Having recently arrived in London, I decided to purchase a secondhand bike to get around the city wasn't too keen on forking out for a new one(theft & state of roads) and found Camden Cylces on the internet. I wanted a road bike and ended up paying £180 (plus £30 for locks) for a 12 speed Carerra at least 15 years old probably closer to 20 . However I took the shop at its word all bikes are fully serviced and road-worthy. BIG MISTAKE. The best way to describe the shop would be think Incompetence a la Only Fools and Horses meets Fawlty Towers without the humour. Within a couple of days of buying the bike the back brake handle broke. A couple of days later the front brake failed almost resulting in me crashing into a woman and her child. Only then did I notice that it had been held together with a plastic tie. The gears did not hold properly either. I brought it back to the shop and they fixed what was broken. I left the shop and by the time I reached the Westend the top front-brake handle fell off again. The next day while out for a short spin, the chain broke resulting in me having to wheel the fricking thing to Halfords to buy a new chain (£10) and fit it myself (despite them having about 10 staff walking around, none were able to put on a chain). I got about another two weeks of cycling before a spoke broke. This can happen old wheel on bad roads. So I brought it back to my old muckers and asked them to fix and check the wheel. They ended up changing 6 spokes and charged me a tenner. Fair enough except that within four days four of the new spokes had broken. Blood pressure was beginning to react negatively. I brought it back and was offered a new wheel half price £40. Thanks but no thanks. They 'fixed' the spokes no charge only for them to break again as quickly as before. The boss seems like a decent chap but then again so were Basil and Dell Boy. My hunch is the 'mechanic' learned his skills from stripping old bikes for parts in the old country. I have owned and used second hand bikes before without any like this type of experience. I was particularly unlucky this time and would advise/caution anyone before buying from Camden Cycles to be very very careful and not to spend anything near what I did. While I would I like to support independent stores, there are none in my area and have now had to resort to buying one over the internet. Fingers crossed. read more

I bought a second hand vintage racing bike in November. The price was fairly reasonable (£170). With hindsight, I can say that it was overpriced. The bike was good but in 6 months of usage, I spent nearly as much for servicing (brakes, wheel, pedals, and general servicing). Finally I decided to make a bigger expense and buy a new bike somewhere else. At least I know what I am buying. The people working at the shop have no clue about bikes. They are very dodgy people whose job is to grab as much money from you as they can. They ask you money for everything you ask them to do, even for the most irrelevant thing like tightening a bolt or changing the seat (unscrewing the old one and placing the new one) they ask you money. When they service or replace a part, they use poor spare parts, but make you pay as though you had bought a good one. They don't know how to fix a bike and they don't even try. It is disgusing how they nonchalantly fake compencence when they have none. When you have a problem, first thing they suggest you is to replace the part (and possibly some complimentary parts as well). Their only concern is how much money they can grab from you, especially if you are naive and unexperienced. I changed the back wheel once and I had to rechange it 1 month after because it was twisted. They said I had hit the wheel somewhere but that was not the case. Last time I went there it was because I felt a cracking noise coming from the brackets. The problem was they needed tightening. What they did was changing the pedals first (which were absolutely fine and did not need changing), asking me £5 pounds for changing them on top of that. I will never set foot on that shop again. Avoid. Avoid. Avoid. There are plenty of better places in London. read more

I would advise EXTREME caution when dealing with the guys at Camden Cycles. Last weekend I went into their shop asking if they had any bikes that would suit me. The guy who helped was really patient as I was pretty adamant about what I did and didn't want. I eventually settled upon a bike that needed different handlebars but they didn't have the ones I needed so I asked if I could put the bike on hold whilst I saw if it was possible to find what I needed elsewhere. I was told that I would need to put down at least a third of the price of the bike (£100) and that they could only keep it for 10-14 days. I returned with a cycling-guru friend 6 days later who deemed that the bike was actually too small for me, badly needed new tyres and a service. After being ignored by the staff for approx. 10 minutes, I asked if it was possible to have my deposit back as they didn't have any other suitable bikes I could use my deposit on. This was met with the answer that I could have credit, but they couldn't give back the deposit. Upon querying why this was the case, they said it was normal practice and in their 'policy' (no such policy was produced when requested). There was also a £7/day 'storage' fee (also a part of their 'policy') that was news to me. Eventually, after being met with flat refusal on their part, I managed to persuade them to give me back my deposit, minus the 6 days' storage fees. Avoid, avoid, avoid unless you like having raised blood pressure! read more

