December 13/21 16:41 pm - 2021 Canadian Cyclist Best Bike Shops - The Winners

Posted by Editor on 12/13/21
 

We are pleased to announce the winners in our tenth annual search for the Best Shops in Canada, as chosen by you, the readers of Canadian Cyclist. Thousands of votes were cast from all across Canada. It's been a second difficult year for small businesses across Canada, and bike shops had it extra hard after being declared Essential Services in many regions and suffering supply problems.

We have gone through the ballots and broken them down by region to determine the 2021 Canadian Cyclist Best Bike Shops. Forty (40) shops from across the country have been selected, and they will each receive a certificate identifying them as the local bike shops most respected by their customers.

Twenty two (22) shops repeated as winners - up from last year, when only 17 did. The two shops that have won in the previous nine years - The Cyclery in Ottawa and Pedalhead Road Works in Edmonton - are on our list again, making them the only ten-time winners.

Nearly 200 shops received nominations, with many shops tweeting about the competition, or including a link to it in their newsletters and Facebook pages. There were many newcomers to the nomination list.

Two things shone through for all of the top ranked stores: customer service and passion for cycling, often expressed by involvement in the local community.

Congratulations to all our winners.

Here are the 2021 Canadian Cyclist Best Bike Shops. We have included a quote from a voter for each shop.

Atlantic Region

Cyclesmith - Halifax, Nova Scotia Every purchase we've made has been precision in and of itself! Everyone working is also incredibly enthused by cycling! They'll as a local independent business they give to charitable groups, do a lot of behind the scenes giving, team building with staff and community support too! This may be private but I am told they also just supported a family from Colombia to relocate to Canada (who owned a bike shop there) but truly needed to immigrate to have a better life. The cycling community is so much stronger because of Cyclesmith.

Freeride Mountain Sports - St John's, Newfoundland & Labrador Chris is putting his heart and soul into building the cycling community in Canada's oldest city. The hours he gives to trail building is next level.

Hub Cycle - Truro, Nova Scotia Not only are they people friendly, they are also dog friendly! Every time I visit, I bring my dog with me and they always have a treat for him. Oh and the service is fantastic!

MacQueen's - Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island The owner, Danny, wants to see people biking. With COVID and parts shortage it's not an easy scenario to keep our bikes running, but he will do everything to make sure you have a ridable bike even with the specific part missing. He will source whatever little specific item, part, or equipment you are looking for. It's easy for us to support a local shop when the owner and employees shop are so good.

Mike's Bike Shop - Dieppe, New Brunswick Their support for JDRF [Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation]. Over $250,000 raised so far through Mike's Bike Shop Cyclebetes !!!

My Bike Shop - Moncton, New Brunswick My daughter (14yr old) was new to Triathlon. Jim and the staff were extremely helpful to help us the new parents and our daughter with all her Triathlon needs. They went out of their way to educate us, and help [with] maintenance [of] a borrowed bike [in] off hours.

Outer Limit Sports - Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island It's a family run business built on trust, values and great customer service. We're a family of 5 that they have been outfitting us for years on our cycling needs and service. You can tell they appreciate every transaction regardless of size. We wish them continued success!

Pictou County Cycle - New Glasgow, Nova Scotia Clint Snell is an amazing owner. He provides so much knowledge and is very passionate about cycling and a healthy lifestyle. He is a brand ambassador, and practices what he preaches. Customer service is second to none, and makes you feel like you're a friend when you pop in either to browse, buy or chat.

Velofix Nova Scotia - Halifax, Nova Scotia Best team of knowledgeable biker enthusiasts. When I was considering buying a RAD, Todd Gorman was generous with his time to tell me about his experience with RAD bikes and working with RAD on bike issues. Love the at home visit for my tune-up, too! Great people, great service!


Quebec - Greater Montréal Region (GMR)

Cycle Néron - Montreal The staff always has time to answer questions, even if you do not intend to buy. They offer test rides of their bikes. Mechanics are knowledgeable and helpful.

Cyclosphere - Mirabel It's like paying a visit to my brother and sister, no fuss, dead honest crew.


