Hello all,

I'm hoping someone can help me out. I have a Giant OCR road bicycle and while it was shipped here a part went missing. I was wondering if anyone knows of a good cycle shop that can help me out, with ordering the part. (it's the break lever spacer that I need.) Also, it needs a good tune-up. I live in the Seefeld area but anywhere in Zürich would be helpful.
I came from Palo Alto, Ca which is a huge biking community so I feel lost here in the cycling world. I am tempted to just stop one of those bike messengers on the street and ask them, but didn't want to bother them.

cheers,
Alice

Hey Alice,

Have you tried www.probikekit.com they are based in the UK but ship everywhere. I get all my parts from them even in the US. Especially since it sounds like something on your brake is gone. Most likely Shimano brakes? Very universal.

Why not just stop the bike messengers. I'd do it. If they are like the ones in Chicago, they are happy to see others interested in cycling. Or is that just a US thing?

If all else fails, let me know. I have some pro friends in Germany that have recomended some shops up there. Maybe they know some by Zurich as well. Although they are quite hard to get a hold of.

Lauren

Hey there! I am from Menlo Park and been here for two years now. There are several bike shops in my neighborhood (Zurich West). On Heinrichstrasse and Josefstrasse. I will see if I can find their names.

-f

http://www.backyard.ch/

These guys should be able to help you. They are near Bahnof Enge.

Awesome, thanks guys for your help. I'll check out that store near Enge. I found a place online to order my part I just would prefer to get it locally. Also, I would like to become familiar with a local bike shop for my husband and I to get tuned.

...just so you know, they speak good English.

They had a second store near where I live, but closed it down a year or so ago. It was my and a few Swiss friends LBS (local bike store). Roger Okle appears to have relocated to the current store and I can vouch for his helpfulness and English skills.

Backyard would be my recommendation also, wife and I bought our bikes there 6 years ago, great aftersales service also with friendly staff

If you live in Seefeld, there is a bike shop right nearby. It's at the Kreuzstrasse tram stop. www.velo-elsener.ch

Welcome to Switzerland and EF. If you still "feel lost here in the cycling world" then try reading thru the "Cycling in Switzerland" thread, hopefully you'll find some useful info in there to get you started.

Hi Alice - Welcome to Zurich! Don't worry, I don't think you'll feel "lost here in the cycling world" very long, at least once warmer weather rolls around again - It seems there are lots of cyclists on this forum, both road and mountain. And I feel confident we will have many cycling outings, so we can get to know other cyclists and learn about different places to ride.

If you still need a good cycling store, I could recommend ours in Gattikon (Lerch Cycle Sport), but that might be too far for you from Seefeld.

Be sure to check out Chris's "Cycling in Switzerland" thread - It was a huge help to us when we moved here!

I can recommend http://www.bikeimport.ch if you are looking for parts online.

They ship extremely quickly (and for free), the prices are the best that i found in Switzerland and you even pay after you receive the goods...

Of course you don't get the LBS experience and the website is badly laid out as well as in German only.

EDIT: shop is closed until 20th January

Thanks for the tip. I have read through it a lot. Unfortunately the cold has only allowed me on my bike once since arriving. Even my gloves and toe warmers won't do.

I agree it can be cold for biking here now
so you might consider some cross-training with cross-country skiing / skating... Since you can't change the weather, you might as well make the most of it!
My plan is to go once a week till biking season returns... Let me know if you want to join me.

you are all brave, I been sitting on trainer at home way, that is a boring way to try to stay in shape.

I used to say that the temperature must be above +6 celsius to enjoy road cycling. However, I've become tougher over the last year or so, and now will go out even if its down to about +2 as long as it is not for a long ride (less than about 2 hours). You just gotta have the right clothing and the right attitude .

Road bikes and ice don't mix..... (lesson painfully learnt!)

This year I really splashed out on some good cold weather kit and it makes such a difference. I also have a set of spiked MTB tyres on standby.

Fortunately my husband is also a cyclist so I have a buddy. We are also tri-athletes I run/swim do pilates through the winter. We're thinking about the Zürich Triathlon in the summer, unless we're traveling.

Good stuff, I had a pair of those while in Canada, but I didn't bring them over here and haven't missed them yet after more than 2 years. Even when commuting through several Canadian winters in temps down to -20, I never fell due to snow or ice. You just gotta ride smart: develop the bike handling skills and ride within what the conditions and your ability allow.

It's always nice to have a cycling buddy living with you isn't it! My husband and I do triathlons too, well he more than me, but this year I'm planning to do the Inferno Tri since he checked it out last year and loved it. After all, if we live in Switzerland we just have to at least do a race that ends at the top of a swiss mountain, right?!