Experience of my first (and last) time in an Evans store. Am I just a grump?!

I’m not sure if I’m just impatient and a grump but I wasnt too impressed with my local Evans store a couple weekends back.

I Went in Evans last Sunday as I was desperate for a brake mount for my new Morewood frame that just arrived. It went like this:

Me: Hi, I’d like a 203mm post to post brake mount please.

Salesman: I’m not gonna lie, I have no idea what that is.

Me: Okaaayyy, well it’s the little bracket that holds your brake to your frame/fork.

Salesman: hmm, can you come round here and show me (behind till on his computer).

Me: Sure

I then find it and he says: ok let’s ask the workshop, they may have one because we don’t stock any brake mounts.

I walk over to the workshop where I find Salesman 2 (sat doing nothing at the workshop desk-on computer).

Me: Hi, do you have any brake mounts?

Salesman 2: Nope. We can order them though. Great considering he knew what was in the drawers and boxes in the workshop instantly- yeah right!

Me: Ok cheers- smack hand against my face and walk out quicker than I came in.

Great bike shop eh?! Good stock of common items, excellent knowledge and most of all a good attitude and helpful (NOT)

Is it just me or would it have been worth a look round the workshop? I know when I worked in a bike shop while at uni we had boxes and boxes of stuff like that. If nothing else you at least look helpful instead of a uninterested numpty glued to a chair at a desk.

If I could have gone elsewhere like an independent I would have- and paid the premium for the convenience/being able to ride my new bike right away; but it was Sunday and they go riding.

So to Superstar it was, £4.99 free post and here 1st thing on Tues. Shame but for me that’s why online normally gets my cash.

Anyone had a similar experience with a chain store?

I refuse to walk into an Evans store. Each and every time I have been in I wish I hadn’t.

i went into the Leeds city center store to buy some Shimano winter boots.
i was told buy the salesman that’we dont sell them because they are crap. and all us who work here ride in flat shoes with sealskins, which are far better in winter’.

Wow that’s bad ton.

My local Edinburgh Bike have a nice big shop but stock nothing of use whatsoever and the staff are so incompetent it’s beyond a joke I went in for a new chain a while back and was told they don’t sell any 10 speed chains by the salesperson who was standing right next to a wall with 3 different 10 speed chains!

complain on social media 🙂 they will love it! 😉 i would!

Must admit I do use Evans for ‘in stock’ items and find their ‘check store stock’ option pretty useful before making the trip to my local store in Cardiff – Cardiff staff have been pretty helpful on my recent visits too.

You’d have been out of luck with the brake adaptor mount though unless your LBS was the Gatwick warehouse 😉

Normally avoid Evans too but had the reverse experience in Plymouth a few weeks ago. Went into the large independent in the city centre, urgently needing a few bits. They didn’t have them and basically said, with a slight attitude, that they were focusing on the online operation now so didn’t worry about keeping stuff in stock in the shop. So we went down to the new-ish Evans and found a remarkably helpful friendly chap (saw him marshalling the charity ride the next day) and were able to get all the stuff required.

My local Evans does not stock anything useful either. I was desperate for some pads for Hope X2 brakes once thinking it is more likely to have them in stock than a smaller independent LBS.

They had none but the LBS had plenty in stock.

However, I must say Evans is pretty good if you are unsure about the sizing of clothing/shoes/helmet etc. What I found is they never have what I want in stock. I just order a few sizes of what I want using click and collect, try them out in the shop and get a refund from the tills for the sizes that don’t fit. Their prices are pretty competitive as well.

Great considering he knew what was in the drawers and boxes in the workshop instantly- yeah right!

I expect he’s correct – they’d have them sent in from warehouse stock or you could get it in click and collect.
So, 2 sales people gave honest answers. They may not have the myriad of spares needed to hand but I’d expect the sell-through rate of parts like that makes them low-priority stock at Evans.

Yetiboy, honest question (and no snarkiness intended). What amount of training do you imagine these people get?

