# A tad disappointed at Edinburgh Cycles...



## TonyEnjoyD (12 Nov 2013)

6-weeks ago got my new steed - a Revolution Cross Sport Disk, predominantly for my winter commute and for some off-road longer rides, like the coast to coast.

I picked the bike up in the car and ride it to work the following day... Gears all over the place, so, as I was driving by their shop later that day, I took it in to be checked, indexed and adjust the saddle for me... all of which I had assumed shoulda been done when I collected it!.

Anyway, over the next 2-weeks use, I had a problem with the RH shifter about 40% of the time not shifting up from 3rd to 4th on the first try, the disks catching the brakes, the stem misaligned and the LH shifter misaligned. So...
Off I tootled late last week for its first service and listed all the issues and picked it up at the weekend, rode it in yesterday, an initial slight grind on the front brake which I thought was bedding in, it seemed ok-ish until it eventually turned into an almighty grind, a squeak from the rear brake and the rear brake still snatching.

Took it back this evening and outlined the issues and they said they would sort it tomorrow, so I asked them to give it a good test ride to which they said they didn't do this normally!!!
Excuse me!... Am I hearing right?
When I asked to speak to the manager, he then said he would ensure this was done!

Bloomin' cheek!


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## Arrowfoot (12 Nov 2013)

Everything that you listed is easily noted when a bike is placed on a mechanic stand, the pedal turned and tries out the gears and brakes. I wonder what these guys were doing or servicing. Bizarre!


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## Booyaa (12 Nov 2013)

Poor show indeed. Hopefully it will get fixed but I would expect far better service than that.


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## Paul Gee (12 Nov 2013)

I hope Edinburgh Cycles read this, I am considering buying their Revolution Audax model and would not want to have the same problems as you did. (Especially as I am not local to them)

Paul


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## biggs682 (12 Nov 2013)

how annoying


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## Cycling Dan (12 Nov 2013)

This the one at the top of norham road? Never had a issue in the two years of using them. More than helpful and always go the extra mile.


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## fossyant (13 Nov 2013)

It's not something that bothers me. I usually set about any new bike pulling it to bits and re-greasing/checking indexing, brakes etc. are all to my own 'standards'. But that's me !

The only one I didn't need to do much with was my fixed when I picked it up from the LBS. I could see traces of finishline grease where everything had been fitted (bike built in shop - not shipped in and adjusted).


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## shouldbeinbed (13 Nov 2013)

I think EBC can be a bit hit and miss on the servicing, I'm not a regular user but will drop in if I'm passing & I do rate their revolution bikes, a lot of quality for the money. On the odd occasion I've been unhappy in the local one its been more attention to detail delays than a Halfordian lack of technical competence


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## Leodis (13 Nov 2013)

The guys on the shop floor are good I have found. I called up about some Cruds after having issues installing SKS Race around BB7’s, the guy said if you come in you can see how I did it, which was nice. This past weekend I got them to price match their £30 cruds (for diff bike) to £20 at Wiggle BUT every time I need work doing, a service, repair or just advice about booking onto a bike mech training course its “yeah we can book you in on Wednesday 2nd Jan 2029”, I worry about if I bought a bike if and how I would get a decent service from them.

I always have a good chat except last weekend as some tit kept going on about Ultegra Cannondale CX bike and how he wanted it but it wasn’t released yet and banging on about it with his fake tan and lycra, the sales guy checked and said sure we can get you that for next week, he shat himself and changed the subject quick sharpish. 

Anyway they need more mechs.


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## carolonabike (13 Nov 2013)

Hmm, I was less than impressed with the level of service at the Newcastle shop earlier this year. I bought a Specialized Cyclo Cross and was due to go touring on it in July so booked it in a couple of weeks before for it's free service. They'd had it for a week and I hadn't heard a peep out of them so I rang up to find out when I could pick it up, only to be told they hadn't looked at it yet and wouldn't be able to do it for another three weeks!

I haven't been back since.
I'm surprised they think it's ok to service a bike without riding it around the block. It sounds as though the service dept are really pushed.


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## Leodis (13 Nov 2013)

As Carol says its all about sales from them now, the workshop is run on minimal staff to cover walk in repairs not service work. As I mentioned I was at the til last weekend and the young decent chap was serving me but whilst he filled in the mountain of paper work for a price match I looked at the bikes, as I came down some customer with a broken spoke turned up and must have been there a couple of minutes, the manager had a right go at the young chap serving me.

