What we sell

As a specialist road bike shop we naturally devote the vast majority of our retail space to bikes themselves, but as a proper bike shop we do do of course offer a wide range of associated accessories and components - all carefully selected to offer high levels of quality, choice and value. Below are listed our main accessory and component categories, along with a selection of our key brands - for comprehensive coverage of our bike range please visit our Bikes pages.

As a dedicated road specialists we do cater in depth for the roadie, and stock a lot of exciting road-related products that you will not find elsewhere - but we also a full range of basic bike related lines, from tubes and tyres, though commuter clothing, to spare parts, lights and tools etc.

Bags:

We stock a wide range range of saddle wedges, together with a selection of rack bags and panniers. Our brands include:

• Lezyne - excellent quality seat wedges in a range of sizes, with colour options. Simple to fit, neat to look at and well designed internally. Good collection of hydration bags too.
• Topeak - tough seat wedges with easy to use click fastening system. Good range of panniers and rack bags.
• Fizik - neat little wedges that slot into the back of Fizik saddles.
• Pro - not strictly speaking a bag, but Pro's neat tool bottles fit perfectly into a standard bottle cage and offer lots of storage for tools and tubes when on the move.
• Profile - handy top tube fitting bags for carrying energy food while on the move.
• Altura - benchmark UK made panniers, from lightweight briefcase models to full on waterproof expedition bags.

Bar Tape :

Available in an enormous range of colours, textures and offering varying levels of padding and grip, bar tape can transform the look and feel of a bike. Our brands include:

• Stella Azzura - high quality tape at very reasonable prices. A huge range of padding levels and colours, with specialist tapes catering for things cyclocross and cobbles!
• Bike Ribbon - good choice of colours. Also manufacture excellent gel pads for placing under your tape - a customer favourite on our rough roads.
• Fizik - tape complements saddles well. Soft to the touch and with option of gel pads.
• Bike branded - many of our bike brands provide matching tape with logos and complementary colours.

Brake Blocks:

Essential as spares, brake blocks are also a quick and low cost upgrade for any brake calipers. Key brands, in addition to groupset makes, such as Shimano and Campagnolo:

• Aztec - brake blocks for every application. Great value and high performance.
• SwissStop - simply the best blocks out there. Essential upgrade for anyone running carbon rimmed wheels!

Brake Calipers and Levers:

As well as the standard brake calipers and levers that form part of every groupset, there are a number of brake suppliers that offer alternatives and specialist products. Our brands include:

• Profile - renowned range of levers for use with tri bars.
• Cane Creek - alternative levers for tri bars, plus old-school non-STI brake levers for single speed bikes or machines with down tube/bar end shifters. Calipers for deep drop applications - usually where mudguards are fitted.
• Tektro - wide range of brake calipers - well known for cantilever brakes and deep drop brakes.
• Zero Gravity - high tech ultra light brakes, in a huge variety of colours.
• TRP - specialist brake calipers for a range of applications. High end in terms of weight and performance, but reasonably priced. Range of finishes to match your frame.

Bottle Cages:

One of the first and lowest cost items you should consider for pimping your bike!. Our brands include:

• Elite - massive range and all of them work very well indeed, with easy access and firm holding of bottle. Great value and a good range of colours/finishes.
• Tacx - simple and effective designs at low cost.
• Look - colour matched carbon cages for your new Look bike.
• Scott - branded carbon cages from Scott.
• Token - ultra light carbon cages - great value.

Cables:

Traditionally seen as a simple spares item from the likes of Shimano, Campagnolo and Clarkes, cables now come in a huge range of colours, with cable stops and ends to match. The big player in this sector is:

• Jagwire - great performance at a highly competitive price point. Jagwire make colour coordinated cables for a range of bike brands, and now offer additional colours and cable outer textures to colour match any paint job.

Carriers and Racks :

We offer a straightforward range of racks/carriers for carrying larger loads than can be accommodated in a simple seat wedge.

• Topeak - wide range of products, from beam racks that fit to a seat post to classic pannier racks for the front and rear of your bike. Matching range of bags.

