norfolk) a close second.
Bonefishblues
Posts: 11009
Joined: 7 Jul 2014, 9:45pm
Location: Near Bicester Oxon

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by Bonefishblues »

pwa wrote:Spa have given their website a nice new look, making it a bit easier to navigate.

It's very subtle!
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