I think if I get my PX bike sorted and refunded from my CS voucher my next buy will be with Chevin cycles who are great even though they are 8 miles away (I don't drive).


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## Albert (13 Nov 2013)

Interestingly, I have bought three bikes from Wiggle, who I have criticized on these pages for a couple of things, but these three bikes were set up perfectly. No problems at all, just straighten the bars, fit the pedals and ride.


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## Rob3rt (13 Nov 2013)

Leodis said:


> *As Carol says its all about sales from them now*, the workshop is run on minimal staff to cover walk in repairs not service work. As I mentioned I was at the til last weekend and the young decent chap was serving me but whilst he filled in the mountain of paper work for a price match I looked at the bikes, as I came down some customer with a broken spoke turned up and must have been there a couple of minutes, the manager had a right go at the young chap serving me.
> 
> I think if I get my PX bike sorted and refunded from my CS voucher my next buy will be with Chevin cycles who are great even though they are 8 miles away (I don't drive).



Actually, as a company they do not push sales (of course they want to sell you stuff, that is what they are there for but they do not do so militantly at the expense of other functions) and they have no sales targets.

I don't buy from them except when I really must after a bit of a sour conversation with a manager once over, but I know a few people who have or still do work there.


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## Leodis (13 Nov 2013)

Rob3rt said:


> Actually, they do not push sales and they have no sales targets.



Very odd, Leeds store has a few on the shop floor yet no one to fix bikes unless its a drop in. That said Evans main store in Leeds now don't have Mechs working weekends though they have one working at the cycle point (who they are great and the only people who make an effort to chat).


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## Rob3rt (13 Nov 2013)

I thought they would have some sort of sales targets and maybe even be told to "push" certain brands that yield the greatest profit, but a friend who works in my local branch told me this is not the case. I trust this to be the correct since he knows that such a "ploy" wouldn't work on me anyway, plus he would benefit from telling me if it was the case because then I would make damn sure to get him to serve me, especially if there were individual sales targets, so he would get an easy one to add to his tally.


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## MarkF (13 Nov 2013)

Cycling Dan said:


> This the one at the top of norham road? Never had a issue in the two years of using them. More than helpful and always go the extra mile.



Everything is great whilst everything is great. You only find out what a company is really like when a problem arises.


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## jarlrmai (13 Nov 2013)

I bought a cheap single speed Schwinn from Rutland and the rear wheel was badly warped it took a long time to get a new wheel sorted, including me sending the wheel back and them sending it back to me "fixed" even though the wheel was still warped and in no way fixable in the 1st place.


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## Cycling Dan (13 Nov 2013)

MarkF said:


> Everything is great whilst everything is great. You only find out what a company is really like when a problem arises.


I have had problems with my bike before and they were great about it.


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## sazzaa (13 Nov 2013)

Their Aberdeen shop is shite, I have to go outside the city to have my bike serviced now.


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## TonyEnjoyD (14 Nov 2013)

Paul Gee said:


> I hope Edinburgh Cycles read this, I am considering buying their Revolution Audax model and would not want to have the same problems as you did. (Especially as I am not local to them)
> 
> Paul


It may have been just me Paul, however, I never have had a geat experience in there and it's a pig getting served or catching someone to get advice.

Th irony is my favourite LBS is just 200 metres away and I have bought all three of my other bikes from there and always had excellent service and I have recomended quite a number of colleagues to use that shop for their cyclescheme.
Unfortunately they couldn't come anywhere near the Revolution Cross bike price which I had already agreed with my financial director (wife).


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## TonyEnjoyD (14 Nov 2013)

Cycling Dan said:


> This the one at the top of norham road? Never had a issue in the two years of using them. More than helpful and always go the extra mile.


At the top of Shields Road - Byker
I prefer CycleCentre


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## TonyEnjoyD (14 Nov 2013)

carolonabike said:


> Hmm, I was less than impressed with the level of service at the Newcastle shop earlier this year. I bought a Specialized Cyclo Cross and was due to go touring on it in July so booked it in a couple of weeks before for it's free service. They'd had it for a week and I hadn't heard a peep out of them so I rang up to find out when I could pick it up, only to be told they hadn't looked at it yet and wouldn't be able to do it for another three weeks!
> 
> I haven't been back since.
> I'm surprised they think it's ok to service a bike without riding it around the block. It sounds as though the service dept are really pushed.


