Evans struggling.

They’ve also stopped doing small repair jobs, annoyingly. it’s either a service from their (very limited) price list, or nothing.

eg, they’ll do a full front and rear brake bleed & service, but not free up some sticky pistons on the front brake.

We're all going to have to get used to paying more for our hobby. Luckily I don't see any new/replacement bikes in my short/mid-term future and I've a small stock of replacement parts for most of my current fleet.

They've got a big sale on at the moment.

https://www.evanscycles.com/clearance

The Evans/Wiggle/Chain Reactions of this world lulled us into a false sense of security. Don't like to see staff lose their jobs, but we've all chased the lowest prices and are having to face the consequences.

but we’ve all chased the lowest prices and are having to face the consequences.

And in the meantime wiped out a significant proportion of good LBS's that used to be around the country, because they couldn't match the cheap prices of those places.

Slightly off topic, but I'm  surprised there's still been no news of what's happened to Vitus/Nukeproof/Ragley.

Of the three Nukeproof seemed the best brand to be acquired, but not heard anything.

The Evans local to me are super helpful -  they would definitely do small maintenance jobs .

Slightly off topic, but I’m surprised there’s still been no news of what’s happened to Vitus/Nukeproof/Ragley.

Of the three Nukeproof seemed the best brand to be acquired, but not heard anything

There's no mystery. Mike Ashley bought the IP as part of the CRC deal.

Nukeproof stuff is beginning to trickle back out on CRC with a mix of old stock and small new bits

I've seen that already, the old stock is online across the entire Ashley empire. E.g. can buy a Vitus Mythique from sports direct.

I mean more going forwards for the brands, after clearing out all the old stock as that's all this is currently.

What's happening with new stock, new bikes etc.

IIRC -  they were hoping to get someone else to design and manufacture bikes, licensing the name off them. Not sure why anyone would entertain that idea though, piling money into a bike range, given who they’d be trusting not to devalue the brand selling other stuff with the logos on.

The Evans local to me are super helpful –  they would definitely do small maintenance jobs .

Been in recently? This was maybe a month ago. I used to go to mine (Leeds city centre) all the time for small jobs, apparently I wasn’t profitable enough.

Trouble with Evans is they have nothing I want. They need to have words with their product buyers and get in the new interesting on trend gear that Evans used to have when they were successful. Might be a connection there? Someone gave me a gift voucher last year but I really struggled to find anything I wanted, or wasn't a lot cheaper elsewhere. Had it been Tredz or Sigma I'd have found something in no time.

Evans delivery or store pickup are both expensive and take up to 7 days. I can't use pickup anyway because both my nearest stores closed or went to Balfe's.

 wasn’t a lot cheaper elsewhere

I am not entirely  aure you understand how gift vouchers work....

I just had a look at their website as I'm looking for a new wheel set, found a set but the listing has none of the essential information you need like freehub type, weight etc.

Moved on to a work stand, found a fork mounted work stand, this had no details (Fork fitment?) apart from the part number.

How do they expect to sell things without a decent website? It looks like the person who created the listing on their website can't be bothered or hasn't got a clue what they're selling, it's almost as frustrating as the old Wiggle/CRC website search function.

Trouble with Evans is they have nothing I want.

I was given a £150 Evans voucher by work

Went in to try & spend it....

They have maybe some stuff I want, but all at rrp. Which sounds silly but same stuff is considerably less pretty much anywhere on the Internet

I was looking for a garmin instinct 2 solar, remarkably in a cabinet they had a dusty instinct 1, still at rrp£210  it looked very much like it had been sitting there since it was released 6 years ago! Anyway last week it was reduced down to £180... Which is what you can get an instinct 2 for.

The mechanics are super helpful tbf

Meh.

My nearest Evans is in a small corner of a Sports Direct

Its very sad looking, just a counter, bike stand and some tools surrounded by some random bike parts/clothes on racks

Everytime ive been in there has been no one working or even in the surrounding area, quite a difference to the old Evans shop which was nearly 7000 square foot of retail space

I am not entirely  aure you understand how gift vouchers work….

Ha! Would you buy something that's £40 from Evans but £30 somewhere else just to use up a voucher?

Ha! Would you buy something that’s £40 from Evans but £30 somewhere else just to use up a voucher?

Yeah.
Because I’d rather have the cash in my pocket than a voucher.

Because I’d rather have the cash in my pocket than a voucher.

Erm, you're effectively spending money to use the voucher then. That seems like a waste of money to me. I kept looking and eventually found some Five Tens that were a good deal.

