Evans Cycles – nowt good to say about them!

Many years ago, I visited their Gatwick hub where one of them tried to sell me a 15" WSD full susser (I am 5'10" and 200lbs)

I pointed out that it was WSD bike but he insisted and actually argued with me until I pointed out the great big WSD icon with the bike in their catalouge.

That was then and this is what happened this week………..

Sold my old Cannondale to a workmate yesterday. I had stripped it down to the frame to retain the parts but he wanted the whole bike so I built it back up again but didnt have time to reset the gearing (VGC XT/LX parts) so I advised him to take it into an Evans in Central London.

First Evans told him that the gears were shot, needed replacing and servicing (why do you service new gears??)

Second Evans told him that the rear derailleur needed replacing

Third Evans told him the Hope M4's were shot and needed replacing (I had replaced the spacer washers with new washers and they were marginally out hence a tiny bit of rubbing on the disc) and that the gears were knackered.

The same third Evans eventually rang him today to say it was the chain that needed replacing and said the gears were fine 😯

All very strange considering I had bought the bike from a bike mechanic who used to work at Cycle Surgery and was perfect before I stripped it down and rebuilt it with the same parts so, at most, surely it would only need to be reset!?

Amazing how all three Evans gave different diagnosis on the 'problem' of the gears skipping.

Upshot is I am down £40 on the agreed price as i wanted him to be happy with the bike.

Compare that to my LBS in Benfleet, Essex who spent a whole Saturday trying to fix an old pair of Tektro brakes on my wife's bike before admitting defeat and not charging me a penny!

Use Evans ever again? Not on your life!!

Ben

Sorry but got to ask but why did you advise him to take it to Evans in the first place?? Sorry had to ask as now doubt somebody else will in a moment and slightly less politely probably as this is STW..

..bugger by the way

ive moved to brentford just as the feckers have bought out the lbs on the high street

mcdonalds of the cycle world

Why exactly was it you suggested going to Evans in the first place? I'm guessing London town is just about big enough to have one or two other bike shops.

You should see the "new" saddle they sent me today!

I'm awaiting their response to my email before I post pictures on here…

a big problem with london is that every bike shop, especially the non-chain lbs will have a 7 day wait till their mechanic can look at it!

I'm awaiting their response to my email before I post pictures on here…

Screw that….post pictures 8)

Stuart_c – On behalf of STW you are letting us all down with not showing this picture. Correct etiquette plays no part here. Do the right thing 😉

kimbers – where are you in Brentford then? I cycle through it every day, 3 times so far, and when I've finished some work in about 4 hours time I shall be cycling back through it again. (apart from the bit where the water main burst last week obviously)

Patience fellas, patience…

I fully expect to be fobbed off by them, at which point I'll let you all see what they think is acceptable to send to a customer.

8)

Mostly had very good experiences but there was one curler recently. I went to pick up a warranty replacement road frame that they insisted on rebuilding otherwise it would invalidate my warranty. First of all they weren't happy to put the brakes back on euro style, the gear cables were crossed under the downtube, (odd but easy to sort out), but when I wheeled the bike to the car it was obvious that there was something very wrong with the steering. Very stiff. They put the headset together incorrectly but wouldn't have it. I tried to explain (nicely) to the idiot that the steering should in fact be silky smooth and light just like the one's on bikes I randomly picked out in the show room. Still wouldn't have it. What happens when I come to a corner then, says I. "There's no problem with the steering sir, you just use your strength to turn the handlebars". At that point I left dumbfounded.

im off ealing road- by the drive thru- then just behind the footy ground!

The glasgow one seems okay but its different for each shop – all down to the staff and emplying folk that really know nothing about bikes!

Personally I think Evans have their uses.

I visited the Gateshead one for the 1st time recently. They were the only shop in the North East with AM40's in my size – one benefit of the size of their stores in that they can actually carry stock unlike too many lbs.

