this is a serious bike shop. Everyone there from the mechanic to the front of house guys, just gets it. It was an absolute pleasure to get our bike there. Nothing silly just exactly what we needed.... See more
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Everyone was really helpful and knowledgeable, from first phone call to test drive and then collection. I was unsure about size, setup and how it worked with cycle to work scheme. I initially phoned t... See more
Excellent service from Ed. Quickly sorted out a minor brake leak and swapped brake pads out despite having a stack of bikes to work through on a busy Saturday.
Great bike, not great service. Took a lot of chasing to confirm the bike had arrived and was ready for a test ride. After the test ride I waited whilst the mechanic fitted the mudguards, only to dis... See more
Company details
About Balfe's Bikes - Islington
Written by the company
The Bike Sales and Servicing Specialists.
Founded in 2008, Balfe’s Bikes has 12 bike shops in London and the South East. We stock the world’s best bike brands including Trek, Specialized, Brompton, Whyte, Giant, BMC, Frog and more, plus all the acccessories you would expect.
We are proud to maintain high standards of service in our shops, our workshops and online. View our website for the latest product releases, deals and more to find everything you need to enjoy cycling.
About Balfe's Bikes
Written by the company
- Free Click & Collect
- To our 12 stores across London and the South East
- Free delivery
- Free delivery on all bikes over £500 - Free delivery non-bike orders over £30 (*excluding bulky or restricted items free delivery over £100)
- 0% finance
- Available to help spread the cost via Klarna. Terms & Conditions apply.
- Cycle to Work available
- Vouchers accepted to save 25-39%
- Online service booking
- For our professional workshops
- Balfe’s personal bike delivery
- No unpacking required. Bike built and ready to ride straight away, for local customers
Contact info
33 Essex Road, Islington, N1 2SA, London, United Kingdom
- 020 45315550
4.7
Excellent
1K reviews
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The guys in this shop are so friendly…
The guys in this shop are so friendly and helpful, they really took the time to go through everything with me. Would highly recommend!
April 14, 2026
Super friendly and helpful staff
Super friendly and helpful staff who always go out of their way to help fix a problem, no matter how small.
April 13, 2026
Unprompted review
Always a five star experience at Balfes…
Always a five star experience at Balfes in Islington. Super nice, helpful and knowledgable and gets me back out on the road super quick. Best bike shop in town! Thank you 🙏
April 6, 2026
Unprompted review
Attention to detail
Bilao showed great consideration for my bike which was in for a tire change. He cleaned the mudguards of mud to maximise the space for more rugged tyres on my touring bike. He fitted the tyres perfectly to allow a smooth ride with no rubbing he also adjusted the brakes and pumped up the tyres. It felt like a new bike! Thanks Bilao, I Totally trust Balfes for great service every time.
April 3, 2026
General good service and helpful staff.
General good service and helpful staff.
No trying to sell you more expensive products than you need.
April 3, 2026
Absolutely fantastic service
Absolutely fantastic service from the guys at Balfe's bikes Islington. Such friendly helpful staff and nothing was too much trouble. Bilal your a credit to the company, keep up the great work.
March 30, 2026
Essex Road store...
I popped into the Essex Road store with my bike after accidentally breaking off the front tyre valve, hoping to book it in for a repair. I spoke with a very friendly gentleman named Ed, who told me there was no need to book it, he’d fix it for me on the spot. I also mentioned that my gears were slipping, and he offered to have a quick look. Within five minutes, my bike was back with a new valve and perfectly tuned gears. When I asked how much it cost, he just smiled and said, “Don’t worry about it.” now that’s real old school customer service. From now on, this will be my go to shop for any bike issues. Five stars!
March 7, 2026
Unprompted review
Slow service, poor communication
I booked an appointment for a simple change of spoke. I booked on a Monday and next availability was the following Monday, but they only sent a quote by the end of Wednesday (despite I dropped the bike on time that Monday). I asked about when the bike would be ready and I never had any response. I finally got a message by Sunday to say the bike was now ready for collection. I can't believe that a simple repair of spoke took, in total, 2 weeks. The communication throughout the service was simply non-existing.
March 24, 2026
Thanks for your help with checking…
Thanks for your help with checking Shimano chainset recalls. All good.
March 4, 2026
Very knowledgeable 😁
March 19, 2026
Very helpful and friendly staff
Very helpful and friendly staff. Great shop and service!
March 16, 2026
Bike service
Great handling by front of shop team when dropping off and collecting bike.
Good communication throughout the service itself on progress and work to be done.
Bike rides as good as new after the work.
March 14, 2026
The staff here were so friendly and…
The staff here were so friendly and helpful and one of the mechanics called Ed fixed our daughter's bikes within 15 minutes and went above and beyond to get it done and they did not charge alot either which was really appreciated and shows how genuine they are! Would definitely recommend this shop and we will definitely use their services again. Thank you all
March 22, 2026
Unprompted review
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