Evans are worth a browse.

[bonzobanana]

I went into the Yeovil Evans today and there were some really great offers for bikes not listed on their site or not on their site at the same price. For example what looked like the Cannondale Trail 6 was £339 instore but is £439 on the website. It is possible a older version or one off display stock but a great price for a Cannondale with a 1x drivetrain. Cheaper than many Halfords mountain bikes under their own brands for a similar spec. Really nice looking bikes too. So if you have a local Evans shop might be worth a browse if you have the time. I was surprised how great value some of the bikes were. Sadly not the same for components and other items, many of which were quite expensive like inner tubes but no more expensive than independent bike shops in fact probably slightly cheaper. For bikes there were huge discounts on the suggested selling prices though.

 

[Katana]

I certainly benefited from snapping up a Ridley Fenix SLA 105 for £599 only from Evans but online on 1st January plus I paid £4.99 for delivery to collect from the Evans local store😀

 

[mustang1]

... but anyone who complained about Sports Direct taking over Evans are not allowed to buy the discounted bikes.

Ps: I didn't complain so I'm heading over to Evans RIGHT NOW...well, soon!

 

[Katana]

... but anyone who complained about Sports Direct taking over Evans are not allowed to buy the discounted bikes.

Ps: I didn't complain so I'm heading over to Evans RIGHT NOW...well, soon!

Trust me even guy’s working at Evans are not huge fan of Mike Ashley😂

 

[YMFB]

Trust me even guy’s working at Evans are not huge fan of Mike Ashley😂

Why, did they prefer unemployment? Mike Ashley is a business man, he is I expect by and large disinterested in the product and staff of the businesses that he buys. Can he buy the business and make money that’s it. I don’t use any of his businesses I don’t particularly like him, but admire his abilities.

Yeovil isn’t too far from here so next time I’m nearby I will seek Evans out, not that I want a new bike, but it’s good to have option.

 

[AndyRM]

Why, did they prefer unemployment? Mike Ashley is a business man, he is I expect by and large disinterested in the product and staff of the businesses that he buys. Can he buy the business and make money that’s it. I don’t use any of his businesses I don’t particularly like him, but admire his abilities.

Yeovil isn’t too far from here so next time I’m nearby I will seek Evans out, not that I want a new bike, but it’s good to have option.

That's a pretty reasonable summary I think.

Cheap, quick, quality is the general rule when it comes to anything really, and Ashley is astute about it.

 

[wafter]

... but anyone who complained about Sports Direct taking over Evans are not allowed to buy the discounted bikes.

Ps: I didn't complain so I'm heading over to Evans RIGHT NOW...well, soon!

One would hope those of us who complained about the Shite Direct takeover would possess greater moral fortitude than to allow low prices to undermine our ethical standpoint

 

[Dogtrousers]

One would hope those of us who complained about the Shite Direct takeover would possess greater moral fortitude than to allow low prices to undermine our ethical standpoint

Yeah, yeah. Terrible innit? ( Shoves down and tramples over @wafter in rush to grab some cheapo bargains)

 

[YMFB]

I now realise that I have visited the Yeovil shop, but I’m sure it was called something else, like Yeovil Tri centre. Last time we called in they didn’t have what I needed at that time and I thought at the time something had changed, maybe it had been taken over and rebranded Evan’s without me realising.

 

[si_c]

Worth checking out their ebay store as well, I bought a Kinesis 4S frameset from there after putting a below asking offer in. Ended up getting it for around £300. Hadn't seen one in my size for some time so jumped on it.

 

[figbat]

The question here is one of morals vs economics. Yes, you can get some cheap stuff from a retailer with little or no interest in the industry and only in sweating the assets - but at what cost? Genuine cycling retailers are going to the wall as they struggle to compete with Evans/Sports Direct/House of Fraser/Wiggle who have huge purchasing power and can spread costs across a diverse portfolio.

So by all means grab that bargain, but where do you go when it needs support?

This is the basis of my refusal to fund a business with questionable morals. It may cost me more to buy stuff but that is the price of my conscience. I will also not buy Brewdog beer, despite liking the product.

 

[Alex321]

The question here is one of morals vs economics. Yes, you can get some cheap stuff from a retailer with little or no interest in the industry and only in sweating the assets - but at what cost? Genuine cycling retailers are going to the wall as they struggle to compete with Evans/Sports Direct/House of Fraser/Wiggle who have huge purchasing power and can spread costs across a diverse portfolio.

So by all means grab that bargain, but where do you go when it needs support?

Back to the shop.

The only Evans shop I've been in recently is the Cardiff one, but they certainly have a workshop and do servicing and repairs.

I don't know that they are necessarily any better than Halfords, but then Halfords have some good shops (and some poor ones, they are too variable, depending on local staff).

 

[Dogtrousers]

I remember the old FW Evans shop on The Cut in Waterloo. I used to buy bits and bobs from there back in the 80s. They gave me a freebie branded bonk-bag once.

I've never liked Evans in their modern form. Not that I've actively avoided them - I'd pop in for an inner tube or whatever but they did seem to be full of cheap tat. And expensive tat. I don't think I've been in one since they got taken over. Not out of protest or anything, just never had the need.

 

[si_c]

The question here is one of morals vs economics. Yes, you can get some cheap stuff from a retailer with little or no interest in the industry and only in sweating the assets - but at what cost? Genuine cycling retailers are going to the wall as they struggle to compete with Evans/Sports Direct/House of Fraser/Wiggle who have huge purchasing power and can spread costs across a diverse portfolio.

So by all means grab that bargain, but where do you go when it needs support?

This is the basis of my refusal to fund a business with questionable morals. It may cost me more to buy stuff but that is the price of my conscience. I will also not buy Brewdog beer, despite liking the product.

I'd largely agree with you I bought from Evans as it was the first time I had seen that frameset in a year or two and it was in the colour I wanted and the size I needed, so I jumped. But I do otherwise avoid all Sports Direct properties where possible and haven't otherwise shopped at Evans since the takeover.

I tend to buy from my LBS as I have spent the last ten years curating a relationship with them, to the point they know me by name and I always get a discount from the till price. It does mean I spend a bit more on parts from them than I would online, but frankly the halcyon days of Wiggle pricing everything low seem to be gone and deals on components are relatively few and far between these days so the price difference isn't much and I do all my own maintenance so labour costs are low.

Also another Brewdog avoider.

 

[wafter]

The question here is one of morals vs economics. Yes, you can get some cheap stuff from a retailer with little or no interest in the industry and only in sweating the assets - but at what cost? Genuine cycling retailers are going to the wall as they struggle to compete with Evans/Sports Direct/House of Fraser/Wiggle who have huge purchasing power and can spread costs across a diverse portfolio.

So by all means grab that bargain, but where do you go when it needs support?

This is the basis of my refusal to fund a business with questionable morals. It may cost me more to buy stuff but that is the price of my conscience. I will also not buy Brewdog beer, despite liking the product.

Totally agree with this standpoint (at least in principal; unfortunately sometimes finances preclude strict adherance to this) - sadly from the miserable wider state of consumerism it seems that most don't.