Best Bike Shop in Shepherd's Bush

Notting Hill Gate, where I grew up, has lost most of its proper shops, almost all of which all seem to have turned into outposts of West End stores selling £3,000 handbags.

One of the good things about living in Shepherd's Bush is that, unlike shinier, sleeker Notting Hill, we still have old-fashioned shops where you can actually buy useful things.

Action Bikes on the Uxbridge road is a fantastic bike shop. I go there a lot because I have to lock up my bike in the street every night, lacking space indoors (too many baby buggies). So, after the latest visit from the local vandals, off I trudge to the bike shop to get it mended.

This morning Action Bikes fixed my bike free of charge. Not that they always do this; they are a business, after all, and it was a pretty minor repair.  But their prices are always reasonable and their work is always good. The people who work there are the kind of people you'd want working in a bike shop - people who are really into bikes, and know how to repair them.

And lucky us in Shepherd's Bush that we still have a proper High Street. Uxbridge Rd may not be beautiful, but it certainly is full of useful stuff.

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