This is a journey I have been on over the last few years and the next dawning realisation you will have is that you need a reliable LBS. LBS is cyclo-speak for "Local Bike Store". No matter how confident you are at bicycle maintenance (as I have mentioned before, I positively enjoy getting my hands dirty), there will come a point where a lack of knowledge or tools will have you seeking expert help. I am very fortunate to have just that expert, right on my doorstep.
Close to both my work and home is bicyclerepair.co.uk. This is a store run by ace bike mechanic, Willy Bain. It is an unusual bike shop in that it does not sell bikes. Instead, it concentrates on providing bicycle maintenance and repair and selling all manner of cycling accessories. Willy stocks a seemingly ever increasing range of cycling accoutrement's from parts, to nutrition supplements, to clothing, to lighting, to helmets and much more. I have been impressed recently with the expansion of his ranges, particularly for clothing. As you can probably tell, I spend an unhealthy amount of time hanging around the shelves of bicyclerepair. It is a fault I am happy to admit to and plan to continue (even if Willy is not so sure!)
Willy truly is a bike genius. There seems to be little that he doesn't know how to sort. I am sure he has forgotten more about bikes than many of us will ever know. Whether it is a simple or complex task, he seems to tackle it with ease. Many is the time I have sweated and thrashed over something for hours, only to take it in to Willy and him sort it in two seconds! He even guided me through my first attempt at wheel-building recently (I am very proud of the rear wheel on my fixie these days!) and if he can do that, he must know what he is on about!
The shop is always full of bikes (and often full of bikies too. One of the things you soon realise if you ride a bike around South Glasgow is that everyone knows Willy and they all seem to like hanging around in his shop - especially me) of all different kinds. I thought at first that this must be some kind of summer rush but I have come to realise that no matter what the season, bikes will need repaired! I am sure I read somewhere that Willy knows about all forms of two-wheeled transport and I can vouch for this having seen the plethora of machines that regularly fill his store. These range from children's scooters, to the most blinging carbon time trial bike I have ever seen! I even once saw a tandem combining upright and recumbent sections in there!
So, to paraphrase the Ghostbusters, if your bike needs sorted..."Who you gonna call...?"
Happy Riding,
Col.
bicylerepair.co.uk can be found at 359 Pollokshaws Road and on the phone 0141 423 9010.
Dear Colin,
ReplyDeleteHope you had a good birthday.I'm also watching the weather ahead of the King of the North Downs. I like the blog but the black background makes it difficult to read. What sort of fixed have you got?
Hi Chris,
ReplyDeleteGood to hear from you. Looks like the weather is going to be cr&p for the Etape. Rain forecast although we are having a heatwave at the moment, so you never know. Hope you get sun.
I have a couple of fixed, both home made (and unique!). One is relatively new, an all white pimped Raleigh 531 effort in a huge 62cm size (love it and makes it relatively unsteelable as so few 6'2" plus fixed riders about!). My original (and best?) is also a Raleigh, in the team colours of the 80's, now sporting new wheels that I built myself;-)
How about you? Have a great North Downs.
PS I thought the black look was a bit sexy...?
Cheers,
Col.