Things I love about Rothar (there are many - I am ...

Things I love about Rothar (there are many - I am sorry):

Staff - friendly, well informed, helpful, patient (!), with zero interest in a hard sell - they'll want you to find the perfect bike for you, even if it's not the most expensive thing in the shop. Anne's team are passionate about what they do, and it shows.

Customer Service - always prompt, polite responses to any and all of my inane queries, (let's mention patient again), realistic measuring of expectations for bike delivery in a cycle-mad lockdown, and they truly went above and beyond to help when my delivery date hit an unfortunate snag.

Location - it's right there on the main road in Phibsborough, what's not to love? Close to town, good bus/luas routes, a shopping centre car park across the way, plus you can bike shop and then hang around the 27th coolest neighbourhood in the world. Win!

Quality - my Achielle Craighton Pickup is just as gorgeous to cycle as it is to look at. Seriously - look at it. Now imagine Also being that nice to cycle. I know - Amazing! On top of it being built to spec, pretty sure they are an exclusive stockist of the brand in Ireland, so I won't be running into many twins on the road.

Price - given the quality of my bike and the fact that they accept the Bike To Work Scheme (super super easy to organise btw), I'm considering it a steal. When I wanted to go off the deep end on more expensive brake choices I didn't really need, I was politely talked down, so technically they saved me some .

Safety - all reassurances you'd want to see in a post-COVID world, masks on staff, customers seen by appointment (super easy to make via email) so no overcrowding in store.

Independent - isn't buying from independent sellers just nicer? Jeff Bezos doesn't need any more of my money, and here I can buy from lovely people who even remember what I named my bike.

Only unfortunate thing I can think of is that bikes aren't really an Every Week kind of purchase, so I can't give them more of my business at the moment. That's why I've bothered writing this - to try give them Your business, Random Google Review Reader. I'll have to settle for just going back for services. Did I mention they do aftercare? Of course they do...because they are great!

In summary: A little ride of a bike shop.