How to get a cheap new bike

[Marek]

They do actually put quite a lot back in Adam. I was at the EG Tri last weekend and they were one of the sponsors. They gave the winner £250 worth of vouchers. I am also aware of them being involved in a number of local teams encouraging da yoof and all. I think they do sponsor a few bike races as well.

Now in relation to the shops I have had mixed experiences. In the Gatwick one I have had to wait a really long time to get served and the guys in there do seem to wander around not paying much attention to the fact that a lot of people are waiting for some sort of service. That being said, a lot of the guys in there are quite young and are probably just doing as a Saturday job. Probably getting paid minimum wage and are not incentivised to make sales. Maybe they should pay them related to what they sell, so a bit of commission, then you may see a bit better quality service. It does not seem that they do this. Am not sure I would get one of my bikes serviced at Evans as it seems a bit pricey and I would like to first meet the mechanic so I can assess the likely care he will pay my pride and joy.

In London the shops are commuter focussed, but I can get emergency energy drink and gels in there, they will tend to give you a discount if you even mention a price match. So they are not too bad on certain things. But if you paid standard price for some of the gear they have it does seem to be very expensive. Just a quick surf on the internet and the tyres they have in there you can get for a tenner cheaper for one. That is a big mark up if they actually sell a few.

I take my hat off to 'Mr Evans' though, he has filled a hole in the market and done a very good job at promoting and moving people towards a better quality of bike, remember, most people used to buy their bikes at Halfords, which before the Boardman brand were pretty darn poor. So although they were paying a bit more for the bikes, they were getting access to something of reasonable quality such as the Treks, Spechs etc that they stock.

So Mr Evans, good shops and reasonable range for the masses, just incentivise the staff and you will make more of us happy. Maybe some kind of service awards?

Cheers

Marek.....