Toronto bike shop recommendations

Jason Spaceman said:

I am a mountain biker in the market for a road bike. I want to check out some bike shops in the
Toronto area later this week to compare prices, features, etc. One brand I am particulary
interested in is Cervelo, particularly the Team Soloist and the Super Prodigy (maybe even the R2.5
if I could get it with Ultegra components for no more than $3500, but maybe that is wishful
thinking, hehe). I know that Racer Sportif on Bloor sells Cervelos, and I think Dukes might sell
them too; anywhere else? Are there any other places around Toronto where I could find a good
quality road bike for between $3000 and $3500 Canadian? It doesn't necessarily have to be Cervelo,
I am willing to consider other brands within this price range.

J. Spaceman

Cervelo are made in Toronto up near Laird and Eglinton, I think they sell direct... There are lots
of decent shops in town, but personally I believe in buying a bike from a shop that you want a
relationship with (one convenient to where you live)... two that I have found to be excellent are
D'ornellas (sp?) Lawrence and Vic Park and Enduro Sport on Leslie.

Drop me an e-mail if you want ... the addi works.

I've had very good experiences with Labicicletta in Toronto (www.labicicletta.com). They have some
real gorgeous bikes on display.

"Jason Spaceman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I am a mountain biker in the market for a road bike. I want to check out some bike shops in the
Toronto area later this week to compare prices, features, etc. One brand I am particulary
interested in is Cervelo, particularly the Team Soloist and the Super Prodigy (maybe even the R2.5
if I could get it with Ultegra components for no more than $3500, but maybe that is wishful
thinking, hehe). I know that Racer Sportif on Bloor sells Cervelos, and I think Dukes might sell
them too; anywhere else? Are there any other places around Toronto where I could find a good

quality

Quoted message said:

road bike for between $3000 and $3500 Canadian? It doesn't necessarily have to be Cervelo, I am
willing to consider other brands within this

price

Quoted message said:

range.

J. Spaceman

Jason Spaceman said:

I know that Racer Sportif on Bloor sells Cervelos, and I think Dukes might sell them too;
anywhere else?

I do not have experience buying bikes in that high price range, but when I bought a cheap
Specialized bike at Dukes I was extremely happy with the service.

Chris
--
Chris Colohan Email: [email hidden] PGP: finger [email hidden] Web: www.colohan.com Phone:
(412)268-4751

KJB said:

I've had very good experiences with Labicicletta in Toronto (www.labicicletta.com). They have some
real gorgeous bikes on display.

Their web site says they are located on Castlefield, I always thought that they were that shop
located on Bloor, just east of Racer Sportif, on the south side of Bloor. But I guess they aren't.

Does anyone know the name of that place (on the south side of Bloor)? I've driven by it a few times
but I've never been inside it, although from the street I noticed that they had some good quality
road bikes on display in their front window.

J. Spaceman

ajames54 said:

Cervelo are made in Toronto up near Laird and Eglinton, I think they sell direct... There are lots
of decent shops in town, but personally I believe in buying a bike from a shop that you want a
relationship with (one convenient to where you live)... two that I have found to be excellent are
D'ornellas (sp?) Lawrence and Vic Park and Enduro Sport on Leslie.

Drop me an e-mail if you want ... the addi works.

Cervelo sells direct? Hmmmmm. Do they have a shop located at their head offices (their web site says
they are located on Industrial St. which is in East York, I think). Would they sell to a lowly
consumer like myself, or do I have to be a dealer?

I'm out in Oshawa, the armpit of Canada, and there aren't a lot of good bike shops out here; just
used car and Harley dealerships :-). The few bike shops that we do have tend to deal mainly in
mountain bikes and do not offer a huge selection when it comes to road bikes.