Clothing:

Clothing

• Santini - Italian style and high levels of quality and fit.
• Lusso - excellent value clothing from a UK company. Functional, hard wearing and good looking too.
• DeFeet - superb quality socks. A big staff favourite.
• Pro - high performance gloves and overshoes at competitive prices.
• Solo - style and quality with a retro feel, but the most modern of fabrics.
• Buff - every cyclist should have at least one - perfect for under your helmet, or to keep your face and neck warm in chilly conditions. Pack down to nothing, wick well and are easy to wash/dry.
• Craft - some of the finest base layers on the market.
• ImpSport - this British company makes our own branded/club clothing - which is the best selling kit in the shop!

Computers:

Computers are a must-have accessory for any serious road cyclist. They vary in functions, ease of use and robustness, so we have chosen to stock only the most reliable and straightforward on the market:

• Cateye - great value, and the benchmark for ease of use. Ultra reliable, with a wide range of models and functions - all with clear displays in a small package. Long battery lives too.
• Blackburn - low cost heart rate models, with a comprehensive display offers a low cost route into high level functionality.
• Garmin - although designed as a GPS unit first and foremost, the introduction of the Edge 500 makes Garmin a serious player at the higher end of the bike computer market. Legendary quality, massive set of functions in a very tough, easy use (and to set up) package...all with GPS thrown in, with uploading of training data to your PC or Mac, and an ANT+ interface to any compatible device, such as a power meter.

Embrocation:

Embrocation covers a spectrum of applications from leg warming oil to chamois cream. Brands include:

• Elite - massive range of premium products, including warming oil, chamois cream, leg hair removal mousse etc.
• Paceline - excellent value chamois cream in handy packaging.

Eyewear:

Cycling glasses add greatly to ride comfort, both in protecting you eyes from damaging/dazzling rays, but also in keeping dust and bugs out. Many glasses come with interchangeable lenses for different lighting conditions. Our brands include:

• Spiuk - stylish glasses from this fashionable Spanish brand.
• Madison M Vision - a simple range of highly functional glasses. Great value and well designed.

Food (Sports Nutrition) :

We pride ourselves on our comprehensive stocks of sports nutrition - all at very low prices! As tastes vary, we carry a large number of products, including those from:

• High5 - UK based market leaders in the use of fructose alongside glucose to deliver maximum refueling efficiency. Our range covers gels, energy drinks, recovery drinks and hydration tabs.
• SIS - very popular energy products. Easy on the stomach and easy to mix. We stock the drinks and gels only.
• Torq - great tasting and largely natural products, they also work extremely well. Bars, gels and drinks are all very palatable indeed - another adopter of the fructose/glucose mix.
• Honey Stinger - delicious energy bars, using, you have guessed it, honey as the main energy provider. All the bars also contain reasonably high levels of protein to encourage muscle repair and recovery.
• Clif - energy bars that taste like a real cake! CLIF also provide gels in a chewy form, to make taking them ultra convenient - lovely taste again from their "Shot Bloks".
• Nuun - the original no-calory electrolyte hydration tablet. Very convenient and not over sweet.

GPS:

In the world of bike specific GPS systems there is a clear market leader:

• Garmin - although designed as a GPS unit first and foremost, the introduction of the Edge 500 makes Garmin a serious player at the higher end of the bike computer market. Legendary quality, massive set of functions in a very tough, easy use (and to set up) package...all with GPS thrown in, with uploading of training data to your PC or Mac, and an ANT+ interface to any compatible device, such as a power meter. The Edge 705 is perhaps the ultimate bike GPS/computer - superb quality mapping and every computer function you can think of. Very easy to set up and to use, with the clearest display available. Most models available with a coded heart rate belt option.
• Blackburn - low cost heart rate models, with a comprehensive display offers a low cost route into high level functionality.

Groupset Components :

While there are now three main players in the road groupset market, there are a couple of other brands making inroads and others that provide complementary or alternative products that are compatible with the big three:

• Shimano - the biggest groupset player of them all, partly due to their presence in the complete bike market. Reliable, ergonomic and slick in operation, Shimano remains innovative and offers good value across its extensive range.
• Campagnolo - Italian heritage and high quality. The only brand offering 11 speed groupsets, Campagnolo has also started to compete aggressively on price in recent years.
• SRAM - relatively new to the road market, SRAM has quickly established itself as the third major groupset player. Light weights and a unique "doubletap" shifting system offers a real alternative to Shimano and Campagnolo. Compatible with Shimano hubbed wheels.
• Miche - another stylish Italian brand, and actually older than Campagnolo. Miche offer a range of groupset products, including brakes, cassettes, mechs and chainsets, that are all compatible with Campagnolo shifters.
• Microshift - brand new into the market, Microshift offer excellent value for money shifters and mechs that are compatible with Shimano components. Well finished and slick in operation.
• FSA - high quality, superbly finished components that are compatible with all other brands. Best known for their truly excellent well-priced chainsets.
• Rotor - pioneers of the ovalised chainset/chainrings. They offer definite performance advantages over traditional chainsets for riders with an aggressive pedaling style, especially on flatter to rolling rides.
• Fulcrum - beautiful and light weight carbon chainsets from the very same factory as Campagnolo's other carbon offerings.