The mechs at CycleCentre are excellent - Rob and Alan.
They know their stuff, no bulldust - and the owner is is a defo yummy mummy


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## Cycling Dan (14 Nov 2013)

TonyEnjoyD said:


> The mechs at CycleCentre are excellent - Rob and Alan.
> They know their stuff, no bulldust - and the owner is is a defo yummy mummy


Forget the service. You were just wanting something nice to look at ha


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## SlowerThanASluggishSloth (14 Nov 2013)

Have only bought online but received excellent customer service when the workshop stand proved to be defective.


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## Cycling Dan (14 Nov 2013)

It only take one person to have a bad day or be disinterested to make bad customer service. On the whole I would say they are good.


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## classic33 (15 Nov 2013)

Leodis said:


> The guys on the shop floor are good I have found. I called up about some Cruds after having issues installing SKS Race around BB7’s, the guy said if you come in you can see how I did it, which was nice. This past weekend I got them to price match their £30 cruds (for diff bike) to £20 at Wiggle BUT every time I need work doing, a service, repair or just advice about booking onto a bike mech training course its “yeah we can book you in on Wednesday 2nd Jan 2029”, I worry about if I bought a bike if and how I would get a decent service from them.
> 
> I always have a good chat except last weekend as some tit kept going on about Ultegra Cannondale CX bike and how he wanted it but it wasn’t released yet and banging on about it with his fake tan and lycra, the sales guy checked and said sure we can get you that for next week, he shat himself and changed the subject quick sharpish.
> 
> Anyway they need more mechs.


I see one small problem with the above answer! 
The 2nd Janruary 2029 isn't a Wednesday!! Its a Tuesday.


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## wiggydiggy (15 Nov 2013)

Leodis said:


> As Carol says its all about sales from them now, the workshop is run on minimal staff to cover walk in repairs not service work. As I mentioned I was at the til last weekend and the young decent chap was serving me but whilst he filled in the mountain of paper work for a price match I looked at the bikes, as I came down some customer with a broken spoke turned up and must have been there a couple of minutes,* the manager had a right go at the young chap serving me*.
> 
> I think if I get my PX bike sorted and refunded from my CS voucher my next buy will be with Chevin cycles who are great even though they are 8 miles away (I don't drive).



I know the manager of the store (in passing, same bike club) and if it was them and not just say the chap running the shop that day then that doesn't surprise me as he's a bit grumpy, knowledgeable but grumpy lol

Your Evans/Cyclepoint comment is spot on as well, when I used that facility the guys there were always happy to help compared to the shop. Haven't used it for a little while now and I know some staff have changed so happy to hear thats the same.


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## Fubar (15 Nov 2013)

I got my tourer through the Edinburgh shop and when the spokes went in the back wheel after a week they were very apologetic and fixed it over the weekend so I had it back for commuting by the Tuesday, despite a 10-day lead time in the shop. Only good experiences for me and I'd happily shop there again.


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## TonyEnjoyD (15 Nov 2013)

Picked it up last night and rode it to work today.
Still not happy with the front brake, it still snatches and has a little clunk when applying, and on the way home it feels like it's grinding the crap outta the pads when hard braking.
I'll take it back but already made my mind up to get any repairs done at my fave LBS.

Just thinking there - would that invalidate the warranty


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## rovers1875 (15 Nov 2013)

I'm can only say I've had great service from Edinburgh cycles (Manchester). I've got two bikes from them  and despite the second one having some problems which they were unable to resolve. They replaced the bike and threw in a £20 voucher. When I have had any service or repairs there has never been any problem. They will certainly be one of the first shops I look at when buying any bike or parts.


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## Leodis (16 Nov 2013)

Fubar said:


> I got my tourer through the Edinburgh shop and when the spokes went in the back wheel after a week they were very apologetic and fixed it over the weekend so I had it back for commuting by the Tuesday, despite a *10-day lead time in the shop*. Only good experiences for me and I'd happily shop there again.



That is pretty crap and one reason why I am thinking of avoiding them.


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## Hip Priest (16 Nov 2013)

I've had occasional bad service and occasional great service from the Byker branch. They're just like any chain store in that respect. I commute on a Revolution bike and it has been jaw-droppingly good for the money. Solid as a rock.


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## Smurfy (17 Nov 2013)

Provided I can ride a new bike home I'm not that bothered about anything else. I usually pull apart the hubs straightaway and put some high quality grease in. I also adjust the brakes how I like them. The most recent two bikes were single-speed and fixed, so no gears to tweak. I also fit my own choice of tyres, as I refuse to ride on anything that doesn't have puncture protection (new bikes rarely come with good tyres).