Same as the last time this came up. Not bought anything from them since the boy Ashley took over.

Went in the branch in the centre of Bristol a couple of months back as my wife was in the market for an E Bike . Their stock was nearly all cheap hardtail and just one E Bike that was totally unsuitable. Talk about missing a trick .

Also there's usually a discount price comparable with other online stores, but it's a Frasees Plus price, which appears to be some sort of online credit account - something I absolutely don't want from Mike Ashley

Just had a quick peruse of the "sale" - it's all the same Sports Direct tat at the same prices.

Any time i go into their Glasgow city center store all the staff are missing, presumed lost, and the only things I've bought from them at price was a hero 7 and a pair of endura humvee gloves(which didnt even last a year before the right brake finger wore through)

It took 5 of them to try to open the cabinet the gopro was in, and my joke of 'How many Evans staff does it take to open a cabinet', didn't appear to go down too well.

One other annoying thing , though company policy, so not the fault of the staff was i bought a tub of electrolyte mixer, paid for it, then realized it was the wrong flavour 60 seconds later and tried to simply swop it over. Nope. They wanted my name, address, phone and email.

As he was still holding my 20 quid note I snatched it back with a keep your ******g mixer and walked out.

Balfe's should offer to buy Evans off Mike Ashley

I'm not suprised they're struggling.

Their website is awful to navigate so I just don't bother any more.

They charge for delivery where most other online retailers are free once you spend a certain amount. Delivery to a shop is chargeable. If you do get something delivered to store and decide you don't want it or it doesn't fit, you can't get a refund in store. It has to be posted back and then you can claim the postage cost back.

There are so many better, cheaper and easier places to shop. It's like they're not even trying to be competitive.

Balfe’s should offer to buy Evans off Mike Ashley

The top guy* at Balfe's is the former MD of Evans way back before it was sold and sold again.

* I'm actually not sure if he's the CEO or if he's just done consultancy work for them or if he's like a Non-Exec Director but I know he's involved. He was really good when he was at Evans but that was back when they had about 5-6 shops in London, the blue FW Evans frontage. Then it had a rebrand to the green and gold and just called Evans Cycles before The Great Expansion.

That would have a satisfying feeling about it.

Evans delivery or store pickup are both expensive and take up to 7 days

This is the main kicker for me. I used to use them fairly regularly when I could order something into the local store for free and pick it up a day or two later on my way home. Stopped since your man Ashley started 5 quid store delivery.

Might have bought a pair of shorts or jacket in the sale but could be arsed trying to filter out all the non-cycling crap they are pedalling.

I wonder if it's just a certain part of the market that is in trouble. Here in Belgium I'm seeing new bike shops pop up all the time and others expanding.  It feels a bit weird.  There might also be a cultural thing going on as most folks I know will out their bike into a shop for almost everything rather than do the work themselves so it's not parts sales that are driving this.  I don't know of any big chains like Evans here

And in the meantime wiped out a significant proportion of good LBS’s that used to be around the country, because they couldn’t match the cheap prices of those places.

Now apply that line of thought to supermarkets and food. Eek.

I don’t know of any big chains like Evans here

=

I’m seeing new bike shops pop up all the time and others expanding

?

Trouble with Evans is they have nothing I want.

TBF to them, they're a cycle shop not a mountain bike shop. Their market is the casual cyclist, families and commuters. I've picked up bits and bobs from them (brake pads, chains etc) but the nearest store to me , under the ski slope on Trafford Park isn't massively convenient.

The website is absolutely abysmal.

The top guy* at Balfe’s is the former MD of Evans way back before it was sold and sold again.

* I’m actually not sure if he’s the CEO or if he’s just done consultancy work for them or if he’s like a Non-Exec Director but I know he’s involved. He was really good when he was at Evans but that was back when they had about 5-6 shops in London, the blue FW Evans frontage. Then it had a rebrand to the green and gold and just called Evans Cycles before The Great Expansion

Likewise I'm not sure of his exact title now but he is there and he's a great guy. He was MD when I was at Evans and I have only good things to say about that era. A lot of Evans HO staff went with him to Balfes, they were all bike people 100%.

Trouble with Evans is they have nothing I want.

That's because you don't want knock-off Oakley clones, trainers rebadged as bike shoes or an e-bike shopper.

The Ashleyfication of Evans was rapid. He's probably used the name to flog enough tat by now in any case.

The Ashleyfication of Evans was rapid. He’s probably used the name to flog enough tat by now in any case.

