LBS recommendations in the Forest of Dean Area

[Notorious MH]

Hi all,

New member but long time reader of the forum.

I know there are a few members of the forum in the Forest of Dean area and I was wondering which LBS you use, particularly for new bike sales and warranty? I am relatively new to the area and mountain biking in general so my knowledge of the local stores is lacking. I’ve searched the forum but haven’t found anybody discussing this, apologies if I have missed it.

I rode an Orange eMTB in 2018 during a demo day and have wanted one ever since. At the moment I am hiring a Whyte e160 RS from Pedalabikeaway a couple of times a month but it is expensive, difficult to get a booking and prevents any real flexibility on my rides. At £65 a pop it means going more than twice a month gets really expensive and would make more sense to just get my own. I’m Lucky enough to be able to afford a bike but have always been in the position of not being able to justify the cost as I feared I would not use it often enough. I now find myself itching to get out more than hiring allows so I’m ready to take the plunge!

I really like the look of the 2021 Haibike allmtn 7 and it ticks all of the boxes for me however I’d much rather buy from a LBS that I know I can also rely on for warranty work. The Haibike website shows a couple of stores in Bristol, Cardiff and Cheltenham.

Does anybody have any experience with using a LBS in this area or have any they can recommend?

Thanks.

 

[stiv674]

I haven't actually bought anything from them yet but if I did it would probably be from Leisure Lake Bikes in Cheltenham. Been in there a few times and they've always been really helpful and seem to know their stuff.

 

[Notorious MH]

Thanks stiv, I'll give them a look.

I'm really surprised that there aren't more here considering how popular a place it is for MTB.
There was a store in Lydney high street when I moved here a couple of years ago but sadly it closed last year.

 

[MrSpoon]

I’d be really interested to hear what you decide to go with; I’m actually trying to decide between the Whyte e160 RS and the Haibike All Mtn 7. A bit further afield you have Delta bikes who have a really good rep in Dursley (whyte, orange and Merida) and e-bikes in Stroud who stock Haibikes among other things. No idea on how good they are though, but have been really nice when I’ve nipped in to oggle the bikes.
You mentioned that pedalaway rent the whyte out? I could only find the 150 on their website.

 

[Notorious MH]

Interesting, thanks for that.

As for Pedalabikeaway, they don't make any mention on their website of the e160. I'm 6'3 so ride XL and they recently changed out the one XL they have to the e160RS, and I think one of the two size large as well. Not sure about the other sizes though. I was pleasantly surprised when they wheeled it out!

 

[MrSpoon]

Interesting, thanks for that.

As for Pedalabikeaway, they don't make any mention on their website of the e160. I'm 6'3 so ride XL and they recently changed out the one XL they have to the e160RS, and I think one of the two size large as well. Not sure about the other sizes though. I was pleasantly surprised when they wheeled it out!

Really appreciate it. I might drop them a message at some point and beg/plead for them to let me book out the large 160. If you do get a test ride on the haibike it’d be great to hear your thoughts. I’m torn between the whyte (my very LBS stocks them) and the spec of the haibike (with the store about 20 mins away).

 

[Notorious MH]

I'm sure they'd be happy to oblige.

The spec on the Haibike is great, I really like the look of it. I had been waiting on the EP8 but the rattle over bumps is a deal breaker for me, the Bosch in the Whyte is audible and quite annoying and from Robs videos it sounds like the EP8 may be even worse. I don't really care about motor noise when in use, it's an electric bike and I don't need to pretend it's not. I'd rather louder in use and silent on the rough stuff which is why I'm interested in the Yamaha. I highly doubt with the demand for ebikes these days getting a substantial demo on a specific model is possible, I could be wrong though.

 

[GMLS]

There is still a bike shop in Lydney but its hard to find and through an archway at the west end of the town. I think they focus on repairs now though

The other place is in Park End but limited range. Always found them helpful though

eBiking in the Forest of Dean

Looking to go on an eBike ride or hire an ebike or eMountain Bike in the Forest of Dean? We’ve got what you need right here at Dean Forest Cycles.

www.deanforestcycles.co.uk