MontyVeda
a short-tempered ill-controlled small-minded troll
- Location
- Lancaster... the little city.
Is someone taking a Daily Mail article seriously??? 
"Evans=good, Halfords=bad" - it's official!
- Thread starter jay clock
- Start date
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Brandane
Legendary Member
- Location
- Costa Clyde
They are usually fine for that. Just don't ask them to arrange the "parts" into a "bike".
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Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
OP
OP
jay clock
Massive member
- Location
- Hampshire UK
I like the chain store joke.....
My LBS also offer to order stuff in. Isn't that just Wiggling it for me, plus I have to go back to the shop to collect?
Name and shame!
Was it the one I was in today; starts with a D and ends in another name for beers? (My favourite bike shop BTW but I know others have different opinions of them).
They have a very nice blue Surly LHT with 26" wheels, reduced from £1000 to £850. I settled for a pair of mudguards instead
.
I used to really like said bike shop you mention that rhymes with ales and have bought several bikes from them but in the past year for me it's gone downhill. It's one of my fave shops to go browse but the staff have let me down.
I put my secteur in for service with them and explicitly asked them to have a look at the gears. When I picked it up and paid the gearing was worse. I cut my losses and evans serviced it (paid again) and it came out from them like a new bike.
The TCX they sold me last septemberish has had headset issues already and when it was in getting fixed they lost it. Eventually traced it, had been taken to their warehouse and returned to stock?! The lad who sold me the bike was very attentive and tbh if it wasn't for him I wouldn't have bought. He put a lot of effort into fitting the bike, even after I had bought it and had issues.
I don't find them particularly approachable and get the impression you have to be one of the lads to be acknowledged by their staff. When I went in with my mum to buy a bike for her it was a total and absolute joke. Said to the guy we were looking for a decent alu hybrid with carbon or steel rigid fork and reasonably thin tyres. The guy had obviously seen two women come in, and that my mum was older and instantly tried to push us into this big steel step through monstrosity with front suspension and springy saddle. I mean obviously every over 60 women needs something with a basket on the front right? He was so pushy we walked out and over to Alpine bikes who sold my mum a lovely Trek hybrid, exactly what we wanted. She test rode, they did the safety check there and then and left within the hour with a happy mum who is really enjoying cycling now and has seen great health improvements.
Evans on the other hand have been invaluable over the past year with getting me set up clipless and servicing etc. They are always friendly and chatty no matter who I speak to.
Brandane
Legendary Member
- Location
- Costa Clyde
That is a shame, as Dales used to have great customer service. Funny you should mention that, as today I was drooling over the Surly LHT for a good 10 minutes but nobody came over and tried to twist my arm. Perhaps a good thing from my bank balance's POV
.Great to hear that your mum got sorted out with a bike she likes, and even better that she is making good use of it and reaping the benefits
.That is a shame, as Dales used to have great customer service. Funny you should mention that, as today I was drooling over the Surly LHT for a good 10 minutes but nobody came over and tried to twist my arm. Perhaps a good thing from my bank balance's POV
Great to hear that your mum got sorted out with a bike she likes, and even better that she is making good use of it and reaping the benefits
I bought my first bike from them and had nothing but praise for them but I don't know if the staff have changed or what? Or with them opening two new shops I've noticed the boss seemed to be spending a lot of time in the EK shop and maybe Glasgow is suffering for it? Losing my TCX was the final straw I think haha.
It's a shame as they have a lovely shop with looooovely bikes but I don't know I could buy again from there after buying my TCX from them and the service I've received with that.
What army uses bikes? I am not going to say it....I am not going to say it......I am not.. I am not.. Dads army? Sorry just couldn't help myself.
Nobody else did!
All I am hearing on this thread is about local bike shops, yet everyone is talking about big companies not local shops. I go to my local bike shop for repairs and advice, one smells of pot the other doesn't. If I happen to be in the area I give wacky backy man my business. Sometimes he lets me down but he always sorts it out. Now, 2 of my bikes are Rolhoff equipped so neither will be getting much work from me. But they are both local 6 or 8 miles away. Are all these big name companies local to you lot?