They also price matched the best online price I'd found – £24 off rrp.

I certainly left happy

kimbers – no problems with popping out for a pint then?
Brentford was nice and quiet at 4am today on my way home from work.

Evans stores vary lots, tho' I've found that there are some good guys in the Manchester Deansgate store (ManchesterTrev on here is one, I think).

Best bit is calling up to confirm they have stock, then printing off a price match and making a same day purchase. All the advantages of internet shopping and all the advantages of real time same day purchases. Win win!

I took a female friend into Evans at Reading as she wanted to buy a bike on the bike2work scheme. I went with her for some support. The tool at the shop was trying to sell her an 18" (I think or 19") frame, she said she felt stretched out and he was like "yeah the position looks okay"! I queried this saying WTF, she is 5ft 4" like me and I explained I rode an XS Giant, 15" Cube and 15" Kona (I think!). He said "well it depends as all bikes geometry is different and whether or not she likes it". He then went on some willy waving mission about cycling, length of time riding etc. TUrns out he'd been MTBing about 4 months and only got the job in Evans as he was unemployed and they were training him up. He bigged himself up that he went out night riding with some ridiculou elevenybillion mega watt light … what so it isn't really night riding then if it's that super powerful?? He felt pretty small though when I told him I'd been DHing in Morzine every year for the last 7, had MTB'd Morocco and enjoyed night riding with some piddly Petzel head torch!!

Other than that online I'd always had good experiences from them. But hey Mr MC will be along later to tell you the latest corker from the muppets that are Evans!!!

So you weren't willy waving and bigging yourself up?…..

thinks evans is only useful if you know exactly what you want and they have it in stock and you do a price match to crc or wiggle etc

Not really ChunkyMTB I just hate blokes who think they are the dogs boll*** when it comes to MTBing, but because I'm a girl I get treated like some pathetic fluffy girl that doesn't know anything. When it was quite clear I did. Sorry but it winds me up oh and there is far more MTB background I COULD willy wave about. 😉

Rootes1 that's part of Mr MC's complaint, buy it as says "in stock" 10 days later no news, e-mail them and they say "we don't have it in stock and won't until 11th Sep" so why show it on the internet as being in stock then??

Still don't understand why people complain about the people who work there (I don't work there by the way). If you're going in with a friend and you're a biker why do you need help from someone there? If the person has a voucher they don't 'have' to have help – if you're an expert biker can you not assist in the purchase? It's pretty easy to say 'no thanks' when an assistant approaches asking if you need help. At least he got himself a job and paying taxes I guess…

I'll leave you to your awesome MTB background you could willy wave about 😐

Would it still be willy waving if you're a girl?

What's the female equivalent?

F*nny flashing?

erm…that's all I could think of… 😳

Rootes1 that's part of Mr MC's complaint, buy it as says "in stock" 10 days later no news, e-mail them and they say "we don't have it in stock and won't until 11th Sep" so why show it on the internet as being in stock then?

easy to see if they have it in stock by walking into the shop..
then if they have what you want on the shelf and you know one of the online places has it in stock it, price match it..

easy for me though as there are 5 of so evans in easyish reach

(Mr MC posting)

I assume chunkymtb you like me are male and havent had to put up with 20 years of patronising, condescending macho atttitudes from male bikers and shop staff? The example given is of an employee inexperienced in both the business and the field, trying to sell clearly innappopriate equipment to a customer on the assumption that the customer knows less than him. And as the customers happened to be a pair of attractive women, why not show off whilst your at it? Dropping into conversation that she'd ridden in morzine is hardly willy (or booby?) waving, more a subtle attempt to hint to the member of staff he had at least one experienced rider to deal with and he may wish to change his approach. If I'd have been MC I would have been far less subtle or polite.
The friend (actually a new colleague who didnt know MC well) assumed that the staff would be knowledgeable and MC tagged along as a second opinion.
If she hadnt evans would have mis-sold a clearly too-large cycle, and in a few months time no doubt the cycle community would be -1 female member.

