Evans Cycles

I just popped into Evans Westbourne grove for a light that I needed and Evans had a good price online.
The older guy there is the saddest most sarcastic angry cnut I've dealt with in a bike shop, and that's saying something. So much so it's just funny and you feel sorry for him because he hates his job so much.

loads of bike shops have people like this, they mostly know what they are talking about, but they just enjoy proving that fact, and as soon as you raise awareness that you ALSO know something what your talking about, they get aggressive and fowl.

So many bike shops (small and large chains) are just full of C- UNITS or UNTS (c) as mr.warner likes to call them, that I generally avoid them where possible.
I only feel sorry for the people who are not bike aware who get taken in by their BS and sales crap, some I've encountered over the years are actually more aggressive, pushy & full of grade A* BS than that well known high street phone retailer (not carphonewarehouse, the *other *one).

ha. Even the thread for praising Evans ends up slating them.

They're fine for price matching stuff that you don't want to wait for online; I wouldn't take any of my bikes there.

had a chat to hillbilly about this the other the night at souths - bike shops and guitar shops. basically populated/owned by failed exponents of their chosen stock.

/except for jim - who is ginger and awesome. and will eat your fucking FACE.

^camera shops too.

Anyway did I ever tell you about the time I was abducted off the street by The Continuity Evans? Some of you probably know that a few years ago there were a lot of redundancies at Evans when they went through a bad patch. Less well known is that some of these ex-employees formed themselves in to a splinter group. Schisms like this used to be common in the bike selling industry. There were, at one point, at least four groups claiming to be the real Condor. That was back in the 60s though and since becoming more corporate bike shops have generally kept these divisions in check.
The Continuity Evans had somehow gained access to the 'Evans' data base and had trawled it thoroughly for records of disgruntled customers. Just going through complaints at the Spitalfields branch on its own took up more than six months of their time. Less time than it usually takes to order a pair of track nuts, as they pointed out.
Well, one day I was approached by a young chap asking for directions to "Li-cester Square". That we were in Bethnal Green at the time should have raised my suspicions but I have met a fair few confused Americans so I thought nothing of it. I was just pointing him towards East Ham when everything went black.
I woke up, some indeterminate time later, in what appeared to be a branch of Evans. A quick glance around though told me that something was not right. The bikes seemed to have been made of empty loo roles, glued together and hurriedly spray painted. More to the point there were no customers crying and heading for the door. This can't be Evans, I thought to myself.
Just then the 'tourist' I had been trying to help came in along with another bloke.
"What the fuck is going on? I asked, which always seems to be the question one is asking oneself when surrounded by the gold and green. "Don't worry" said the first man "We only want to help you and give good customer service". The other bloke added "This is Evans, Jim, but not as you know it". Great, I thought, a Star Trek nerd, this just keeps getting better. All I need now is for Noel Fucking Edmonds to jump out from behind the counter. (Little did I know that Noel Fucking Edmonds was at that exact moment being held by The Popular Front For The Liberation of Burton's).
Anyhow, it was then explained to me that a couple of years previously I had returned a Cateye light to Evans having discovered that a member of staff had written the word PAEDO on the front glass; which I had not noticed until I had received several, otherwise inexplicable, beatings during my first after-dark ride.
On returning the kiddie-fiddling Cateye to the shop the assistant had smirked at me and called his colleagues over to smirk along with him. Long story short I eventually got my money back only to discover that the 'complimentary voucher' I had also received was stamped with the phrase "Will suck for cash".
My two kidnappers, reading of my ordeal, saw this as a chance to make amends and prove that The Continuity Evans were a different kettle of fish. In short they were offering me a new Cateye and a proper voucher. By this time I was pretty much willing to go along with anything these nut-jobs said just to get out of there. Which, ironically, is again more or less how you end up feeling in a regular Evans shop.
All they wanted in return was that I become a 'Brand Ambassador' for them and that I should blog about how great their commitment to customer service was.
I said Yes. At that point everything went black again.
I woke up back in Bethnal Green. Slowly coming round I felt a lump in my back pocket. Reaching round I pulled out my new 'Cateye'. It was a Knog glued to one end of a fish finger. Fucks sake, a Knog? I'll get more lumens if I set fire to the fish finger.
I am not sure what has became of The Continuity Evans. I thought I saw the two guys who snatched me early one morning pissing against the front door of BLB but then again that could have been so many people. Most days there is a queue to leave a gesture of appreciation there.

