Richard's Bikes in Exeter, England Closed now

Reviews about Richard's Bikes

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  2017-09-03, by Tell it Like it is
  Owner almost made me feel stupid for asking a basic question, and I did say I was new to mountain biking . I also found out he clearly ripped me of , so my conclusion was, very rude and will look down on you unless your willing to pay over the odds. Go to wolf cycle in Exeter instead, beat service ever the technician couldn’t do enough to help and every stupid question was answered.
• ★ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

  2017-05-20, by Ben Smiley
  AVOID THIS BIKE SHOP! The owner is dishonest and offers very poor customer service. Last year, I bought a second hand racing bike from Richards for £600. Within 50 miles of riding, the rear cassette started to creak. At first it wasn't too noticeable but it got gradually worse. When I looked at the chain, it turned out that the cassette was wobbling and had actually bent the chain. I was living in London so it was a while before I could come back to Exeter. I took the bike in to Richards and he was very friendly. He said he'd fix the problem - no worries. When I picked it up, the bike looked ok - I thanked Richard and went back to London. Unfortunately, the same problem came back within 2 miles of riding! I decided to take the bike to another shop for a second opinion. They took the back wheel apart and said that the bearing had broken. They also said that someone had put a whole load of chunky spacers and washers to make the bike ridable. It was literally full of metal plumbing washers! I then took the bike back to Richard to ask what was going on - he denied all knowledge of the washers. When he said he'd fix the bike, apparently he just tightened it up the cones. This didn't make sense to me - how had Richard missed such an obvious problem? The other bike shop found it in under 10 minutes! I prefer to think the best of people so I prefer to think that when Richard said he didn't add the washers himself, that he's telling the truth (although I'm not convinced). Even so, I don't understand why he didn't find them. Personally, I think Richard puts his energy where the money is - if you're thinking of buying a bike he's extremely helpful but if you're looking for after care then he's just not interested. It's a shame because as a family we've bought lots of bikes from Richard - we thought that as return customers we get good treatment but it didn't work out like that. After we talked to Richard, he said that he'd find me some replacement wheels and give me a discount as a long-standing customer. He said he'd call me when they were ready - he never bothered to call.... In summary, I'm sure that the new bikes Richard sells are fine (if over-priced) - but don't buy second hand and don't get your bike maintained there. There are loads of great bike shops in Exeter where you'll be more valued as a customer and given better after sales support.