First service for bike bought online - Evans?

daysofspeed
daysofspeed Posts: 105
edited April 2012 in Road beginners
Bought my bike online. Figure it'll need gears and cables looking at after a few months riding.

Evans (Wimbledon) nearest for me. Noticed the other day that sales staff appeared to be doing services (?) - anyone any experience with Evans for their Bronze service?

Comments

  • sungod
    sungod Posts: 17,159
    unless you are violently opposed to diy, or are catastrophically inept...

    get a book or look up online how to diy, then diy

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zinn-Art-Road-B ... 1934030422
    http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

    general servicing needs only basic tools, and almost all jobs can be done without too much outlay

    by the time you've paid for 3-4 services, you could've tooled up to do pretty much everything
    my bike - faster than god's and twice as shiny
  • alihisgreat
    alihisgreat Posts: 3,872
    daysofspeed wrote:
    Bought my bike online. Figure it'll need gears and cables looking at after a few months riding.

    Evans (Wimbledon) nearest for me. Noticed the other day that sales staff appeared to be doing services (?) - anyone any experience with Evans for their Bronze service?


    I'd be more inclined to go for an independent LBS.. they often actually care about the quality of their service.

    Every time I go into a Evans cycles I can stand around staring at a bike for 15 mins and the sales staff will just stand around looking bored. When I got bored of trying to look like i needed some help and asked them for some help, they pretty much said nothing whilst they let me have a sit on a few bikes - is it really that hard to be friendly? maybe ask if I'm familiar with the spec or something?

    Go into other bikes shops and you'll get friendly service and the sales assistants will actually ask you if you need help, and might even try and sell you something!

    Another tip is to look and see what they have lined up to be worked on in the workshop -> you can tell its a good shop when they have a load of high end bling sitting there.
  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    sungod wrote:
    unless you are violently opposed to diy, or are catastrophically inept...

    get a book or look up online how to diy, then diy

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zinn-Art-Road-B ... 1934030422
    http://www.parktool.com/blog/repair-help

    general servicing needs only basic tools, and almost all jobs can be done without too much outlay

    by the time you've paid for 3-4 services, you could've tooled up to do pretty much everything

    Good advice. A bike is not complicated. Much cheaper and faster to do it yourself.
    - - - - - - - - - -
    On Strava.{/url}
  • CiB
    CiB Posts: 6,098
    Purely a personal pov but I wouldn't let Evans service my used bog paper let alone a bike. My nearest are the most inept bunch of semi-trained baboons ever known to have escaped captivity and the idea of letting them loose on my pride & joy is a complete joke. YMMV obviously.

    And +1 for the DIY. Looking after your own bike is simple, satisfying and means you're never stuck for needing a repair. You become self-sufficient.
  • humpyg
    humpyg Posts: 50
    As you bought your bike from Evans, they'll give you the first service free. Phone them.
    I took mine there as I bought it from them, they did a decent job.
    I now take it to my LBS because it's closer, and he does a fantastic job.

    http://www.evanscycles.com/servicing
  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    humpyg wrote:
    As you bought your bike from Evans, they'll give you the first service free. Phone them.
    I took mine there as I bought it from them, they did a decent job.
    I now take it to my LBS because it's closer, and he does a fantastic job.

    http://www.evanscycles.com/servicing

    The OP didn't say that they'd bought the bike from Evans. Just that they'd got it online.
    - - - - - - - - - -
    On Strava.{/url}
  • humpyg
    humpyg Posts: 50
    DesWeller wrote:
    The OP didn't say that they'd bought the bike from Evans. Just that they'd got it online.
    Oops, my mistake :oops:
    In that case, if it wasn't a 'free' service from Evans, then I'd recommend going to the local bike shop instead :D
  • daysofspeed
    daysofspeed Posts: 105
    Cheers guys.

    Wasn't an Evans bike. I saved a good £100 online so decided the "first service free" thing could go hang.

    I'll have a go at it myself (going forward) but I was just a bit concerned as the gears need setting up / tweaking and didn't want to norse that up.

