I put my bike in for a service , and ended up paying more…read morethan I have ever paid . There was poor communication from two different mobiles , resulting in messages being missed and assumptions made in relation to work being agreed upon. Upon completion of the work , there were still concerns which were not properly addressed or acknowledged resulting in having to take the bike elsewhere to fix the problem . After reporting these concerns there was no accepting of responsibility of the part they had played in contributing towards the ongoing concerns and the bike deemed "unsafe"

This palce has been serving people bikes since the dawn of time. The shop has always been there it…read morefeels, on the corner of the busy intersection. In the past these guys have stocked all manner of bike and bits but these days they appear to have limited their stock to mainly Avanti and Scott. There are others but in the road range these are the main fill. The mechanics here are pretty good and the shop has been part of the Brisbane cycling scene for years. Price wise these guys are the same as most shops, nothing out of the ordinary.

As I walk through the newly refurbished show room at Epic Cycles (they've come back from the…read moredevastation that the 2011 floods caused the area) I suddenly feel a sense of F.O.M.O (fear of missing out) and anxiety that my hand me down bike just isn't going to cut it in the cool stakes. I'll admit I'm being serenaded by Epic Cycles kick-a$# selection of bikes that would have people shaking their head and muttering "filthy hipster" under their breath. Thankfully my latest trip to Epic Cycles was to visit their service department. The guys were straight-shooting, easy to talk to and got the job done efficiently. Of course, in having my hand-me-down bike fixed I now need to learn to ride again. I think I'll be back to Epic to acquire some mad knee and elbow pads.

It's great to see these guys have recovered so well from the 2011 floods, which devastated…read morebusinesses along Baroona Rd, with the waters rising to near the tops of the street signs just outside the shop. These guys do a great range of bikes, from mountain bikes, road racers, kids bikes, the popular fixie (so hot right now...) even portable folding cycles! They stock some of the more highly regarded brands like Specialized, Cannondale and Bianchi. I've got a road bike myself and have gone to Epic for a service before. For the uninitiated this might sound a little over-the-top, but modern bikes are quite sophisticated machines and require a bit of TLC. Their most basic tune-up is $49, but at the other end of the spectrum there's the 'Epic service', a complete overhaul of your entire bike, from derailleur to brakes, which has a hefty $239 price-tag. It might sound like a lot (hey, it's more than some car services) but it could be a good idea if you have a particularly advanced bike or are planning a big ride. The staff are really friendly and approachable; keen to chat even if you just want to have a browse. Roll by here if you are thinking of buying a new bike or just need accessories or a tune-up for your current ride.

At time's intimidatingly hipster, you thankfully don't need…read moreto be a fixie aficionado to appreciate the beautiful bikes here at Gear. Gear has some of the most badass two-wheelers I've seen, and from seriously cool designers like Corratec, Cinneli and leader (to name a few.) They also stock a highly covetable range of clothing, head ware, shoes, books, sunglasses, watches, bags and bike parts. The staff are pretty helpful but prepare to part with some greens as frames alone can go for up to $1000. For seriously good Gear, I highly recommend checking this place out.

I'm not a fixed gear enthusiast myself (I rather prefer my bicycles to have brakes!!) but this is…read moreone trendy little shop. My boyfriend is into cycling, although doesn't ride a fixed gear, and loves Gear for its cycling accessories. Whilst the trend amongst hard-core regular cyclists is lycra all the way, "fixies" as they call them, have a trend of their own, much more street cool. With their swirly bicycle logo, Gear does a great t-shirt for $29.95. My boyfriend has a black one with white logo and it's lasted him ages. I recently bought him some socks from there, which cost a whopping $20 (apparently there's something special about cycling socks) and he loves them. Made from a slightly lycra-ish fabric that's supposed breath well, they're also supposed to be ultra-durable. The ones from Gear also come with their little logo on it. This tiny little store is packed with things--clothing, helmets, frames, pedals, seats--literally, the walls are covered with stuff. So if you're a bike enthusiast of any kind, you're bound to find something of interest in there.

This place is conveniently in walking distance to the suburbs of Taringa and Indooroopilly which is…read moreuseful if you, like myself, find your main mode of transport has a flat. Upon entering this place I was warmly greeted by a friendly bike man. Judging by his impressive beard I trusted that he knew a thing or two about bikes. I required a replacement tyre and tube and was offered the basic and more affordable options and a clear explanation of what I'd be expecting from both. I left feeling quite happy with the service however a little unsure about how much I'd spent. A quick search on wiggle.co.uk showed me I could have spent almost half the price online. Maybe in the future I'll be a little more organised and have bought spare tyres cheaper online beforehand. It's more likely I won't have thought ahead and will find myself desperate and paying more for the convenience of being able to fix my bike immediately. Not sure how their prices compare to other bike shops but I'd suggest if you have the time maybe shop around a bit first.

I've decided not to go back here…read more I bought a bike off them a few years back, and it's a great bike. The thing is, whenever I've gone back there since, they've never really been that welcoming. I put up with the mediocre customer service for a few years but after recently taking my bike (which I bought from them) in for a 'standard service', I decided not to go back. They charged me a pretty penny ($70) for the service, which would have been totally fine if they'd actually done something to my bike. As far as I could tell, they did basically nothing. They didn't even lubricate the chain or give the bike a basic clean-up. The description of the standard service on their website says that they do both of these things and more (http://www.cyclenow.com.au/new/index.php?p=3). Pretty disappointing that they didn't complete their own official procedure. They also didn't deal with one of the two things I'd specifically asked them to look at: A squeak which was still there when I picked the bike up and it was pretty obvious from our conversation that they hadn't looked at it. The one thing they did do well was replace my break pads but they charged me extra for both the pads (fair enough) and the labor (probably not fair enough, given that the money I paid for the service didn't buy me anything at all). Oh and to top it all off, they took about a week longer to do all this than they said they would. Apparently they'd lost a staff member and had to hire someone else, which happens, so the delay wouldn't have bothered me if they'd given me decent service. When I asked what they'd actually done in the 'standard service', the manager couldn't tell me clearly. I asked him if he had a checklist from the mechanic, to show that everything had been done and he said no. He then vaguely mumbled something about checking that nothing was loose, and then added that the chain was wearing out and would need to be replaced before long (more $$$). That's it. $70, thanks very much. And some more money for the brakes ($80). And come back soon and give us more money for a new chain, ok? And when you do that, you'll probably need a new cassette too, by the way. Sorry, guys, not impressed. You've lost my business.