J. Spaceman

On Wed, 06 Aug 2003 11:13:25 GMT, Jason Spaceman <[email hidden]> doth put forth:

Quoted message said:

I am a mountain biker in the market for a road bike. I want to check out some bike shops in the
Toronto area later this week to compare prices, features, etc. One brand I am particulary
interested in is Cervelo, particularly the Team Soloist and the Super Prodigy (maybe even the R2.5
if I could get it with Ultegra components for no more than $3500, but maybe that is wishful
thinking, hehe). I know that Racer Sportif on Bloor sells Cervelos, and I think Dukes might sell
them too; anywhere else? Are there any other places around Toronto where I could find a good
quality road bike for between $3000 and $3500 Canadian? It doesn't necessarily have to be Cervelo,
I am willing to consider other brands within this price range.

J. Spaceman

I bought mine here:

<www.pavancycle.com>

Derek
--
Derek Lloyd [email hidden] <*

"Derek Lloyd" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Wed, 06 Aug 2003 11:13:25 GMT, Jason Spaceman <[email hidden]> doth put forth:

I bought mine here:

<www.pavancycle.com>

Derek
--
Derek Lloyd [email hidden] <*>

Tony Pavan is great guy and he has great bikes, being the importer of Pinarello. Unfortunately for
Jason, he's at the 401 and Renforth..a bit of a hike! But yeah, I know Tony and I'd direct anyone
his way when I can. Nice guy and very skilled.

Cheers,

Scott..

"Jason Spaceman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Their web site says they are located on Castlefield, I always thought that they were that shop
located on Bloor, just east of Racer Sportif, on the south side of Bloor. But I guess they aren't.

Does anyone know the name of that place (on the south side of Bloor)?

I've

Quoted message said:

driven by it a few times but I've never been inside it, although from the street I noticed that
they had some good quality road bikes on display in their front window.

J. Spaceman

La Bicicletta used to be on the south side of Bloor just west of High Park, east of Racer, but they
have since moved. I've never really liked Racer..personal reasons from way back. But they do sell
high-end stuff. D'Ornellas is nice and Eon is a nice guy.

Scott..

"Jason Spaceman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Cervelo sells direct? Hmmmmm. Do they have a shop located at their head offices (their web site
says they are located on Industrial St. which is

in

Quoted message said:

East York, I think). Would they sell to a lowly consumer like myself, or do I have to be a dealer?

I'm out in Oshawa, the armpit of Canada, and there aren't a lot of good

bike

Quoted message said:

shops out here; just used car and Harley dealerships :-). The few bike shops that we do have tend
to deal mainly in mountain bikes and do not offer a huge selection when it comes to road bikes.

J. Spaceman

I think they sell direct. It'd be a great opportunity to head down there and check out their place.
They'd be more than happy to help you out I'm sure and you can see their operation. Oshawa isn't the
armpit of Canada...Welland is!!! ;-) Or is Welland the [censored] of Canada?!?

Cheers,

Scott..

S. Anderson said:

"Derek Lloyd" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On Wed, 06 Aug 2003 11:13:25 GMT, Jason Spaceman <[email hidden]> doth put forth:

I bought mine here:

<www.pavancycle.com>

Derek
--
Derek Lloyd [email hidden] <*>

Tony Pavan is great guy and he has great bikes, being the importer of Pinarello. Unfortunately for
Jason, he's at the 401 and Renforth..a bit of a hike! But yeah, I know Tony and I'd direct anyone
his way when I can. Nice guy and very skilled.

Cheers,

Scott..

Would he have a Pinarello for between $3000 and $3500? :-) Any idea if the 'house brand' Pavan
is any good?

J. Spaceman

"Jason Spaceman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Would he have a Pinarello for between $3000 and $3500? :-) Any idea if the 'house brand' Pavan is
any good?

J. Spaceman

I'm sure he has some nice Pinarellos...my road racing buddy has bought several there in the last few
years. I think he was in the $3500 range for his last one. Honestly, I'm not up on road stuff too
much, except my 20 year old Rossin that I keep clunking along with. As far as the Pavan brand, I
don't think they're in the same league as Cervelo or Pinarello. The frames are manufactured in Italy
somewhere by some third party builder so they may not be up to Pinarello quality. I'm not a big fan
of carbon stays on alu frames either so maybe I'm jaded. However, they're probably very well
assembled as they do good work at Pavan's. His shop is fairly small and aimed mostly at the road
racer: not a lot of recreational accessories or even clothing. If you're ever out that way I'd
recommend stopping in to see him or Don Zuck, his associate. But he's mostly about importing
Pinarellos.

