Cycle King Colchester

Was really pleased with service at first, a spoke on my wheel snapped so phoned up and they seemed really helpful and suggested I came down so I did. They agreed to put a new spoke in and straighten the wheel for 14.99 which seemed reasonable and as they could it there and then (come back collect in a couple of hours) which I was happy with. I collected the wheel and they had done a really good I thought! I asked the guy to check all the spokes and he said he had anyways I was excited to get back on the bike so I put the wheel in and went on a ride well 5miles later another spoke has broken. I decieded to google it and all the web forums said it is domino effect and once goes they all go unless the wheel is rebuilt or all the spokes are loosened and started again! Anyways I'm not an expert but I just feel I've wasted £14.99 and im in the same position I was in earlier on today!!

Brilliant Service! Were able to fix my son's bike on the spot for just a few pounds.

The staff here go the extra mile totally willing to please there is not a better place to buy a bicycle

First bike ive had for about 20 years. Nothing but praise for a professional and swift service. Bike was set up and ready for me to ride within 15 mins. Will use again without hesitation.Excellent service.

Cheap quick fix Thank you

Not the greatest of experiences, going somewhere else now. Like said before by other reviewers: the staff didn't really know their stuff, wanted to charge you extra for things that should be included in a service that is advertised on their website - prices was also different to what is on their website.
Also one REALLY annoying thing is that you can't book in your bike. You drop it off and they get to it when they get to it, so it will just end up standing in their shop till its next on the list. If you are dependent on your bike to get around (like a student) or you have a big event coming up, this is definitely not the place to go. If you have an entry level bike and it just needs some TLC for the good weather and you don't care too much when you get it back and wouldn't mind being told a different price to whats on the website, this place isn't so bad.
PS: Still better that Halfords

Was in the store for about five minutes and they had exactly what we wanted.

Haven't been in for 3 years, it may all have changed.

Plus points - they seems pretty friendly, and they stock Woods valve rubber and sell it very affordably, by the foot. Also they have the weldtite cut-to-size inner tube patch, very useful.

Minus points - bike bought from there in mid 90s at Christmas was sold to my mother (who knew nothing about bikes) with under-inflated tyres, wheels out of true, gears not adjusted. The gears were later put right by the shop, but by then the wheels had already been damaged due to our ignorance of the under-inflation. Also, staff didn't really know their stuff, telling us that mountain bikes cannot take a dynamo except a very-expensive hub dynamo (this was not true even then, but they got a sale of battery lights out of it). Subsequent experience not been great either, with the centre part of a woods valve on a tube bought there snapping in use (same thing happened to a friend of mine - he took his back and was given an exchange at least). It worries me that even their most thorough bike service does not include for any bearing regreasing, only adjustment - okay when you don't plan to keep a bike more than a few years, I suppose.

NOT a bunch of cowboys or rip-off merchants, but they do go for the lower end of the market and don't seem to know much of the biking world outside of that.