Ive known them for so long. Good bike shop. Good owner. Lots of stocks . No frills no thrills bike…read moreshop in Makati.

Okay, let's get the obvious out of the way. Endless Bike Shop is located at the less fashionable…read moreside of Makati. It's open air, and it honestly looks like a streetside car repair shop. Now if you're the kind of biker that gets turned off by such details, then this isn't the bike shop for you. However, if you're looking for incredible value, a great selection of bike parts that's well within your budget, backed up by skilled mechanics, then Endless is the place for you.

If you're in Manila and want to try your hand in riding a fixed gear bike or have yours repaired,…read morethere's only one place to go to - Tryon Riders. Tryon is located in J.P. Rizal Avenue, Makati. It's a bit easy to miss so while on the road, look for a big poultry egg shop on your left. Yes, you can't miss it with those visuals. Tryon has something for everyone. Whether you're a beginner (like me) riding fixed for the very first time, or a veteran in the fast world of single gears, the friendly and knowledgeable staff of Tryon is there to help you out. There are products to suit every budget, from generic frames from China, to DosNoventa frames in the 6-figures. One of the most amazing things about them is that you can pay via PayPal, so if you're a bit wary of bringing too much cash, you can opt to pay online or via your credit card. However, paying in cash nets you a discount so there's that.

I've started joining my husband with his weekend morning run and just last Saturday, while running…read moreat the trail in Vista City, we saw a big gathering of cyclists at the side of the street near Fernbrook Gardens. I thought there was a big biker's competition happening there, but there was no sign or any event marshall to indicate such a thing. I got really curious so I decided to check it out. It turns out that the tented venue was a mini Divisoria for bikers and cycling enthusiasts. Inside were little stalls that sell all kinds of biking paraphernalia such as shirts and cycling shorts, helmets and shades (don't expect too much, most of the Oakleys are only replicas), bicycle parts and accessories. I'm no bike enthusiast but I suddenly wanted to be one because of the cute outfits and accessories. I asked one of the vendors what this place was called, and he said everybody calls it Evia Bikers' Station and it happens every Saturday at that same spot. I later on found out that it's sponsored by Evia, the community of Vista Land. Outside the tent, there's a corner selling food (Batangas Goto for breakfast, anyone?) and drinks, and cyclists can have their breakfast or brunch there on the plastic chairs and tables set up nearby. Evia also sponsors free water refill, coffee and bike tune-up. Cool, right? A few steps away, there is a wide vacant lot where bikers can practice their exhibitions or just a place for beginners to practice biking.

ROX is basically an outdoor lover's playground. Three floors of serious gear, an indoor climbing…read morewall that goes up multiple levels, and everything from bikes to hiking, camping, snow, and motorcycling essentials. The brand mix is solid, Birkenstock, Allbirds, Reef, Billabong, Roxy, Columbia, Garmin, Camelbak, New Era, Nike, Fox, Deuter and more. It's rare to find this range in the Philippines, which makes this place feel like a real destination, not just a store. Even if you're not shopping, it's fun to walk through and explore. If you're into the outdoors, this is the kind of place you could easily lose an hour in. Great value coming here

One day, I decided that I wanted to try Rock/Wall Climbing so I wrote it down on my bucket list…read more After a few days I started googling places that had Rock Climbing gyms. I found really good ones but they were in Quezon city, a bit far from me. Fortunately, I found one that was just a few minutes away. I found out that R.O.X., a one stop shop for anything outdoors, had Rock Climbing facilities. What's great is that their shop is in the heart of the city: The Fort, and they are just in Bonifacio High St. They're literally inside a mall. How convenient! So I skedaddled to their Rock Climbing facility and signed up for a class. The thing was, there are no classes. There's just a quick briefing about the activity, plus a few tips. A few warnings and advices later, I found myself with a harness, a wall to climb, and zero experience. The coaches were very friendly and supportive. They guided me at the start and when I got the hang of it, I just found myself at the top of the wall tired and sweay. When I was done, I had climbed three walls; one easy, one intermediate, and one difficult. The learning curve for rock climbing isn't that steep. All I needed was myself, the desire to learn, and I had fun with it. Rock Climibng was a bit challenging but it was a very awesome experience for me. I really had fun traversing the walls with just my arms, legs, and a harness for safety. It's a bit expensive though, but a good price for this kind of activity (considering that the coaches also help you if you're a beginner). You might spot famous rock climbers in this place! When I went there, I had the privilege of seeing one of the female Filipinos who climbed Mt. Everest. And yes, I was very intimidated and honored at the same time.

A good friend asked me to accompany him to buy his very first folding bike. I personally do not…read moreknow anything about folding bikes, but only mostly about mountain bikes because I used to ride one. Braving the trip to Quezon City, we left early, hoping to have lunch at nearby Maginhawa. We got there and we were amazed to see that even if it was relatively early, the shop was already packed with customers, staff busy tuning and attending to customers who came before us. Our turn came and one of the staff keenly listened to my friend's specifications and concerns. After about 10 minutes, the boxes arrived and despite asking for a certain color, he brought another color as option. Good thing he did so because my friend chose the second bike. Haha! We could have assembled it ourselves if we knew how, but they gladly did it for us. We were so giddy while waiting for the bike to be finished that the gentleman in charge gave us a generous discount. We felt so accomplished after with the newly bought bike, and had extra cash from the discount enough to buy both of us a full meal.