These guys are a joke AVOID AVOID AVOID. AWFUL, RUDE, UNINTELLIGENT AND BORDERLINE CRIMINAL I popped in to see what I could sell a second hand racer for. The bike (and I know about bikes) was worth at least 350. First of all (and I hesitate to call him this) the gentleman asked me what I wanted for it I presume this was some kind of test. He shook his head and said he could get a bike like this for 200 from his suppliers. Which is a total lie. If he could do that, then I'm in the wrong job I'll start buying at 200 and selling at a 600 profit. What a joker. I argued a bit with him, about his profit margin and told him that I didn't believe his 'supplier' line. He clearly thought that because I am a woman, I am stupid. Furthermore, as I was standing outside, they flogged the most dreadful 2nd hand bike, with a bagging chain and unindexed gears to a girl for about 3 times as much as it was worth. I'm 99% sure that any positive review on here has been written by them, or a friend of theirs. They only have one guy who knows anything about bikes, the rest are a bunch of wheeler dealers who think they can fleece city types with ridiculous prices. I mean, there was a Viking bike, worth 250, selling at 600! DON'T GO HERE! I put one star because it wouldn't let me put MINUS STARS read more

I had a puncture near Camden and this was the closest place to get it repaired. They seemed friendly but when I was asked to pay in cash and not with my card my suspicions started. It felt dodgy, but I didn't really have much option as I was in a hurry. They persuaded me I needed a new tyre (and to be honest I think I did and I don't think I was ripped off with that. I've checked the price elsewhere). however.after the very rapid puncture repair I had to return 3 times within 20 mins, as the rear wheel alignment was off, the brakes were binding and the gears were slipping. Eventually it felt more or less OK. During the next two days, however, the gears started to slip continuously & the chain then fell off 4 times within 24 hours. I couldn't get back there to get it fixed (and to be honest didn't trust them any more) so had to pay another shop to remove the back wheel, disentangle the completely snarled up chain and recalibrate my gears. I'll never be going to Camden Cycles again. It struck me while waiting for my repair that all their second hand bikes looked really grubby and tatty. Having read the other reviews, I'm afraid I'd steer well clear. read more

I found Camden Cycles yesterday - by serendipity - on my way back from a disastrous experience with one of the larger, "Brand" cycle companies in New Oxford Street. With Camden Cycles In less than one hour I was on my way with a new wheel fitted by Adil who, generously, had also correctly adjusted my rear brake. The trouble with the larger, "Brand" companies is that they are indeed so large that they become overwhelmed with booking requirements, are less able to maintain attention to the needs of the individual. It was common sense for Camden Cycles to go the extra ten yards and fix my brakes (for free - though I was happy to chip in) because it was all the more accessible because of the main work - the changing of the rear wheel - being in progress. The "Brand" companies would have referred to this as a separate "Brake Service" and charged accordingly. So top marks to Adil and Camden Cycles for fast, professional, in-the-moment efficient and very reasonably priced work. Check them out! They're at the Camden end of Eversholt Street, not far from Mornington Crescent. Thank you, Camden Cycles! read more

i don't know why people spread bad words abt this exceptional shop In my point of view they are the most trustworthy and friendly bike shop. I have been going there since 2 years now and that is the most economical shop, they are changing bike tube in 10 pounds compare to evans or cycle surgry charging 18 to 22 pounds for changing the inner tube. Once i went there for service my bike it needed a fare amount of work they advised me to change my bike with a different one rather than to repair it. It was costing me around 100 pounds to fix my bike and they gave me a very nice ridgeback for the differnce of 120 pounds. I have been riding this bike for 4 months now and it rides really well and it much better than my old one and i never took it back for any problem because they service there bikes before selling. i never publish any review on the internet but after reading all these bad comments abt this shop, it provoked me to leave this. If someone have sense they can figure it out that why some people leave bad comments. read more

Do not buy a bike from here! I bought a second-hand aluminum bike from Camden Cycles and 6 weeks later noticed a large crack in the frame, making it a write-off. They refused to give me a refund or exchange for a bike of equal value as it was outside the 4 week warranty period. Instead they tried to make me pay another £80 for another bike, claiming this was doing me 'a favour'. I told them this wasn't on and decided to leave, 2 minutes later I realised they had shimmied my receipt away into the shop and I had to go back to get it, at which point the sales guy claimed he had already given it back to me. A minute later and it suddenly appeared from inside the shop! These guys don't care if what they sell you is suitable or not, they're just after a quick sale. read more

One of the last few true nitty-gritty bicycle shops amidst an ever-expanding sea of low-grade, hipster esque bicycle stores in London. Their shop may be small and a bit cramped but don't let that give you a bad impression, they have an awesome staff willing to help you out with whatever your bicycle needs and their inventory is versatile enough for any budget. I bought an affordable second hand road bike this Summer at Camden cycles and am beyond satisfied with it, especially for the price I got it, which only goes to show that these people know what they're doing and know that what they have in stock is of good quality. I have nothing but good things to say about this shop and have been going back for any service or extras I need for my bike. read more

