After discovering that my front wheel of my mountain bike had been stolen, I made some enquiries…read moreand came across Chainlink Cycle Shops in Hornchurch. Where possible I always try to keep my custom local and help to support local businesses. As I was impressed with what I believed at the time was an efficient service, I gave the owner 10.00 extra for fitting a brand new wheel and tyre. When I got home that evening I was shocked to find that the tyre had gone down. Once I removed this - I noticed that the Inner Tube had previously been damged and covered up. I was very disappointed and wondered to myself, is there any wonder that our high street is in decline. AVOID this shop.

We bought a bike else where but couldn't get the 360 brakes working so took it to our local bike…read moreshop. He charged us £48 to adjust the cables and claims that he tightened everything up which wasn't needed, and to the point, wasn't done. Halfords charge £6 for the job required, that's £42 less that what I was charged at Chainlink. When I called to query this, he suggested that I wasn't supporting local businesses because I bought the bike from Tesco rather than his store. I feel robbed and will never trust this shop again.

AVOID THIS SHOP…read more EVERY SINGLE TIME I put my bike in there it comes back with a problem that takes £50 to fix. Once I had an issue with my gears slipping, they told me I needed a new chain and cassette (total cost about £70). Took it to a shop down the road (whos name is the exact opposite of 'Blacks'), and the next day they'd fixed it. All it needed was a slight adjustment, the deraulier (if thats what its called) was a little out. Total cost: £8. I decided right there and then, they were my new bike shop, even if they are a 20 minute walk. My last experience of Wheelies was recent, I needed a new inner tube on my back wheel. Took it in, got it done quite quickly. Next day, tried cycling and got two feet before the chain came off. Put it back on, cycled but the chain kept slipping. Took it in and they told me the chain was bent. I told them my bike was fine before I put it in but they were having none of it. And if that's not enough to put you off, their stock is also overpriced, and they don't contact you to tell you when your bike is 'fixed'. I WILL NEVER USE THEM AGAIN!! I advise that none of you do either, unless you like to pay for new parts every time you put your bike in.

Decathlon is the best sports shop there is both for value for money and range of stock…read more You won't believe the amount of stuff in there and we can easliy spend a couple of hours just browsing. They sell everything from football stuff to hunting, shooting and fishing. During the winter months they have a cheap and extensive range of ski wear and ski equipment and you can kit out the whole family easily. In the summer this changes to beach stuff and hiking gear such as boots, trousers and jackets. If you can't find what you need here it probably doesn't exist.

I have found this a great place to get reasonably priced sports and outdoor gear. It also offers as…read moreinspiration :) The best thing is the range - I have newly started a couple of different sports this year such as horseriding. For things like this, I don't want to go all out and get everything just yet as I don't know if I will like it, however I still want to be safe. Instead of going to speciailty stores, I can come here to get the basics and then as I learn more about what I need and want, can get more advanced kit as I develop.