Hoopdriver Bicycles

Martin’s been fixing my bikes for years. Whenever I go somewhere else for a tune-​up (i.e. cheat on him), I end up regretting it and hafta go back to Martin.
I commute about 30 km a day, 10 months of the year. My bike takes a lot of abuse, but Martin always gets it into top shape. He’s really knowledgeable and cares that you’re going to enjoy your ride. That’s what motivates him, not the sale.
Lovely store, lovely guy, lovely bike rides!
(Keep your eyes peeled for the new store — if you’re not careful, you’ll miss the discreet signage and have to double back)

Unilocalers beware: New location 668 Annette Street (between Runnymede and Jane)! Very glad to have them in the West End of beautiful Toronto. Will be returning for a yearly tune-​up… Excited for spring!

Martin can be a bit taciturn, but he’s honest and fair. This shop doesn’t sell junk, which I respect greatly, and they cater to a certain type of buyer — you won’t find much Linus-​type stuff here.
It’s not the cheapest place, slightly above average, but I send people here knowing that no one will get cheated or pressured.

I recently purchased a bike from Hoop Driver and I was really happy with the service I received. It was unpretentious and very hands on. I visited a number of other bike shops in the city and I finally decided on Hoop Driver because I didn’t feel rushed or pushed into something that I didn’t need. I was helped by two awesome staff members (wasn’t Martin but he is lovely) and I walked away with an amazing bike at an affordable price.

I read in other reviews what people said about Martin (the owner) and in all honesty while he isn’t the most talkative guy in the world, he’s honest and helpful and runs his business on what the customer needs over what’s the most he can sell. In addition to that the rest of the staff is also very friendly and helpful and again focussed on finding what’s right for you and not what’s the most expensive thing they can sell you.
With that out of the way, I’ll focus now on the shop. It’s great. There’s a plethora of quality product and much of it are items that you won’t be able to find anywhere else. From Brooks saddles to specialty Chris King headsets and Marinoni or Pake frame sets, you’ll find it here. The best way I have to describe Hoopdriver is it’s a diamond in the rough. It’s not right downtown just off Queen Street and it’s not some formulaic cookie cutter store, it’s in this quiet neighborhood surrounded by a corner mart and Laundramat, amongst other things. The prices are a bit higher (understandable as its a small business dealing in mid to high end exclusive items) but they’re fair and for the selection it’s worth the visit.
They also carry many bikes that are affordable for the novice cyclist, and pack a lot of cool stuff into a small space. I still like CycleMotive, Urbane and Cycle Solutions, but I would definitely recommend this shop for a true grass roots support your local one of a kind bike purchase experience and recommend you spend your dollars here.
Worth the trip!

This is a bicycle shop run by a cyclist, for cyclists. A particular breed of cyclists in my opinion. Cyclists like me, who must have rides that function flawlessly. I’m talking about bikes that ride smooth, quiet and straight. Not necessarily all shiny, at least in my case.
This shop specializes in road and touring bicycles. Not off road behemoths.
The selection of parts and accessories is fantastic; unbelievable really when you consider the tiny floor space here.
Martin and his staff know bikes. You will probably pay slightly more for service here, but I doubt you’ll be bringing your bike back because something wasn’t done right.
I used to frequent the likes of Duke’s, Urbane, Cycle Solutions and a few other shops in town that really failed to impress. Hoopdriver is the only shop I’ll visit anymore.

great shop. knew what i wanted, but didnt know what i needed. martin and alex listened to the issues i had with my current bike, we talked about price, and martin was able to list every single thing that didnt work for me with my current cycle and solve them with my new bike. I was able to get an off the rack solution that i immediately knew was right, but im envious that i didnt just spend the extra money getting a bike just for me.

I am surprised by the high number of comments that Martin (the owner, and typically who will serve you at the front) is unfriendly. He’s a quiet guy and doesn’t welcome you into his store like a used car salesman. He knows bikes inside out, asks the right questions, and gets you the products and service you need. Do you really need t o feel like you’ve made a BFF as you buy a bike or parts?
If you check Google Plus reviews you’ll see mine there. I went in there five years ago as a total bike newbie and asked a bunch of really simple questions as I embarked on my first bike build. I have never seen him talk down to someone no matter how newbie or simple their questions have been. He just doesn’t simultaneously try to kiss your ass while doing so. But he is never rude or disrespectful.
Back to the products — the lines he carries are outstanding. I never hesitate to recommend friends (even total bike newbie friends) to Hoopdriver for city and touring bicycles.

Although the owner of this establishment has an enviable collection of items that are of interest to people like me, I am hard pressed to recommend his shop. Some here on Unilocal say that he’s overpriced, but I think that they don’t understand the metrics of running a profitable bike shop.
My problem is that in this cramped space, virtually all sales inquiries are handled by the owner, a man whose range of emotions runs from taciturn, to unfriendly, to unwelcoming, to ornery, to indifferent. After a number of trips to his shop, and having made purchases there, I can honestly say my last is truly my last. I’m guessing he has merits that are apparent to few, but honestly some people are just ill suited to dealing with the public. Perhaps he’s just shy. Or maybe he just has an inner dialogue that makes him feel that he is communicating in a pleasant way. But his outward countenance is so poor that he has seen the last dollar of mine.
I would suggest that if one wants to find a well operated shop that caters to the sensible bicycle crowd, one might venture down to Urbane Cycle where they carry much of what he does and have great attitudes to boot.
It’s worth mentioning here that before writing this scathing review I polled my friends in the cycling community and everything I’m saying here was backed up by them. It’s too bad so many good brands are backed up by such a crappy face for the products.

I have had two bikes built up at Hoopdriver. The owner treated me with friendliness, good humour, patience and courtesy. The builds are GORGEOUS. He used parts I sourced from alternate locations without issue. He (and his terrific mechanic) found some very creative ways to work with the quirky frames I brought to him. I do business with several bike shops (I like to spread the love), but Hoopdriver is my favourite.

I like to support local businesses so I brought my bike here for an overdue tune up. It was a little more than the competition but like I said I’m trying to support the locals. $ 60 for a tune up seemed a bit much plus another $ 17 for cables and housing. It also took 6 days which seemed a bit long for my liking. Tack on some pedal straps and the grand total was just under $ 100. My bike runs great but this seems like a lot of cash for a tune up that took almost a week.

Tiny little neighbourhood bike shop and from what I can find, one of only two distributors of Velo-​Orange parts in the GTA, if not Ontario.
Really friendly and helpful staff. I phone looking for specific parts and staff put the phone down to crawl through storage to find what I was asking for. Competitive prices on urban, touring and sport-​road bikes, accessories and tune-​ups.

Hoopdriver Bicycles is my neighbourhood bike shop. I’ve gotten a couple of things done there. First, I had new chains put on my bike. Recently, I had my front quick-​release wheel stolen and gotten it replaced at the Hoopdriver.
The owner of the shop is great. He isn’t overly-​friendly, which I like. He is soft-​spoken and gets down to business. I think he pays close attention to the bikes he works on, which I, as a customer, expect and appreciate.
The Hoopdriver’s prices are a bit steeper, but I’m willing to pay a bit extra for my neighbourhood bike shop to stay open. They also seem to be queer-​friendly at the shop, which is important to me.
The Hoopdriver is also next door to The Common. So you can grab a coffee while you wait for your bike to be fixed/​checked up!