Quebéc - East

Laferté Bicycles - Trois Rivières The new shop is incredibly good. The service is personalized, respectful, and there is a great array of bike brands both for mountain and gravel. Lots of smaller brands as well to increase the offering to customers. There's a generally great vibe to the place. Service is on point. I've never had to go back and have the mechanic redo something on the bike.

Mathieu Performance - Quebec City Mathieu Performance est un incontournable à Québec pour son service hors pair, ses employés passionnés et leurs produits de qualité. Toujours agréable de magasiner là-bas !


Quebéc - West

Centre du Vélo La Shop - Gatineau They know their stuff. They sell very good and local brands. Their technicians are the best. When you buy a bike, the maintenance is free ... forever you own your bike!!! They are involved with and they support the local cyclists groups. They are the best!

Polo Vélo - Gatineau The bike maintenance and repair are always completed in a professional manner and I do not need to go back the shop several times for the same issue. The gears selection is wide and if an item is not in stock there is the option to order. When shopping for a new bike I did not feel in pressure to buy. I obtained great information to make an inform decision. I bought a bike and a lot a gears that suit my needs!

Velozophie - Gatineau They always have immense amounts of bikes and a wide variety of products, super good service and offer great mechanical service with the purchase of a bike (4 free tune ups, a free professional fitting with a kinesiologist and amazing warranty). The employees really know what they're talking about and they are always smiling when you come in. Great bike shop, convenient location and very successful.


Ontario - Greater Toronto Area (GTA)

Cyclepath Oakville - Oakville The owners are friendly and helpful and completely non-intimidating. Love the female staff on the team (as a woman myself).

Dundas Speed Shop - Dundas The people are awesome and have tuned my bikes perfectly and well beyond other shops have in the past. Helped with a warranty frame, rebuilt my shocks, and even perfectly assembled my full custom road bike better than expected. It's all in the details. I won't have anyone else touch my bikes. Fast turn around and great knowledge. And they also collect vintage bikes, so there is always something cool to look at in the shop too.

Gears Canary - Toronto High performance mechanics with high standards. Very friendly and confident retail associates to assist with everything I need. Trustworthy and involved in the community. Honest and always involved in helping me find a solution to my problems instead of sending me on my way disappointed. Passionate about what they do.

Giant Vaughan - Vaughan Giant Vaughan has a huge selection of different kinds of bikes for men, women and kids. The atmosphere is very warm, family-friendly and provide excellent professional service. Robert is very accommodating, helps us find the right bikes cater to our needs plus he provided professional tips about biking and maintenance. Feels like you are part of the Family. Kudos to all the staff of Giant Vaughan for the Best Bike Shop Ever.

Spoke O'Motion - Newmarket Personable, knowledgeable, super-friendly staff. Great selection of products and services. They also run a cycling club that coordinates a ton of challenging, safe, and fun rides (both in-person and virtual) that run multiple times a week for people of all skill-levels. The only place I take my bikes now.


Ontario - East

The Cyclery - Ottawa Not only does this bike shop carry a wide range of product and price point for all level of cyclist, The Cyclery is committed to developing rider capacity. From posting informative videos online, to sponsoring an elite women's team, to organizing various racing series (such as Cyclocross), The Cyclery is committed to cycling and the community at large. Vince and his team's passion for the sport, for helping people, and for encouraging all riders is unparalleled.

Velofix Ottawa - Ottawa A bolt sheared off onto the carbon stem of my tri bike. I thought the bike was done we would not have been able to afford a replacement at nearly the same quality and a new fork wasn't an option due to its age. I called several store[s] in town that were authorized Felt dealers and no one was willing to touch it. Best response I got was that they would send back to Felt and hope they had a solution. Pedro was able to get it back up and running in about a week.


Ontario - North

target=_blank>Algoma Bicycle Company - Sault Ste Marie They have the best brands and service in the North.

Crank & Sprocket - Orillia My first time going into the store I was ready to buy a bike. I told them what I was looking for and instead of selling me one of their bikes, they told me that I could get a better slightly used bike that someone else was selling on consignment. I felt like they had my best interest right from the very beginning. Since then, I have purchased several bikes from them - and trust them. The staff are welcoming, have answered my bazillion questions over the years as a newbie MTB gal, and always have a big smile for all their customers. Oh, and they make funny videos on Instagram too!!! They are simply - THE BEST!