Edited highlights of my experience with them;
ordered Joplin post 2 weeks ago, shown in stock, payment taken.
a week later send them a chase up email having seen or heard nothing.
told it is on back order, due Sept 11. They ignore my request for a refund.
Email them sept 13 saying please either ship the post or refund money.
They reply morning of 14th to say post is now due in on the 17th.
I ask for refund.
they reply same day to say post is now "ready to ship"?! Odd as they dont have it in stock.

I am waiting for a response for request for a refund. I'd hate to have to deal with them for a warranty return if this is how chaotic their customer service is, Id rather (and now wish I had) paid an extra tenner to someone like CRC where I have had repeated good customer service.

Evans seem to be trying to be both LBS-knowledgeable and Halfords-scale and it clearly isnt working.
to the OP(?)-brilliant tag by the way.

It's taken me a couple re-reads to understnad who (or what) Munqe-chick is!!

Is it a dude or is it a chick?

The penny finally dropped, it's both (but not a pre-op transgender kind of way)!

I know marriage is all about sharing and sh!t but does that have to extend to log in names, after all they are free. 😉

In response to why I advised him to take the bike in to Evans was because he knew where they were and I assumed (wrongly) that they would do ask requested – reset the gears!

Clearly this was beyond their capabilities!

Judging from the above responses, it doesnt seem as though they have many friends on here, save, perhaps, for buying the odd bits n pieces.

Indeed, my work chum reported to me that they offered to send the bike off for a full service – apparantly they outsource this?? A basic service!!??

Gawd help us from the Evans of the world!

Ben

I bought a pair hope m4s off them years ago in a sale. When they arrived they'd quite clearly been attached to a bike (scuffs where they'd been removed) and one of them had a gunmetal top cap rather than black. I complained via email and got no answer, I didn't send them back as they were cheap and wasn't too fussed, just alarmed that their online advert made no mention of 'used' only 'reduced'. I've not used them since and wouldn't ever again.

Gist of this thread is Evans are shi** won't be shopping there again, oh and that I'm a "she" (not transgender, waiting for an op or a "thing"). Occasionally Mr MC posts as "Mr MC" as his account has never worked and STW have never sorted it out. So not a problem that we both use same account. Happy days 😉

I've had mixed experience of dealing with Evans. I've been using their shops since the late 80s, when all they were were a 2 or 3 shop business. I've bought at least 3 bikes from them and recommended them to friends who've bought bikes and kit from them. At times I've had the best service I could hope for from their staff, at other times I've walked out in disgust.

My nearest Evans is Canary Wharf, who seem to have decent knowledgeable staff. Mind you, it's sometimes amusing to deal with some kid who's younger than the time you've been riding mountain bikes for! My local branch have been helpful and courteous. Contrast that with the Waterloo Bridge road branch, where some bored spotty knob told me they could 'teach me how to change an inner tube' when I returned one that had split along the seam. Patronising ****.

As a company, they've embraced the business model the market has demanded. Mail order, chain store model with locations in prime retail spots, large range and choice. And they're successful because of this. The same has happened with Cycle Surgery; sold out to another company, but not before they'd built up from one tatty shop in Spitalfields market.

They're not 'local bike shops' any more than they are corporate retail outlets. Do you expect Tescos to give you impartial expert advice on their range of yoghurts?

We're all guilty of helping create the model Evans have adopted. No use moaning about it now.

Always had great service from the branch in Nottingham, they did drop the ball on one occasion but rectified it more than adequately.

Nearly always been able to squeeze minor repairs in which has saved a weekends riding, cut seat tube free of charge (bike bought elsewhere), replaced chain for the cost of a chain etc. Not encountered any condescending attitudes despite being of the female persuasion. Can't complain really.

My lbs is great too, but Evans opens late and on Sundays.

Oh yes, Evans. Mega hassle over my Ride2Work bike.

