F.W.Evans; Rathbone Place

[dondare]

It was one of those small jobs that ends up becoming a project. THe bike (or at least parts of it) is 30 years old and the running gear is so oily, or WD40-y, that my LBS wont touch it.
To fix it myself I'd have had to wait until the weekend, bought tools that I might not need again, and taken a lot of the weekend to do it. THe mechacanics at Evans fixed it while I waited and charged £12.50 which was entirely reasonable.

 

[martint235]

I wouldn't pay some one £15, 20, 30 or 50 an hour to service my bike or car when I can do it myself. No way! Bikes are so easy to maintain. You are really challenged or hopeless not to be able to do basic bike miantenance. Only time I have paid anyone to do anything related to my bikes is having wheels built which is slightly different.

I don't mind, I'll admit to being very challenged and hopeless when it regards any kind of handiwork. I can't cut a straight line with scissors and a bit of paper. You should see the damage I do when I do anything other than fit new brake blocks (leaving the holders exactly where the LBS put them!!! ). Just fixed my front mech's shifting problems though which left me chuffed. Oh and I can change a tyre.

 

[661-Pete]

my local Evans is the mail order warehouse/HQ at Gatwick/Crawley. Nice people but service is soooo slow in there sometimes. But boy do they have a lot of stock!

My fave Evans is the one near the Clock Tower/Churchill Sq in Brighton as it is living proof that Brighton is London-on-Sea.... 80" fixed wheels, as day-to-day transport, in Brighton, yeah right!

I know both those stores. The Brighton one - OK, but they have on occasion let me down with items not in stock - whereupon I've beat a retreat to the Bikehut (yeah! H**fords!) just round the corner from them, who've obliged. As for the Gatwick Evans - good stock, I agree with you about the slow service ... and the odd issue with grumpy staff - and once, I was even accused of lying to them about a warranty matter (to do them credit, they did back down on this).

Blimey, read the reviews for CycleSurgery; was one of them you. 20"?

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/place...cal_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CBoQqgUwAA

Don't know that place, but I looked at that link, the main rant seems to be from a disgruntled ex-employee. Perhaps it might be pertinent to ask why he is an ex-employee? I'm surprised Google allow that comment to stand.

...fit new brake blocks (leaving the holders exactly where the LBS put them!!! ).

You must have exceeding good skill if you can accurately swap the blocks without unscrewing the shoes - and then get them properly set against the rims. Not something I'd try! May I suggest you at least have a go at wielding the allen key and make sure the shoes with new blocks are correctly set? Often because of wear on the old blocks, the new ones need to be angled differently. It ain't too difficult - try!

 

[martint235]

You must have exceeding good skill if you can accurately swap the blocks without unscrewing the shoes - and then get them properly set against the rims. Not something I'd try! May I suggest you at least have a go at wielding the allen key and make sure the shoes with new blocks are correctly set? Often because of wear on the old blocks, the new ones need to be angled differently. It ain't too difficult - try!

I must be lucky. I just take the wheel out, take the old blocks out, put new ones in, loosen the cable tighening thingy, put wheel back in, all good. This has worked for the last 10 or so changes. Wheel lines up with blocks.

I have tried using the allen key on the shoes before, resulted in a trip to the LBS to stop my brakes feeling like sponge.