I spent ages trying to find the right bike for me, and the folks at CAMDEN CYCLES were really helpful. I went to another local bike shop first, but I found the atmosphere there a little too much man filled for me, and the service (to me, anyway) was not as female-friendly as at Camden. They helped me fine-tune Gazelle Dutch Bike until it was 100% perfect, and even did a couple of minor tweaks/jobs for free (Changes the saddle for what I wanted and changed the handle bar grips) I bought lot of accessories and they have happily fitted for me. I have been back time & time again I was very impressed by the advice, friendliness and the prices at this store. . All of the advice and equipment has turned out to be good. They are my STAR! read more

Your comments about Camden cycles are interesting, but may be out of date. We visited the UK last month and visited Camden Cycles they seemed expensive and pushy. Their other shop, Station Cycles at Walthamstowe seemed better and we bought three bikes for 135 each with a verbal agreement to buy them back for half that. After three weeks and no more than 200 miles cycling, they would offer us no more than 30 GBP, after they kept us waiting for hours with excuses about not being responsible and the boss being away. Beware of Camden and Station Cycles! They were expensive to start with and you would be far better off selling bikes on Ebay or Gumtree. read more

Very dishonest staff! I purchased a bike from Camden Cycles last week and it had buckled wheels and was falling apart (they claim to service their cycles to make them 'road worthy' which obviously means 'will go when peddled' and thats it). When buying the bike the man said it was worth far more than I was paying for it, which I now know, from doing some research was not at ALL true. Next time I'll buy from a trust worthy place, these guys seem like crooks... They refused to refund me, so I ended up having to take another bike from them, which has dodgy brakes that I'll have to pay a reputable bike shop fix. Don't go near this place. read more

AVOID AVOID AVOID AVOID! This place is an utter shambles. I underwent a full service on my racer, it was supposed to include a full service, clean and repair. I asked for parts to be repaired that weren't and picked the bike up in a shocking condition, new grease put over old grease, no clean, deraileur completely off, one cable replaced and spongey brakes. All of this cost me £82 I have since this service had my chain slip twice while at speed and have hit a parked car as a result. The staff here are rude and care about money only. It's only a matter of time before they result in a serious injury or fatality. AVOID! read more

Shady people you take a high risk of making bad deal if you don't know much about bikes like me: I paid over half of the bike's retail value but was told it was only 2 years old and that I could return within 2 weeks. A week later I discovered the bike was over 5 years old and that as a result the wheels would need to be replaced as they were worn out. I wanted to return within the 2 week time-frame but was told they would reimburse me only part of my purchase price. Together with the new wheels I will end up paying over 70% of the bike's retail price read more

Appalling shop. Avoid it. They sell 3rd rate bikes, and refuse to accept responsibility. I paid £250 for a bke in Cotober 2011. Within weeks it needed new brakes, new headset, bottom bracket and rear wheel. And then the frame snapped. It cost over £600 and was useless within 6 months. They refused compensation. I am suing and complaining to Camden Trading Standards. For the many others who have suffered at the hands of this shop, why not join in a complaint to Trading Standards? read more

Not a bad place to buy a bike. I had a bit of trouble getting a refund processed and it took a long time, but every time I called they were very receptive and in the end, they pushed very hard to get the problem sorted (I get the impression it was a problem with the accountants rather than the shop itself). I admit, the staff seem a bit aloof but I think they do care about providing a good service. As for the bike itself, absolutely no problems and the price seemed right. read more

I planned to visit this shop but after reading these reviews I won't bother! Do people have recommendations of other good secondhand bike shops? I am looking for a vintage mixte bike, like a raleigh tourer. Or possible an old raleigh sports. I know a little about bikes but I really need somewhere that is familiar with these bikes and particular who can have a discussion with me about work and maintenance. I can travel anywhere in London any tips? Thanks!! read more

I have never had anything but an excellent experience at Camden Cycles. I bought my bike there and had some issues that were taken care of immediately and free of charge. I won't take my bike anywhere else. Staff seems knowledgeable.There are not many places to go for reliable secondhand bikes in London and i think i choose the right one .I bought my Peugeot made in France 1974a wonderful machine with lots of characters.. Recommended.. read more

i done alot of search for buying a second hand bike bcoz i was bit worried to buy a new one as it is more attractive to thieves,and finally i buy my bike from camden cycles second hand bike which is less then half of a price if it was new and it runs as smooth as new.really happy with it and i will suggest all u guys to just once go there and see the stock and atmosphere of the shop. staff is very friendly and cooperative. read more