Product Review: R&A Cycles Walnut Creek

RandA Cycles was one of those shops in New York that I'd see in the back of my bicycling magazines in the mid 1980's with all kinds of old-world Euro stuff.  They opened a branch in Walnut Creek a few months ago and they've been sending me emails with good content so I decided to check them out.  Their website says that during this pandemic lock-down they're open by appointment only.  I sent an email saying I wanted to try on some road shoes and named a few of their brands they have advertised, and they responded pretty quickly.

During the lock-down, you have to come in the back door so they can check you out.  They let me bring my commuter bike inside though.  The place is sort of like Nordstrom's for bikes - very nicely furnished, great customer attention, only the highest-end product.  They had the shoes I wanted to like in all sizes and Andy spent some quality time with me and my feet and one of those foot-measuring things that shoe stores used to have.  The shoes I wanted were on sale for the low price of "the most expensive cycling shoes I've owned in 36 years" AND they were the cheapest shoes they had, so it was a good thing I liked them.

They also had a few bike fitting areas with computers and such but they were not in use of course during lock-down.  I could certainly spend a lot of time in there just ogling the stuff, and I think they would've let me if it weren't for the virus.

The location isn't bad - not the easiest bicycle access because it's just downhill from the freeway ramp.

I suppose the people who will really like this place are the ones with lots of money who want to be treated like royalty... but I didn't get any sense of snootiness from the staff; they were friendly and helpful and seemed happy to have me in there.