Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Please be fair and thoughtful in your opinions. No rants please.
pwa
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Joined: 2 Oct 2011, 8:55pm

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by pwa »

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

It's very subtle!

The "Wheelbuilder" is new.
https://spacycles.co.uk/m10b0s228p4510/ ... el-Builder
Last edited by pwa on 8 Jul 2020, 10:56am, edited 1 time in total.
Bonefishblues
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Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by Bonefishblues »

I'll have a look when I can access
David9694
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Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by David9694 »

Normally excellent, Spa have been sitting on an order of mine for two weeks now and didn’t reply to an email I sent a few days ago enquiring.
Spa Audax Ti Ultegra; Genesis Equilibrium 853; Raleigh Record Ace 1983; “Raleigh Competition”, “Raleigh Gran Sport 1982”; “Allegro Special”, Bob Jackson tourer, Ridley alu step-through with Swytch front wheel; gravel bike from an MB Dronfield 531 frame.
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Sweep
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Location: London

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by Sweep »

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

It's very subtle!

The "Wheelbuilder" is new.
https://spacycles.co.uk/m10b0s228p4510/ ... el-Builder


Like the look of that.

Had a play - on the one I did brass nipples seem to be cheaper than alloy ones.

Odd - I had always thought brass nipples were superior?
Sweep
tatanab
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Joined: 8 Feb 2007, 12:37pm

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by tatanab »

Order placed 11:50 with standard delivery. Dispatch notice 15:20. Order received 10:30, less than 24 hours from placing it. Well done Spa, and the Post Office too.
pwa
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Joined: 2 Oct 2011, 8:55pm

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by pwa »

Sweep wrote:
pwa wrote:
Bonefishblues wrote:It's very subtle!

The "Wheelbuilder" is new.
https://spacycles.co.uk/m10b0s228p4510/ ... el-Builder


Like the look of that.

Had a play - on the one I did brass nipples seem to be cheaper than alloy ones.

Odd - I had always thought brass nipples were superior?

Ally are lighter but brass are stronger. You pays yer money and takes yer choice.....
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Sweep
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Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by Sweep »

pwa wrote:
Sweep wrote:
pwa wrote:The "Wheelbuilder" is new.
https://spacycles.co.uk/m10b0s228p4510/ ... el-Builder


Like the look of that.

Had a play - on the one I did brass nipples seem to be cheaper than alloy ones.

Odd - I had always thought brass nipples were superior?

Ally are lighter but brass are stronger. You pays yer money and takes yer choice.....

Thanks for confirming my impression.
Can't beat cheap and strong.
Sweep
martinn
Posts: 421
Joined: 1 Dec 2012, 8:20pm

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by martinn »

Just another very happy with the service,
Order placed Saturday evening, arrived Wednesday Am, altered the order on Monday morning, without problem
Slight issue with items that arrived, but thats probably down to me, I was short of two headset spacers, but I ordered them in two lots, and changed my order, so built in confusion!
Phoned Spa, spacers sent out that day, received the next day. Great service. Sometimes its more telling about customer service when things dont go quite as planned.

Would order without hesitation from Spa again

Martin
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Vantage
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Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by Vantage »

Sigh...
The good bit.
Wanted some new decals for the Wayfarer and spoke to John about them asking the best way to get them aligned. He put one of the mechanics onto me who explained his method. Only wanted the Spa and Wayfarer decals and told them that. But I also got a new head tube badge and a new Reynolds 753 sticker too a couple days later :)

The bad bit.
Need new downtube shifters as both set I have are rubbish. SunRace crap. Ordered new Dura Ace models and paid for next day delivery last Friday expecting them Monday of Tuesday at the latest. Sent them a message I needed them urgent as I'm off touring on the 22nd.
Phoned today to ask where they are. Still at the bloody shop! Being picked up today by APC for delivery tomorrow. Which leaves me one day to get them on, indexed and tested. Not happy at all. :evil:
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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andrew_s
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Location: Gloucestershire

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by andrew_s »

Sweep wrote:Odd - I had always thought brass nipples were superior?

Alloy nipples are for weight weenies.
For normal people, they are a disadvantage as they corrode and seize at any contact with road salt.
Mal43
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Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by Mal43 »

Ordered a Genesis frame from Spa recently, mainly because the price was heavily marked down. Turned out that although listed on their website they didn't have any in stock but would get one in from Madison. I also ordered a seat post and a few cables. The frame arrived slightly later than said, but in the circumstances that was acceptable. However the other items were missing, so I phoned to enquire if they had been overlooked, or were coming separately. They had been missed, but would be sent that day. By the end of the week they had not arrived, so phoned again to chase. Oh, they hadn't been sent yet. OK I said, can I cancel the order for these bits and get a refund? Yes, no problem, I'll do it now. Over two weeks later I'm still waiting and they are not replying to emails either.

Which is all very sad really, because they carry stock that is hard to find elsewhere, and impossible from the likes of Wiggle. There are several other things I could do with that Spa carry, but I'm no longer sure that I can trust them. Not because I think they are deliberately dishonest, I don't, let's make that clear, but the nicest way of putting it is that they seem overstretched at present to the point that mistakes are happening.
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Sweep
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Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by Sweep »

Mal43 wrote:. . <snip> . . .

yes does sound sloppy in the extreme (like you I am sure there is no dishonest intent) - let's hope Spa are reading this.
I note that there is a flag on their web site saying that wheel builds are on a one month wait at the mo.
If at all possible I thing they need to wind that in or folks may go elsewhere.
(I have a pair of Spa wheels - very happy with them)
Sweep
slowster
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Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by slowster »

Sweep wrote:I note that there is a flag on their web site saying that wheel builds are on a one month wait at the mo.
If at all possible I thing they need to wind that in or folks may go elsewhere.

I don't think one month is unusual. The Cycle Clinic likewise has a similar banner advising that the wheelbuild queue is about a month, and I suspect delays are likely to be similar at many/most other high quality wheel builders.

As for the errors mentioned above, my guess is that Spa have experienced much higher levels of orders during the last few months in common with many other cycle retailers, as a result of Covid-19 and the warm weather coinciding. The problem for the industry is that the increase in demand is likely to be a one-off and revert back to previous levels as we go into autumn and winter (or possibly get much worse if we have the sort of severe recession being mooted), so taking on new employees is probably not appropriate. Consequently, Spa and others are probably trying to cope as best they can, which might include employees being off with Covid-19 or having to self-isolate, at least until the end of the summer peak.
geocycle
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Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by geocycle »

Just bought some wheels from Spa. Excellent service and a couple of helpful chats to discuss options. Wheels look great and signed by Bobby. Three weeks including delivery, very pleased.
GeekDadZoid
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Location: Stockport

Re: Spa Cycles (Harrogate)

Post by GeekDadZoid »

Made my first order from Spa after being let down by wiggle. Ended up paying a little more but cannot fault the speed of delivery.

Picked up two Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyres for the Hybrid and two Schwalbe Land cruiser plus tyres for the Winora "backup bike".

Also got a pair of the cheap (£3) ergo grips which I fitted onto the hybrid, only done 10 miles with them but so far they feel very nice.
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