Had seen some good write ups and deals on Pauls Cycles. I had decided on two bikes so called them as I wanted a bit of advice and their 'expert opinion' so I could make a final decision. Needless to say I shouldn't have bothered. The guy had no interest in talking, zero knowledge of the bikes (I'm no expert but his knowledge was laughable) and he seemed to be in a rush to get me off the phone. I also asked him about their Cycle to Work scheme and he told me in a stroppy tone to read the web site. Turns out their participation in the scheme doesn't make them competitive anymore. They add 11% to their price. This immediately brings them inline with other companies pricing that don't add a fee. If you know what you want, are buying outright and are bike savvy I think they're probably a good deal as a bike in a box type set up. If my experience is anything to go by and from what I've read elsewhere now then I wouldn't want to throw my hard earned cash at somebody so disinterested. I would be concerned about any form of after sales care. Stack 'em high sell 'em cheap is obviously their motto. From their tone and manor they went from a definite sale, even with the extra Cycle Scheme fee to a definite no sale. read more

Beware after sales customer service is non existent. Purchased a bike online (good deal on an old GT model), delivery extra but came promptly. Unfortunately the gears had not been set up correctly and did not change properly. Emailed customer support and was ignored no reply. Had to take it to my local bike shop to fix for £20. Worth a risk if you find a bargain, but be aware that they don't set the bikes up properly. Update: I sent them another email stating how unpleased I was with their service (and mentioned I'd reviewed online) and received a very prompt response in which they apologised for the problem and said they hadn't received the email. They have also now refunded me the cost of the fix. I understand emails can be missed so I have updated this review and would now recommend this company. read more

Ordered a giant trance on the Monday ,it arrived on Wednesday. it was very well packaged and was set up properly. I fitted the handle bars , front wheel and seatpost, and added my own pedals, job done. I took it to my local bike shop to have the tyres converted to tubeless and they gave the bike a once over for me and found it to be set up properly. i did ask Paul's cycles to do the tubeless conversion ,but they said no . That is the reason for the 4 stars and not 5. I bought a 2012 Giant Trance for £1800 and saved myself £700 on the 2013 model. No complaints , they supplied the service they said they would. read more

I have just used Paul's Cycles to purchase a 2010 Cannondale Trail SL5 for only £409.00, I ordered Monday night after hours via priority shipping DHL (just £5 extra) and worth every Penny, the bike came Wednesday lunchtime. Very well packaged, had to fit pedals, handelbars, front wheel which was no problem as I was planning to carry over some bits from my old bike like the hydraulic disc brakes and my DMR wingbars. So far so good, I guess Pauls are a bike supermarket rather than a LBS, however if you want LBS service you have to pay LBS prices which in my area (the South East) are steep! read more

The reason they are cheap is because of the limited options they buy in bulk, boxed, and ship them out boxed after a quick PDI. Bikes need looking after most the problems above would not happen if people checked their bikes over and maintained them, especially loose bolts. Bikes bed in too, so gears will need readjustment. I have had three bikes from them, all have been great for the price, and work great too once bedded in and adjusted. If you don't know how to look after your bikes, buy from a local shop and keep taking it back there. But I recommend buying some tools and learning. read more

I was about to purchase a Cannondale Synapse Carbon 105 for £1259... Just about to go on hols so phoned them this morning to ask about delivery and if there were any guaranteed days I could plan around... I was duly confronted with an angry man barking at me that THERE IS NO GUARANTEE AT ALL, 1-2 DAYS PRIORITY or 3-5 DAYS STANDARD, ORDER FOR SATURDAY IF YOU WANT A GUARANTEE!... Needless to say, after this and the above comments, I'm going somewhere else! I think I'll deal with a professional company who aren't annoyed with the world of running a business. read more

I recently bought a gt bike of Paul's for £1500 I had a problem with the brakes they didnt work, after numerous call to Paul's they eventually said " well strip the brakes off send us them back special delivery and we will have a look when we get time" I am no bike mechanic and after spending a lot of money with them I guess i expected a Service. shocking company will not deal with them again. I took the bike to je james who were very understanding and sorted the problem for me that day but at a cosst of £25. read more

I ordered the wrong size by my mistake, using the cycle to work scheme and tried to change my order but they just reply sorry we dont have enough stock and the last 1 was sorry stephen we cant let you continue as youve ordered 5bikes in a month. Iam sorry its my fault you dont stock enough bikes to let me have just 1. 1star rated until iam able to order the bike i want. THEY ONLY WANT TO GIVE ME THE BIKE THATS THE WRONG SIZE FOR ME, YES IT IS MY MISTAKE ORDERING THE WRONG SIZE BUT STILL! read more

Just collected a Canondale Synapse Carbon Apex from Paul's Cycles. Bike was ready as promised. Final adjustments and paperwork done before I left by the friendly and really helpful team. Spent a few more quid on some accessories which were also good value. Shop seemed busy but customer service was all in all great. Overall I'm happy to reccommended Pauls Cycles to other relatively newbie cyclists. thanks guys. John Swallow read more

Bought a Cannondale Synapse on offer, they built it on the day and after paying for priority shipping the bike arrived the following lunch time. It was packed well and required a small amount of assembly (handlebars and front wheel). The bike was well built and only required a minor cable adjustment to stop a front derailleur rub in top gear. Overall very pleasant experience and I would look at using again! read more

I had a similar experience. I was about to purchase and wrote to ask about fitting shorter cranks. Got a short reply stating" the bikes come as they are". Wrote back to complain about the very short reply and got a response allegedly from Paul himself thanking me for my "outburst". Strange way of doing business I have to say. Needless to say I didn't proceed with my purchase. read more

I sourced a high end road bike from Paul's last year's model and great discount. They sent helpful replies to my emails, built the bike for me to go in and inspect and everything was fast, friendly and efficient. The pickup was easy and pleasant and they also offered to help with fitting and setup. I cannot fault them and will look there for my next bike. read more

5 stars for speed of delivery, bicycle appears to have been packaged well, still need to assemble and test ride once the snow has melted. Will update review should I have any problems with the bike. read more