Brandane
Legendary Member
- Location
- Costa Clyde
Evans 'Silver Service'- costly estimate, thoughts.
- Thread starter thefollen
- Start date
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BimblingBee
Guest
In fairness Evans are a national chain and are very open about their pricing structure. They are there to make money and it should come as no surprise when they say you need x,y and z.
It's a bit like going to a main dealer for a car service. You just expect to pay through the nose, but you also get convenience and usually fairly good warranty.
If you can't fit a tyre then why not charge 12 quid for it. As long as people are willing to pay, Evans et al will be there to charge!
It's a bit like going to a main dealer for a car service. You just expect to pay through the nose, but you also get convenience and usually fairly good warranty.
If you can't fit a tyre then why not charge 12 quid for it. As long as people are willing to pay, Evans et al will be there to charge!
idlecyclist
Well-Known Member
I try and do all minor repairs my self, but for evrything else I use Cycle Surgery. Always found them to be more than helpful and very reasonable.
Bromptonaut
Rohan Man
- Location
- Bugbrooke UK
AS others say bike maintenance and repair is pretty straightforward. My 'bible' was Richard's Bicycle Book c 1977 - other guides are available and YMMV.
The Horse's Mouth
Proud to be an Inverted snob!
In the four years or so that I have been commuting I have learnt to basically do most repairs myself. I find Youtube is excellent for getting the know how, and you usually find a number of different ways to do the same job.
When my last bike was smashed up in an accident I stripped it to find out how things work and go together. Anything salvageable was reused. Now I will have a go at most thing.
If you really dont fancy it, then i agree that a lbs is defo the first option.
Lastly with regards to tools just build up as and when you need things. I have bought them from all over the place online, Decathlon, Evans and Halfords even Aldi & Lidl. I have a pretty good kit now and I havent wasted any money on stuff I didnt need.
When my last bike was smashed up in an accident I stripped it to find out how things work and go together. Anything salvageable was reused. Now I will have a go at most thing.
If you really dont fancy it, then i agree that a lbs is defo the first option.
Lastly with regards to tools just build up as and when you need things. I have bought them from all over the place online, Decathlon, Evans and Halfords even Aldi & Lidl. I have a pretty good kit now and I havent wasted any money on stuff I didnt need.
bicyclos
Part time Anorak
- Location
- West Yorkshire
Exactly, I think you need to know basic maintenance anyway just in case you have a puncture or a breakdown out on the road. It can get obsessive with tools as I am always on the look out for a bargain item in the sales to compliment the toolbox.
Just a small part of my toolkit. The workshop stand, wheelbuilding jig and the bigger tools like headpress etc are in the garage (workshop). When I first started out cycling it was trial and error and with very few tools as I had little money. You have got to start somewhere. If you never have a go you will never learn and we all have the ability to be able to do it. Cycling for me is long term thats why I have invested a lot of money and time over the years and for me money well spent. Nobody has shown me how to build wheels or true them, all I did was read books and e-mail questions. I have built a good half dozen wheels now and just give them a slight truing every 6/12 months if needed. Start off with small easy stuff and build up your confidence to tackle more major jobs.
To be fair with Evans and the ilk, they will have large overheads and fancy modern shops so the pricing will be top dollar! My local bike shop is me and my spares are a click away online.....
The problem with using shops is that you end up relying on them.
I recently paid for a Cyclesurgery ‘full service’ and in addition had some knackered parts replaced (cassette etc). On receiving the bike back I was initially happy to have paid for it – it almost felt new.
Two weeks later the snow comes, and my bike is knackered again. And to add salt to the wounds as I’m cleaning the bike my rear derauilier falls off. Nice. (Metal fatigue on the bolt that connects it with the frame hanger...)
So I was stranded in the middle of no-where (well, I was at home, but I don’t have a bike shop nearby or an easy way of transporting my bike to one). There’s more to the story, but essentially it just helped me decide that from now on – I’ll do it myself as that way I don't have to rely on anyone.
I recently paid for a Cyclesurgery ‘full service’ and in addition had some knackered parts replaced (cassette etc). On receiving the bike back I was initially happy to have paid for it – it almost felt new.
Two weeks later the snow comes, and my bike is knackered again. And to add salt to the wounds as I’m cleaning the bike my rear derauilier falls off. Nice. (Metal fatigue on the bolt that connects it with the frame hanger...)
So I was stranded in the middle of no-where (well, I was at home, but I don’t have a bike shop nearby or an easy way of transporting my bike to one). There’s more to the story, but essentially it just helped me decide that from now on – I’ll do it myself as that way I don't have to rely on anyone.