Forks Bicycle Shop - Owen Sound (formerly Erin) Because Brian Travis, that's why. Brian can talk high end bike and component specs, but can modulate based on his audience: I've found that many bike shops unconsciously cater to folks who look for high end bikes, components and gear and those shops often forget folks at the other end of the price point scale, like they're an afterthought. Not with Brian. There's a reason he and his shop have been recognized year after year in small, rural markets. He's that good.

Parry Sound Bikes - Parry Sound PSB is locally owned and they really care about their customers. They are passionate about growing the cycling community and are involved in making our town a better, safer, healthier place. Their customer service is highly individualized to the customer, and they have a wide variety of products despite being a small shop. Plus, they have an amazing coffee bar and shop doggie (Franklin), and it's just a cool place to hang out!


Ontario - Southwest

Cycle Culture - Tecumseh (Windsor) This shop caters to all cyclists' needs from novice to professional racers involving new bike sales, repairs & accessories. They are involved in the community organizing & sponsoring events & wrenching at them with a smile. The environment they have created within the local cycling community helps all customers to feel comfortable including the youth from the neighbourhood skate park. Their passion for cycling shines through & is contagious!

London Bicycle Cafe - London It focuses on getting everyone, all ages and abilities, onto a bike. It promotes biking as transportation, not just sport. They explain the passion behind getting people on bikes is to try to save our planet from climate change and make the future a safe place for our children. Inclusivity, climate protection, health, and fun. It's a beautiful concept.


Manitoba/Saskatchewan

Bikes & Beyond - Winnipeg They treat every cyclist with the same courtesy and respect, whether you're a serious cyclist or someone that hops on a cruiser for fun a few times each summer. Knowledgeable staff that listen to your needs and do their best to meet them, excellent customer service. My go to shop.

Woodcock Cycle Works - Winnipeg, Manitoba Wow - so many reasons that they are my favorite ... great service, large selection of bikes, parts and gear, excellent bike club rides of all kinds (including Fatbike), community involvement, donating to charities, and organizing cycling races and events!

Western Cycle - Regina, Saskatchewan Great people who are incredibly knowledgeable. They provide great service and support the community and local cycle clubs / multi sport clubs.


Alberta

BikeBike - Calgary I walked into BikeBike a decade ago beyond frustrated and sad having had a series of terrible experiences at the other shops in town. I desperately needed some guidance on how to ride with my kids. BikeBike welcomed me with kindness and patience. There was no judgement. They taught and encouraged, and without exaggeration, they changed my life that day. I'm so lucky to now call Sean & Nadia my friends. They are absolutely Alberta's best bike shop.

Bike Bros. - Cochrane Bike Bros continues to be my go to shop because of their friendly small town vibe. Staff are knowledgeable and friendly and they always have everything I need even during the great bicycle shortage! They were instrumental in starting our local cycling advocacy group Bike Cochrane which in turn has made our community more bike friendly. The owners are great people too. They deserve my vote!

Pedalhead Road Works - Edmonton Year after year, Guri and his fantastic staff give you the products and service you never thought you needed, but couldn't be more pleased to receive. PRW isn't just about bikes; they're passionate about the community in which we all ride. It's not just about them, it's about us: the time has come, Canadian Cyclist - hand out your LBS Lifetime Achievement Award to PRW.


British Columbia

Bicicletta Vancouver - Vancouver I have experienced great customer service here all during COVID. Ordering items online is very smooth, I can track my order through Shopify, and the turnaround time to receive my items is very quick. Great shop!

The Bicycle Cafe - Kamloops Still has that old style close knit group feel, always welcome and great service.

Bishop's Family Cycles - Victoria This is a one stop shop for every cycling family. From spare parts to weather appropriate clothing, they got it all. They have a broad range of cargo bikes and e-bikes for all needs.

Oak Bay Bicycles - Victoria Great building, great staff, great service, great stock ... even in challenging 2020 times, they were so helpful and got me what I needed.