Balfe's Bikes - Islington Reviews 

Absolute legend! Took the time to make sure I was in the loop understood and catered to my autism and really took the time to make sure I was happy with everything and comfortable before I got to cycle into the sunset (my bike was causing me a lot of pain before and not goals pain)

Unfortunately, everything after placing a bike order has been genuinely bad.

I gave them four full weeks to get the bike, a carbon wheelset, and a smaller handlebar into the shop for the full assembly. They set a clear timeline, and the workshop eventually called to say the bike was ready for collection. However, when we spoke about the details, it turned out the bike was only prepped in standard stock condition—without the carbon wheelset and without the smaller handlebar installed. Nobody seemed to have any record or awareness of the agreed-upon build instructions.
I was told the handlebar hadn't arrived yet and that it should be ready in a week, so I called back then to arrange collection—still no handlebar. The shop floor rep had no clue what was going on, so I reached out to Head Office. They tried to brush it off, claiming standard lead times don't apply to "custom orders." That makes little sense when the specific component is available to buy directly from the manufacturer online with 4–5 day delivery.
I called the shop back, and a rep then claimed the 42cm handlebar wasn't in stock with their supplier—ignoring the fact that I had explicitly ordered a 38cm handlebar from day one. He then blamed their warehouse, promising to call me back that same day. Unsurprisingly, that call never happened.

There is a complete breakdown in communication and accountability.

The staff at the store are very friendly and ready to do their best to help you solve any problem you have.

The staff at Balfe’s Islington are knowledgeable, friendly and extremely helpful.

Top class customer service

Once the product was ready, it was fantastic advice, they took the time, answered all my questions very precisely. Super helpful. What could have been improved is the communication up to the point of delivery (several delays, hard to reach etc.)

Very friendly and helped me figure out exactly the right back for my needs.

Balfe's in Islington serviced my bike - replaced the wheel bearings and checked things over - Ed in particular gave me good advice - never clean your bike with a pressure washer! Thanks.

Staff were friendly and great service. Would definitely go there again.

Great service as usual!!! Gold Star ⭐

Easy purchase. They took extra care to reduce seat post so that my daughter could sit comfortably.

Great customer service and super nice and kind staff at the Angel shop.

Highly recommend whether you’re new to cycling or a pro!

I wanted to upgrade my bike and had frequently passed Balfe’s in Essex Road looking somewhat enviously about the bikes on display. I had a discussion with Sam about the different bikes around and the benefits (and drawbacks) of road vs hybrid vs gravel. He was incredibly knowledgeable and helpful (probably helped by his experience as a result of the number of bikes he owns!). I settled on a Specialized Diverge – he was very frank about whether it was worth if for me to go up a model and whether I would see the benefits. He then guided me through what accessories were needed (and what were not) and put together the amazing bike I now have. He even thought of adding ‘truck bars’ which made my cycling profile much more comfortable. When Sam was not around, Billal was super helpful at assisting me – he too is clearly an expert about bikes.

I have to say that the whole team is amazing. Their obvious passion for cycling is very apparent and everyone, from those in the front to those in the back are (as Cher would say - showing my age), simply the best – thank you.

Bilal made my day by genuinely being such a nice guy!! helped me and went out of his way to try and help. Amazing definitely coming back again x

Bilal was very informative and helpful finding what I needed.

They did a good job repairing the bike but communication over timings was very poor. Took a week to get a quote despite staff in shop saying it would take 24hrs. After the quote timings were also difficult.

Balfes Islington are always an absolute pleasure to deal with and go out of their way to be helpful. The best customer service I've received in a long time

The quality and expertise of the service team here is first rate. The only frustration is they often have your bike for a week before starting work on it , if you have more than one bike its not a problem but would be frustrating if you only had one bike. That aside the mechanics really do a top notch job on your bike so 100% worth it for me