    And yeah - Evans experiences seem the same. Ignored for ages then given advice like it's just a matter of opinion. If Currys sold bikes...
  • sumosprintstar
    sumosprintstar Posts: 171
    I would not use Evans.......would give up cycling first.
  • desweller
    desweller Posts: 5,175
    daysofspeed wrote:
    Cheers guys.

    Wasn't an Evans bike. I saved a good £100 online so decided the "first service free" thing could go hang.

    I'll have a go at it myself (going forward) but I was just a bit concerned as the gears need setting up / tweaking and didn't want to norse that up.

    And yeah - Evans experiences seem the same. Ignored for ages then given advice like it's just a matter of opinion. If Currys sold bikes...

    All bike shops are a bit hit-and-miss; it wouldn't surprise me to take a bike to any of my locals and get it back without the gears working properly. You might make a few mistakes at first, but there's lots of online resources out there these days to help (this forum included).

    Have a shufti at the Park Tools link above and post a topic if you hit any obstacles.
    - - - - - - - - - -
    On Strava.{/url}
  • Duffer65
    Duffer65 Posts: 341
    If you can make it to Tooting Bec/Balham Crazy Horse bikes are pretty good and reasonable prices too. I've used Moose Bikes in Colliers Wood in the past and they are good but mainly focus on MTBs. But, now I do most of my own work as with the right tools a bit of patience, care, and guides on YouTube you can do it yourself.
    Where would you be if you fell down a hole?.. Stuck down a hole... in the fog... Stuck down a hole, in the fog, at night... WITH AN OWL!
  • daysofspeed
    daysofspeed Posts: 105
    If I wasn't riding the Ventoux I'd have a go myself. Next time I will.

    Action Bikes Wimbledon, £30. Also spoke to AW Cycles near me - I bought a Puch 10 speed there 30 years ago. Probably the same fella! Asked how much for cables, gears and he said "I'll tell you when you bring your bike in".

    Will go one or the other, Evans get a custard pie. Now to decide!
  • Duffer65
    Duffer65 Posts: 341
    Hmmm, A.W Cycles. I went there for a job I didn't have time to do myself sometime last year and wasn't overly impressed as he'd made a bit of a bodge of it.
    Where would you be if you fell down a hole?.. Stuck down a hole... in the fog... Stuck down a hole, in the fog, at night... WITH AN OWL!
  • daysofspeed
    daysofspeed Posts: 105
    Many thanks for that mate. It was dusty and old school and I couldn't decide if that meant "expert" or "out of touch".

    I thinkI'll go Action Bikes or try Crazy Horse (ACtion much easier for me than CH but I like the cut of their jib).
  • Duffer65
    Duffer65 Posts: 341
    Nice one. The only experience of Action Bikes I've had is buying some cycling shoes from there and returning them due to a manufacturing fault, the manager was very helpful and let me have a more expensive pair in exchange. :D
    Where would you be if you fell down a hole?.. Stuck down a hole... in the fog... Stuck down a hole, in the fog, at night... WITH AN OWL!
  • daysofspeed
    daysofspeed Posts: 105
    Action want:
    £29.99 for Derailleur/Brakes adjusted (and a check of tyres etc which to be honest is meaningless)
    £49.99 for Derailleur/Brakes adjusted & Chain/Cassette cleaned and lubed and wheels trued in frame.

    Crazy Horse:
    £59 for bearing checks, wheels trued, spokes tensioned, headset check, bottom bracket check, bolts torqued, Drive train removed, cleaned, oiled. Gears checked, brakes checked.

    "Do it yourself" aside I'm passing this on for other newbies that might be in a similar position and also for any pearls of wisdom etc.
  • Gizmo_
    Gizmo_ Posts: 558
    daysofspeed wrote:
    "I'll tell you when you bring your bike in".
    I realise that to a certain extent to cost of doing a job varies according to what the spec and condition of the bike is; but whenever I hear this sort of thing I simply assume that the shop is waiting to see whether they feel they can charge me "all the gear no idea" tax.
    Scott Sportster P45 2008 | Cannondale CAAD8 Tiagra 2012
  • daysofspeed
    daysofspeed Posts: 105
    Yeah I was thin,ing it was an old school way of business but the longer I pondered the more I thought it was a ruse.

    Action Bikes can do it, it's nearer and a quick alignment and check. Next time I'll DIY.

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