Cheers,

Scott..

ajames54 said:

Cervelo are made in Toronto up near Laird and Eglinton, I think they sell direct... There are lots
of decent shops in town, but personally I believe in buying a bike from a shop that you want a
relationship with (one convenient to where you live)... two that I have found to be excellent are
D'ornellas (sp?) Lawrence and Vic Park and Enduro Sport on Leslie.

Drop me an e-mail if you want ... the addi works.

I checked out D'Ornella's and Duke's on Thursday. The guy at D'Ornella's showed me a couple of
bikes that caught my interest. One was a Specialized Allez Pro w/ Dura-Ace. Something like this
model ---> specialized.comSBCBkModel.jspOpen ↗
l43ihd8ox.j27004

I'm not too crazy about the Allez Pro's zebra stripe pattern, but it's no biggie. The componentry on
it is very nice though. The bike was regularly $3900 but was on for $3250 or thereabouts.

The other was a Giant TCR Composite 1, something like this ---> giant-bicycles.com03Open ↗
0.000.000/030.050.000.asp?dealerid=&dealercountry=&lYear=2003&bikesection=8805&range=82&model=9833

I like the fact that the bike is carbon fibre. It was on sale for around $2950 or so.

Duke's didn't seem to have as much of a selection within my price range, but they did have a
Cannondale R3000 ---> cannondale.commodel 3R3KD.htmlOpen ↗ which, although out
of my price range with the Dura-Ace and all; the guy at the shop said that they might be able to
rebuild it with Ultegra to bring the price down. Or else order me an R2000.

Duke's also had a Trek 5200 -----> trekbikes.com5200.jspOpen ↗ for around
$3500 which caught my eye.

The only Cervelo I saw was at Duke's, and it was the P2K time trial bike. Does anyone know why
Cervelo puts Ultegra or Dura-Ace cranks, derailleurs, and shifters on their bikes; but they put on
'Cervelo' brand brake calipers? The brake calipers are completely black except for the Cervelo label
stamped on them. Are they any good?

D'Ornella's had this nice Orbea time trial bike, as well as an Orbea road frame in the Euskatel team
colours :-), which caught my eye.

At D'Ornella's the guy measured me and suggested that I would probably ride a 58cm frame, whereas at
Duke's the guy suggested that I would require something closer to 60cm or so, although he didn't
take my measurements and said that if I do decide to buy a bike they would take all my measurements
at that time, and put me on a trainer to observe my riding style, etc.

J. Spaceman

On Fri, 08 Aug 2003 11:02:26 GMT, Jason Spaceman <[email hidden]> wrote:

SNIP

Quoted message said:

The only Cervelo I saw was at Duke's, and it was the P2K time trial bike. Does anyone know why
Cervelo puts Ultegra or Dura-Ace cranks, derailleurs, and shifters on their bikes; but they put on
'Cervelo' brand brake calipers? The brake calipers are completely black except for the Cervelo
label stamped on them. Are they any good?

Good enough ... basically it will be a cost issue.. the tri and time trial bikes are built up with
aero-bars, and bar-con shifters rather than STI shifters. The break leavers they use are designed
for aero-bars (IIRC made by dia-comp) I don't know who makes the calipers, there are a couple of
companies who make quite acceptable "non-brand" brakes (they are not that technologically
challenging after all.)

Quoted message said:

At D'Ornella's the guy measured me and suggested that I would probably ride a 58cm frame, whereas
at Duke's the guy suggested that I would require something closer to 60cm or so, although he didn't
take my measurements and said that if I do decide to buy a bike they would take all my measurements
at that time, and put me on a trainer to observe my riding style, etc.

I would expect either shop to do basically the same thing... but I would lean towards D'Ornella's as
being the one that does the better job..