Where's the spanner smiley?


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## DCLane (17 Nov 2013)

I picked up the Whyte 805 last month from Edinburgh Cycles in Leeds. It looked fine to me (what do I know  ) but they insisted on taking it down to the workshop to make sure as the suspension didn't appear 100%.

They've been good with me both times I've bought C2W bikes and also the odd time I've been in; it's the opposite way from work to home since it's in the 'posher end of Leeds' so I'm rarely up that way.


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## Leodis (17 Nov 2013)

DCLane said:


> I picked up the Whyte 805 last month from Edinburgh Cycles in Leeds. It looked fine to me (what do I know  ) but they insisted on taking it down to the workshop to make sure as the suspension didn't appear 100%.
> 
> They've been good with me both times I've bought C2W bikes and also the odd time I've been in; it's the opposite way from work to home since it's in the 'posher end of Leeds' so I'm rarely up that way.



Wouldnt have taken you for a mudrat DC


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## DCLane (17 Nov 2013)

Leodis said:


> Wouldnt have taken you for a mudrat DC


 
True ... but I thought I'd try something different. Until the summer I had a cheap Python Impact MTB and did about 1,000 miles in 18 months. That went and C2W time came - hence the purchase of a 650b size Whyte. It _has_ only done from Edinburgh's shop to home though in the month I've had it  but will get used shortly instead of the road bike commuter once December arrives.


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## Leodis (17 Nov 2013)

DCLane said:


> True ... but I thought I'd try something different. Until the summer I had a cheap Python Impact MTB and did about 1,000 miles in 18 months. That went and C2W time came - hence the purchase of a 650b size Whyte. It _has_ only done from Edinburgh's shop to home though in the month I've had it  but will get used shortly instead of the road bike commuter once December arrives.


Are you planning on using it for commuting?


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## DCLane (17 Nov 2013)

Leodis said:


> Are you planning on using it for commuting?


 
It's a C2W bike - so yes, it'll join the commuting fleet; Raleigh Airlite 100 (main commuter), Whyte 805 (winter commuter), Raleigh Team (bad weather commuter), Viking 'heap of junk' MTB (snow commuter).


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## BlackCountryBloke (17 Nov 2013)

I recently bought a Revolution Shadow belt drive. Staff at the Manchester store were really helpful when I was enquiring about the bike and drove up for a test ride. It was delivered with both brakes binding, the rear so bad that it was difficult to even wheel the bike and I had to realign both calipers. After my first commute I realised something was seriously wrong as the bike seemed to wobble at low speed. I couldn't find the problem at first but the next day it became clear that the rear wheel was becoming increasingly buckled. It had become so out of true that it was almost touching the frame and had no tension in many of the spokes. To be fair to Edinburgh, they responded quickly and politely to my email and we agreed that my LBS would repair the bike, and Edinburgh would reimburse me after I paid the LBS. The LBS noticed that the front wheel had the same issue with spoke tension and would have also buckled. Both brake rotors were badly buckled, and perhaps most seriously, the belt tension was way too tight and placing pressure on the BB and Alfine hub. I did email Edinburgh again to say how disappointed I was and that there was no way the bike had been built or checked by a qualified mechanic. They responded apologetically but have made no offer of compensation.

Would I buy another bike off Edinburgh? Highly unlikely. Mistakes do happen, but this doesn't 'feel' like a one off and I don't feel as if my custom has been valued. The state of the bike delivered was shocking but to Edinburgh's credit they did respond quickly. However, after all the problems I'm not really enjoying the bike. Maybe I'll come to love it when I'm not worried about the effect of winter on a chain and cassette.


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## Leodis (18 Nov 2013)

You have got me thinking about my next commuter now. It would keep the wife happy with me commuting in winter.


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## TonyEnjoyD (3 Dec 2013)

Well, the saga rolls on...but not my new bike...yet!
After running with the "repaired" brakes for a further two weeks with them sounding and feeling like they were ripping the mechs off the frame, it went back in on Friday.
I was told on Sunday that they had ordered new brakes, so back on my roadie for the week.

I have to say that I have never felt so under-valued and patronised as a customer by none other than the manager.
When I asked for one of his people to fully test the bike/brakes on a short ride before I took it back, his response was "my mechanics haven't got time to do that - it'll be tested on the stand"

The sooner I can put this to bed and never cross their threshold again the better - unless I have a warranty issue.
Having purchased various items from there in the past as well as going on the advanced maintenance course and highly recommending it to colleagues and fellow CCers, I am both disappointed and dismayed.

