Mystery Shopper is thinking of getting back into commuting by bike, but can the cycle shops of Portsmouth provide some help and guide him to a commuter bike purchase for around £350?
LOCATED IN Port Solent’s marina/retail park outside Portsmouth, Cycle Surgery enjoys a prominent spot and shares building space with Runners World and Snow + Rock. The cycling store surprisingly didn’t take up a large section of the outlet, but nevertheless there were plenty of bikes squeezed in with plenty of commuter options. It took a few moments to be seen with the staffer very busy providing advice on the phones. Leaping on a break in the barrage of calls, Mystery Shopper pounced on the counter and found the staffer willing and able to provide lots of advice and general chat about bikes. This salesman really did go into depth and explained
there were a wealth of options – like a road bike if I fancied dabbling in a bit of racing, or even a cyclocross bike. The enthusiastic assistant seemed to have ridden each of the bikes he discussed which gave his views weight. Unfortunately the staffer did play with fire and provided probably too much sizing info, potentially losing my custom to an online competitor, though he did point me to the Cycle Surgery site. He explained C2W, financing and a price matching promise.
10 BIKEBIZ FEBRUARY Velocity Bikes
WITH A big frontage, Velocity was easy to spot along a busy road. The salesman greeted me and offered help as soon as I stepped in – a classic (and welcome) IBD trait. After hearing my ‘commuter bike for around £350’ brief he wasted no time in identifying a Ridgeback. The no- nonsense salesman drilled through the relevant features without blinding me with science, concentrating on the benefits that the bike came with, such as ready-fitted mudguards, adjustable stem and low key colour scheme stopping it being a theft magnet. He also hit the price point more or less on the nose. He went on to boost my faith in the product by explaining more about the brand, explaining the commuter/hybrid market was one the British brand has served well for decades. The new bike in question wasn’t in store, but working from a catalogue he underlined that no other bike was offering the standard of components and general quality. While he was clearly a man on a mission and honed in on one bike, he was also happy to answer my general questions and was happy to educate, with another staff member chipping in with help during his pitch.