On Fri, 08 Aug 2003 11:02:26 GMT, Jason Spaceman <[email hidden]> wrote:

SNIP

Quoted message said:

The only Cervelo I saw was at Duke's, and it was the P2K time trial bike. Does anyone know why
Cervelo puts Ultegra or Dura-Ace cranks, derailleurs, and shifters on their bikes; but they put on
'Cervelo' brand brake calipers? The brake calipers are completely black except for the Cervelo
label stamped on them. Are they any good?

Good enough ... basically it will be a cost issue.. the tri and time trial bikes are built up with
aero-bars, and bar-con shifters rather than STI shifters. The break leavers they use are designed
for aero-bars (IIRC made by dia-comp) I don't know who makes the calipers, there are a couple of
companies who make quite acceptable "non-brand" brakes (they are not that technologically
challenging after all.)

Quoted message said:

At D'Ornella's the guy measured me and suggested that I would probably ride a 58cm frame, whereas
at Duke's the guy suggested that I would require something closer to 60cm or so, although he didn't
take my measurements and said that if I do decide to buy a bike they would take all my measurements
at that time, and put me on a trainer to observe my riding style, etc.

I would expect either shop to do basically the same thing... but I would lean towards D'Ornella's as
being the one that does the better job..

I checked out Racer Sportif and La Bicicletta today.

La Bicicletta had a pretty big selection. I had my eyes on a Look KG 461 -->
lookcycle.comcadres kg461.htmOpen ↗ (I think it was a 461, I forgot to
write down the exact model number) that was built up with Ultegra. They were selling it for around
$3250 or so.

They also had a Look KX frame and fork --->
lookcycle.comcadres kx.htmOpen ↗ and they said they could build a
complete bike with Ultegra for around $3600 (OK, a bit out of my price range).

They also had a brand called Marinoni, I think they are a Quebec company. Any info on them? Good?
Bad? One particular model I looked at ---> marinoni.qc.caeng piumaxtra.aspOpen ↗ had a
steel front triangle and carbon rear.

Racer Sportif had a Pinarello Surprise frame built with Mavic Cosmics and Ultegra for around
$2900 or so.

The guy at Racer Sportif also showed me an Aquila Titanio CR frame and fork set that he said they
could build into a complete bike with Ultegra components & wheels for me for around $3600. I was
impressed with the looks and weight of the Aquila Titanio. It has a Ti front triangle and Ti chain
stays, and carbon seat stays. I'm not to familiar with Aquila, but you can view the frame and fork
in question here ---> aquilacycles.comFrameTitanioCRStrada.htmOpen ↗

Where are Aquilas made? Are they a 'house brand' for some local bike shops around Ontario and
Quebec? Are they good? bad?

The guy at Racer Sportif really seemed to recommend Ti for a tall & heavy [censored] like me. Perhaps
he was just looking to sell me something more expensive, but I have heard some good things about the
ride quality of a Ti frame (although I've never ridden one myself).

Both shops said that they would measure me and get me to ride on a trainer to figure out my riding
style, etc. and to help determine my frame size. La Bicicletta had a cool computerized setup to help
with some of that stuff.

J. Spaceman

"Jason Spaceman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

They also had a brand called Marinoni, I think they are a Quebec company. Any info on them? Good?
Bad? One particular model I looked at ---> marinoni.qc.caeng piumaxtra.aspOpen ↗ had

a

Quoted message said:

steel front triangle and carbon rear.

Marinoni is a good bike. I'm not real familiar with them now but when I was (1980s-90s) they were
very good value for top level racing bikes. I believe a Marinoni won the 1984 Olympic women's RR
(rebadged as another brand). I loved mine (got it in 1986) and still do.

JT

--
*******************************************
NB: reply-to address is munged

Visit jt10000.comjt10000.comOpen ↗
*******************************************

Jason Spaceman said:

I checked out Racer Sportif and La Bicicletta today.

Racer Sportif had a Pinarello Surprise frame built with Mavic Cosmics and Ultegra for around
$2900 or so.

Quoted message said:

Both shops said that they would measure me and get me to ride on a trainer to figure out my riding
style, etc. and to help determine my frame size. La Bicicletta had a cool computerized setup to
help with some of that stuff.