Glorious Ride Bikeshop in Sikatuna is the best all-purpose bike shop in Quezon City. They…read morespecialize a bit more on mountain and trail bikes, but they carry road gear and accessories as well. The store looks deceptively small from the outside. Once you step inside however, you'll be left speechless as you're greeted with a visual feast of bike parts and accessories. The staff are courteous and will immediately greet and assist you. What I like about them is that they are genuinely helpful. They don't follow you around making you feel like a criminal. The store has three floors. The ground is dedicated to small parts and accessories like saddles, action cams, cranksets and others. This is where they service and assemble bikes too. The second floor acts as the stock room for built bikes, while the last floor is dedicated to a wide array of bike helmets and shoes. Check them out!

Wow, people at the south are lucky to gave this. It's a sporting goods heaven. Wide selections to…read morechoose from, some areas customers can try out the bikes, etc. Staff are also very helpful.

I don't bike...because I don't know how to bike. But what I do do is travel and when I do, I like…read moreto have a GoPro with me just because it's the most versatile thing to attach to a surf board, a bike, or even yourself. I would've never in my life entered this shop until my cousin recommended I check it out. My boyfriend is big on making travel videos and so he decided to check this place out for a new GoPro. Dan's is one of the leading distributors of GoPro in the Philippines so his prices are really good. Lower than mall prices, you know you're not getting dupped into paying more than you really should. While my eyes were only on the GoPro, my boyfriend had a ball going through their bikes---top of the line and quality he says. So if you're into bikes, this too is a good place to get them at the best prices possible--and the place isn't so hard to find either which is definitely an added bonus.

I have this friend who used to shuttle back and forth between her hometown Karachi, Pakistan and…read moreManila for her work, and one time, she had to go home in a hurry because of a family emergency. She ended up moving back to Pakistan indefinitely after that, but she left a whole lot of stuff behind including her handsome Cannondale CAAD 8 road bike. Since it was just gathering dust in her condo's storage (and bikes can get notoriously rusty if you don't take them out for a spin every now and then), and since I was also starting with my first year in UP Diliman as a grad student, she thought it would be nice if I could have her bike for safekeeping and use it to go around campus. Anyway, the very nice road bike stayed with me for almost 5 months until my friend asked for it back (many injuries and a couple inches off my waist later). She had a cousin who had a business trip in Manila, and she requested me to ready the bike for international air travel. Gulp. I didn't know the first thing about packing a huge road bike for air travel. All I knew was I couldn't do it by myself, and I ended up at Cristy's in Cartimar. The moment I told them I needed to have it ready as check-in luggage, they knew exactly what to do. They quoted me a price of P500 for the box and the service and they set to work. My friend advised me to watch them as they dismantled the bike (apparently, some dubious bike shops steal expensive bike parts during this process), and it was something fun and educational to watch. They took the wheels off, deflated them (they will burst with the altitude and cabin pressure, they said), loosened all the screwed parts, and took off the chain. They soaked the chain in some liquid and brushed it clean so that it shone like new.They also carefully foam- and bubble-wrapped all the parts and put them neatly inside a box that was specifically for the same model. They took such good care of the bike during the disassembly that my friend was very pleased when she received the parcel back in Pakistan. Cristy's also has lots of bikes for sale, but judging from the volume of their customers who go their for repairs and servicing, I think it is the best place to go if you need a trusty bike mechanic. Their huge work area has sophisticated tools and very experienced mechanics that can remedy all of your bike problems.

Toby's Sports is one of the biggest retailers of sporting goods in Metro Manila. You will find…read moretheir stores in leading shopping malls here in the big city. Whatever type of sports and fitness apparel or equipment you need, there's a big chance that you can find them at Toby's Sports, particularly in their big branches at SM Mall Of Asia and Glorietta. If you're a die-hard UAAP fan, you can also get genuine UAAP apparel and accessories from Toby's. My branch of choice is in SM Aura Premier. Although the store is smaller compared to other Toby's Sports branches, I like it here because the display racks are clearly organized by theme or sport. The last time I visited was when I bought swimming goggles for the summer. They have a wall of different types, brands, and colors of goggles. The choices can be a bit overwhelming. It's a good thing that a salesperson approached me and guided me on what type of goggles would best fit my needs.

You can buy everything inside a health store and you still wouldn't be healthy without exercise…read more And if you're not naturally athletic and the thought of free running is making your joints ache then it's best to buy equipment that will help you achieve your goal. Welcome to Toby's- your one-stop fitness store filled with the latest exercise equipment in Manila. I've made a little home gym from buying their merchandise and so far it's been a worthy investment. I have a couple of weights, a yoga mat, a medicine ball and boxing gloves all purchased at reasonable prices. I wish somebody would give me a P10,000 gift certificate in this store because there's so much here that I want to take home. (Okay, maybe I'm being cheap, let's raise it to P25,000) I don't know what else to say except that I hope my wish comes true because Toby's is great and I'm a fan.