This - our local one was stuffed inside a huge TriUK (with masses of really flash triathlon kit) went crazy in the pandemic - was selling nothing but tat recently - in one of our roughest areas.

It's a plundering business model.

I didn't mind Evans generally.

@leffeboy

I wonder if it’s just a certain part of the market that is in trouble

It's the UK more than anywhere else. Our EU business is strong and growing while the UK struggles. To be fair I'm in France at the moment and I see why. There's so much more progressive an attitude to cycling whereas in the UK it's gone backwards 20 years in the last 5.

How long can CRC /Wiggle go on? I mean has anyone bought anything from there since they switched to a branch of SportsDirect?

I live a five minute walk from their "flagship" store right by the Fraser Group HQ.  I noticed a few months ago that they seemed to be running their stock down, all the high end E bikes they had a year ago seem to have gone and they now have mostly Muddy Fox and Raleigh BSO's  I'll pop in later on day for an update.

I've not touched them for a few years. The web site is terrible. Shame really as I used to use them as we had 3 stores within a bike or car ride and bought my wife's Pinnacle hybrid from them (and a tag a-long).

There’s so much more progressive an attitude to cycling whereas in the UK it’s gone backwards 20 years in the last 5.

Yep, with the exception of Central London, pretty much elsewhere in the UK all horrible.

How long can CRC /Wiggle go on? I mean has anyone bought anything from there since they switched to a branch of SportsDirect?

nothing.

used Bikeparts, Merlin and then couple of the german suppliers.

I used to use them fairly regularly when I could order something into the local store for free and pick it up a day or two later on my way home. Stopped since your man Ashley started 5 quid store delivery.

That was in place a long time before Ashley.

As Evans expanded rapidly and opened shops outside London, they still had the same centralised distribution model - initially a warehouse in Leatherhead, later a bigger one in Gatwick.

So trucks were going up and down the motorways, in and out of London all the time but if a customer in (say) Leeds requested an item that was in store at Woking, it'd have to be collected from Woking, processed at Gatwick then sent to Leeds. At which point the customer wouldn't come back or would decide they didn't want it or whatever.

Centralised delivery works on a scale of a few shops in London; you need regional fulfilment centres for further afield. The cost of moving stock around, only for it to not be sold were astronomical, especially if it got damaged. Charging the customer killed off a lot of the timewasting "speculative" orders where customers would order 3 jackets, try them all on them go away to buy them online.

Initially at least, staff would usually quietly refund the delivery charge at point of sale via a discount.

TBF to them, they’re a cycle shop not a mountain bike shop. Their market is the casual cyclist, families and commuters.

That's the thing though. Back when Evans were successful, let's say around 10 years ago, they had a lot of mountain bike products. Maybe not in every store because some locations weren't best suited to that sort of riding. But certainly it was in stock at the Gatwick warehouse. Then I was buying pretty much everything from Evans. At one point they were the importers for Rocky Mountain, Norco, Breezer and Jamis. Excellent selection of parts and clothing brands too. Now I'd struggle to find a pair of gloves I want, nevermind anything mountain bike specific.

That casual cycling market is going to be very difficult for them. Those customers are exactly the type who aren't interested in proper bike shops, they'll just buy the first thing that pops up on Amazon or go to Halfords.

Back when Evans were successful, let’s say around 10 years ago, they had a lot of mountain bike products.

10 years ago Mountain biking was fashionable though.

10 years ago Mountain biking was fashionable though.

is it no longer? I know events are down (see the other thread) and CyB is having issues (see the other other thread) but seems to be as busy as ever at free or cheap riding spots.

thing is, if you had a good 2014 bike, and were wearing 2014 clothes; you wouldn’t look out of place. Yes the nerds might spot your exposed cables and the fact you were missing a cog or two, but functionally for the recreational trail rider it’s near enough the same.

Incidentally that was the year (I think) I last bought a full new bike.

is it no longer?

It's all about the gravel now dahling. 😉

At least they still had my favourite Nukeproof trousers left. Shredded a leg on my black ones a couple of weeks back. Bought two pairs as I don’t think they’ll appear again.

Seems to be getting busier and busier here, especially with gravel and battery bikers in the mix now. If mtb sales are down it's probably market saturation and slower product progression.

It’s all about the gravel now dahling. 😉

Which TBF Evans were in on early, the circa 2015/16 flavours of the Arkose were good entries into the then quite new Gravel bike market. But that was pre-Ashley wasn't it (sound the horn for Jameso?)...

