Service is quick and affordable, and I generally get the impression that they're looking out for…read moreme. They don't try to upsell me on things that I don't ask for, unless they think it will help reduce waste or save me money.

I rented a bike for the week while I was in Brisbane. Andrew was very attentive and helpful - he…read morereally spent some time with me to make sure I had the right kind of bike and that it was set up properly. The bike was good quality and well maintained - perfect for enjoying the amazingly good bike infrastructure in and around Brisbane. Overall a really great experience, and whenever I get back to Brisbane, this will be my first stop!

Every time I've convinced myself I'll get into a particular sport or hobby, I've come to Rebel…read moreSport on Queen St to buy my gear. I've picked up swimwear, goggles, ear plugs, roller blades, an exercise ball, and a yoga mat from Rebel Sport, and I haven't had trouble with any of them so far! There's also a huge range of sportswear and runners - my friend picked up some great Nike joggers. The staff are helpful and are happy to give you a lowdown on the products on offer. The store is massive so sometimes it can be difficult to locate what you're after, so don't hesitate to ask. And don't be afraid to give some of their products a try. Often they'll have a display version - for example, I wanted to try out some rollerblades and had a bit of a blade around the cycling section of the store. The staff didn't bat an eyelid. Rebel Sport also offers store membership, and you receive a voucher upon signing up.

A decent selection of all things sporting. Not a lot in the way of AFL and basketball gear, but…read morethere is a fair bit for the rugby fan.

Run-of-the-mill bikes are a dime a dozen. Really, how many bicycle franchises are there in…read moreBrisbane? Well, if you're not run of the mill and you're looking for beautiful road bikes with alluring designs you must go and inspect the range at Velo Bicycles. Coming down Kedron Brook Road, the store is located on the cusp, a virtual roll, from the heart of Wilson Village. It's clear that ethos of this independent bike store is something the staff believes in. Inside the experience is testament to standing out and above the competition. Everything, from the service centre to the luster of the floorboards demonstrates that the products sold here are of the highest quality and craftsmanship. With individual frames and wheels handcrafted from places like Germany and Italy its safe to assume that Velo Bicycles sell high end products. One bike I found retailed for almost $9000 dollars. Upon this discovery, the very helpful manager, Warren, led me to some cheaper rides valued at $899. As Warren informed me (and I may be paraphrasing him a little), the stock in store may be a bit on the excusive side, but the quality, longevity and riding experience of a bike bought from Velo is second to none. In addition to Velo's love for quality road bikes, the store is into cultivating the local riding population by encouraging group rids on weekends where fellow enthusiasts can muse and cruise together. You can join up inside or go to their website for more information. Velo Bicycles isn't just a bike store, it's a centre for biking fanatics. I mean what other store has a Cadel Evans bike on display?

From the owner: Pinarello, Time, Colnago, Look, Parlee, Trek, Avanti, EMC2 & many more.read more

Ahhh Brisbane. What better way to enjoy this beautiful city in all of its sunshine-y glory than by…read morebicycle? Our thoughts exactly. So we contacted Brisbane Bicycle Tours and booked a 2-hour Brisbane river tour for our group of nine. The payment process was seamless, the communication was excellent, Steve and Fiona were flexible to our tight schedule, and everything was on track for an amazing day... until we checked the weather report. Rain. Lighting. Strong winds. What the heck, Brisbane! Steve gave me a call a few days before our ride and let me know they were willing to be very flexible on time and day based on the weather, but unfortunately our group's schedule was so tight, we only had this small window of riding opportunity. So we both did our respective rain dance and promised to play it by ear the day of. The morning of our tour my phone rang - Steve let me know that while they'd be happy to ride in the rain, he wanted us to have a great time, and riding along the river with the uninvited company of rain and lighting miiiiiiight not be everyone's cup of tea. And just like that, without any dramas at all, he refunded our entire amount. His exact words were: "we say on our website that we're not responsible for cancellations due to bad weather, but honestly, you're not responsible for the weather either!" His kindness and communication throughout the process blew me away. You know a business is doing something right when your expected service is ruined and you still leave having a 5-star experience. Now I'm just itching to come back and go on that ride!

Ever notice those racks of yellow bikes at various places around Brisbane. Those are the…read moreCityCycles. Now the scheme is a reasonably good idea, and I love the lessened environmental impact that comes from bike riding, but Brisbane just does not seem to have warmed to CityCycles the way people hoped. Maybe it is because it has been raining too much recently, or the fact that picking up a CityCycle is not as easy as it seems. First thing to know is that you need to have a subscription. You can get annual, three month, weekly or day subscriptions which you can get online. You then have to log on at the CityCycle terminal and select a bike which then gets unlocked so you can ride it. You then have to return the bike to a terminal (which can be any one in Brisbane). So unfortunately you sort of have to do your research, subscribe, find out where all the terminals are and buy a helmet before CityCycle is any use. Not all that convenient in the end. The biggest issue, however, is that by law you need to wear a helmet. You can pay extra to hire one or buy your own. But that is just another thing to worry about when it comes to CityCycle. In the end it is all a bit too much of a hassle for me to bother and I end up just taking the bus or train instead with the bonus extra of not getting sweaty.

Ah Brisbane. When you steal other cities awesome ideas, you should probably make sure they'll work…read morehere. This is a great idea - in flat, temperate cities where you don't have to wear helmets. Unfortunately the fat cats in City Hall seemed to have forgotten that when they dropped bucket loads of cash on this scheme. It was no doubt an excuse for an expensive 'study trip' to Paris or Amsterdam, but what it has resulted in is less street parking and less money in the budget to support just over 1,000 users. Oh and it's a great source of news fodder for lazy journo's looking for a ready made beat up story. I'd like to see some of the politicians jump on a bike on a humid Brisbane day, don a potentially lice ridden public helmet and puff and sweat their way up hill and down dale to get to work. HA. I'm pretty sure they'd rather catch public transport (and that aint never going to happen).

From the entrance, Kathmandu looks like a little like Colarado selling stylish travel and sporting…read moreclothes but people who love the great outdoors will vouch that Kathmandu is for serious travellers. When I backpacked around Europe, this is the store where I bought all my thermals, travel jacket, micro-towel, cycling gloves and seriously daggy cycling pants (the ones which have extra padding around the bum). For once I didn't shop around and just paid the premium for quality equipment which lasted me the entire year I was trekking through Europe. I've still got all my travel equipment stashed in the top of my wardrobe somewhere - they'll probably fall to bits if I decide to make another trip but I just can't let go. For all you intrepid travellers out there, trek to Kathmandu first before attempting the world.