There is a huge warehouse shop in an industrial unit in Gillibrands, Skelmersdale selling recycled…read morecookers, fridges, furniture, paint and so, with the whole place run as a social enterprise. In the midst of the warehouse is a bike repair and recycling shop named The Bike Shed, run by a guy called Dieter, which is the subject of this review. I am sold on the idea of a social enterprise bike recycling business as totally oozing green credentials. As with the rest of the warehouse, the bike shop is a bit Steptoe & Son, with loads of frames and partially completed bikes hanging from the ceiling of what we might loosely call the showroom, with the other room being the workshop. I've had one bike serviced here at a cost of £20. From talking to Dieter, I would say this was a deluxe service with the whole bike stripped down and servicable bearings regreased before reassembly, and therefore something of a bargain at that price. I've had three different components replaced - gear shifter, rear derailleur and bottom bracket. In all cases, the part & labour cost was a lot less than any high street bike shop would charge. Where it gets even more bargainous is when Dieter has the necessary component in his parts box. For example, parts cost for a 6-speed shifter was just £2. (OK, it was a thumb shifter to replace a twist grip shifter, but who wants to spend £20 on a part like that for an old bike - not me!) Another time, I brought my mate here looking for a pannier rack and Dieter fitted one while we waited for £5 all in. The best thing seems to be to go in and talk to Dieter, who I would say is offering his extensive mechanical skills and experience at a fantastic price. If you are at the cheaper end of the market, then servicing and repairs should be cheaper here and you should get a lot more for your money. If you are in the market for a cheap recycled bike, tell Dieter what you are looking for and he will see what he has in stock. However, don't be expecting bikes in stock ready to buy and ride away, it is more a case that bikes get built to customer orders from the available stock of frames, forks, wheels, etc. At the higher end, sometimes really good bikes are donated to the project, so you could pick up something quite special. Or if was a custom build you were after from old or new parts, I would talk to Dieter and see what he says. The only thing I would say is leave your expectations of other bike shops at the door and you will get a lot more out of this place.

This shop is now run by Colin and Gaz. They have really built the place up and you can now find top…read moremakes of bikes at low prices. You should go in and shop around and find yourself a bargain. Their servicing is ultra professional and second to none and they are really making a difference to our community, as we have been crying out for a decent bike shop in the town for years. Take it from me I put my carbon fibre road bike in for a service and the care and attention I experienced was second to none - well done these guys are amazing!

stay well away from this shop i bought a bike online waited a for far too long only to be told bike…read moreparts are from russia ?! hmm not what every other bike shop has said about the same bike customer service is absolutely shocking they dont care and are just rude so do not buy from them what an awful company take your money elsewhere and be stress free

I ordered my Pashley Britianna bike from the Bike Factory as the pricing for it was excellent in…read morecomparison to other companies. Apart from it being falsely advertised as when I odered it, it was out of stock but the website not up to date. They repsonded quickly to let me know and were quick to correct it and get the process moving. It came next day delivery and I am over the moon with it. The Bike Factory team have been extremely helpful and quick to respond to any queries I've had. Thank you very much guys!! Will come to you in the future if need be.

Assembled our free bike at a very reasonable cost, efficient, polite and helpful, unlike some of…read morethe major chains in the area!

Totally, totally impressed by this place! This is a bike shop which is local (to me) as can be,…read moreheaded up by Matt Middleton who is second generation in the cycle industry. The whole Bicycle Lounge operation seems progressive and moving with the times with modern branding and website. Email communication with the shop is good, with a reply to queries always coming within 24 hours and often a lot sooner. Email notification on completion of service or repair. Location is really handy, directly opposite the bus station, with the rail station nearby. Downstairs is a decent-sized shop floor without the claustrophobic feel of some local bike shops, with the top priced road bikes and bike fitting upstairs. Their £30 annual service felt like really good value. Front brake pads had been replaced at no extra charge. The brakes, gears and everything are much more responsive and the ride is smoother. I was given a checklist which the mechanic had ticked listing the checks and adjustments that had been carried out. More recently, I had some upgrades done to the drivetrain. Although the half of the job that got carried out was technically OK, I felt more explanation should have been provided of why the repair job had gone the way it had, rather than the onus being on me to spot what had and had not been done and ask questions. Although there is some quite high end kit on sale here, it is balanced by a good amount of kit of the type and at the price point for my needs - I feel their purchasing is pretty good in terms of things that are good quality and good bang for your buck! What I've bought from here - Cateye lights set a while back, identical BBB saddles (£25) for both my bikes, BBB glasses - I've been happy with.

Went here to puck up a new bike tyre and inner tube. Staff…read morewere friendly and helpful. They had a great range of products and made some good recommendations for me. A lot of their bikes and products seem like expensive, premium products as you do see in a lot of bicycle shops, but they do cater to the lower end of the market too. I'd happily shop here again as I know I can just walk in, get helpful advice and walk out with a product that will fit my bike and be right for me. I normally shop on the internet, but there's always a risk of buying the wrong size or unsuitable part. That's where shops like this have value. Great shop!

