Asking because my mates lad is looking at buying a Norco Sight from Evans in Gateshead. I’m just looking to see if anyone’s had issues with either Norco warranty or Evans after sales service, or both.

Ta.

Worth a read iirc: http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/frustrated-norcoevans-cycles-content-1

To be fair the person in that thread had a second hand bike and wasn’t using a branch (appreciate they could have come back sooner).

I’ve used evans for mail order stuff, including one frame and one full bike, very happy. Frame had an issue which they resolved very well.

I bought a bike from Evans, after riding it a couple of times I realised it was too small. I took it back and they gave me a brand new one the next size up.

I’m sure someone will be along to say “just go to a friendly LBS, give them a posh of hobnobs and they’ll make sure it fits perfectly before you leave” but in fairness I sat on it in-store and thought it was ok. It was only as I rode it and got used to the geometry that I realised I needed to move the saddle up.

Bought a Norco Search from Evans 2 years ago. great bike far better spec for the money compared to everything else.
evans we’re okay to deal with during the purchase, a bit useless when I was trying to source a replacement mech hanger after a crash but got resolved.

a work mate snapped his rear triangle on his fluid , not a problem for evans to replace but took a month for them to receive parts , to be fair to evans after a few irate conversations they gave him a full service and new gear cables F.O.C

I bought a threshold frame earlier this year. Im missing a small cable port blank as im not using a front mech. Its not a big issue anf doest stop me using the bike but i emailed evans repeatedly to no avail. I messaged norco via facebook and they replied promtly saying they had sent a bag a of spares to evans but ive yet to receive anything.

I bought a threshold frame earlier this year. Im missing a small cable port blank as im not using a front mech. Its not a big issue anf doest stop me using the bike but i emailed evans repeatedly to no avail. I messaged norco via facebook and they replied promtly saying they had sent a bag a of spares to evans but ive yet to receive anything.

bails – Member
I bought a bike from Evans, after riding it a couple of times I realised it was too small. I took it back and they gave me a brand new one the next size up.

I’m sure someone will be along to say “just go to a friendly LBS, give them a posh of hobnobs and they’ll make sure it fits perfectly before you leave” but in fairness I sat on it in-store and thought it was ok. It was only as I rode it and got used to the geometry that I realised I needed to move the saddle up.

New bike, when you only needed the saddle up?…

middleagedmadness – Member
a work mate snapped his rear triangle on his fluid , not a problem for evans to replace but took a month for them to receive parts , to be fair to evans after a few irate conversations they gave him a full service and new gear cables F.O.C

Thank God I don’t work with the public, having to put up with dicks getting ‘irate’ after a short wait.

I snapped 2 commencals, Evans did exactly what I’d expect from a big bike chain, some delays, but that wasn’t Evans fault as such.

New bike, when you only needed the saddle up?…

‘Right Bike Guarantee’ – buy the wrong size and you can swap it within 30 days.

I know that ranging and getting hold of all the service parts for the Norco sussers can be involved/difficult and they often come from Norco direct rather than stock so it can take a while. Knowing that, I’d get a service kit in advance maybe or just ask a knowledgeable person in the shop who can help rather than do it via the service phone line.

I’m not involved with Norco but as I work at Evans I could nudge the right person/s if something isn’t going the way it should – should be clear upfront that it’s not an area I can make calls on etc though.

New bike, when you only needed the saddle up?…

‘Right Bike Guarantee’ – buy the wrong size and you can swap it within 30 days.

Sorry, should have been clear, by the time I got the saddle up to where it needed to be, the min insertion mark on the seat post was visible.

One reason he wants to use Evans is that they do some finance or other. Plus it’s close to where he lives.

I did mention trying a LBS but can’t think of any in Newcastle.

Are Steels still around in Gosforth? Any others to consider?

Evans Durham is my local go to for bits. They have a very good workshop in there. Mail order stuff is fine no probs. I got fitted up for a Norco Search. Spent a lot of time sizing different bikes and frame sizes with different stems. Shop is actually staffed by riders that always helps.

I bought a Sight from Evans for a very good price a couple of years ago. The bike is still going strong and the only issue I had was that that the rear brake cable rubbed through against the frame (which I think is a bit of a common problem)

As above, got my daughter a Norco cx bike and have tried to get a spare mech hanger from them, eventually gave up.

They kept trying to sell me one that looked completely different.

I commented on the linked thread because I bought a Norco Threshold. The bike’s great, Evans and Norco you can make your own mind up about.

The main reason for buying it was because I wanted something with hydraulic brakes and 1x and it rode great. Supremely comfortable and very capable. I looked at the Norco and an Open Up! Decided on the Norco because I couldn’t find a supplier close enough for the Open.

Here’s where the problem starts.

Norco specced the bike with 6 bolt rotors and lock ring hubs. This meant you had to use an adapter to fit the rotor. The oversize hub flange thing was rubbing the fork leg on the front. They decided to ship the bikes out so they were available for cross season was the justification for this snafu. This wasn’t a one off for my bike. I checked a different bike in a different size and it had the same problem. To their credit, I messaged them on Facebook and they shipped lock ring rotors out to me.

Evans took a lot of convincing of the problem, meaning a lot of
e-mails and driving back and forth to the shop multiple times. After several months, they gave me some vouchers as compensation. I get the feeling they have a problem with staff turnover, because the person I was dealing with left twice, and in both cases I had to chase the shop to get someone else to look into it. I don’t think this is particular to Evans. With margins being so tight in the bike industry it’s not uncommon to have shitty service.

So, while my problem got sorted to my satisfaction eventually, it took a lot of effort. I’ll not rush out to buy a Norco again and I’d definitely avoid buying a bike from Evans. Norco make great bikes, but they have form for shipping things out that aren’t fully baked. Like the problem they had with the Sight a while ago. Hope you enjoy the bike if you get it, but give it a complete check in the shop and be prepared to push hard to get things done.

Cheers Curious, I’ve sent the link to this thread to Joe, my mates lad who’s looking at buying the bike.

Not read the rest of the replies. I warrantied my norco sight in April this year, cracked seatstays (common).
Finally got a new frame last week, they were only going to replace the stays but I think the wait was that long they gave in and sent a new frame, took 5 months though. Evans staff were great, the problem is with norco. I wouldn’t buy one again because of this, even tho it was an excellent frame!

I did mention trying a LBS but can’t think of any in Newcastle.

Are Steels still around in Gosforth? Any others to consider?

Yes they are still there, near S Gosforth Metro, limited selection of brands – mostly Specialized – but generally helpful. There’s also Edinburgh bikes on Shields Rd, CJ Cycles nearby and in Cramlington, ‘Giant Newcastle’ – actually in Prudhoe, no prizes for guessing what they stock… Start Cycles in town.. probably a few others but those are the ones I’ve been to.

RE: Evans Gateshead – ok for picking up bits and pieces but I had a not-great experience with them on C2W which rather put me off.

Got my Range from Evans. Front brake died but was dealt with quickly by Evans via Sram. Have FB’d Norco directly and they got back to me within a couple of weeks, inc sending spec sheets etc. Both Evans and Norco IMO provided better comms after they had my money than popular direct brands at the point I was a potential customer. I’d buy another Norco from Evans.