December 24/22 11:17 am - 2022 Canadian Cyclist Best Bike Shops - The Winners

Posted by Editor on 12/24/22
 

We are pleased to announce the winners in our 11th 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 another 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 2022 Canadian Cyclist Best Bike Shops. A total of 38 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 (20) shops repeated as winners - down two from last year. The two shops that have won in the previous ten years - The Cyclery in Ottawa and Pedalhead Road Works in Edmonton - are on our list again, making them the only 11-time winners.

Nearly 200 shops received nominations, with many shops tweeting about the competition, or including a link to it in their newsletters and social media 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 2022 Canadian Cyclist Best Bike Shops. We have included a quote from a voter for each shop.

Atlantic Region

Canary Cycles - St John's, Newfoundland & Labrador

Explore Velo - Fredericton, New Brunswick Great staff, always stocked with bikes and gear, quick turnaround on maintenance, lots of knowledge share, and very community orientated. I can always count on Paul and his team to set me up for a successful ride

Hub Cycle - Truro, Nova Scotia The staff! I have never been in any store where the staff genuinely care about the customer leaving the store happy!

Mike's Bike Shop - Dieppe, New Brunswick Mike's is my favourite bike shop because of the professionalism of their staff. They also carry a large variety of everything you will ever need for your bike and they treat clients like family.

My Bike Shop - Moncton, New Brunswick Jim and his staff will bend over backwards to help their customers; every time I have a issue I can trust in the shop to address it right away. I've never felt so at home and welcome in a business before. Jim's shop is a true tribute to east coast hospitality.

Ted's Bicycle Studio - Stratford, Prince Edward Island Ted provides excellent customer service, fixes my bike like a pro mechanic, and he's growing the cycling community in PEI!


Quebec

Centre du Vélo La Shop - Gatineau They only sell products that they themselves would use. Quality is important to them and their staff are very knowledgeable. Their DoS (Department of Suspension) is a great example of innovation in the industry.

Cyclosphere - Mirabel Great service. All the staff are passionate. It's not just sellers, it's real cyclists who pass on their passion to us.And the selection of mountain bikes is amazing.

Polo Vélo - Gatineau Excellent service, I feel like home when I go there and they are really knowledgeable and professional.


Ontario - Greater Toronto Area (GTA)

Cyclepath Danforth - Toronto The owner and staff are knowledgeable, experienced and patient with all customers. The provide extraordinary advice, suggestions/recommendations and troubleshooting. Their customer focused service delivery is exemplary and I highly recommend them.

Cyclepath Oakville - Oakville I have been a customer from June 2000, receiving great customer support for cycling gear and service. Cyclepath has also been a solid supporter of the Oakville Cycling Club for decades.

D'Ornellas Bike Shop - Scarborough They are experts in repairs and maintenance. Eon and the D'Ornellas family are in the shop all the time. Neil and his team are accommodating and always helpful. Prices are very reasonable and the selection is awesome! What more could you want? Best shop in Toronto!

Dundas Speed Shop - Dundas In the short time I’ve known Chad and Darren, they've helped me out immensely for free on the spot many times or with very quick turnaround time and affordable labour rates. High quality mechanics who know their stuff and have a clean shop that speaks to the cleanliness of their work.

Gears - Toronto I've been going here since the previous location, the mechanics are both busy and phenomenal; a difficult thing to achieve. The sales staff is knowledgeable and extremely helpful, willing to spend plenty of time with you to find what you need.

Giant Vaughan - Vaughan It's not just store selling bike, it helps communities as well in terms of giving back to communities. Love all the staff; friendly and informative.

Liberty Cyclery - Toronto Operating as a bike garage, Ed has the time and expertise to really focus on custom builds and more challenging repairs. He's one of the only mechanics in the city that will work on suspension and he has many customers that are racers from teams that are sponsored by other shops ;-)


Ontario - East

Bloomfield Bicycle Company - Bloomfield I have been part of this shop since the 90's. I would like to say being a customer but over the years I have become family. I call the BBC my happy place. Rick and KT are extremely knowledgeable and live the bicycle life. They have vast connections in the industry to fix any issue that comes in their shop. Doesn't matter if you ride a top of the line bike or a vintage bike or anything in between they can fix it and probably have a part you need to save you some cash. Can't wait for my kids to work there for a summer job.

The Cyclery - Ottawa Vince is very gracious with his time and sponsorship within the community. The Cyclery sponsors a women's racing team and also puts on the Eastern Ontario Cyclocross series. The community is lucky to have this leadership to help run events. The shop also has an excellent selection of bikes and accessories!

Velofix Ottawa - Ottawa Great service every time I use them over the years. Added bonus to be able to get skiis sharpened at the same time as a bike cleaned up to be used during the winter months indoors.


Ontario - North

Algoma Bicycle Company - Sault Ste Marie Espresso is fantastic because they freshly grind their beans, which are locally roasted. Customer service is second to none. Brad and the crew offer great feedback with bike setup and are honest when it comes to fixing a bike. ABC is engaged in the community and support youth programs that develop MTB skills, and attracting children to the sport. They support our local trails through volunteerism and monetary, so we can have some of the best trails in the north. They are big on reusing and reducing waste by keeping bike packing pieces, which then are used to repackage warranty claims, or used elastic/Velcro straps to bring bikepacking. Furthermore, they are an inclusive bike shop, that is committed to growing the sport and removes barriers that would otherwise not allow some people to ride in a group based on gender, race, and sexual orientation.

