When I moved to Ottawa, I didn’t know where to go to buy a bike. With the benefit of experience, I can tell other newcomers that their best bet is to go to G.M. Bertrand Cycles in Gatineau. They are at 167 Wellington Street. I recommend them because they have the most knowledgeable and helpful staff of any of the ten places or so I visited. Many of their staff members are bilingual and the rest have been happy to put up with my broken French. They have good products at reasonable prices and they stand behind them. When the front light they sold me failed after three weeks, they replaced it with a better one with no questions asked.
The Bike Dump seems to be the Ottawa bike shop that gets the best press. While I may not have had a representative experience, I saw no reason for which that praise is justified. Their bikes were overpriced and not in terribly good condition. They have bad hours, only accept cash, and have an indifferent staff. G.M. Bertrand is a much better choice.
You should own some of these things.
Did you go to Pecco’s in the Market?
Did you go to Pecco’s in the Market?
I did. They probably had the worst staff of anywhere I went. They were not knowledgeable, they were not helpful, and they seemed utterly indifferent to my presence in their store.
I cleared out quickly.
Largely unrelated: these photos of loaded touring bikes are impressive.
I like the photo, there is a nice color contrast in it and movement too.
I like the photo, there is a nice color contrast in it and movement too.
Tristan took it, while we were walking along the riverside path near Parliament with Meaghan Beattie,