He could well have been a sage guru on road bikes, just not into mtb. Since most bike shop employees draw on their own knowledge it’s pot luck.

I don’t understand how someone can be that desperate for a brake mount
Did you not think when you ordered the frame of all the other parts you would need to build it up, and order them at the same time?

It is possible salesman 2 was correct, some of us shop staff have a clue!

Weevil – which EBC? (prays its not mine).

I went into Edinburgh Planet X last week. Classic…4 staff, inc an older/senior one fawning over a TT bike customer (they were measuring it to work out what size it was). I was also ignored for a couple of minutes by their colleagyedoing something at a nearby till, until one of the TT fanboi staff helped.

I went into my local Evans (Guildford) to get a power-link. They didn’t have any 10 spd Shimano ones in stock but the sales guy led me over to the workshop area and asked one of the mechanics. He gave me one of the workshop ones and when I went to pay for it they said it was free of charge!

I suppose that I’m a bit spoiled, as my local Evans is the Gatwick warehouse, so I can only take your observations about your local shop as you describe it.

However, I would suggest that next time you order a new frame, you can anticipate the desire to ride it as soon as possible (who wouldn’t), and order the brake mounts (and anything else required for the build) at the same time.

If the situation was slightly different, and the frame wasn’t due to arrive for a few weeks, you’d probably have had a bit more patience with the shop staff, so I’d say that a fair bit of the problem was impatience on your part.

Is it just me or would it have been worth a look round the workshop?

To be fair to him, he might’ve been asked that regularly, or he may have just fitted the last one.. maybe.

As for not stocking boots you don’t like – that’s stupid. You don’t stock what you like, you stock what your customers want.

i think all bikeshops are pretty crap to be honest. cant remember the last time i had good service from one.

crc, planetx/on one, wiggle all continue to provide good quick cheap service.

I don’t understand how someone can be that desperate for a brake mount
Did you not think when you ordered the frame of all the other parts you would need to build it up, and order them at the same time?

Easy to overlook imho, especially now that most frames/forks are post mount, where previously it was all IS to post adaptors.

My local Evans ( MK) gave me excellent service the other wkd. Free removal of my cranks and you can’t say fairer than that! And ffs I can’t believe you guys having a go at the OP for forgetting a brake mount.

At least Evans was open to be able to tell you they didn’t have it in stock. Though what a shop is thinking actually being open on a day when people might actually be in a position to go and use it is beyond me.

ultimateweevil – Member
Wow that’s bad ton.

My local Edinburgh Bike have a nice big shop but stock nothing of use whatsoever and the staff are so incompetent it’s beyond a joke I went in for a new chain a while back and was told they don’t sell any 10 speed chains by the salesperson who was standing right next to a wall with 3 different 10 speed chains!

Be fair – I bought some lube and degreaser from them on Saturday, so they do stock some stuff that’s of use. 🙂 I nearly made an impulse purchase of gloves too but they didn’t have my size in stock – they did have several other sizes though.

My only experience in store was being asked to move so the guy sweeping up could sweep where I was standing, I put down the shorts I was considering buying and left empty handed.

Weevil – which EBC? (prays its not mine).

Wait, what?

Which store are you in Al, the new one? I’m in there like twice a week at the moment…

benji – Member
My only experience in store was being asked to move so the guy sweeping up could sweep where I was standing, I put down the shorts I was considering buying and left empty handed.
POSTED 9 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST

Seriously? That makes you sound rather childish…

@13FM: Canonmills…are you Mr Synapse?

“i think all bikeshops are pretty crap to be honest.”

You have some great bike shops in Leeds Tony.

Vertex
Garage Bikes
Chevin (Independent LBS of the year apparently)

what I absolutely HATE is that my local Evans, which is quite big, has a wonderful array of bikes BUT all they sell in terms of parts and accessories is their own-brand FWE stuff which is below average kit and on top of that is really bad value for money.

A fair few of the Manchester Evans could probably ride better than most of this forum. Good service too. No I have nothing to do with them. Like anywhere quality varies.

To be fair, brake mounts confuse the **** out of me as well.

