Recycling Elephant and Castle

Sadly these are the kind of bike shops that are disappearing over time. You might find a shop like this in a rural town outside of London; kooky, a little bit grimy and full of hidden gems.

I had a seriously cracked Fort aluminium frame with a mish-mash of Campagnolo that I couldn't strip down for parts because of a lack of tools, space and time. After looking about the shop freely without being oversold; I found a late 90s Raleigh mountain bike. Adam, the manager, was approachable and offered a number of different solutions available to him. We ended chatting and came to an agreement whereby we would part exchange the bikes with abit of cash. My non mover for a fully working MTB with new tires, new cables and a mudguard chucked in!

This by no means is a perfectly organised Evans Cycles, with a carpet and uniformed staff selling you a reflective Brompton, No. This is an old school operation with a fully visible work shop at the back, complete with a grease covered mechanic holding his cup of tea - Fixing rather than replacing old parts, pushing the lives of these has been bikes further into new ownership. The shop's sign states 'reCycling'

My new bike came with a free service, as long as I came back within 2 months, and if I wanted to swap back in a few days I was welcome to.

My advice if you go here is to be friendly, be open to suggestions and definitely look about the shop. I left with a huge smile, and a sweet hack about bike which is now easily handling the wintery London conditions!

Staff were incredibly patient, generous and helpful. Nothing was too much to ask, and they made all necessary adjustments (including swapping out seat and pedals) to get that 'yes' moment. I didn't want to spend £400 on a new bike, and was quite happy spending half that for a bike with reconditioned parts, and a relationship with a shop and its community. Major benefits of buying here: the guarantee on parts and ability to come back and exchange whatever you buy if you ride it for a bit and aren't happy (I've yet to attempt this, but I'm not worried). For someone who prefers to take a bit of time to get used to a thing, the chance to try a few out on the street, change my mind, and trust I'll have no problems is priceless - in the current pandemic especially, this was a godsend. Thanks again :)

Excellent place to buy refurbished bikes. They actually care about getting the right bike and not just in it for money. Very friendly staff, definitely would recommend

Lovely service and a great atmosphere. Came in with a slow puncture and a completely flat tire, super friendly and chatty guy at the front till helped me out. Even got to pet a cat. No complaints.

Took my vintage bike for a part exchange, tried a few bikes before finding exactly what I was looking for. HAPPY

Happy buyer. I swapped my old small bike and got a really comfortable used city bike here last weekend. Hubby got his bike serviced. Great service. Highly recommended if you're considering getting something used instead of buying new and being kinder to our planet 🙂

⚠️***DON'T TAKE YOUR BIKE HERE***⚠️

Had a small problem. They said £45 before even knowing for sure the problem. I paid. 20 mins later problem not solved. Never take your bike here. NEVER. they just want money. They don't have a clue about bikes. Maybe kiddie bikes. But not road bikes. What a waste of money and time. Worst bike shop in South East London. ABSOLUTELY TRASH SERVICE

I’ve only ever had a positive experience here. A quick, cheap fix just down the road from me any time my bike needs repair. Friendly staff - proper local shop.