Handlebars and Tri Bars:

There are so many options when it comes to bar shapes, widths, materials and finishes that it should be possible to find the perfect bars for any rider! Our huge range of bars includes product from:

• Pro - lightweight, big range of sizes and bar shapes. Very strong and excellent value for money, Pro bars come in alloy and carbon versions, and are a staff favourite.
• Ritchey - renowned lightweight bars in classic shapes.
• FSA - Italian brand offering a vast choice of bar shapes - best known for their flat topped "wing bars".
• Look - perfect high quality addition to any Look bike.
• 3T - very light with superb levels of finish. 3T's high level tri bars are technology leaders in the aero bar field.
• Deda - another Italian classic - wide range of bars to suit all budgets.
• Profile - the classic tri bar brand, offering range of styles and shapes.
• Token - excellent value for money clip-on tri bars.

Heart Rate Monitors:

Heart rate monitors (HRMs) have become established as key training aids for all types of aerobic sport and activity, with bike specific HRMs usually being integrated into cycle computers as it makes them far easier to read and use, and places the heart rate data right next to other essential ride data. Our brands include:

• Garmin - although designed as a GPS unit first and foremost, the introduction of the Edge 500 makes Garmin a serious player at the higher end of the bike computer market, and seamlessly integrates heart rate data. Legendary quality, massive set of functions in a very tough, easy use (and to set up) package...all with GPS thrown in, with uploading of training data to your PC or Mac, and an ANT+ interface to any compatible device, such as a power meter. The Edge 705 is perhaps the ultimate bike GPS/computer - superb quality mapping and every computer function you can think of. Very easy to set up and to use, with the clearest display available. Most models available with a coded heart rate belt option.
• Blackburn - low cost heart rate models, with a comprehensive display offers a low cost route into high level functionality.

Helmets:

Most riders wouldn't leave home without one! Different brands suit different head shapes, so we have chosen models to cater for as wide a range of head shapes as possible:

• MET - market leaders in helmets to suit every budget, with some of the lightest lids on the market.
• Catlike - very stylish helmets and good value too.
• LAS - another pro level helmet brand, with very soft linings.

Lighting:

Essential for riding in winter months, when it is virtually impossible to avoid riding in the dark, but handy all year round for extended evening rides or low light conditions. Our brands include:

• Smart - excellent value, high visibility lights in small packages, from single emergency LED lights through to powerful commuting lights. Robust and with long run times.
• Electron - super small emergency LED lights that strap on in seconds and take up little more space in your pocket than a pound coin.
• Light and Motion - very high quality, very high powered lightweight lights. Front lights can strapped to your bars or helmet and really do light the way extremely well - rechargeable with good run times.

Lubricants and Cleaners:

Without regular cleaning and lubrication your bike just will not perform. Our brands include:

• ProGold - superb all year round lube in a handy sized bottle. Lasts well and does not attract dirt.
• Finishline - wide range of lubes from heavyweight off road "wet" lubes to lightweight ceramic waxes. Cleaning products include the excellent biodegradable citrus degreaser that is capable of removing even the most sticky of grease and dirt.
• GT85 - very lightweight PFTE water displacer and light lube.
  

Mudguards:

Not pretty, but oh so effective at protecting both you and your bike from the worst of the winter's grime. Our brands include:

• SKS - the classic high quality mudguard brand, with guards to suit all tyre/wheel sizes. Offering both full guards, requiring mudguard eyes and clearance, and the high performance Race Blades that strap on to road bikes with tight clearances.
• Crud Guards - easy to strap on guards for bikes with tight clearance. Not quite as effective as Race Blades, but easy to fit/remove, and quite discrete.
  

