Evans Cycles

These guys are great as far as a chain store goes (no pun intended… Ok, maybe a bit). I’ve been in here a few times to shop for some basic bikes stuff for road biking or commuting. Usually within the first 30 seconds or so someone will say hi and ask if I need any help. I don’t like talking to people when I shop (obviously I need to work on this issue, but we’ll save that for my journal), but it’s always a good sign of customer service when they acknowledge every customer possible. I’ve bought a few small things here for my biking needs and they’ve always been helpful in helping me figure out the best options.

This review is really based on my hubby’s experiences as he is the cyclist and the shopper. I just go along to make sure he doesn’t get distracted and buy things he doesn’t need. He absolutely tries his best to use independent shops — and there are lots in Edinburgh but even though they are great for helping you choose and maintain a bike, unfortunately they aren’t always able to carry a large stock of a variety of parts and accessories especially for specialist activities.
So after making the rounds to the local shops, if he can’t get what he wants he goes on-​line. Again — there are lots of on-​line shops to choose from but we travel a lot and aren’t always home to accept deliveries. The Evans in Edinburgh also rarely has what he needs in store (which is why there’s only 3 stars), but the good thing about Evans is you can order and pay on-​line and only have to drop in to collect your goods which will be sent to the shop from a bigger warehouse. There is even free parking at the side of the shop — just press the ‘Evans’ buzzer and they’ll let you in.
All very easy and stress free because you’re guaranteed that you’ll get what you want with no need to hang about the shop.

AS an avid cyclister I try to generally use LBS (locally owned bike shops) who are generally amazing and helpful. BUT they don’t tend to stock a huge amount of things that are a bit more random.
Evans is a great one for those pieces of kit you need right now (or maybe tomorrow) at near internet prices. In store they’ll also price match pretty much anything with wiggle. Recommend just saying that you saw it cheaper online and they’ll check for you. Staff generally know their stuff to a limited degree. Probably wouldn’t get my bike serviced here though.
Their sales can sometimes be absolutely brilliant and it’s a great place to purchase a bike from if you’re on cycle to work/​want to try some different styles.

Not so fun bike shop, its big in space but dont have that much to choose from. And pretty boring brands.
Webb shop has bad customer service.
In Edinburgh look at Ronde bike outfitters or alpine bike shop as alterntive.

Reasonable chain of bike shops but lack any atmosphere for full on bike geeks, they do have good range of stock but the Customer Service can range from quite good :-) (I’ll mention Grace here cause she is helpful and knowledgable) to slow : — /​to ignorance of the products :-(. Handy location in town but prefer the Bike Coop myself.

I LOVE MY NEW BIKE! And I have Evans Cycles to thank for it. As Claire C mentions, it is a chain and whilst I am definitely all about supporting local sometimes you have to concede that chains have bigger stock and supply. I had already been to two other bike shops in Edinburgh, both independents, and hadn’t found *my* bike. None just felt right.
But even on a Sunday, when the stock was low at Evans, they had the perfect bike for me. A sexy little number, in red, hybrid with two sets of gears and a white seat and a little bell. The customer service was really good, they let me test the bike no bother, and when we pushed them to have the alts done by 2.30pm (with only an hour of work-​time) as we were pushed for time, the guy hurried it through for us.
Admittedly some of the stock is really quite expensive compared to other places. So I held off buying my bag and padlock from here. But for the bike itself, Evans have a great range and good customer service to go. No rushing, no pushing onto one bike or another (I was torn between a hybrid and a road bike). Although newbies be warned (as I am a newbie) — most bike shops like to keep the seat higher than you might need as it’s good for the legs and you can get more push and it’s general better bike-​riding But as a noob I need my seat low, lower, noooo lower. So don’t be afraid to keep asking them to adjust it till it’s the perfect fit for you.
THere’s also a free check-​over the bike in 6 weeks time, and they run a ‘how to care for your bike’ class once a month. Very happy Jen *ding ding*

I only went in to buy a pair of cycling gloves, but after hanging around at the till point for five minutes trying to gain attention in order to pay for them, I decided that I probably won’t be back here again.
I think this place is a chain. Why would I hang around waiting for someone to bother to accept my cash, when I can go to a great independent (there is a good number of them in the city), get excellent customer service and a good deal?