Cycling UK Forum

Having just bought a Sabbath Silk Route from Spa I would like to say I have no complaints whatsoever with them. As I had a 6 hour journey each way to their shop they were happy to hold the frame size I needed until I got there. When I arrived the next day I spoke to 3 people in the shop and all were most helpful.

I went away having purchased my bike, rack and panniers with no unpleasantness at all.

Its sounds like everybody loves spa cycles and it looks great.... but how the hell can they afford such discounts! some of the dawes bikes are like £700 off mssp.. when i first saw the website i thought it looked a bit shifty the prices were so good!..... just looked and seen they were the 2010 bikes but the discounts on the 2011 bikes are still pretty awesome..

Newpsy wrote:Its sounds like everybody loves spa cycles and it looks great.... but how the hell can they afford such discounts!

Don't question it - just enjoy it.

I don't want to hear a word said against Spa.

JohnW wrote:I don't want to hear a word said against Spa.

I would agree with that John

well, im having a terrible time with these people, theyve miss supplied a chainset and just wont give the money back. Will have to go through the small claims court to resolve it.

The fact is, all bike shop love you when youre buying their stuff, its when things go wrong that you find out what their about. And yes, there are some real nasty folk working at Spa. Business is business i guess.

Well, I've only had three things go wrong with purchases from Spa.

One was a pair of toe-clips which were labelled with the wrong size on the packet, and even though I'd opened the packet, Spa changed them without question - on checking they'd not been used.

Another was a cassette/block which they'd told me would be compatible with what I was running - I found it wasn't and they changed it - again, no problem.

The third was a Brooks saddle which went so far out of shape that you wouldn't believe it and, after a lot of difficulty and argument from Brooks and/or their agents, Spa gave me a new one - I don't know how they resolved it with Brooks. They didn't argue with me for a moment, and just asked for time to sort it.

As for a lot of nasty people - well - not in my experience.

I hope you get it sorted andypp.

andypp wrote:there are some real nasty folk working at Spa.

There might be one grumpy one.

Placed an order 9.30am Sunday morning, for a new chainring & lube. Arrived 8.45am Tuesday morning.

Rudest shop / person I've ever experienced, and I don't mean rude in a 'down wi da cool kidz kinda way'.

I would also greatly appreciate it if someone could recommend another bike shop that is receptive to encouraging new people into the sport.

Well that's bad news hillbagger. I'm genuinely sorry that your experience)s) with Spa are quite different from mine.

To recommend someone else is difficult - I'd always recommend Spa!!! Also of course, it depends upon where you are.

However, the shops/dealers that I also use, very successfully, and with no adverse comments from anyone else - not that I've heard, anyway - are as follows :

Spen Velo, in Cleckheaton,
Try-Cycling in Kirkburton, Huddersfield,
Blazing Saddles in Hebden Bridge (near Halifax),
Surosa Cycles in Oldham,
Sowerby Brothers in Mirfield (between Huddersfield and Dewsbury).
Hewitt Cycles in Leyland, Lancashire.
J.D.Cycles in Ilkley.
And then there's Mercian of course, where I had my latest frame built.

This shouldn't be taken as a criticism of any other LBS (local bike shop),or as a suggestion that there is anything wrong with all the others. I don't have experience of every LBS in the country, but the above have all given me personal service, all have extensive knowledge and are known to build good wheels - and I've found them honourable and trustworthy.

Does that help?

hillbagger wrote:Rudest shop / person I've ever experienced, and I don't mean rude in a 'down wi da cool kidz kinda way'.

I would also greatly appreciate it if someone could recommend another bike shop that is receptive to encouraging new people into the sport.

Try JD Cycles in Ilkley,top notch.

Ian

Cycle Heaven in York seem to get rave reviews. I visited both them and Spa when I bought my bike. To be fair, the people at Spa were very keen to make sure that I bought a bike that was right for me, but I found them a bit tricky to deal with - felt like I was walking on eggshells a bit. The guy at Cycle Heaven was friendly, straightforward and knowledgable.

Thanks for the shop recommendations guys. I live in York and have family in W.Yorks so they're all worth a try.

Obviously a lot of people out there have very good things to say about Spa so I'm really disappointed that my experience wasn't the same. I think it's probably only one individual, who by the sounds of it 'when he's good he's very very good but when he is bad he is horrid'. I did try the shop on three different occasions but unfortunately kept getting the same angry guy, apparently the problem was that my contact with the shop was always at the time when he was trying to process postal orders. On the upside, at least this guy is so blatant with his resentment and contempt for customers that I wasn't left wandering if it was all a big misunderstanding. Unfortunately there is a limit to how much unashamed rudeness I can take without feeling a bit silly and desperate.

Who was it you were served by ?

Tandem Man wrote:................Try JD Cycles in Ilkley,top notch.

Ian

I thought I'd said them as well, but when I looked, I hadn't. I'd go along with that, but they're not the cheapest.