Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Please be fair and thoughtful in your opinions. No rants please.
hamish
Posts: 501
Joined: 5 Mar 2008, 11:29pm

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by hamish »

I had a Spa Nidd that developed a problem out of warranty.

I emailed Spa and they were great.

I now have a replacement.

Excellent service.

Very happy.
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Vantage
Posts: 3050
Joined: 24 Jan 2012, 1:44pm
Location: somewhere in Bolton
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Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by Vantage »

My warranty replaced Nidd developed the exact same nose piece failure as the last one last week.
The first Nidd was a year old when it cracked and it's replacement was 2 years old.
Emailed Spa on Thursday night with a photo and description of the fault. No reply Friday. No reply Saturday.
Given this (I've little patience) and the chance that the saddles design fault has probably not been rectified and therefore likely to break again, I have just fitted a shiny new Brooks B17.
In spite of previous posts recommending the Nidd, I wouldn't recommend it again. I'm not the only owner who's Nidd cracked.
Bill


“Ride as much or as little, or as long or as short as you feel. But ride.” ~ Eddy Merckx
It's a rich man whos children run to him when his pockets are empty.
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SimonCelsa
Posts: 1232
Joined: 6 Apr 2011, 10:19pm

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by SimonCelsa »

Spa Leather saddles.......tough one that.

I have one myself, the rather wider Spa Esk. It's been on one of my bikes almost 3 years now & covered about 7000 miles. I would love it to last another 20 years & gradually conform to my shape.... culminating in a luxuriant plinth into the afterlife.

However, being realistic, it will probably break soon. When it does I will be disappointed but are we possibly expecting a little too much from these saddles. I recall mine costing a few quid short of £40 so really I've had a good shot with it. It is still rock hard and I do not think it will ever become particularly pliable. If I'd bought a pair of quality leather hiking boots and got similar mileage out of them then I would have no reason to complain - they are a consumable item at the end of the day. So why do we expect so much from our saddles??

I am in no way connected to SPA or the retail industry for that matter but it was my thought train for the cold & snowy ride this morning. I think for the money we pay the SPA offerings are still pretty good value for money & give decent rider comfort & durability. If mine were to give up the ghost tomorrow should I expect a refund / replacement? I really don't know.....if I'd paid £250 then maybe, but, as with the mountain boot analogy, plenty of people pay more than this for their designer boots / trainers & do not see (or expect) anywhere near as much durability.

Esk.jpg


Anyhow Vantage, best of luck with the Brooks, mine sagged alarmingly after a particularly wet day ride but is still going strong some 6 years later. Kiss of Death - both will doubtless break tomorrow!

All the best, Simon (I don't always get a kick out of photographing saddles - sad really!)
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trilathon
Posts: 115
Joined: 30 May 2012, 11:23am

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by trilathon »

I've used this shop for over 20 years, starting when the Rough Stuff Fellowship obtained a handy discount with them when I was member in the mid 90's. I assumed this was ''Yorkshire customer service '' a bit brisk and to the point, but never had a problem with any tent, bags or 'owt else.

What travels and pleasure their products have brought me.
Searching for, and camping in, places of antiquity and wild beauty. Former ironman, 3PCX, Rough Stuff Fellowship, fell runner, regional time trial champion and 20 odd years of cyclo camping around Europe.
challisj
Posts: 58
Joined: 21 Jan 2007, 9:52pm

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by challisj »

Re: York Rally discount code.
Has anyone been able to enter the York rally 10% discount code at the checkout today (Sun 9 July). I read "until 9 July" as being inclusive. Prep'd an order yesterday and was able to add the code. Today when I come to checkout there is no box to enter the code.

Hope you can help.
Regards
Thanks
Jonathan
E: Challis8@gmail.com
M: 07847 303273
Bowedw
Posts: 359
Joined: 22 Feb 2011, 10:26pm

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by Bowedw »

Another excellent delivery from Spa from their own range of Chainsets. They really do provide a wonderful service to those of us that want good quality items for touring/audax type riding. I personally would struggle to find the items I need elsewhere.
Middle of the road
Posts: 34
Joined: 9 Jun 2017, 6:50pm

Thank you - Spa Steel Tourer ordered

Post by Middle of the road »

I would like to see a big thank you to fellow CUK members on this forum for recommending the Spa Steel Tourer.

My wife and I visited Spa Cycles yesterday at Harrogate and I had excellent customer service. I was able to try out a 60cm bike and took it along the nearest cycle track only a few minutes ride from the shop for a 5 mile ride. I could have taken it for even longer if I had wished.

I'm really impressed - The bike rides beautifully and the service was so good that instead of buying a frame and forks I decided to splash out and ordered a complete bike. Going back to collect in 3 weeks as that's the next weekend that I have available.

Whilst I was there the guy in charge gave a youngster a load of free advice about touring - what to pack/how to pack and didn't give him a hard sell, in fact he did the opposite.