Al:

I was also ignored for a couple of minutes

Were you dressed all in black? They might not have seen you?

Seriously? That makes you sound rather childish…

NO IT DOESN’T! AND YOU’RE NOT MY REAL DAD!

*slams door*

To be honest I’d have been more surprised if they had stocked adaptors. Cant see any reason to tie up money in stock like that.

I have to admit I dislike most local bike shops, however EBC is miles better than Evans IMO. I can’t recall ever buying anything from Evans.

You have some great bike shops in Leeds Tony.

i have yet to find one, Garage are exempt from my criticism because i have never used them.

examples over the years.
paid £1500 cash in Stiff for a frame and some bits. built bike up, 1 month later problem with a bearing. getting it sorted was like i had the plague.

spent 2k on two bikes in chevin, lost my receipt for one i was selling on. asked chevin for a copy, was told no we dont keep receipts of bikes we sell, even tho i paid with credit card. never got a receipt.

used woodrups for ages, bought everything from them, and they are a bit pricey. sent my son down for a rear mech (deore) tried to charge him £45. i took it back, got my cash back, was told if i had bought it, it would have been £30.

bought brakes and various stuff from another leeds shop, and was slagged off online by the shop owner for being a pain in the arse customer….. 🙄

Edinburgh Evans don’t actually seem to WANT you to buy anything, even when you’re standing at the till with it.

Any excuse fir a moan….

Edinburgh Evans don’t actually seem to WANT you to buy anything, even when you’re standing at the till with it.

Any excuse fir a moan….

Totally agree. The shop is complete shit.

ton:

i have yet to find one, Garage are exempt from my criticism because i have never used them.

You sure?

😛

Ton, get down to see Al @ Garage. A more helpful chap you could not wish to meet.

EDIT: Well now I’m just confused, not just by Jamie’s freakish omnipotence.

Good work, Monsieur Poirot!

FWIW, some friends had truly brilliant service from Evans in Preston on a Lejog this summer.

My own recent experiences of the stores has been limited to popping in to Ludgate Circus when I’ve had a few minutes to kill between meetings. It’s a lovely quiet space to escape the hustle and bustle of the City. It’s made even more tranquil by the marvellous way the staff have been trained to leave you alone with your thoughts, never once interrupting you with something as rude as a “Hello”, let alone being so uncouth as to try and engage you in actually buying anything!

TBH I use the Chill Factor Store on a click and collect bases and always found the staff pretty good.
BUT
It’s till setup is a bloody joke always hammered and ques why they cannot have at least another till setup is beyond me. Being such a large and busy store. 🙄

used woodrups for ages, bought everything from them, and they are a bit pricey. sent my son down for a rear mech (deore) tried to charge him £45. i took it back, got my cash back, was told if i had bought it, it would have been £30.

Isn’t this just the sort of thing people are always saying shops should do?

[Quote]spent 2k on two bikes in chevin, lost my receipt for one i was selling on. asked chevin for a copy, was told no we dont keep receipts of bikes we sell, even tho i paid with credit card. never got a receipt.
[/Quote]

This makes them crap? Really?

[Quote]used woodrups for ages, bought everything from them, and they are a bit pricey. sent my son down for a rear mech (deore) tried to charge him £45. i took it back, got my cash back, was told if i had bought it, it would have been £30.[/Quote]

They didn’t recogise your son, but they sell you stuff at near trade price. That is DREADFUL.

[Quote]bought brakes and various stuff from another leeds shop, and was slagged off online for being a pain in the arse customer.
[/Quote]

I think they are right. Bit rude of them this.

You would be lucky to find a disc mount adaptor in stock in any shop. Did you really expect them to have it? Really? I would think that stocking all varieties of adaptor just in case someone comes and buys one is not a good way to run a shop. They’d hardly be flying off the shelves. Its not the sort of thing you need then and there is it.

Take brake pads for example. Something you might be much more likely to need. My local shop never seems to have what I want. There are so many types, and types within types. But they are still an excellent shop.