I hope you will not take this the wrong way, but $2500 to $3000 is an awful lot of money to spend on
a bike especially as you do not really seem to know what you want.

A good used steel bike can be bought much more cheaply, and used bikes tend to hold their value
better than new ones.

Possibly after riding for a while you would be in better position to know what you wanted.

And Fit-Kit type machines? If you know your measurements, you do not need them. At best they are
only a guide and at worst they serve to ~fit~ you to an expensive product that just happens to be
~on sale, but only until tonight.~

Toronto bike shops?

A motley crowd if ever there was one. Personally I find mail order more to my liking.

But try Eon D'Ornellas on Laurence (East about 2200 or something) or Trail Blazer on Danforth
(around 2000) you will get good service from both places and Trail Blazer have some beautiful
Bianchi's that are made of real steel, fitted with Campagnolo components and reasonably priced.

--
le vent a Dos

Davey Crockett

There is a great shop out in Streetsville called Re-My Sport. They are a top notch shop with great
service and a nice selection of bikes. They carry Trek, Giant and Cannondale road frames. Ask for
Jean-Paul when you give them a call or drop by. If you are planning on spending $3500.00 on a bike
then the trip out to Mississauga will be far worth the drive.

By the way I am riding a Marinoni Delta Extra which is their aluminum race machine with full real
carbon triangle. I have full DA components on it with the FSA Pro Team Issue crank. This is one
sweet machine. You will have a hard time finding a frame anywhere that matches what Marinoni
produces whether it be aluminum or steel. They even have a carbon model out this year but I don't
know much about it.

Best of luck in your search for the right bike.

Mike

"S. Anderson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

"Jason Spaceman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Would he have a Pinarello for between $3000 and $3500? :-) Any idea if the 'house brand' Pavan
is any good?

J. Spaceman

I'm sure he has some nice Pinarellos...my road racing buddy has bought several there in the last
few years. I think he was in the $3500 range for his last one. Honestly, I'm not up on road stuff
too much, except my 20 year old Rossin that I keep clunking along with. As far as the Pavan brand,
I don't think they're in the same league as Cervelo or Pinarello. The frames are manufactured in
Italy somewhere by some third party builder so they may not be up to Pinarello quality. I'm not a
big fan of carbon stays on alu frames either so maybe I'm jaded. However, they're probably very
well assembled as they do good work at Pavan's. His shop is fairly small and aimed mostly at the
road racer: not a lot of recreational accessories or even clothing. If you're ever out that way
I'd recommend stopping in to see him or Don Zuck, his associate. But he's mostly about importing
Pinarellos.

Cheers,

Scott..

Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Jason Spaceman
I am a mountain biker in the market for a road bike. I want to check out some bike shops in the
Toronto area later this week to compare prices, features, etc. One brand I am particulary interested
in is Cervelo, particularly the Team Soloist and the Super Prodigy (maybe even the R2.5 if I could
get it with Ultegra components for no more than $3500, but maybe that is wishful thinking, hehe). I
know that Racer Sportif on Bloor sells Cervelos, and I think Dukes might sell them too; anywhere
else? Are there any other places around Toronto where I could find a good quality road bike for
between $3000 and $3500 Canadian? It doesn't necessarily have to be Cervelo, I am willing to
consider other brands within this price range.

J. Spaceman

Hey JS,

If its not too late try La Bicicletta www.labicicletta.com which is in TO. They have been really helpful on the phone and they stock good high end bikes, though not Cervelo. Have you thought about Marinoni? I am trying to decide between Marinoni which are beautifully built but have no name recognition here in Europe or Cervelo which now everyone knows about cos of Tyler and the TdF. Last time I lived in Toronto (granted it was 14 years ago) I thought Dukes was a good shop and Racer Sportif were a bunch of arrogant [censored]. Lousy service and a lousy mechanic who nearly ruined the bearing races on my hubs by overtightening, I could hardly turn the wheel when I got it home and had to buy some cone wrenches to adjust them myself.