I have it from Jack Parker himself that his shop sells many more bicycles than would be expected…read morefor a cycle shop of this size. Which is no surprise me, as Jack Parker Cycles of Burscough is a bit of a legend locally, and certainly the first name on the lips of many casual cyclists for miles around. And I've also encountered 'serious' road cyclists in the store every time I've been there. I've had a couple of bikes serviced here, and the price seemed reasonable enough. Jack himself is a very warm and friendly personality and the other staff I've dealt with have all been communicative, businesslike and skilled mechanics. As with most local cycle shops, Jack Parker cram a huge amount of stock into a small space and there are more bikes on display on the first floor. Recently, I was in the market for a new bike and visited several bike shop, including Jack Parker. It was a mountain bike with less nubby tires I was after, and the range of Claude Butler bikes that Jack Parker had on offer were not on display elsewhere. These Claude Butler bikes were all competitively priced, and somehow represented a pragmatic choice. For example, puncture proof tyres came fitted as standard whereas these needed to be bought separately for most bikes on sale at other shops. I notice Jack Parker are now offering cycle hire, at least to get you to Martin Mere WWT, and I think that would make a great day out from Manchester or wherever - catch a train to Burscough or Burscough Bridge Train Station both of which are close to the cycle shop. Lastly, yes, of course you can find some great deals online for cycles and accessories. But if you don't know what you're doing, you can just as easily waste money or end up with a bike which doesn't match your needs as well as it might. If you're local, and you only plan to visit one bike shop, you won't go wrong with Jack Parker for practical buying advice, after-sales service and the inevitable repairs in the years ahead.

Just what we needed in an emergency - good advice about repairing a much loved but rather worn out…read moreold bike, kept on a boat, and a very prompt and thorough repair on the same day to get us back on our way, and sticking to a price estimate despite having to do rather more than expected. What more can you ask for? Thanks.

It's worth going out of your way to go to a good bike shop, bf says, and he's had two bikes from…read morehere and many services and upgrades/alterations (180,000 mi on one of the bikes) and highly recommends. It's a coop where the staff are passionate, knowledgeable and cater to all customer types. In stock are great brands such as Surly and Brompton. They won't try to force you to buy something off the shelf, they will help you customise it and go the extra mile e.g. offering to loan us a bike so bf could accompany me home and giving us flapjacks! Purchase also comes with 3 free services after which bike is a good as new.

Their green signposts-bikes strapped to the lamposts on Curry Mile alerted me to the existence of…read moreThe Bicycle Doctor, which is located on one of the larger side roads off Wilmslow Road. While Neil M. makes an obvious and valid point about the larger stock of Edinburgh Bicycle Co-op, I don't feel that is necessarily a deal-breaker against buying a bike from The Bicycle Doctor which is still quite sizeable. Plus, I get the feeling that the stock offered by The Bicycle Doctor is quite savvy in its own way, with some unique products which may be hard to find elsewhere in Manchester. For example, an electric bike by Trek at £1,700 and a rainbow of cute pastel-coloured Brompton folding bikes both suggest that people are spending serious money here - in fact I don't think EBC stock electric bikes at all. I parted with cash for an interestingly versatile 100% merino wool 'buff', which can be to protect and the cold and UV also, plus a neat pair of cycling sunglasses which several people have asked me where I bought them from. I am in the market for cycle panniers, and I will definitely consider buying them from the good Bicycle Doctor, especially since they stock the high-end Ortlieb roll-top waterproof designs and even had four or so different colours in stock. On the repairs front, their website states that all their mechanics are Cytech-certified which sounds good enough to me! Lastly, The Bicycle Doctor allocates a significant corner of their precious floorspace to a rack of cycling leaflets detailing local routes, mass rides, and cycle-friendly tourism further afield - an authentic touch which typifies this Workers' Co-op which has been 'Serving the Cycling Community for over 25 years'. Thanks, Doc - you left me feeling good, and good to go!

Purchased my bike from Wyre Cycles and am extremely happy with both the service I received and the…read morebike. I did not even know the shop existed until a friend told me. It is located at the back of Brimlow's Garage in Poulton. Really worth seeking out and paying a visit. Also joined the cycling club whilst I was there and received a free bike service :) would recommend the shop to anyone.

From the outside, Romida Sports looks rather dated and bland, with the shop hidden down the side of…read morea local Morrisons in Maghull village nestled between a collection of other small shops. I expected to see perhaps a small selection of various sporting goods and equipment as well as maybe a few pieces of sporting apparel. However, when I entered I discovered that Romida only sells equipment and apparel related to cricket, much to my surprise. Apparently Romida is renowned for its selection of cricket gear in the sporting world, so I guess that shows just how much I know or care about cricket (always found it a bit boring, to be honest). Whilst I didn't find the equipment and products they sold particularly useful personally, I was impressed with the very extensive selection of gear available, which makes Romida a good place for any avid cricket players to visit if they need any equipment at a reasonable price. For those of you that don't fancy venturing out to the shop itself, there is also a very useful and easy to use website from which you can order all your gear too.

As a keen cricketer Romida is like Alladin's cave for me. It is absolutely fantastic. They are…read moredefinitely leading the field when it comes to anything and everything cricket related. The service I must say really is second to none. Online orders are processed as quicker than any other online store I've ever visited. If you do venture into the store the consistency in great customer service is like a breath of fresh air. If only all retailers treated their customers like Romida do, oh what a great world that would be. Clearly the service comes from the passion of the owners which seeps through to all members of staff. They genuinely all love cricket and it shows, as they are able to offer you great advice. If you are a cricket lover or player, Romida is the only place for you!!!!!