Little cafe tucked away in the Custard Factory of Birmingham which myself and a friend popped into…read morethis weekend before heading over to an event.....anyone that knows me will know that coffee is a big part of my morning.....and not a lot happens before that. The good thing about this place is the charm and decor of it being a gallery/cafe. It has a load of pictures and art that are for sale around the place as well as a few tables for people to enjoy a cup of whatever takes their fancy. They also serve bagels and some DELICIOUS looking cakes! I managed to resist and just had a soy flat white. The coffee tasted good....not mind blowing as I think they soy milk was different to others I had tasted and was a little bit botter....still decent....just not mind blowing. I would say this is more of a grab a coffee and have a chat with a mate kind of place rather than a working coffee shop. It feels very homely like you are in someone's living room and does not offer a lot of tables ideal for working with plugs etc. Ill be back but not with the laptop :)

Stumbled upon the coolest boutique cafe in Digbeth. Cranked Custom Cycles is Birmingham's first…read morecustom bicycle store and cafe - how awesome is that!! Although I know absolutely nothing about bicycles I really like the cafe side of things - it is super small making for a chilled out vibes and what's great there is a very comfy couch! There are some funky bikes dotted around the cafe which are really awesome and adds to the vibrant store front. The selection of cakes on offer look rather yummy but we decided on the red velvet cake (which was sooo good) and a cup of tea - perfect combination. I love the coffee table in the middle of the store, there are some great books and magazines for your reading pleasure (it also make for a good photo). I would definitely recommend checking out this place, it seems like a hidden gem which people don't really know about and the vibes are uber cool. Look forward to visiting again soon. Note to self - try out the lemonade as it looked deliciously refreshing!

Bike Pro stock a range of bikes from kids character bikes to high end expensive specialist sport…read moreand racing machines. I'm in here for a BMX. I didn't have the cash to afford one a good one as a kid, and the bank have just decided that I need a credit card issued to me. So now I can re-live those days I never had! The staff know what they are talking about and the one looking after me is clear that its not the kind of bike to ride long distances on. I assure him that the furthest this bike is going is to Lidl carpark for some tailwhips, boomerangs, bunnyhops and other tricks that I hope I haven't forgotten how to perform. I sit on the bike, do a few stationery tricks but I can't really give in to the follies of youth, even though they offer an option to pay in installments.

I'm not going to pretend I know a great deal about bikes. However I do have an incredibly beat-up…read morebmx that has valiantly ploughed through all sorts of unforgiving terrain for many years. Well all of that finally took its toll. First my freewheel broke in half. For all of you who don't know, it's one of the critical pieces that allows you to turn the wheels around. So I took it off to bike pro, after my home crash course in bmx parts that came to nothing. They swiftly and efficiently replaced it with a new one while I was there looking bemused at the amount of shiny bike stuff that you can spend your money on. Wonderful, I thought, I can begin abusing my bike again. Well I could until I battled up a steep hill and my pedal decided to snap. So before this became more comical and my whole bike fell apart mid-ride, I took it back to bike pro, and again they looked unimpressed at what a pathetic bike I had, but swiftly took it off and nursed it back to health. I think they sensed from the bike I brought in that I wasn't a bona fide cyclist, so I was treated with a slight superior cyclist disregard. It really is a good shop if you want to spend an afternoon enthusing about bikes and bike mechanics, bike stuff and how many miles you've done in the last week. But this wasn't the reason for my visit, I just wanted my bike to be roadworthy again, and that's what resulted. New freewheel, new pedals, adjusted brakes and a polished frame and I've been riding off into the sunset ever since.

My bike was chained to a railing and some clever person backed their car straight into the railings…read moreand my bike. Instead of leaving a note they decided to leave it and let me pick up the bill. So I took the damaged and warped bike to Scott's and they looked at it and said 'no problem'. I bought the bike for 900 and they said they would do the whole fix, which including two new wheels for under 100 pounds. I was very pleased with the price and checked my bike into the bike hospital for a night to be repaired. The repair was excellent and they called me earlier than anticipated to say they had completed the job. The service and workmanship I received on my repair was nothing short of excellent.