I've bought a load of Spa equipment in the past including hand-built wheels (2 sets), lights, bags and components. This is the first (maybe not the last) bike. Thanks people and thank you Spa :-)

(Should I have posted this in Reviews? )
LollyKat
Posts: 3250
Joined: 28 May 2011, 11:25pm
Location: Scotland

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by LollyKat »

Post a review of the bike once you've ridden it a bit. It sounds great - enjoy!
wearwell
Posts: 357
Joined: 3 Feb 2011, 8:45am

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by wearwell »

I bought the titanium audax.
Very nice bike and a pleasure to ride but it wasn't an easy journey.
1 It arrived and first thing I noticed was that steering tube had already been trimmed short. OK it fitted me, so that was lucky!
2. Both wheels were out of true - Spa sounded surprised and replaced them pronto.
3. It came equipped with the dreadful SRAM compact gear set, heavily plugged at the time. This basically was a crap idea and I think has now gone out of fashion. But it was also well out of adjustment. I thought it was me getting used to it but no it took a lot of fiddling to get it to work without dropping the chain regularly. Got it OK eventually - a 9 speed chain worked better than the chain supplied. But gave in and replaced with a triple after a few years.
4 Replacing with a triple meant replacing the bottom bracket - went back to the old Shimano square shaft. Fitted a down tube gear lever on the boss already there, with a bit of filing and a new change mech. Surprised to see fine sand in the casing when I took out the BB but thought nothing of it.
5 Kept getting steering problem - sudden stiffening up, quite alarming and dangerous. Fixed by flooding oil through and adjusting.
But adjustment seemed very difficult - either tight or sloppy, nothing in between. Stripped it down and found guess what - fine sand in the head tube - drifting down into the bottom bearing and seizing it up. No way it could get there from the outside so it must have been sand blasting sand from the frame maker. With hindsight this could have been lethal - I'd already had one or two frights going fast down a hill and steering suddenly going stiff.
6 Nice gold lettering peeling off.

I would have complained more but I was out of action for some time with a knee injury (not Spa's fault!) and had given up on bikes for 2 years.

So if you buy new from them check everything pronto and don't assume it has been carefully set up - it may be a Friday afternoon job like mine!

But it's nice bike and I now ride it a lot.

PS I still buy things from them and have arguments with that bad tempered Les Dawson mimic - always good for a laugh! Last one was about some rim tape on new wheels. Too narrow and kept getting punctures into the uncovered edges of the spoke recesses. He wouldn't have it - I had to get very assertive but eventually he sent me the right tape!
uppadine
Posts: 128
Joined: 30 Jan 2009, 11:48pm

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by uppadine »

I visited Spa on Wednesday lunchtime with a wheel to rebuild; the service was very good, and the lad apologised that it might be 10 days before sending. The wheel arrived by courier less than 48 hours later.
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subandean
Posts: 121
Joined: 6 Jan 2007, 6:16pm
Location: Northern Powerhouse

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by subandean »

Placed order for various parts, dispatched promptly and arrived 2 days later.
Problem with one tyre, emailed them, advised to return, returned tyre on Wednesday, replacement arrived Friday.
Excellent service from John.
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gaz
Posts: 14649
Joined: 9 Mar 2007, 12:09pm
Location: Kent

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by gaz »

The nose plate of the Nidd on my commuter broke about three weeks back. Two years old, about 3250 miles.

E-mailed Spa about spares or repairs. They e-mailed back to say it shouldn't have failed and also could they have pictures of my two other Nidds. A few more e-mails and a few more pictures later, Spa weren't happy with any of them.

Three new Nidds arrived this morning :D .

Truly amazing service.
High on a cocktail of flossy teacakes and marmalade
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Graham
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Joined: 14 Dec 2006, 8:48pm

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by Graham »

Great service AND a sense of humour !!!!

I ordered stuff on monday.

The courier delivered it on wednesday, mid-morning. ( Hampshire )
One hour later I received an email from SPA : "Your Order has now been dispatched."
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John1054
Posts: 698
Joined: 11 May 2012, 11:43am
Location: Sunshine Coast

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by John1054 »

We were in shop on Monday afternoon buying tyres for Brompton - excellent service as usual :D :D
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Vantage
Posts: 3050
Joined: 24 Jan 2012, 1:44pm
Location: somewhere in Bolton
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Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by Vantage »

Spent near £650 in the shop on Saturday.
Bought a nice metallic green Spa Steel Touring frame and forks.
A pair of 26x1.95 Schwalbe City jets that I was told would fit.....They do but with a clearance of maybe a mm either side of the tyre. They're going on my fiancees bike instead.
Ordered an XT dynamo/Sputnik front wheel and an LX/Sputnik rear wheel. The guy taking the order said 2-3 days to build them. Guy who builds them said 4-5 days.
Rang today for an update. He'll try to start building them tomorrow (friday) and I should have them Tuesday.
Not a happy bunny.
Also didn't know the frame requires down tube cable stops till I got it home.

Edit: I take it back. Wheels arrived Friday morning :D
Good work Spa :D
Bill


“Ride as much or as little, or as long or as short as you feel. But ride.” ~ Eddy Merckx
It's a rich man whos children run to him when his pockets are empty.
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