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London's best bike shops

Need to buy bike accessories or get a puncture fixed? Check out our list of London's best cycle shops

By Matilda Egere-Cooper and Time Out editors Posted: Monday July 29 2019

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Whether you want to get fit or it's time for a set of new wheels, there’s a growing number of independent bike shops in London that are happy to come to the rescue – from fixing that custom two-wheeler to teaching you how to do it yourself. And when you've got your shiny new bike, treat yourself to a coffee at one of London's best bicycle cafes.

Here are some of our favourite bike specialists.

The Bike Project

Opting for a secondhand bike is good for your bank balance and the planet. If you want to feel extra good/smug, buy one of The Bike Project’s refurbished hybrids or vintage road bikes. The money you spend helps fund the charity’s work fixing up bikes and giving them to refugees. If you have a collection of old bikes clogging up your hallway, or need an excuse to upgrade, why not donate a bike?

12 Crossthwaite Avenue, Herne Hill, SE5 8ET

Bikefix

Shopping Bloomsbury

If you're looking for a machine that'll make fellow cyclists stop and stare, or need a three-wheeler to take your ice-cream business into the parks, head for Bikefix. The fantastically quirky and original selection of bikes includes utility models, recumbents and folding bikes – the recumbent style is significantly more aerodynamic as well as eye catching.

Lamb's Conduit Street, London, WC1N 3LJ

Brick Lane Bikes

Shopping Shoreditch

Fixed-wheel and single-speed bikes have become essential urban-hipster accessories in recent years, and you'll find a wide selection at Brick Lane Bikes. The stock includes their own BLB range of pre-built ready-to-go setups, but the kit that gets die-hards drooling will be hanging above your head: new frames from esteemed Leeds firm Bob Jackson, plus a variety of vintage track and road frames (Cinelli, Leader) in most shapes and sizes, all of which can be built to order.

Bethnal Green Road, London, E2 6DG

Brixton Cycles

Don’t judge Brixton Cycles by its no-frills, ’90s-style website. It’s London’s oldest worker-owned bike co-op, so its mechanics are committed and really know their stuff. Its customers are fiercely loyal too: when the shop was threatened with demolition to make way for luxury flats, they raised £62,000 so it could move to its current home. Now that’s what you would call ‘ride or die’.

296-298 Brixton Road, SW9 6AG

Condor Cycles

Shopping Bloomsbury

Seventy-year-old family business Condor Cycles builds its legendary frames by hand in Italy. The result is bespoke bikes that have been ridden by Wiggo, Ed Clancy, Mick Jagger and, erm, Princess Margaret, among others. You can book any old bike in for a fitting, which Condor promises will make you faster and more comfortable. Sadly, there’s no guarantee you’ll be as swift as Bradley or as sexy as Mick. Sorry!

49-53 Gray's Inn Road, London, WC1X 8PP

Cyclecare Kensington

Shopping Barnsbury

This tiny, no-frills shop off High Street Kensington is a reliable go-to for Westside riders. Cyclecare Kensington sells custom builds, Bromptons and Dawes bikes, but they also offer services and repairs at costs that are surprisingly reasonable, given the area. There’s a basic range of accessories for sale including lights, pannier frames and helmets and if you’re ever in a jam, ask for Simon – he’s one of the lovely mechanics who can deal with drop-ins (although they do appreciate a bit of notice).

54 Earl’s Court Road, W8 6EJ

T Birkett

Fully Charged

Yes, using an electric bike is cheating, but who cares when you can glide up hills like Geraint Thomas, zoom past clipped-in Mamils furiously pedalling and arrive at the office sweat-free? Fully Charged’s huge showroom has folding ones, retro-looking ones and kiddy-carrying ones that you can test drive. Off you gooooo.

37 Bermondsey St, Bermondsey, SE1 3JW

London Bike Kitchen

Spent all your cash on a Rapha gilet and now can’t afford to get your bike fixed professionally? Luckily, at London Bike Kitchen’s drop-in workshops, you can make use of tools and mechanics’ brains for just £14 an hour and fix it yourself. This Haggerston bike shop is also home to a library of saddle shapes, so you can find your perfect perch. Goodbye, postcycle butt-ache!

28 Whitmore Road, N1 5QA

Micycle

Shopping Canonbury

This bike store and workshop caters for the Bobbin type (vintage-loving, slow-rolling) and the Bianchi type (speedy riders), and accordingly stocks just these two brands. Micycle pitches itself as a cycling community, encouraging customers to become members, who get discounted repairs and free access to the downstairs workshop for fixing their own punctures. Other perks include a free service and a free bike wash whenever your ride’s looking grubby.

47 Barnsbury Street, N1 1TP

Push Cycles

Newington Green’s Push has delivered a small but nicely chosen range of bikes since 2009 – including London’s own Brother Cycles, and models from Italians Bianchi and Cinelli. The accessories stocked are of the quality, niche-brand ilk – saddles by Brooks, skate-style helmets by Bern, bags from UPSO and Carradice, and lights from Blaze and Lezyne. If you need your bike sorted, head to the downstairs workshop where they can service any type of two-wheeler, including Bromptons and Dutch bikes.

35C Newington Green, London, N16 9PR

Sargent & Co

Shopping Highbury

Owner Rob Sargent is on a mission to promote, revive and facilitate the pastime of cycling. Services at his lovely Finsbury Park shop include repairing and selling ‘rebuilt’ and fully warranted vintage bikes and fixing custom builds. You’ll need to make an appointment to visit (opening hours are 10am–6pm, Tuesday–Saturday), but you’ll get to meet his cat Aalto, while you can eye up the shop’s photos and accessories from cycling’s glory days.

74 Mountgrove Road, London, N5 2LT

Luke Webber

SBC Cycles

Self-described as a heavy-metal bike shop, SBC (or Skull Bike Club) is a mechanic-owned custom bike workshop with a particular knack for dealing with adventure bikes. Stock-wise, you’ll find London-based brands like Surly, Brother and Singular, along with more niche names like Bullitt cargo bikes, Soma and Hunt. They also hold the title of the world’s only custom Nagasawa dealer – so you expect nothing mediocre from these guys. Customer service is first-class, too.

41 Cropley Street, N1 7HT

Discover London's best cycle cafés

London's best cycle cafés

Restaurants

If you cycle in London you'll understand how there's a whole community focused around the decision to move around on two wheels. Be a part of that than in one of the capital's niche cycle cafés, a pit stop where cyclists can have their bike fixed while they nurse a top-notch flat white.

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Discover London's best cycle cafés

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