Where to Buy Bikes Online in Canada: The 7 Best Stores

Your local bike shop is an excellent resource for many things in the world of cycling, but when it comes to buying a bike or simply researching what bike to buy, it’s hard to beat looking online.

Local bike shops in Canada usually carry a certain number of bikes, and their choice of types, brands and models may be limited.

Even if you find your chosen bike, it might not be in stock in your chosen size. Lengthy ordering times then ensue. Time you could well have spent better riding the brand new bike you purchased online.  

Buying a bike online today couldn’t be easier. There’s a wealth of choice from large, warehouse-type retailers, to those with physical bricks and mortar stores too, smaller, more boutique brands and even those bike brands which sell directly from their website to your door. 

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There isn’t a downside to buying online, either. With a few taps on your smartphone, tablet or laptop, you can access a wealth of bike choices that your local bike shop could only dream of offering. 

Best Online Bike Stores in Canada [Top 7]

Cross-referencing and comparing different bikes from various brands is easy, thanks to the detailed information available online. Lengthy specification lists, close-up images and even reviews from previous buyers will always give you a nudge in the right direction. 

Then there’s the fact that comparing prices for the same bike at different stores is extremely easy. Buying a bike online makes it incredibly quick to shop around. Finding the best price, even for a cheap bike, is still important, wouldn’t you say?

Most online stores will display plenty of detailed information about their bikes, both product and lifestyle images, a question and answer section and the exact specification of the bike. Those bike stores that are the most experienced will offer different payment methods, including finance and government support schemes like cycle to work, and various shipping and delivery services. 

The top online stores offer extra features like live chat to answer your questions. Clear and simple FAQ pages are great in our book too, especially when it comes to finding out specifics like shipping costs and times. Alongside this kind of online content, the best online bike shops will produce detailed help and advice pages to ensure you get the most out of your new bike.

Buy Bike Online Canada

Some say that it is best to buy a bike out of season, others when the new models are released. Whenever you choose to buy a bike, there’ll be a shop for most of you on our list. 

So, whether you’re looking for a road bike to take in the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal or a commuter bike to get to work on in Vancouver, read on and discover the best online bike stores in Canada.

1. Competitive Cyclist

Starting off our list is Competitive Cyclist, a retailer with a strong reputation in the neighbouring United States. The website carries a range of road bikes and mountain bikes with their electric and gravel bike offering something for cyclists who are looking to explore their riding boundaries. 

Those riders looking to start riding to work, perhaps those who have been convinced by some commuting statistics, may be disappointed with the city and commuter range of bikes at Competitive Cyclist. 

In regards to fulfilment, Competitive Cyclist orders are delivered within 4-10 working days, although this might vary in Canada. 

There’s a chat function to help with any queries you might have, and the product pages are very detailed with insight from experts. There’s a particular mention of bike sizing and frame geometry.  There are also customer reviews so you can see what previous purchasers think.

This is most definitely a store for the seasoned rider, with most retailing over a thousand dollars. But if you’re in the market for a reliable to top-end bike that’ll last for years to come, then give Competitive Cyclist a go.

2. Decathlon CA 

European outdoor and leisure powerhouse Decathlon is big in Canada too and their online offering in the country is a nice site to browse and interact with. Decathlon in Europe is known for its excellent value and entry-level offerings, and it’s no different in Canada. 

Once you’ve navigated to the cycling section, there’s a host of bikes and accessories to shop for. Bikes for adults start from around CA$250.

Upon reaching the product page for a bike, you’re presented with a plethora of large product images, thoughtfully displayed. The page is detailed but not busy and easy for your eyes to digest. 

More detailed information is available if you need it and if you don’t, it’s helpfully nestled under different titles like ‘benefits’ and ‘materials & care’. 

When it comes to the nitty-gritty of buying a bike, there’s a helpful size guide on each bike as well as a store availability feature should you want to go ahead and see a bike in the flesh. 

From the information displayed on their website, it’s not exactly clear whether Decathlon offers their bikes fully built for delivery, but the shipping information page is detailed nonetheless. Free delivery is available in most of Canada. 

3. Jenson USA 

One of America’s largest online stores, Jenson, also offers delivery to Canada. Erring towards the cycle enthusiast market, Jenson’s categories are rammed full of some of the best bike gear around. 

