[Closed] Charlie the bikemonger - anyone used them?

Yes, Charlie is a regular poster on here and seems to have a loyal following - I've always been satisfied with stuff I've had from him. Don't know about price match though.

Yep he's good 😀 good advise too

Charlie the bikemonger - anyone used them?

I thouight maybe it was new sticker competition time....

He's a small business selling stuff that most people don't or won't stock I'd pay what he's asking or go where you've found it cheaper, really.

He may be along to disagree with me, though.

Charlies great.

I bought a surly ring from him a few years back. Put it on the floor whilst taking cranks off only to pick it up with a 30 degree bend on one side. No idea how or why it happened. I asked him if Surly would replace it or anything and he said no but he would do me a deal if I couldnt bend the ring back and use it properly. The no-nonsense meeting half way customer service is always a winner for me, especially if it was most likely my fault anyway!

Naturally it being made of a real material it bent back and has been fine for 2-3 years now 🙂

Yep. Nice chap, good products.

He makes a good cup of coffee too...

dealt with him a few times, all good!

He has a longtail, a fatbike and a Tentipi - must be a good guy 🙂

Yup, not necessarily the cheapest but great value in the wider sense - advice, backup, responsiveness. If we got his kind of service from all our LBSs we'd all be happy to pay.

Top guy!

I've had no problems. Like ^^^^ said, stocks the niche stuff others shy away from.

had to buy a new cog and chain the other week. got it from him. his chainring size guide also helped me work out which one i needed. textbook start to finish. recommended.

DO NOT TRUST THIS MAN!!! he'll magic your gears away, pervert you with fatness and sell you a surf board.... "but I only came in for a puncture repair kit" ...

Bought a truvativ crankset off him the other day, great price and good service.

Would defo recommend them.

Shopping with Charlie could lead you to the Dark Side and possibly end up buying something [i]FAT[/i]

Heed the warning from qwerty.

Apart from that, great fella and would recommend him.

I have recently had a FAT purchase from there. Communication was good, his knowledge far exceeded some other shops selling similar items hence used him.

Managed to get a few free stickers in the box, Stickers rock. Delivery was on the specified day and all is good

simply excellent service...

simply excellent service...

++1

yep he is a character and a half! Nice guy..............you still me a Surly Tugnut Charlie!

He dazzled me, romanced me and spoke sweet nothings in my ear.

However when I woke up, it transpired he had stolen my wife, my gears and all I had left behind were some chainring bolts, BMX chains, funny shaped handlebars and some stickers*.

*my actual CTBM purchasing history.

Yup, and he's actualy the cheepest on quite a few niche things.

I'm loving my PDW bell, it's brilliant!

He sent me sweets.

Another happy customer here. Just give him your money.

(Confession time: one of the stickers read "No Britneys" - first thought was it was a tad homophobic, then a solidarity with teetotalers. Then realised that it's meant for a SS bike...
:oops:)

Got 3 sets of esi grips from him always turned up quick and free delivery perfect imo !

Price match? Pfffttt...
How many other shops send old skool sweets like Fruit Salad and Black Jacks with your order? OK, so The Bike Chain, but who else, huh?

[IMG] [/IMG]

A bikemonger earlier (centre).

Another happy customer here. Three farmes off him, a number of bit and bob, numerous calls and conversations and I cannot be happier with service and price. he is exactly the kind of startup we should be supporting. I will go out of my way to buy from him again - and no ive not even received a sticker

Great guy to deal with, on products no one else stocks as said, and he gave me a Jethro Tule at SSUK the other year for turning up to registration with a beer,

Top bloke all round, and always happy to answer questions in the phone...

Just beware the drunken dancing!!!

Buzzard - Member

Three farmes off him

Sorry to hear you bought the farme. 🙁

No just one but three "farmes" apparently. hate typing on this damn phone

Top bloke... Went to his shop in swanage... Looks like a front room stuffed full of bikes!

I bought a surly ring from him a few years back. Put it on the floor whilst taking cranks off only to pick it up with a 30 degree bend on one side. No idea how or why it happened. I asked him if Surly would replace it or anything and he said no but he would do me a deal if I couldnt bend the ring back and use it properly. The no-nonsense meeting half way customer service is always a winner for me, especially if it was most likely my fault anyway!

Wonder if the Surly ring I bent at SSUK in Bristol in 2007 (on its first ever ride because I didn't tighten the chainring bolts fully) and has since been flattened out and used to replace a horseshoe on my garage door would run ok?

The first time I met Charlie was when I had a serious frame problem while riding over the Purbecks on a really mucky day. A friend suggested we nurse the bike over to Charlie’s who striped the bike until he had found the problem (mud all over the place!) and he also gave me some great advice. One helpful star man!

Don't know what he's like to do business with but knows how to have some fun [url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/mndphotography/sets/72157627114892992/ ]Klunkerz[/url]

He stole one of my slogans, made stickers out of it and then distributed them widely for no money (not even postage) without even offering me a share of the cost of all the stamps. i suspect I may owe him up to 76p as my 10%.

BTW, if you do read this and have any spare, my 'It's not niche, there's a recession' sticker went away with with my old ss frame, and I could do with a replacement for my new one. I'd make do with 'I brake for cake' if the recession ones are all gone 😉 I'd even paypal you postage this time.

Charlie sure is a a top fella.

LOL I missed the "It's not niche, there's a recession" sticker - hehehe

Placed one order for some ss bits. Very helpful on phone and nice selection of oddities.