Pedals and spares:

Most new bikes do not come with pedals fitted, as most riders have their own preferences regarding type and brand of pedal. Clipless pedals offer by the far the most effective foot positioning and power transfer, but traditional flat pedals are still in demand for those riders who prefer to ride in normal shoes. Our brands include:

• Look - the pioneers of clipless pedals. Light, high quality, with excellent bearings.
• Shimano - their SPD range covers "double sided" MTB style pedals (simple to clip in and shoes that are reasonable to walk in) and single sided SDP-SL road pedals using a similar cleat type to Look. Very hard wearing pedals and cleats and easy to clip into.
• Mavic - new to the clipless , but very high quality with wide platforms.
• Speedplay - large amounts of "float" allows limitless foot angles, for those with special flexibility needs at the ankle.
• Time - very light range of road pedals. Easy to clip into.
• Wellgo - the biggest manufacturer of pedals in the world, covering all pedal types. Dominant in the flat pedal market.

Power Meters:

Currently the fastest growing training aid in cycling. Once you have trained with one you will wonder how you ever managed without! We believe the following offer the most reliable and best value systems:

• Powertap - the classic hub-based system. Can be built into a vast range of rims, including disc wheels. Easy to move from bike to bike. Interfaces with Powertap head units (bar mounted computer) or any device compatible with the ANT+ wireless protocol, including Garmin.
• Quarq - from SRAM, this chainset based system is state of the art, and can be used with any set of wheels, so can be used with training and race wheels as required. Interfaces with any device compatible with the ANT+ wireless protocol, including Garmin.
  

Pumps:

Essential accessory for any cyclist. Our brands include:

• Lezyne - fantastic quality and great value. Range covers mini pumps and frame pumps (most using marine grade flexible hoses for ease of use), and floor standing track pumps (which use the best valve connector on the market).
• Topeak - good value for money track pumps.

QR Skewers:

Not glamorous, but can be very pimpy if colour coordinated and are an easy way to save a few grams. Our brands include:

• Token - super light and very effective. Great value.
• Tacx - needed for most turbo trainers to save the frame from trainer clamp damage.

Saddles:

The right saddles can make an enormous difference to your ride comfort, and save bike weight at the same time. A vast choice of sizes, shapes and structure to match individual fit and preferences. Our brands include:

• Selle Italia - massive range of high quality Italian made saddles to suit a range of budgets. Colour options too.
• Fizik - trendy and high quality, with a unique fit.
• San Marco - the parent group of Fizik. High quality again, with alternative fit to other brands. Some very good tri saddles.
• Bioflex - great value for money and very light.
• Prologo - unique looks and huge range of colours. Includes removable covers to customise your bike.
  
  

Seat Posts:

Seat posts come in a variety of lengths and diameters (27.2 and 31.6 are the most common) to fit any frame, although not all brands carry all sizes. Aluminium and carbon are the main material options - alloy posts offer high strength, lower cost and can be very light, while carbon posts offer a little more comfort, especially on longer posts with compact frames, and match carbon frames nicely, but are more costly. Our brands include:

• Pro - wide range of alloy and carbon posts. High quality at a good price.
• Ritchey - light weight posts with stylish looks.
• FSA - very large range of materials, lengths and set back (how far the saddle sits back in the clamp)
• Deda - Italian made posts, with big choice of models and levels of finish.
  
  

Shoes:

In order to cater for most foot shapes and tastes we stock three brands, all of which offer high quality shoes at reasonable prices:

• NorthWave - Italian shoes with a fairly broad fit. Uppers are tough, with stiff soles. Good looking and quite striking.
• Shimano - the biggest shoe brand in the UK, with a medium width and a range that covers most budgets.
• Mavic - slipper like feel, with very high quality materials. A medium-narrow fit.
  

Stands:

Stands are handy things to have for storing your bike or holding it firmly when servicing or adjusting it. Our brands include:

• Pro - very simple and effective bike stands - these are what we use in the shop. Useful to take in the car to events too, so that you don't end up leaning your bike against the car.
• Park - the best value maintenance stands by far. We use the sub £100 entry level stands in our workshop day-in-day-out and they have never let us down.
  

