I love Brixton Cycles, and spent a lot of time at Helmut’s place when Sonic Cycles was in Lamb’s Conduit Street.

But what about other shops? Does Condor rule? Brick Lane Bikes the best?

BikeFix have always done me well - when Condor say they might be able to fit me in at the end of the week, BikeFix have always done the job the same day, for a reasonable price, given excellent service and usually sorted something else out or imparted some pearls of wisdom for free.

yep bike fix. Kept me on the road quite a few times, plus thrown in a few smug tips when I've been clueless about something bike related.

Is this an ad masquerading as a comment from the general messengering public?

Brixton Cycles for my money, best shop in London!! Probably best shop I've been to anywhere in the world. They treat all their customers well, know their stuff, all shops should be like this :)
Two Wheels Good are also cool but a little far away from the city, had great sameday service from them when stuck.
**I've never been to a shop quite as rude, condescending or unhelpful as BikeFix... won't be going back bikef!*&wits!

Both Bicycle Magic and Brixton Cycles have been friendly and helpful.

As for Brick Lane Bikes, beware their current mechanic. My bike problem was that when I applied power to my middle chainring, the chain skipped. This I clearly specified on the repair docket.
Despite having had absolutely no problems shifting, the mechanic decided to change my inner and outer gear cables and claimed my rear derailleur was bent.
He rang me later describing exactly the symptoms I had already specified FFS! If he had simply diagnosed it as due to a worn drivetrain in the first place, there would have been no bother.
In their favour, they did take on this problem at short notice on a Sunday and the owner didn't charge me once I raised a fuss. However, he asked me not to come back. I also later found out that the mechanic had not used the right tool to cut the outer cables, ending up with wire strands poking out, resisting shifting and spiking my thigh. Grr!
I am not the only one who has had a negative experience with their mechanic.

E1 Cycles are pretty unhelpful.

E1 cycles. Rubbish.

Sonic Cycles when Helmut was just off Camden Rd was good for a brew and a chat.

Otherwise, another vote for BikeFix. Condor good for ££ bits and watching vids in the warm, although there's a horrible mix of cliquiness and absolute incompetence in there at work-experience time - I was once told that my custom-made 653 road frame was "too small", and that I couldn't run disk brakes on a 700c wheel. Rot.

Brixton are good, but a leeetle over-rated in my experience.
Wiggle are pretty good if you're handy with spanners and know exactly what you want.

Avoid Ribble. Like the AIDS.

PS > Second the previous comment about Brick Lane Bikes, although I haven't been in since just after they opened.

PPS > Although mainstream bike shops are normally shit, there are a couple of good guys, like the the Polish mechanic in the Cycle Surgery on Procter St, and the stocky Saffer workshop manager at On Your Bike London Bridge. Both have helped me out and saved me cash in the past.

I have been working in bike shops on and off for a few years and I rarely feel comfortable recomending an entire shop to anyone. There are many mechanics I am comfortable recomending but most shops have at least one weak link. I think the important thing is to find the one mechanic you trust, buy your parts through that person/store, develop a decent relationship with them (bring them weed or beer) and let them sort all of your bike problems out.

Condor sucks, the number of times I've been in there not dressed as a messenger and they treat you like you know nothing. I'd rather go to Evans. And do.
Sonic was a good place to drop in up stair to see Helmut, smell the hot metal. Then he had his loft converted which was interesting, before he set up on Robert St.
Hate Condor. (Hate Rapha)

I have to say I've always found Condor to be miserable gits. But they're the only place I've found that sell decent puncture patches.
I guess they're always busy so it's not their fault they can't be your best friend.
London Fields Cycles isn't bad: friendly mechanic, 10% courier discount... But then they're at least 10% more expensive than everyone else...
My vote is for Holloway Cycles - cheap and friendly.

Helmut when he was upstairs at above Bike fix was the business. He fixed it on the spot no waiting about. Mark at Condors the best wheel builder in town but i dont think he builds anymore.

Shut your f##kin# mouth kid or ill stick a rocket up your arse and unlike Bill you wont enjoy it.

"Myself" bike shop is the best!!!! some reasons why:
1- is the cheapest! generally i pay just for the components
2- is the closest to my home
3- i trust 100% in the mecanic (he is a bit slow and does not know much but always manage to do the job)
4- i'm always the first costumer
5- when my bike is ready i know the job was really done!

don't listen to wag98, i've used the "myself" bike shop, complete fucking disaster. i've got 5 bikes in assorted states of disrepair booked in, ranging from a cracked down tube on a bmx a year ago to an one-one with a puncture a week ago and theres been no discernible progress on any of them. i will concede its cheap and local, but so is the pub, which leads onto why i neither trust the mechanic nor his work. i reckon the best bet is to throw your damaged bike away and go buy another one using a fraction of the £80,000 a year you earn as part of londons respected and trusted bicycle messenger community.

My "myself" bike shop always uses a hammer when he should have the correct tool, as a result my bike always has extra chips and dings when I get it back....what a fakanic.

Actually, DeVere's owner, Maurice Burton, quite apart from being a champion on the track (and pro-six-day-racer) was cycle courier for a bit. I remember him being particularly scathing about some of my, admittedly, less appropriate clothing choices.

Yeah he gave me sh*t for wearing shorts in -2 wet weather. Said it would mess up my knees. I now have some warmers from condor. I think he had 15 layers on (no joke). Mind, can he talk about dress choice; their yellow and black shorts are pretty gross, I bought a pair in a moment of insanity.
What were you wearing?

Definitely used to find condor snotty and not particularly helpful, but in the last few years they've become friendly and willing to try and fit in repairs there and then, don't know this is because of a change of staff or because I'm now part of their clique ( never been part of an in-crowd before, should I be excited? ;.) )
wasn't there some story involving changing REYNOLDS numbers on a frame they built for buffy?

i like BLB, i think a grinder is a perfectly good way to extract perfectly good cranks.

is it that fixed is getting big, or cycling is getting big and more idiots are on fixed?

"PPS > Although mainstream bike shops are normally shit, there are a couple of good guys, like the the Polish mechanic in the Cycle Surgery on Procter St, and the stocky Saffer workshop manager at On Your Bike London Bridge. Both have helped me out and saved me cash in the past."

That'd be Denver in OYB... good guy who sold me my bike, and when the mechanic said it would take half a week to build, he muttered something down the phone to her about me being a courier who needed to get back to work, she told him there was no way, he disappeared into a back room and then came back informing me my bike would be built by the next day.

I like Brick Lane Bikes so far, got a courier discount the other day which was fun. The french (?) guy who was on the main floor was really helpful as well, especially when i snapped the cap off my new cycle oil thinking that it was the seal. By that point in the day I was totally gormless. Hands up who -didnt- see me changing a puncture that day... Dazzler what did you shout as you rode by? I can't show my face in Condor for a few weeks ever since that day, I was so stressed and freakin that I had 3 POB and my 3rd puncture already by 9AM (i kid you not) that i was totally fucking up changing the new tire and tube, and one of the shop assistants took over and did it in 20 secs flat, out on the pavement. It was almost as embarassing as some guy suddenly giving me directions the other day, gesticulating wildly, just because I was taking a little A-Z check by the side of the road.

fix it yourself!