Portswood Cycles, Southampton, Hampshire

...facade that is Portswood, Southampton, Portswood Cycles represents a dying breed of cycle shops. It is all too easy to overlook such a place when retailers such as Halfords have made such ruthless attempts to dominate the leisure cycling market. Many local bike shops found it near-impossible to cope with the pressures of competition from such large-scale companies, and subsequently ceased trading.

It is therefore somewhat refreshing ...
...can cater for the needs of the modern cyclist, in a low-pressure environment. You will always find help close to hand in this store, with extremely knowledgeable and friendly staff. Prices are very reasonable, and the facilities for aftersales service are remarkably good. The range of bicycles reflects the shops traditional roots, as there are all the major types of machine for specific purposes.

It is nice to be able to go into a ... more

Set in the somewhat decaying facade that is Portswood, Southampton, Portswood Cycles represents a dying breed of cycle shops. It is all too easy to overlook such a place when retailers such as Halfords have made such ruthless attempts to dominate the leisure cycling market. Many local bike shops found it near-impossible to cope with the pressures of competition from such large-scale companies, and subsequently ceased trading.

It is therefore somewhat refreshing to find that there are a few stores left which can cater for the needs of the modern cyclist, in a low-pressure environment. You will always find help close to hand in this store, with extremely knowledgeable and friendly staff. Prices are very reasonable, and the facilities for aftersales service are remarkably good. The range of bicycles reflects the shops traditional roots, as there are all the major types of machine for specific purposes.

It is nice to be able to go into a bike shop, and to be greeted rather than pounced upon, and it is also great that someone has realised that not all of us want mountain bikes!! Let's face it, this is Britain, and most of us would have to travel some distance to reach anything that resembled a mountain in any case! The bottom line then...I like this shop. It bears with it a message that I think other cycle retailers should take note of: customers like the personal touch. They like to be advised when they need advice, and they don't like to be pressured into buying something that does not suit their needs. There is little merit in selling a product for sellings sake, for example selling an old lady a top of the range off-roader when she only pops down the shops twice a week would bee foolish, and counterproductive for the store.

If you live near Southampton, and are thinking of buying a bike, why not give it a try? I think you might be pleasantly suprised if you aren't looking for anything too flash!  

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