I would not dream of asking him (or another good quality seller) to price match personally so long as they're not taking the p' . If you paste that kind of business on price you're stuffing their future your ability to deal with them long term.

Yep, great guy. Very helpful indeed when trying to decide on what expensive kit to buy, fast delivery, cool stock. Just like Sideways.

He sent me sweets.

He sent me sweets too. I was warned about people who do that. I've tried to shop him the the News of the World's report-a-peodo line but nobody's answering the phone, they must be busy.

He's an arse, made me sit around for the last lap of sswc last year drinking and heckling and then had to promise to buy a frame off him before I could escape.....
Apart from that he is okay, if you order stuff off of his shop it normally arrives fairly quickly.

+whatever from me too. Had great service from Charlie and he's advised me on things even when I've not been able to buy from him (i.e. he told me the LBS would be a better route because of some peculiarity on some retro SS I had).

All the bits and bobs I've ordered from him have turned up quick, and any questions have been answered with a cheery email. Top banana

Definitely one of the good guys.

Always had great service.

And +1 to what garage-dweller said

Yup, top bloke, top service, good kit.

A couple of years ago, mymum wanted to get me a big timbuk2 commuting bag, and I directed her to Charlie.

When she asked about colours, Charlie asked: "is your son conservative?"

So now the proud owner of a 'used every day on the commute by bike and on all my business travels Rastafarian bag. Nice! Thanks Charlie.

Kev

He is a gentle man and does a fine job.

His shop is in Swanage not Poole and he has a great Basset Hound.

Really good man to do business with.

Thanks everyone... you are such utter gents... I have had a dead busy week, and am farked. But this is genuinely uplifting. The plan was (and still is) to have a bike shop that is like the kind of place I would want to go to. And its worked out, I come here everyday.

Mike (wheelie) tuggnuts just arrived this arvo. On its way tomorrow.

The other jonv... email me with an address and you can have some stickers... and “bongs, farts, chainsaws”.

and Captain says... "I find you cant beat a niche bit of steel for snaring human flesh. The ones that like steel have good meat with a hint of cider". He only visits the shop now when he can be bothered. Dont turn up smelling of food.

[img] [/img]

meanwhile the guys at surly have stickered me up good n proper... they are being dished out with all surly orders (and elsewhere)....

[img] #[/img]

Never bought anything from him...but that dog is awesome!

Only used once, but he was lovely to deal with, and would make a point of going back for more stuff. I need to order some stickers off him too...

Charlie the bikemonger - anyone used [s]them[/s]Him

Most people have used and abused Charlie, he's dirty like that

Top bloke - as mad as a bag of burning badgers - but in a good way!
Always had good service shop wise and a good bloke to drink beer/s with - even if I can't remember the conversation the next day!

Great service, on the spot advice, looking forward to my wheels turning up!

Sent an email once asking about courier bags / colour options, never heard back from him

Have had free stickers from him

Houns... sorry about that chap. In my defence I sit here after hours going through hundreds of emails a day. As evidenced by a 7pm friday night response here. Must of missed your one, or it got eaten in the system.

Charles is a gentleman of the highest repute....

charlie the bikemonger - Member
Houns... sorry about that chap. In my defence I sit here after hours going through hundreds of emails a day. As evidenced by a 7pm friday night response here. Must of missed your one, or it got eaten in the system.

Or you realised it was Houns and decided that life is too short.....

i need that third from the top sticker!

i also needed a fork but charlie didn't reply to my email! 👿

Yep, top guy!

Heard about him on here, met him at SSUK, ( He was trying to convince me Tweed was a replacement for my helmet!)

Bought a few things off him since, never a problem, till a few weeks ago......

A chain ring went AWOL between Swanage and my house, his responce? Sent another out, no problem!

He'll keep getting my business.

Chears Charlie.

i'm a big fan of the top surly sticker there 😆

Looks like a pirate trying to blend in with land lubbers if you ask me. Incognito blackbeard.

Not to be trusted. Too much hair.

I've got "One Less Car" on my road bike and I think I have bought a sprocket from him. So he's good for something 😉

CTBM

Have pinged you a pint and some dog biscuits via paypal, to justify your sticker offer as i don't NEED anything from your emporium right this minute and I promised the wife no more WANT bike bits until after payday.

However, I want to buy you a pint and your dog is staring "biscuits!" at me.

mrs vader said to say that she enjoyed her visit to charlies shop as well. And he gave mini vader a sticker too!

I've lost my "my dandyhorse brings all the boys to the yard" stickers 🙁 I'd like one of those surly "**** it lets go ride bikes" ones for the crossbar on my bmx bars!

He is a legend worth maintaining....Buy stuff from him at once and a lot

Or you realised it was Houns and decided that life is too short.....

Its called a needy prick filter.

He's never actually monged me anything, let alone a bike. But I have coveted assorted 29 and fat related stuff off his wonderful and frightening website.

Ah Charlie ...that reminds me have you had those Salsa Bend 2 bars delivered yet .....?

..and where are my stickers from my last order ? 😆

"Toughen up princess "

Well as it turns out the frame I wanted that I saw on the website wasn't in stock. Spoke to a lovely lady on the phone today there so no good for me this time but will use him in the future for sure. Nice to see so many compliments on here for him.

Snglecrack. Bend 2 bars are due mid week, and they are brilliant.