Some of these bike shops should take a leaf out of a book from LMNH. hubble, well mannered, friendly and helpful... Good manners don't cost anything instead of being rude and rather cocky! Simply not a step in the right direction...

Evans Waterloo Cut have a new manager and he is could do with displaying a greater aptitude for customer service.

still waiting for my tubes..douchenozzles

still waiting. hatfags

I just popped into my local Evans to pick up a pair of brake cables. They wanted £5.99** each**.

Fuck. Right. Off.

ordered a chainset last week from Waterloo Cut, they told me it would be in on Monday & dropped bike off yesterday morning for it to be fitted, the bloke behind counter confirmed the chainset was in the shop & bike would be ready that afternoon. Called at 4pm, was told in a dismissive tone that of course it wasn't ready as the chainset might only arrive in later this week.. note to self, no more Evans

Popped into the Fenchurch St branch, and got a blank look when I asked for cotter pins, much as I expected.

The assistant went downstairs to talk to the mechanic, then came back with a couple, saying "You're the first person who's ever asked for these". Very surprised they had them, and pretty impressed. Cheaper than my LBS as well.

I just popped into my local Evans to pick up a pair of brake cables. They wanted £5.99** each**.

Fuck. Right. Off.

I popped into the London Bicycle Repair work shop today, they sold me two cables for £6 and threw in half a dozen end crimps to boot.

That's one in the eye for the corporate behemoth!

Very helpful service from Lewis in the Mortimer St. branch yesterday. Could have been persuaded to buy a Thomson seatpost, but they'd sold out my size. Located one in another branch, offered to reserve it for me.

I ended up buying one in Tokyo Fixed instead, but the thought was there at least.

Popped into the Fenchurch St branch, and got a blank look when I asked for cotter pins, much as I expected.

The assistant went downstairs to talk to the mechanic, then came back with a couple, saying "You're the first person who's ever asked for these". Very surprised they had them, and pretty impressed. Cheaper than my LBS as well.

Shame they were the wrong size...

Anyone who needs a couple of 9mm cotter pins, pop round to SW2 and they're yours.

They spoke to the shop and when I went back this afternoon the assistant manager gave me the £13 back in exchange for the tool.

So, a happy ending.
I think evans no longer record purchases under £30 on their system. I had this problem trying to replace a cateye rear light that had for no reason stopped working. Ended up using a bank statement to prove purchase and got it exchanged, about 10 months after purchase. Then when the replacement stopped working as well, I got that one exchanged too with no hassle. Holborn seem to be pretty good these days.

BTW, I bought the ritchey torque key with replaceable bolts online (from sigma sport, I think).

I think evans no longer record purchases under £30 on their system.

it's under £20 now, used to be £30 back in 2010.

guy at evans holborn, you totally saved my skin on friday. i'll be round tonight with a little JD and coke to thank you.
legend.

Evans are currently doing a third off all Specialized innertubes:

http://www.evanscycles.com/categories/bike-components-bike-parts/bike-tyres-tubes/inner-tubes?brand=Specialized&price_from&price_to&sort&per_page=20

Just use the code: MATUBE at the till.

Valid 11/04/11-17/04/11.

so shite they can't give em away?

/good deal but they truly are dog-awful tubes.

just don't pump them to 100 psi.

or use them at all.

so shite they can't give em away?

/good deal but they truly are dog-awful tubes.

never had problems with them - been using them for 6+ years at 120 PSI

^now i'll bound to get loadsa punctures…

They work well enough for polo bikes surely.

And I rode for 2 years on them on my Bob Jackson and never had a problem... maybe those with problems kept pinch-puncturing them when fitting?

seams bursting at 100psi in the same place on every tube isn't an installation error.