Stems:

Stems come in a variety of lengths and clamp diameters to fit any any handlebar or fork steerer, although not all brands carry all sizes. Aluminium and carbon are the main material options - alloy posts dominate the market and offer high strength, lower cost and can be extremely light, while carbon posts offer a little more comfort and match carbon frames nicely, but are much more costly than even the highest quality lightweight alloy stems. Some bike manufacturers supply matching branded items, but our main stem brands include:

• Pro - wide range of alloy stems. High quality at a good price.
• Ritchey - light weight stems with stylish looks.
• FSA - very large range of materials, lengths and finishes.
• Deda - Italian made stems, with big choice of models and levels of finish.

Tools:

Most riders will carry basic tyre levers, a muti-tool, pump and patches. Any many will have other basic tools, such as sprocket removers, chain stretch checkers, pedal spanner etc. We stock tools to cover most applications, from:

• Park - the best quality workshop level tools available. They have tools for every application and have a reasonable selection of portable tools, such as muti-tools too.
• Lezyne - superb quality portable tools - their multi tools and excellent and come is a huge range of sizes and even colour. Cool tyre levers and patches too.
• Pro - great value for money workshop tools - not a complete range for professional workshops, but they cover many home applications.
  

Turbo Trainers and Rollers:

When the weather really closes in, or if you have to squeeze in a concentrated training session in limited time, turbo trainers and rollers are the way to go. Our brands include:

• Cyclops - this is what we use in store for bike fitting. Very smooth and stable, and extremely robust, they have never let us down in years of constant use with all types and sizes of rider.
• Elite - big range of high tech trainers with quite a realistic ride feel. Excellent parabolic rollers.
• Tacx - the most widely sold turbo trainers. Good value lower end models and the best Virtual Reality machines available (required up-spec PC to connect to).
  

Transport and Luggage:

Moving your bike around either by car or plane is a lot easier and safer if you have the right luggage or car rack. It can also protect the inside of your car from muck and grime. Our brands include:

• Ultimate Hardware - great value hard bike cases, padded bike/wheel bags and covers to keep your bike safe and car clean.
• Elite - very safe and ultra sturdy bike boxes. These are very heavyweight objects but offer the ultimate in bike protection.
• Pro - reasonably priced padded bike and wheel bags.
• VK - strong and light hard bike boxes.
• Thule - the best bike roof racks available. Models to fit virtually any car.
• Saris - the Bones is a legend in bike carrying style - fits the rear of most cars.
  

Tyres:

Tyres can transform the handling and rolling speed of your bike. The right tyre can also help reduce punctures and offer extra grip in the wet. There is no one tyre that does everything, so we offer a massive range of quality tyres at highly competitive prices to cater for all conditions, requirements and colour preferences. Our brands include:

• Vittoria - hand made Italian tyres in big spread of colours. Supple and offering good levels of grip. Europe's best selling tyre.
• Continental - German quality, with a comprehensive range covering most riding conditions.
• Michelin - best known for the Pro race line, but with a full range of other tyres.
• Veloflex - fast tyres, especially suited to racing.
• Schwalbe - simply huge range of high quality tyres from another German tyre giant.
• Panaracer - ultra grippy race and sportive tyres.
• Vredestein - another fast rolling range of tyres from the Dutch race tyre specialists.
  

Wheels:

Next to your frame, it is your wheels that will have the greatest impact on how your bike rides. From bomb proof cross wheels, through light climbing wheels, to deep section carbon aero wheels, we carry a huge range of wheels for all applications and budgets. Our brands include:

• Mavic - French wheel giants. Innovative, high performance wheels to suit most applications and budgets.
• American Classics - back in the UK after a break of a few years, it is great see American Classics still offer the same great balance of ultra light weight, strength and hub quality - all at very competitive prices. Great looking wheels too.
• Fulcrum - Campagnolo's alternative wheel brand. All feature Campagnolo's excellent hubs. Strong and ultra reliable high performance wheels.
• Reynolds - light weights and striking looks from these aero wheel specialists - competitively priced too.
• Shimano - some great wheels (Shimano fit hubs only) from the groupset giants. Range covers all budgets, with carbon laminate wheels a real highlight.
• Campagnolo - stylish Campagnolo branded wheels, with unique spoke arrangements. High performance across the range.
• FFWD - carbon aero specialists from Holland, FastForward wheels are quick and striking.
• Easton - quality hand made wheels, with emphasis on strength and low weights.
• DT Swiss - superb Swiss quality in good looking packages.
• Powertap - the benchmark for power meter hubs. Can be built into an enormous range of rims with little weight penalty.