C'est la vie


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## Leodis (4 Dec 2013)

Bad news, just had to put down a £100 deposit to order a bike on cyclescheme, the sales guys tried his hardest to get me on a Large frame (which they had in the showroom) but I insisted the website for my height said a medium. Maybe I should have gone to Chevin cycles in Otley but its more of a pain to get serviced and the likes.


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## vickster (4 Dec 2013)

@Leodis How tall are you? I am 5'9 (and a bit) and my Cambridge is a medium. It is ok size wise, I prefer to go a little small due to injury riding a bike that was too big. Could add a longer stem, stock one is short. If taller, I reckon try a large too. I believe the Sterling has identical geometry


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## Ruary (4 Dec 2013)

I also bought a Revolution Cross Sport Disc from EBC on Shields road, didn't even make the traffic lights at the road end before I had to take it back as there was no tension in the spokes so the wheels were like marshmallows, to be fair they sorted it straight away and it's been great to ride since but makes you wonder what sort of checking they do during the build!!
Can't say I particularly rate Cycle Centre either, had a service on my old cannondale done there and they didn't put the headset together properly which caused 1 or 2 issues with the bikes handling! If I can't do it my self I use cyclerepairshed now, Dave is a top bloke and the service he provides is excellent!


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## Leodis (4 Dec 2013)

vickster said:


> @Leodis How tall are you? I am 5'9 (and a bit) and my Cambridge is a medium. It is ok size wise, I prefer to go a little small due to injury riding a bike that was too big. Could add a longer stem, stock one is short. If taller, I reckon try a large too. I believe the Sterling has identical geometry



@vickster I am 5' 7", the Whyte chart said I was a clear Medium, no overlap as I checked on their website before visiting EBC. The large felt quite stretched out and the bike as a whole just seemed very long, not something I was after for nipping between cars and high fiving people at the bus stops I pass. I got them to order the medium as I want to be more in control of the bike, my last cannondale was a medium and it felt right and its the same MTB style frame.

Probs will replace the curved bars for straight ones and going to stick some 25mm Conti 4 seasons I have knocking about on, the guy told me they would fit the rims but advised to stick to 28's but I am not coughing up another £60 for 3mm.


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## amaferanga (4 Dec 2013)

The brakes issue just sounds like what you get with cheap disc brakes. Should they be able to make them work perfectly and quietly? Maybe, but that depends on how good/bad the brakes are.

How can shop know how you need a saddle adjusted? Sorry, but if you complained about this then they probably think you're a fool. 

And gears almost always need minor adjustments after the first few miles. You could learn how to do this yourself so you don't have to rely on a bike shop to do such basic maintenance.


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## vickster (4 Dec 2013)

Leodis said:


> @vickster I am 5' 7", the Whyte chart said I was a clear Medium, no overlap as I checked on their website before visiting EBC. The large felt quite stretched out and the bike as a whole just seemed very long, not something I was after for nipping between cars and high fiving people at the bus stops I pass. I got them to order the medium as I want to be more in control of the bike, my last cannondale was a medium and it felt right and its the same MTB style frame.
> 
> Probs will replace the curved bars for straight ones and going to stick some 25mm Conti 4 seasons I have knocking about on, the guy told me they would fit the rims but advised to stick to 28's but I am not coughing up another £60 for 3mm.


Definitely medium at 5'7. The bikes are quite stretched out but pretty manoeuvrable, bars quite wide so be careful for wingmirrors !


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## Leodis (4 Dec 2013)

amaferanga said:


> The brakes issue just sounds like what you get with cheap disc brakes. Should they be able to make them work perfectly and quietly? Maybe, but that depends on how good/bad the brakes are.
> 
> How can shop know how you need a saddle adjusted? Sorry, but if you complained about this then they probably think you're a fool.
> 
> *And gears almost always need minor adjustments after the first few miles. You could learn how to do this yourself so you don't have to rely on a bike shop to do such basic maintenance*.



The guy already said he has taken a maintenance course, thats not the point.


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## Alembicbassman (4 Dec 2013)

I ditched my Rev Audax after 1 year. It came poorly set up, the steerer was cut too short with the top stem bolt calmping thin air, shop's answer was to remove a spacer which messed up the reach. Gear outers clogged with sticky grease, brake pads in wrong way round, inner tube twisted resulting in front blowout. Heavy plain guage steel frame, poor quality generic wheels, poor quality Chin Haur BB (shot after 1 year), poor quality Kalloy bars, stem and seatpost, poor quality Cheng Shin tyres.

