Evans Cycles

People get the bikes they deserve, I guess.

The whole idea that the 'customer is always right' needs to fucking die. We're doing our best and getting paid pittance for it.

I feel like this thread pretty neatly divides into "those who have worked in retail" and "those who have not"

In the bike shop to weeks ago . Right so in two weeks time the 50 bikes to service and repair will be out the back door and gone .
They went and now its 100 bikes . Thats how it is although i dont here anyone complaining , they are the go to shop to sort stuff . Couldnt even get them chips as the pub was shut now that the “essential” shops are open again.

Preach!

Forget chips, bring beers! ;)

Thank God 99.9% do actually listen AND READ!

It's not the extreme, we put what we actually say on the ticket as we are honest and want to manage expectations (Yes, I made this template and I'm an ex banker) so as to not over promise and not deliver.

BUT yet they'll contest this, although it's written on the quote they receive.

Put it this way, I'm in most days (5 usually, 6 some weeks when it's usually 4) and I know who said what!

I was refering to the customer lack of understanding when was clearly informed what to expect. If in this case can't understand, given the current environment, could rightly tell him to f.. off. In a diplomatic manner, of course.

Yup, truly understood and could have made it clearer.

Put it this way, 'As soon as possible in 2 to 4 days, maybe longer' are taken as 'RIGHT NOW'

I'm enjoying it though as 99.9% are lovely people, the other 0.01%? They can suck it, literally suck it!

Hmm... I think we need a 'Shit people say at a bike shop thread' ;)

These bits of wording are quite British I would say. Difficult to be taken literally during unusual times.

The last suggestion I agree with it. The other side has the right to vent frustration, too.

@chak bon courage.

Parents with young kids, 2+2 coming into the shop, kids running around as if it is a playground.

Firstly, it's not an arcade where kids get in free, it's 4, not 2 + 0.

Secondly, we are a shop, not your home where they can run around and do as they like (speak volume of home schooling, lockdown or not...) 'They've been locked up for so long, they should be be able to have some freedom'.

FINALLY don't tell us 'You understand the rules BUT kids will be kids', rules are rules and you need to take some parenting lessons and not try to justify the unjustifiable.

Privileged? Yep.

Don't even get me started on those who think they can jump the queue just because they wanna:

• Ask a quick question.

• I've booked a slot so I'm just dropping off the bike.

• I'm just picking up.

Lastly and the best of all;

'I've just built this bike, it's new so it's fine, can you check if it is ok?'

Me: We'll look at it as soon as possible, 2 to 4 days, no promises and a PDI/Bike build is £35.

'WHAT?£35 and I have to leave it here? It's just a few bolts...'

Jog on >>>>

Indeed, pissy phone calls and fake reviews to follow.

'It's on Special Order and we'll install it as soon as possible when the parts arrive'

This is usually with broken rear mech hangers.

'Just replace it'

Me: 'We'll have to match it, order one and wait for it to arrive. There's probably 1,000 different ones out there'

'OK, tell me what it is and I'll order one myself'

So we do all the work and you get one? Why not you do all the work and we get one?

face palm

I'm pretty much numb to all this. All the gears no idea... This is part of my lolz for the day, just laugh inside and smile ;)

Don't get me started on the Carrera/Halfords bikes...

So many mech hangers, should have taken out shares in marwi/wheels manufacturing
Also whole chainsets, despite new bikes coming with many stickers, even colour coded, folk still fuck it up daily.

Same story again today, 'Just sell me a mech hanger for a Carrera @©$|¥»»%<>, you have one RIGHT?

Me: Go to Halfords if you want one immediately, we special order them and it could take up to a week to arrive. You'll also have to bring in the bike so we can be sure of an exact fit.

'Just sell me one, you re a bike shop and you should have this in stock AND there's a 3 hours queue at Halfords'

Yes, we use Wheel Manufacturing too, some of the hangers have been out of stock for weeks!

Agreed too on the shambles of not following instructions, the left and right on pedals and the tighten this way on the cranks...

Most expensive one was for an Allez with Praxis cranks!

I have had circa 20 sets of mangled mid range fsa and praxxis alba? Scrap box full of them. Saved all the chain rings for later though. Seems to be uniquely folk who haven't had a bike in ages, thought they would get something basic, none available so treated themselves to approx £900-1600 of commuter Cross disc /mudguard /11s goodnesss, then directly proceeded to completely fuck a £150 pair of cranks. Times by literally nearly two dozen occurrences over 12 weeks. Le sigh.
On the up side, thinking of getting a boat :p

Yarp. It's gotten to the point where I'm not even sure how people fuck these things up so much. Are modern component so delicate or do people expect to be riding everything made of Iron? I've had an astonishing amount of fucked hangers and cranks.
I can't even argue about the hangers as we have to suck up the blame/cost regardless of how you approach situation, but cranks I simply point out the multiple 'assembly instructions' plastered all over their delivery box.

What are people doing to the cranks - just cross-threading/installing the wrong pedal?

People are idiots. A coloured sticker on the pedal and corresponding crank would help.

Always seems to me that not putting an L and an R on pedals is a bit short sighted by manufacturers (or maybe a sneaky/genius move for those that also sell cranks). That said, I've seen someone try to thread labelled pedals onto the wrong side because his bike was upside-down. It wasn't me, I'm the idiot who either over-tightens them or puts them finger tight during fitting and forgets.

lways seems to me that not putting an L and an R on pedals is a bit short sighted by manufacturers.

They often do. Although this happens too.

You'd need some kind of physical constraint to kill this problem off completely. Something that stops the mismatched threads getting near each other. i.e. different axle diameters or some kind of keying system etc.

I don't think people are idiots - it's to do with expectations. Reverse threads are well weird. Most stuff is designed to be used without having to read a manual. Bikes are just odd.

You need to bear in mind a couple of things:
1) A lot of people can't remember which way does things up and which way loosens. They try both ways and it usually starts to tighten for them or breaks it loose.
2) People that do know, probably don't know one side is left handed. Probably also don't even know a left-handed thread is a thing. Probably don't know that left-handed threads should be marked with slots or lines on the head, though to be fair a lot of left-handed bike stuff isn't marked. What does that mean to a poor left-handed pedal thread when someone really starts to lean on it anticlockwise, trying to get it to break loose, convinced it's just a bit on the tight side...
3) Fine thread which is already difficult to catch the first thread without a bit of care + throw in an unexpected left-handed thread into the mix + (be honest now!) even experienced bike mechanics not remembering which side is which and having to offer it up to see anyway = recipe for disaster.

Lefty loosy, righty tighty. Right.....right?

recipe for disaster

Yep it's something the industry decided shouldn't be engineered out and instead should be dealt with on the shop floor. La la la distance sales I can't hear you etc...

Wonder if some kind of clamp fit like the hollotech 2 axle would be less of a headfuck. Would mean a new 'standard' though. And we love those!

Lefty loosy, righty tighty

Pedals: back off.

Lemme qualify.

People who buy a bike and don't read the build completion instructions, are idiots.

Hence coloured stickers because most bikes only get the pedals put on once.