FG bought them in 2018, but there's certainly not been any investment in renewing their in-house product lines. The chiggle acquisition might bring in some new brands to the group, but I think we all know where this is headed now don't we?

Funny how many people complain about the website too, perhaps an indicator of how many of us now engage with the cycle industry (I know most of my purchases are online). Evans are a bricks and mortar chain, partly because that's what they always were, and partly because I don't think Ashley understands/trusts online retail, it's a bolt-on for him I think, not the core business.

Perhaps most interesting is it being reported as Evans making a loss, not Frazer Group...

Funny how many people complain about the website too, perhaps an indicator of how many of us now engage with the cycle industry (I know most of my purchases are online). Evans are a bricks and mortar chain, partly because that’s what they always were, and partly because I don’t think Ashley understands/trusts online retail, it’s a bolt-on for him I think, not the core business.

The website is bollocks because it tells you the sum total of **** all. Look up the sale bikes, those £100odd cruiser things. Tell me something about the spec other than they have Shimano 7 speed.

If I wanted to buy at that end of the market I'd go to Halfords or Decathlon who at least tell you what the hell you are looking at.

I don’t know of any big chains like Evans here
=

I’m seeing new bike shops pop up all the time and others expanding
?

I mean a nationwide chain of stores that you will find in most big cities with a well recognised brand and website.  Im seeing lots of new stores here but they tend to be new places I've never heard of before or a store that has opened a couple of other branches in the area.  Nothing really nationwide with all the staff, stock and logistics that entails.  The people who are expanding are all at the upper end with stores that are so booked up they will only service bikes that they have sold, that sort of thing. Decathlon would be the big chain that covers the lower end but they are much wider than a bicycle brand

How long can CRC /Wiggle go on? I mean has anyone bought anything from there since they switched to a branch of SportsDirect?

I used to buy a fair bit from Wiggle but haven't done so this year.  In fact I forget they even still existed and don't even look at their site before buying anything.

Also helps that I have turned into a old git and now ride a 1996 MTB and a 1990 road bike so am now only really buying used or NOS period stuff.

The website is bollocks because it tells you the sum total of **** all. Look up the sale bikes, those £100odd cruiser things. Tell me something about the spec other than they have Shimano 7 speed.

If I wanted to buy at that end of the market I’d go to Halfords or Decathlon who at least tell you what the hell you are looking at.

Calm down, it wasn't a criticism. More noting that Evans (FG) failing to adapt to a more online retail environment. Which is realistically where cycling is now.

And you're right of course, Evans are now owned by a stack 'em high, flog em cheap merchant that probably does see this bike chain he bought in the same frame as Halfords and Decathlon (nothing wrong with either of course), both of which have quite a strong bricks and mortar element and aren't pitched at the 'serious cyclist' but Evans were historically pitched at both performance and Commuters with an in person service element, hence the stores.

Strip away the products and there ain't much for them to offer any real 'service' on. So the shops are of limited value now...

Evans were historically pitched at both performance and Commuters with an in person service element, hence the stores.

Strip away the products and there ain’t much for them to offer any real ‘service’ on. So the shops are of limited value now…

Yep - believe it or not it was once seen as a very performance-orientated store, the company sponsored several London cycle clubs (including mine!) and did some amazing sponsorship deals. I had 5 or 6 frames and a whole inventory of really very good kit (most of it paid for on discount rather than free) but it was genuinely seen as a really good and supportive small network of stores; many of the regular London racing folk would be taking their bikes to them for service and spares. They had a good race team themselves for several years, many of whom worked at the stores too so there was always an element of it being run by cyclists for cyclists and the commuter and touring market was kind of included within that too.

The original branch on The Cut, Waterloo (now long gone) was one of the top UK shops for touring bikes for many years.

Problem is that when you expand and try turning it into a discount warehouse for flogging stuff quick and cheap, you've got rid of all that time-consuming mechanic stuff (and there were some genuinely excellent mechanics at many of the stores, years of experience and knowledge) as well as all those experts happy to help someone build their dream race / touring bike. It takes years to build that back up again.

It's not dissimilar to the way that Saracen went. Once (mid/late 90's maybe into early 2000's) seen as a really quality brand making lovely XC race MTBs and some trail stuff, they became a BSO brand, churning out cheap shite "full suspension MTBs" for £199.99 and their reputation dived. It took years to get back to being seen as a reputable brand again.

Calm down, it wasn’t a criticism.

Sorry, wasn't taking it as one, that read a lot differently in my head!