The Bike Zone Barrie - Barrie There's something you come to expect from a shop. Knowledge, service and do they stand behind it all ... over the last few years I've learned so much about bikes from Joe ... the owner, knowledgeable and an upstanding person. The sales staff are friendly, knowledgeable and professional. Cycling is a vibe! Bike Zone Barrie checks all the boxes - #1 shop.

Crank & Sprocket - Orillia This shop has worked really hard to support our community and promote women in cycling and making women feel comfortable going into bike stores which we haven't had in the Simcoe county area. They're honest and amazing at what they do.

Forks Bicycle Shop - Owen Sound (formerly Erin) How could it not be! Brian is one of the nicest and most honest people there is. He will not over sell you. But will sell you exactly what you need and has one of the best service agreements on a new bike purchase. 3 years of free service on a new bike? How could you not love this place!

Little Ed's - Collingwood Jay has taken over the shop and grown it in so many ways ... new product, new satellite locations, elevated the customer experience (you can grab a beer while your bike is being fixed!), and their involvement and passion in community is like no other I've ever seen. They've supported kids going to local bike camps with a new bike, sponsored local riders, always out at local ride events, hosted bike movie nights, sponsored ski movie nights, etc. Next level. The biggest heart for our bike community. I would vote 1000 times for Little Ed's if I could!!!

Parry Sound Bikes - Parry Sound They are a unique glue in the community that doesn't require a paid subscription to attend. Their bike shop is an old relic firehouse which is fantastic. Staff wonderful. And they fix bikes for free for those in the community needing recycled bikes. Female owned. C'mon now this review alone is worth them winning! ;-)

Velorution - Sault Ste Marie They have the best staff who truly care about their customers. They started amazing FREE programs like Titty Tuesday women's ride that introduces women to mountain biking in a supportive environment. That program is the reason I became so passionate about biking.


Ontario - Southwest

Cycles London - London The owner is very knowledgeable, kind and supportive. He knows the products and which one is best for you. He is good to his employees and mentors them well.

Waterloo Bike Shop- Waterloo Family owned and run, friendly, very knowledgeable, offer selection of bikes to test ride to be sure you purchase the best one for your needs, on the spot service. In this day of big stores Waterloo Bike Shop is a small oasis of how a business should be run.


Manitoba/Saskatchewan

Bikes & Beyond - Winnipeg, Manitoba Hands down the best service crew in Winnipeg, no question! Managed by some awesome people too.

Dutch Cycle - Regina, Saskatchewan Support local! Fair repair prices.


Alberta

Big Hill Cycle- Cochrane Big Hill Cycle is a pretty rad bike store, with staff who know their sh*t, and are helpful to ALL bikers, even the ones riding 20-year old fixxies. They have great stock, are expert at bike-fitting, and the owner-head mechanic is a wizard. But more than all that, they do SO MUCH for the community. They are a staple at community events (eg. Kids bike safety day, a YouthDuro race, etc), often have funds to donate to important causes, and are just generally engaged. They've also added bike mechanic courses, some of which are specifically for women/ BIPOC/ LGBTQ2S folks. Great store, great staff, great community presence.

BikeBike - Calgary The BikeBike team are friendly and open to all. As a woman I have found some bike shops seem to be blind to a customer that isn't a hardcore cyclist. BikeBike is amazing at helping all and made me feel like I was worthy of being there and helped my family find a bike that works for us and figure out cycling all year.

Bike Bros. - Cochrane Bike Bros has been my main shop for more years than I can remember. Over the years, Graham and staff have always given me honest no nonsense advice and have provided consistent top notch service. I should mention that I live in Calgary and drive by many shops on my way out to Cochrane to shop at Bike Bros. They have a great crew there and the trip out to Cochrane is always well worth it.

Bow Cycle- Calgary Offers a riding club that has allowed me to explore so many facets of riding: road, fatbike, gravel, cyclocross, and MTB. Also some great casual ice cream rides in town. Bring together more diversity than I have ever seen before on bikes.

Pedalhead Road Works - Edmonton Guri Randhawa gives me the same fantastic service and attention to detail as he would give a pro peloton cyclist. That has been the case every single time I've gone into PRW since my first visit over a decade ago. I wouldn't go anywhere else.


British Columbia

Broad Street Cycles - Victoria Broad Street is a huge supporter of many local cyclists in Victoria. They are always involved with putting on races and sponsoring events. Everyone at the shop is so friendly, knowledgeable and helpful! They are an outstanding shop and 100% deserve to win!

District Bicycle Company - Kamloops Their customer service is amazing and their dedication to enhancing the local bike community is unreal. I'm a new rider this year and took part in their free, weekly, skill building group and learned so much. I always felt welcome, and encouraged to try new features.

Wentings' Cycle- Mission They go beyond and above supporting the community, taking time to refurbish bikes to donate to the Christmas Bureau putting smiles on many children's faces at Christmas time. They also do it with a smile and ask for nothing in return. Such an amazing company. We are so grateful to have them as part of our Community. They are winners already in our eyes and many others too we are sure. Thank you for the opportunity to vote for them.