This is a good traditional bike shop, where the owner can tell you anything you ever needed to know…read moreabout bikes but were afraid to ask. My problem was dealt with promptly, at a reasonable price, and I was given good advice. I will certainly go here as my local bike shop

These guys are awesome. I've had my bike serviced, repaired and an annual MoT there for about four…read moreyears now. Staff are friendly and you even get a cup of tea to keep your hands warm while you stand in the viewing area watching your bike get put through the paces. They sell bikes, accessories and clothes and will also order parts in for you if you need it. The mechanics are friendly and knowledgeable and will chat about your stuff if they have the time to do so. I had my bike serviced there as it was a bit lumpy, and the guy doing the work phoned me up and said "it's a lot better than it used to be; I've balanced the carbs and I'm fairly sure I can get some more performance out of it if you have the time, I've spent a lot of time on these so know I can get a bit more well out of it..." -- lovely to hear that they have a ton of experience of your machine when they're working on it. If you're looking for somewhere friendly and trustworthy to take your pride and joy to be given the once-over by a professional, you can't go wrong here. About £150 for an annual service and about £30 for a MoT.

Everyone at JCs really helpfull and friendly. I broke down…read morein Birmingham and got towed to them. And despite only having an hours notice, they managed to get the bike in the workshop and fix the problem [including someone having to go elsewhere to get a new battery for me]. Cost of work done was very competitive and carried out skillfully. I would recommend highly. Thanyou KCs. from Nik

Safety is the most important thing on which a bike rider should pay attention because some injuries…read moretake a long period to recover and a few are life long, so it is better to purchase and wear the motorbike accessories that provide protection. The whole body of a rider should be covered while riding because one can sustain injury on any part of the body, so a rider should purchase a pair of high quality boots from any of the motorbike clothing brands offering the accessories of premium quality like jsaccessories.

came in just to have a look around, had what i needed prices were competitive and fairread more

Having been open less than a year, Birmingham Bike Foundry is unique amongst the many buinesses in…read moreStirchley as it is run as a co - operative by left wing bike fanatics. Flyers for the anarchist book fair nestle alongside trendy looking BMX magazines on the counter. A range of first and second hand bikes are available, and a large portion of the selection I had a look at were definitely a bit more special than what's on offer in your average bike shop, and some could even have been described as vintage. The Birmingham Bike Foundry also reclaims bikes that have previously been scrapped and do a fair amount of bike repairs too, having a reputation for being dirt cheap as far as repairs are concerned. There's also all manner of workshops and tool share schemes on the go. With a food co operative due to open a food store in the next few months, Stirchley could turn into a haven for independent, co operative run small buisnesses. For now though, Birmingham Bike Foundry are doing an excellent job of leading the way. If you're a bike enthusiast, you'd be a fool not to pay them a visit.

Ssssssssss - no, that's not the sound of a flat tyre, rather my own deflation…read more Despite my funny age and just-about-grown-up legs, I bought a BMX online. But this child of the 80s has had trouble ironing out its kinks following self-assembly. If I'd have known about this place, I could have saved myself the bother and been helping out E.T a lot quicker. Well, that or cycling round the park in a duffel coat, with only the top button done up, impressing the birds and that. For a man - there, I said it - who should know better, there are some familiar brands from back in the day: GT, Diamond Back and the less exotic Raleigh. There are also the very 21st century-sounding names, We The People and Alienation. I guess riders these days must feel part of - or adrift from - a supposed urban collective. Back when I was in the saddle, I was just happy going to the post office for a foam glider and cleaning my mag wheels with some old pants. Perhaps I should have been bringing butties to striking miners instead and, navigating bollards, said: "mom, it's like a jungle out there."

I visited On Your Bike whilst doing some research for a uni project and the chaps there were more…read morethan happy to indulge me in their bike knowledge and show me their range of bikes and locks, which helped a lot. Situated in Digbeth Birmingham, On Your Bike is a great place to seek some bike knowledge and also offers bicycle rental which is rare I think. They have an impressive array of stock and are very helpful when it comes to advice. Despite the cheeky name On Your Bike offer a very professional service and no altitude if you're uncertain of what you're looking for in a bicycle.

A bike store stocking products to meet all of your cycling needs whether it be a new bike, of which…read morethey stock a great range of road, mountain and hybrids. They have a huge range of bike components so if you're performing some maintenance on a current model they're likely to have what you need in stock, or will be happy to order it if one of their suppliers stocks it. They offer an in-depth fitting service to ensure your bike is fine-tuned to your very personal bio-mechanics. Bike rental is also available from here if you wish to explore the city centre on wheels. If you don't trust yourself putting a spanner to the intricate mechanics of your bike, they offer servicing too. It is a one-stop bike store with most of the gear that you need to nurture and make the most of your two-wheeled companion.