Evans Cycles

Remember, you, the self sufficient cyclist, is the one that brings the least amount of money to a bike shop. Your needs are super specific, and you’re likely to build your own bikes.

That’s true, for a typical services, customers tend not to care about what components are fitted as long their need and budget are addressed.

The majority of customers never cared what bottom bracket we fit as long it no longer crunchy, the minority that do, we may have them, but if not, requires a deposit and 10 working days min wait.

Well, I did say above that I understand businesses need to make profit, also stated I was willing to pay more in a bike shop rather than online. Not sure how this constitute having my cake and eating it! I've happily paid £6 or even more for brake cables in London, because it was convenient, knowing it's nearly 3 times what I would pay on eBay if buying in bulk... I also recently bought a basic lock in a bike shop nearly £20 more than online because I needed it as an emergency, and accepted the fact without moaning. But when wanting to buy cables (at whatever price), puncture repair kits, or near universal crank bolts becomes seen as being an esoteric costumer, isn't that a bit much? I'm not especially keen on the tendency of how most bike shops are becoming, but, having ranted about it in the past (and being mildly told of and explained how things were by @edscoble ), I now accept it and just modestly say "(most) bike shops don't suit my needs"; if that's not gentle enough a statement, then I don't know how to put it... Of course I deplore that rental costs make things tough for bike shops (and sadly for lot of people in general) but I'm not buying a Pinnacle... I'll happily visit @fly 's shop when I'm in the area though...

Think yeah you've defo had a bad bunch of shops.
I'm in Glasgow and run my own place, heavy workshop focus, do retail some bikes but only higher tier electrics and cargos. Even in our space its not worth our time retailing £4-600 ridgeback's etc. Its pretty rare someone comes in asking for a 'bike part' like crank bolts, chainring bolts, that little bit that does that thing etc and we don't have it. Its a nightmare come stocktake season, but gets us a lot of repeat custom as folk just kind of default to coming to us for x number of items as they know we'll highly likely have it, and the price will be reasonable.

Yeah a shop is pretty much always going to be at retail, thats what margin is for, can't compete with folks who sell on ebay from their bedroom on the dodge from the VAT man, income tax man, council rates man, business insurance etc.

"(most) bike shops don't suit my needs"

So much this. I’d happily buy from a brick and mortar lbs… if they had what I was looking for. Also if they didn’t charge me a fortune for the worst outer cable I’ve ever seen.

So moved to keeping the PT + bike assemblers on call for punctures and not use the FT guys for them unless absolutely needed.

We partially do that, the shop floor staff are more than capable of fixing punctures allowing us to do the bigger jobs in a timey manner, however doesn't mean the mechanics will not do punctures anymore, we always going to do them especially the bigger Tern GSD jobs that a regular occurrence in Dulwich.

Talking about evans, the one on the Cut is now a Balfe's i believe. I popped in urgency afte losing a brake pad bolt, on the way to the train station+ ferry for a bank holiday weekend. The guy happily gave me a split pin for free.
That's the kind of detail that makes you think i'll happily buy a light, a pump, or whateveri is needed if i am in the area.

the one on the Cut is now a Balfe's i believe.

Same street, different building, the old Evans have electrocuted a poor staff due to dodgy wiring that haven’t been updated for the 21st Century.

Shocking ! And sad

You've visited Wheelcraft right?

Wheelcraft embodies the other problem with using a bikeshop which is that a transaction that should take +/-2 minutes actually takes half an hour + because you have to endure the owners condescending blabberings.

Since we're on the subject of puncture repair kits, Madison don't stock F0 patches, only F1, where's everyone sourcing theirs? Just used up my last one!

Just had a delivery.

1 Attachment

^Just opened it.

No chalk.

I am dissapoint,

Sandpaper or mini cheese grater?

INterestingly, Rema Tip Top also make the best oily hand cleaner.

Sandpaper, which is better, methinks.

I always thought the mini cheese grater was for the chalk?

Those Park pre-glued ones are really poor for me, they go on ok but then over ten mins or so blow out of the sides. Or is there some knack to using them? A curing time? I have RTT but faffing about with chalk and glue in rain is a faff.

I've always found them rubbish too

i thought all of the pre-glued ones were more of a 'get you home' quick fix until you can do a proper glue on patch repair

Maybe so, although I didn't see them advertised as such. They give me 10 mins at 20psi, pump back up, repeat.

Or to roughen up (very slightly) the rubber around the hole to give the glue/vulcanising solution a better surface to adhere to?

That’s what I thought the sandpaper was for!

I’ve always used the sandpaper for roughening the tube for better adhesion.

Let’s face it, things have gone pretty wrong if you’re at the stage of patching a tube at the roadside. It’s far more likely an at-home activity so I don’t mind the lack of chalk as I can just use a sprinkle of talc instead.

I've got a box of 100 Rema patches I got from somewhere in the UK ages ago along with multiple tubes of their cement but I've deleted the emails. Wiggle? eBay?