BEST CUSTOMER SERVICE EVER
If you dislike bike snobbery, you believe in the value of keeping high street bike shops open (and there are many reasons you should!) and you want either to buy a good electric bike that meets your needs and is within your price range, you couldn't do better. This is exactly the bike shop I needed.
The customer service experience has been perfect on every visit since I bought my absolutely brilliant Black ATB-L (on sale at the time) in February. I explained my physical limitations, my budget limitations, my reason for switching to electric and how I intended to use my bike (to cycle between clients) and they offered me a range of options, all of which I test-rode before making my decision.
I decided quickly, and, without thinking about the need for my bike to be put together, asked if I could pick it up the following day.
Eliot, serviceman extraordinaire, worked his guts out to build the bike in time for me to ride it to work, while remaining patient, kind and courteous, asking me about what extras I did or didn't need, and putting together the price for the final package.
The optional extras I was offered are inexpensive and indispensable for someone who depends on her bike to get to each client on time. The ultra-lightweight tyre inserts prevent punctures, the integrated light system means I don't have to worry about charging or remembering lights, and swapping the mountain tyres for the hybrid style I prefer has reduced unnecessary friction: disc brakes are standard at this shop, and their quality is such that even with a heavier bike, chunky tyres just aren't necessary for those who cycle mostly on roads and tarmac paths.
Both Eliot and Kathee offer service that is friendly, honest, and entirely lacking in the judgement or snobbery I've encountered in bike shops (whether franchise or independent) run by hipsters. Each bike I have owned has gotten very heavy use, since I don't drive cars & find public transport to be less reliable than I'd like. I've always had a tendency to use mainly the high gear, which means parts WILL wear, however much cleaning, lubrication and love my bikes get. I went back in for the free 3-month service after about the first 200 miles or thereabouts. As well as servicing the bike, Eliot was quick to spot a worn section of the cassette and explained that only that section needed replacing, which was a much more cost-effective solution than changing the whole thing.
No other bike shop I have ever been to has offered to change part of a cassette, and now I wonder how many unnecessaery whole cassettes I have paid for when getting my old road bike serviced in the past.
In terms of usability, the upright position has made cycling possible again, since a pain condition had left me unable to use my cross-bar men's bike for a few years, and cycling uphill on a sit-up-and-beg would have been too much hard work. I have since discovered (through experience) that, with electric bikes in particular, a step-over frame makes cycling safer. If I stumble because a surprise pedestrian steps out into traffic or along a bike path, or a motorbike or other cyclist comes out from behind without warning and cuts me off (please, people, ring your bells!) it is relatively easy to stay upright and in control of the bike.
While it must be said that this bike is no fun to ride if I run out of power or even remove the battery, it is otherwise perfect for its price range, and I've only run out of power when I have forgotten to charge the battery. Given that I might need to cover 40 or so miles in a day, using full power and pedalling (usually) in high gear towards the speed limit, climbing hills and carrying the extra weight of my work gear in my panniers and my lock & water supply in a biking backpack, AND I still have a couple of bars of power left at the end of the day, there is nothing to complain about regarding the battery. (The higher-powered battery option was the right choice for me.)
As my total miles are now pushing the 500 mark, and my chain came off twice on my most recent cycle, it's time to take my primary form of transport back in for a service. Another worn part will probably need replacing, but I feel secure knowing that they will do only what needs doing or what I would like done, and not charge me for parts I don't need. If I had bought the bike from an online-only store with no shopfront, I'd have less of an understanding of how my bike worked and what it needed, and been at the mercy of unknown repair people.
The bike has changed my life. The store has changed my view of cycle shops (I used to dread going into them and dealing with patronising bike mechanics) and I cannot recommend them highly enough.
