John's Bikes

You’ll find all the things you’d hope for in your favourite bicycle shop. There’s a wide range for every kind of cyclist as well as superb clothing, a brilliant workshop and a decidedly old-fashioned attitude to service and advice. What you may not have realised is that John’s Bikes is in the middle of the best area in Bath for lovely independent shops. So as well as all the famous things you come to see, there are brilliant cafes, pubs and lots of unique stuff to make your stay in Bath as fun as fun can be.

We believe you need to get hold of a bike, sit on its saddle, fondle the handlebars, click those gear levers, squeeeeeeeeze the brakes, stroke it, sniff it. Most importantly, ride it. Get to know it in all its lovely shiny gorgeousness. Fall in love
Visit us to check out our amazing range of TREK, Eddy Merckx , Genesis, Gary Fisher and many more.
Town Bikes: Much as we love all sorts of other lovely bicycles, town bikes are our business and we’re not snooty about practical, affordable, sensible and functional bikes with baskets if needs be. Bath is bloomin’ hilly and it also rains occasionally but we can help because we ride to work every day. We're shouting from the roof tops the health-giving, mentally-energizing, bank-balance-boosting benefits of getting around under your own steam. You’re among friends. It makes sense. Let’s not just ride bikes around town – let’s do it with chutzpah and make everyone wish they were, too.
Road Bikes: Someone in the bike shop once described their favourite sound as “tubular tyres on French tarmac” and that sums it up for us. The hard part is paying for it and no one knows better the horrible reality of trying to budget for an expensive sport while paying the bills and the mortgage. Smart racers know that the right solution is not always the cheapest and along with advice on maintenance (and don’t forget our workshop is excellent at actual maintenance) we can keep you in the game when others are moaning and groaning in the changing room.
Mountain Bikes: Where do you start with mountain bikes these days? You can’t call it a single category because there are bikes for downhill, cross-country racing or pottering about in the country for starters and don’t forget that an mtb is the (sensible) default choice for every kid (and we count kids from 3-years-old to 93). The good news is that in all these areas we know what we’re talking about. We’ll cheerfully debate the pros and cons of the right off-road tyre for the conditions, all through lunch time – although you’ll be glad to hear that we try and save it for the lunch room.
Electric Bikes: The Trek Ride Plus electric bike is a superb lightweight hybrid but with the added power of a 350W brushless electric motor built into the rear hub for when you need it. Clever Syn Drive electronics allow you to dial in the amount of assistance you need - when you pedal it gives you a seamless push and when you stop pedalling it stops. There is no throttle. The Syn Drive system simply responds to your pedalling inputs and, even cleverer, recharges itself using Regenerative Braking when you cruise downhill. We have a test bike ready in the showroom – you just HAVE to try it.
Touring Bikes: The big spotlight on mountain bikes over twenty years means that the venerable touring bike category has been largely ignored and we think this is hugely unfair. Not least because we (especially John) still ride tourers for basic transport and think they’re due for a comeback. Look what you get: tyres that roll fast and smooth on the road but still tough enough for the towpath, a massive range of gears (good for hauling gently up Widcombe Hill) and road-style bars mean you can brake AND change gear safely from multiple hand positions for hours on end. Ideal for commuters, as well.
Everything for Kids: Truly, nothing fills our hearts with joy more than the sight of parents arriving with their children. Something about the wide-eyed enthusiasm of kids for their bikes. Mum and Dad enjoying the “first bike” rite of passage; it makes a grey day summer in an instant. We stock children’s bikes from Trek and Ridgeback because they are proper bikes just built smaller and because they are big makers they enjoy economies of scale that mean prices are surprisingly reasonable. £10 or £20 more than a supermarket bike but infinitely better made and treated with the same care in our workshop as a £5,000 Trek Madone.
Workshop: Bring your lovely bike in to us and we'll give it all the tender loving care it deserves. Our dedicated workshop has all the latest kit and a team of expert grease monkeys who just love to get their hands on every type of bike. Everything from frame repairs and modifications, to fitting disc mounts and wheel building, to suspension fork overhaul and frame reaming - our highly-trained, full-time mechanics do it to the highest professional standards. Why not pop in or give us a call on: 01225 464207. Workshop opening times: 9.00 - 5.30 Monday to Sat
Clothing: We are VERY fussy about our bike clothing. Why? Because we ride every day and appreciate bottom-snuggling shorts, tops to waft fresh air in summer and gloves that prevent frost-nipped finger tips on crisp winter mornings. We stock clothing from Endura, Bontrager, Pearl Izumi and Polaris. Apart from ticking all the performance boxes, these guys' garments do the boring stuff like wash repeatedly and hold together for many seasons’ use. Our website can’t hope to show everything we stock – please do come in.
Accessories: Ian Weeks is the man with the job of choosing our accessories range and having worked here for the thick end of ten years is admirably qualified. Partly through his own cycling experience, a lot of questioning and filtering the constant stream of information that comes from suppliers and the rest of John’s crew but mostly through dealing daily with the needs of our customers, Ian has a feel for what we tuck into every nook and cranny that isn’t taken up with a bike. Says Ian, “I’ve lost count of the customers who I first met looking for an apparently minor mudguard clip and who then came back to buy a nice bike. It’s just common sense, really.”
Eyewear: includes Endura’s Shark, Stingray and Spectrum models and Madison’s Ravens, Wishbones, d’Arcs triple and Shields.
Helmets: While we strongly believe that cyclists shouldn’t be compelled to wear a helmet, we nevertheless know from experience that most cycling occasions call for safety at speed and go for quality every time. Not just top makers like Bell, Giro, Abus and Trek but we also take the time to try on different models and help you to fit the helmet properly. Make sure when you put your helmet on next time that the brim lines up with your eyebrows and that the straps are adjusted to keep it there comfortably even over bumps.
Shoes: We're banging on about "contact points" again - the parts where your body touches the bike - and none are more important than where the power of your finely-honed leg muscles is transferred to the cranks. A comfortable pair of shoes will make all the difference and until you try a properly-designed cycling shoe you won't believe what a difference it makes. We stock shoes from Shimano, Bontrager and Northwave and all the way from models that offer uncompromising light weight, stiffness and ventilation to leisurely pairs that won't look out of place in the pub. Come and try on - Vicky and Sean are looking forward to helping you.

Winter Products: It's the time of year when you could be forgiven for putting your bike away until the hour springs forward again. But all-year-round cyclists know that some of the most satisfying bike days are in the chillier months months - it's just a case of wearing the right clothes and taking a few precautions.