They are patronising and condescending to women – which would be kind of amusing if it was so bloody annoying – as they clearly don't know one end of a bike from the other. One of the staff I had the misfortune to deal with was a fixie rider (skinny jeans etc) – when I said the gearing on my new bike was fundamental to the purchase as I have a big hill to go over, he actually sneered. I asked him if he had ridden over said hill, he was forced to admit he didn't even know where it was.

The mechanic who was asked to fix my rattly disc brake said it wasn't possible to fix it, and that "…they all do it". He had no answer when I asked why the rear brake did not rattle, despite it having done the same amount of miles over the same roads as the front brake.

The same mechanic, on being asked to adjust my Alfine gears, made them worse, a problem which I later rectified (upon advice from your goodselves) in about 3 seconds flat, with one hand, as I was eating my breakfast with the other hand. He proudly informed me he was Cytech trained! God help us.

I could go on, but I will spare you all.

I fully expect to be fobbed off by them, at which point I'll let you all see what they think is acceptable to send to a customer.

I've had this from them before… got sent used goods having ordered over the WWW. And boy, do I mean used (as in "fit for the bin"). And I've lost count of the peeps I know who've been flogged silly-size bikes by their idiot staff.

Just don't!

Use the Crawley store for fiddly jobs (crown race removal etc) and never had a problem with that side of it, manager is a good bloke and knowledgeable but won't force his opinion on you unlike the little twunt with whom I to argue in order to buy an ISIS BB.

So yeah, some staff good, some bad.

Use the Crawley store for fiddly jobs (crown race removal etc

Yeah tricky job that hitting something with a hammer.

He proudly informed me he was Cytech trained!

Proves the point that it's just a bit of paper, go on a course for 2 weeks and you're a fully fledged mechanic…….. don't think so, it just means that they should be able to assemble a cycle safely.

Elfin, I only bought a bike there because I was tied in to Evans' scheme via my firm. The feedback was so bad (not just from me) that HR are going to look for an alternative provider for next year.

I visit when they have a sale, that's all.

I wouldn't worry too much about Evans!

They've grown too quick and have the largest amount of longterm debt in the industry……they were the only larger UK retailer last year to make a loss too!!

I suspect contraction on the horizon!!

Elfin

"They're not 'local bike shops' any more than they are corporate retail outlets. Do you expect Tescos to give you impartial expert advice on their range of yoghurts? "

If Tesco dealt mainly in yoghurt and nothing else, then yes, I would expect them to give me expert advice.

It is the same as any Bike Shop – they should only hire people who know something about bikes or have a proper mechanic on site.

The same with a fishing shop – I would little expect a fishing shop assistant to not know a fly rod from a carp rod.

Sigh, perhaps I simply expecting too much in this day and age 😳

Ben

It sounds like they're not training their staff very well. I've only been to one of their shops once but I was only buying some socks. The shop I got my bike from in Glasgow (not Evans) can be a bit hit and miss. Some of the guys really know what they're talking about and others just guess. I think this is a problem when a company gets too big.

It is the same as any Bike Shop – they should only hire people who know something about bikes or have a proper mechanic on site.

Do you know how much bike shop staff get paid? I do. I've worked in them. It's shit money for a mainly pretty boring job that to be quite honest I only did because I needed an income. Bike shops have a pretty high turnover of staff; gone are the days of some old bloke with sixty two thousand years experience under his belt. And as for 'training', I understand that what Evans give is laughable. So, you're expected to bring loads of knowledge you've gained yourself, and work for little more than minimum wage? Bollocks to that. You want staff to be knowledgeable, friendly and enthusiastic all day long? Pay them better.

Oh, but expect to have to pay much higher prices in shops though.

Most folk I deal with in Evans are ok. I don't expect them to be amazing, just to be polite and courteous. Mostly, they do that just fine.

Apart from that ugly spotty pretentious **** in Waterloo. He can get fecked.