From a bike perspective, Jenson offers a variety of bike types and brands, with their mountain bike offering clear to see. Their commuter and city bike offering isn’t the largest but the available bikes, begin at very affordable prices.

Unfortunately for Canadian shoppers, orders placed on Jenson USA are paid in USD meaning you might be at the behest of your card provider when it comes to foreign currency payments. Also, some manufacturers restrict the sale of their products to Canadian customers through jensonusa.com.

The good news, however, is that there are no customs or brokerage fees when shopping on their website for delivery to Canada.

An extremely detailed help desk section of the website answers almost every query that comes to mind; in simple plain English. 

4. Wiggle 

Wiggle is an online multisport retailer that began life on the South Coast of the United Kingdom. Over the years, the company has grown exponentially, and it now sells to customers all over the world, including those in Canada. 

Wiggle’s greatest range of products sits within the cycling accessory space but there are also a dizzying number of bikes available for Canadian customers. 

We like the fact that you don’t have to visit the checkout to see how much delivery is going to cost. The price of shipping a bike to Canada is displayed on the product page alongside plenty of other information. The specification of the bike is helpfully set out in different groups making it easy to digest when you’ve scrolled yourself into a black hole of bike shopping. 

Every bike is built and tuned up by qualified mechanics before its carefully lifted into a box and sent on its way. That way when you enter your card information and hit buy you can sit safely in the knowledge that your bike should be in excellent working order when it arrives with you.

For product queries, every bike includes a question and answer section and if that section doesn’t help, Wiggle offers a live chat service on their website between certain times of the day. 

Thankfully, Wiggle accepts payments in CA$ too, so there are no currency fees to worry about.

5. Chain Reaction 

Chain Reaction, or Chain Reaction Cycles to give them their full name, are actually a sister company of Wiggle. Previously separate they were recently joined together and sell many of the same bikes and accessories. 

Buying from a company like Chain Reaction or Wiggles means you know you’re buying from experts or are used to fulfilling thousands of orders every year. They know how to process orders, and deal with enquiries made online. Plus their huge buying power means they can often out-price most of their competitors. 

Chain Reaction’s excellent Trustpilot rating with over 140,000 reviews to date demonstrates how they’re one of the best online bike stores around.

Chain Reaction cut its teeth as a mountain bike retailer, but these days their bike range is wider and includes all manner of bikes. Shopping for a bike on Chain Reaction is quick and easy and once you’ve found a bike you like, loads of information is on-hand and in the right place. Simple cues, like the amount of stock that is left, are shown neatly without being too shouty or salesy.

Like Wiggle, it’s great to see that Canadian shoppers can benefit from buying in their home currency 

6. Bike Depot

Bike Depot is a good example of today’s modern retailer. It has a slick, modern website with plenty for customers to shop for. But if you’re in the vicinity of Toronto, Bike Depot is backed up by three stores in the city. 

When it comes to bike availability, all the usual suspects are there. Road bikes to pick up the pace, mountain bikes for some weekend thrills and hybrid bikes to get to and from work. And because it’s the electric century, Bike Depot retail a good range of electric bikes. 

Shopping for a bike is a pleasurable experience with the white and blue fonts contrasting nicely on the page. Product descriptions are of a sensible length and contain all the right things you’ll need when deciding whether to buy a bike or not. 

Bike Depot does not charge for delivery when buying a bike, although some brands are only available for collection in-store. 

Scroll to the bottom of every Bike Depot page and you’ll find something exciting and perhaps wildly unexpected. A bike is placed between a start and a finish line with the user invited to click to sprint. Reach the finish line and confetti falls from the screen – everyone likes to win, right? Our best time was 9:30, can you beat that?

Now for this feature and this feature alone, we think you should buy a bike from Bike Depot.

7. Calgary Cycle

Up in Calgary is a trio of cycle shops under the Calgary Cycle brand. Although fairly old school in look and feel, their website contains plenty for all cyclists to lust over. Fancy, top-end machines from Trek, the latest electric bikes or a daily runabout for commuting from Norco – a brand with its roots firmly in Canada. 

Amongst all their bikes, it’s great to see a range of pre-owned or used bikes available. Second-hand bikes are a great way to get on a bike and when they’re retailed by a shop, you can be sure that they’ve been thoroughly checked over before being sold. 

Like Bike Depot, Calgary Cycle is at the behest of some of its brands when it comes to shipping a bike directly to your door so it’s best to check directly with them before being disappointed.