Sales & General Repairs
VISIT OUR STORE TO TRY OUT A BIKE
Bike Sales:
If you are soon coming to Cambridge and thinking of buying a bike we would always suggest taking a look at our Hire Tariffs first as you may be surprised at how cheap renting a bike can be considering we offer a complete package – lock, lights, repair and maintenance of the bike included in every rental.
We have a selection of used and ex rental bikes for sale all year round as we know that renting isn’t the first choice for everyone. It’s worth checking our stock prices compared to shops around the center of town as we are very competitive and of course we won’t sell you a bike that hasn’t been serviced and cleaned, plus we’ll give you a warranty for peace of mind.
In September and October you may be able to take advantage of our Autumn sale of ex-rental bikes and offers on accessories like helmets and lights. It’s popular with new students arriving in the city as we offer good value bundles for everything you’ll need. It’s first come first serve at peak times like this so act fast. Once they are gone it’ll take us some time to build up some more stock to sell. You can always give us a call to discuss options and availability.
Further down on this page you will find some useful advise and tips about buying new and used bikes in Cambridge.
General Repairs
We do repairs and servicing like other shops despite being a rental service so if you have your own bike we are here to help. Our fully equipped workshop and team can cater for all bike maintenance issues.
We do take a slightly different approach to many other shops because we believe asking for a service to your bike is a bit of a vague area of bike repairs. You’ll see signs in bike shops that say ‘Service from £25’ but do you know what that means? Unless you agree to what works will be carried out and for what cost you won’t know what your bill is going to be until you return to collect your bike up.
We prefer to spend a little time with you assessing any problems before carrying out any work and we can then agree on what you want doing and at what cost. We’ll happily advise you about issues with your bike but will only do what is agreed and you feel is necessary.
An important consideration when finding a reliable bike shop whether they hold replacement components equal to those on your bike. obviously equipment can vary in quality and price so it’s good to know that you won’t be paying over the odds for products that are either sub standard to the specification of your bike or a higher quality and cost just because that’s what a shop has on the shelf to use. We always aim to carry out like for like replacements at a reasonable price below the suggest retail price. In the competitive Cambridge sales and repair retail market most shops should offer a discount on parts and accessories.
We will be happy to estimate you a price for any repair on the phone but an inspection of your bike would be required for a quotation.
Buying a new bike – Watch out!
Ever heard of the saying “It’s to good to be true”? You will find this to be the case in the new bike market in Cambridge if you ask around.
Some of the big showroom stores around the city have shiny new bikes on display with massively discounted prices. It’s simple, they’re not discounted by 30 or 40 percent as displayed, they’re just not good enough quality to have ever been sold at the originally displayed price with poor components and weak construction materials.
Here’s a good example for you to try. Test ride a bike, and don’t be afraid to do so, that’s being sold for the full value of £300 and then test ride the bike that’s being sold at a 40% discount of the same price. You will feel the difference even if you have a limited knowledge about bikes. Here’s another old adage “You get what you pay for” as they say.
Unfortunately these discount offers are targeted at students who’ll be made to believe they are not only buying at a discount but are buying an investment as well. With a steady bike retail market in Cambridge the showrooms do look to take advantage by offering a range of stack ’em high and sell ’em low models while independent shops rely on reputation and cannot afford to take this approach, repeat custom is important to small business. It’s likely that the discount bikes on offer have never been built correctly by an experienced mechanic and is going to quickly start costing you in repairs. You’ll be sick of the sight of it and happier to see the back of it rather than get a few pounds for the trouble of selling it before to long.
Used or Pre-owned bikes in Cambridge.
Good quality second hand bikes can often be an option to consider but only if you have some knowledge of what to look for, be wary of buying very cheap second hand bikes privately or through listings websites as they may not be serviced or in safe condition and could even be stolen. Cambridge has a surplus of used bikes and stolen bikes in circulation, many will not be of particularly good quality or very well maintained. A cheap bike like this could soon become quite costly or even get you into trouble. Always get a receipt for your purchase!