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Road_Runner
Regular
- Location
- Yorkshire based
I personally am not keen on Evans cycles for any form of product advice. I've heard quite a lot of utter crap from quite a few of them and don't trust their advice anymore.
I hate Halfords for cycling. Not only do they sell awful bikes, but they offer complete crap advice and can't put a bike together to save their life. I walked in their store on the first day that they released the new Carrera TDF (completely by accident).....it was advertised at half price. After a conversation with an employee for a while, i managed to get the person to admit that the bike was indeed only worth the half price and that the full price was over inflated as a selling con.
I say support the local bike shop as much as possible!
I hate Halfords for cycling. Not only do they sell awful bikes, but they offer complete crap advice and can't put a bike together to save their life. I walked in their store on the first day that they released the new Carrera TDF (completely by accident).....it was advertised at half price. After a conversation with an employee for a while, i managed to get the person to admit that the bike was indeed only worth the half price and that the full price was over inflated as a selling con.
I say support the local bike shop as much as possible!
You will probably save money if you are not good at repairs. For a start off you will buy the right part!
Simontm
Veteran
Evans is as bad as Halfords' reputation if based on my recent experience.
Took the bike in for service on Saturday - the plastic guard on the cassette was driving me mad with its squeaking.
Day later - still squeaking, in fact it was now constant...
This morning, my back brake seized up and the LBS I took the bike into said someone at Evans had set the left calliper of the back brake on a higher tension spring than the right which caused it to slam the pad into the rim and lock.
LBS spent 10 minutes rebuilding my brake.
In addition, my 78 year old father came back from the same Evans with a 27 geared hybrid for his one mile morning cycle to his coffee shop. Tried to persuade him to take it back but I think he felt foolish.
Took the bike in for service on Saturday - the plastic guard on the cassette was driving me mad with its squeaking.
Day later - still squeaking, in fact it was now constant...
This morning, my back brake seized up and the LBS I took the bike into said someone at Evans had set the left calliper of the back brake on a higher tension spring than the right which caused it to slam the pad into the rim and lock.
LBS spent 10 minutes rebuilding my brake.
In addition, my 78 year old father came back from the same Evans with a 27 geared hybrid for his one mile morning cycle to his coffee shop. Tried to persuade him to take it back but I think he felt foolish.
vickster
Legendary Member
I use Evans for kit as it's easy and they have a wide choice (also in the more generous sizes 
). Usually, I buy online, get delivered or collect in store, return in store.
I have had them do some maintenance bits, fix a puncture (£5 with disc brakes and M+ tyres, a bargain). They fitted a rack too and a pair of wheels I bought from them. I had a long 'discussion' about why they were trying to charge me for fitting when their website clearly stated free fitting for wheels - I realise it's quite a lot of work but then don't offer the service, I would have gladly paid £25 or whatever it was.
I wouldn't choose to buy a bike from them though, a friend recently did as they had the bike she wanted at the price she wanted to pay, seems to be ok - although it did need adjusting during her test ride.
For servicing, I'd prefer to use a small local shop than a chain
Halfords, just for stuff on special like inner tubes. Again, it's easy
). Usually, I buy online, get delivered or collect in store, return in store. I have had them do some maintenance bits, fix a puncture (£5 with disc brakes and M+ tyres, a bargain). They fitted a rack too and a pair of wheels I bought from them. I had a long 'discussion' about why they were trying to charge me for fitting when their website clearly stated free fitting for wheels - I realise it's quite a lot of work but then don't offer the service, I would have gladly paid £25 or whatever it was.
I wouldn't choose to buy a bike from them though, a friend recently did as they had the bike she wanted at the price she wanted to pay, seems to be ok - although it did need adjusting during her test ride.
For servicing, I'd prefer to use a small local shop than a chain
Halfords, just for stuff on special like inner tubes. Again, it's easy
