Evan's Cycles in trouble - ?

[simongt]

I've been 'told' by at least two folk today that our local Evan's Cycles shop is closing soon. Apparently they can't keep hold of any decent mechanics among other things.
There's nothing on the door / windows to that effect, so anyone know about these rumours - ?

 

[fritz katzenjammer]

Not a surprise, the entire industry is hurting. I just got told I’m likely not working till spring because it is so slow. Luckily this is my retirement job so it’s not for the money.

oddly, it doesn’t matter how the market is, decent mechanics are near impossible to come by. The money paid is shite and you often have to work weekends. Add to that the chances of being laid off each winter and you can see why its hard to make a living at it.

one shop I worked at had three guys like myself, retired engineers who were looking for part time fun jobs to fill time. We made up the core of that shops service team. Once we moved on they struggled to fill positions.

 

[Dan Lotus]

It's been owned and run down by the Frasers group for 7 years now, they'll have had the bubble of covid purchases, but I'm shocked they have lasted this long to be fair.

I bought 3 bikes from them and plenty of other kit prior to the takeover (And being honest, they weren't that good then, and I had issues ranging from minor to major with each of those bike purchases, clothes and kit purchases were fine), and have intentionally not bought a single item since - same goes for the sadly departed Wiggle and CRC.
I'm guessing I'm not alone in my thought patterns.

Merlin, Balfe's (Online and in store) or Sigma tend to be my go to destinations these days - I think back 10-15 years where there was a WIDE array of reputable retailers available, both UK and in Europe.

 

[ianrauk]

Its the Mike Ashley effect. No one I know shops at Evans any more. There's far more better shops out there with and without an online presence.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I remember when F W Evans on The Cut in Waterloo was a proper old fashioned bike shop.

 

[Ian H]

Its the Mike Ashley effect. No one I know shops at Evans any more. There's far more better shops out there with and without an online presence.

Indeed! I wonder why the mechanics kept leaving.

 

[Rusty Nails]

One thing that will be lost when local or High Street bike shops close will be a source of bikes for people who may want to start riding and/or don't know enough about specs and dimensions to order online with confidence.

I know Halfords is looked down upon by many on bike forums but it is a good resource for that market and for people who just want a bike for occasional use or short commutes. It has probably helped more people get into cycling than any other retailer,...and that's not counting the little kids who get their first bikes bought for them there.

 

[albion]

Obviously only the viable shops stay open.

 

[mickle]

I remember when F W Evans on The Cut in Waterloo was a proper old fashioned bike shop.

I worked there from 1985 to 1989. We had people like Richard Ballantine, Bettina Selby, Tom Vernon and Josie Dew as customers. Happy days.

 

[Vapin' Joe]

I Apparently they can't keep hold of any decent mechanics among other things.

There is a shortage of tradespeople across the board. Garages are crying out for skilled mechanics, electricians, plumbers and anyone in the building trade can think of a number and double it when it comes to pricing a job.

And all down to this wonderful idea someone had to send as many school levers as possible of to "Uni" to learn such vital skills like paperclip arranging and sharpening pencils that the nation was crying out for.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

There is a shortage of tradespeople across the board. Garages are crying out for skilled mechanics, electricians, plumbers and anyone in the building trade can think of a number and double it when it comes to pricing a job.

And all down to this wonderful idea someone had to send as many school levers as possible of to "Uni" to learn such vital skills like paperclip arranging and sharpening pencils that the nation was crying out for.

Yup - that was one of the dumbest ideas any government has ever come up with

a high bar - but he made it!

 

[Dogtrousers]

I worked there from 1985 to 1989. We had people like Richard Ballantine, Bettina Selby, Tom Vernon and Josie Dew as customers. Happy days.

And me!

 

[fritz katzenjammer]

There is a shortage of tradespeople across the board. Garages are crying out for skilled mechanics, electricians, plumbers and anyone in the building trade can think of a number and double it when it comes to pricing a job.

And all down to this wonderful idea someone had to send as many school levers as possible of to "Uni" to learn such vital skills like paperclip arranging and sharpening pencils that the nation was crying out for.

You forget one point. As highly as we think of ourselves, us bike mechanics, we are not a skilled trade. Oh we may be very good at servicing bicycles and figuring out Di2 on those rare occasions when it goes wrong, but anybody with basic tool skills can call himself a bike mechanic and get paid for it, learning what he needs to know off of “you tube” on the fly.

I’ve worked with a few experienced bike mechanics who thought they were God’s gift to the cycling world and figured we should be paid the same money as the guy in the back of the Mercedes dealership, but by in large we are a poorly paid bunch of guys with basic tool skills and no formal training.

Because who would bother paying for training for the pay we get.

I can call myself a factory trained bicycle technician because I blew a weekend watching a bunch of the training videos my employer has on his internal training site. None of them made me a better mechanic, I still pick up the best tips off of web sites You Tube, Shimano, SRAM and Park Tool.

 

[vickster]

The Sutton one lasted 5 years if that (opened during Covid) fairly hidden in one of the shopping centres.
Pearsons (now a Balfes branch) has been just outside the centre on the High Street since 1860 and is the oldest bike shop in the world and still doing well I think

 

[Regular.Cyclist]

I’ve bought a few bikes from Evans over the years, two on C2W and one that was heavily reduced plus cash back on my credit card. Have not bought from them in years though.

About a decade ago a local 6th form college ran night school classes over winter and one was on bike maintenance. A 10 week course costing £60. A bargain even then. Working on their bikes too the stress out of possibly messing up my own but came out the end with the confidence to work on my own. Saved me a lot over the years.