Go for a Spa Audax 725 frame and build your own using branded components.


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## Leodis (4 Dec 2013)

Alembicbassman said:


> I ditched my Rev Audax after 1 year. It came poorly set up, the steerer was cut too short with the top stem bolt calmping thin air, shop's answer was to remove a spacer which messed up the reach. Gear outers clogged with sticky grease, brake pads in wrong way round, inner tube twisted resulting in front blowout. Heavy plain guage steel frame, poor quality generic wheels, poor quality Chin Haur BB (shot after 1 year), poor quality Kalloy bars, stem and seatpost, poor quality Cheng Shin tyres.
> 
> Go for a Spa Audax 725 frame and build your own using branded components.



That all sounds like things you should have picked up whilst looking at the bike i.e. frame quality, wheel set, not sure from my experience how brake pads can be put in the wrong way, BB are a consumable these days so replacing after a few thousand is standard and the grease was a wax which would need removing before lubing.

Most of that sounds like your poor bike choice rather than anything else.


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## Alembicbassman (4 Dec 2013)

The word 'forward' and arrows are placed on some road pads. Cartridge pads must be installed correctly otherwise the pad will be forced out of the cartridge.

Modern cable inners are lined with plastic and do not generally require lube, this caused the plastic to swell making shifting sticky.

It was only when I stripped the bike down to the frame, weighed it, and compared it to a Genesis Reynolds 520 frame that I noticed the difference in weight. Same for the components, they were all much heavier than ones on similar priced aluminium framed bikes. It actually rode worse than any aluminium bike I've owned.

It was a poor choice, I agree, which is why I won't be buying an EBC bike ever again.


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## Leodis (4 Dec 2013)

I totally agree, as I mentioned before I have never been able to get a bike into their workshop due to the lead times for either a repair or service, it was one of the things putting me off buying but convenience pushed me towards them now. Just gotta test and inspect the bike in shop I am getting before I accept it, a costly lesson I learnt from Evans.


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## TonyEnjoyD (4 Dec 2013)

Ruary said:


> I also bought a Revolution Cross Sport Disc from EBC on Shields road, didn't even make the traffic lights at the road end before I had to take it back as there was no tension in the spokes so the wheels were like marshmallows, to be fair they sorted it straight away and it's been great to ride since but makes you wonder what sort of checking they do during the build!!
> Can't say I particularly rate Cycle Centre either, had a service on my old cannondale done there and they didn't put the headset together properly which caused 1 or 2 issues with the bikes handling! If I can't do it my self I use cyclerepairshed now, Dave is a top bloke and the service he provides is excellent!



Looks like they are very overworked in the mechanics section which leads to a slapdash approach.
It happens, however, there's no excuse for attempting to fob customers off with jargon, poor customer service and patronise then.
I would oersonally never ever assume an adjustment or repair on the stand that seems OK would actually stand up to a 13stone guy putting cart horse leg power through it.
Road test every time even if just around the block.

I'll look at the Dave option.

Tony


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## TonyEnjoyD (4 Dec 2013)

amaferanga said:


> The brakes issue just sounds like what you get with cheap disc brakes. Should they be able to make them work perfectly and quietly? Maybe, but that depends on how good/bad the brakes are.
> 
> How can shop know how you need a saddle adjusted? Sorry, but if you complained about this then they probably think you're a fool.
> 
> And gears almost always need minor adjustments after the first few miles. You could learn how to do this yourself so you don't have to rely on a bike shop to do such basic maintenance.



The previous three bikes I have bought gave all been set up for for me before I left the shop and this is the level of service I have set my bar at. I expected better from EBC
When I collected this bike, I was presented with the bike and the assistant then just turned away and started seeing to another customer.
I could strip down and rebuild the bike almost blindfolded but why should I - IT WAS BRAND NEW.
I don't have an issue with cable tension adjustment after a period, but not the indexing being out , the front disc warped, the RH shifter misaligned, the stem misaligned, no pedals, the front white reflector falling off and the bar tape too short so the bar end cap keeps coming out when I first collected the bike.
Yes I could gave adjusted the saddle myself, and did so when I bought a new saddle from them when I collected the bike after the first fix.


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## TonyEnjoyD (8 Dec 2013)

The saga continues...

Taking old carpet (see cafe) to the tip so passing EBC on the way home I decided to pop in to see if my bike would be ready today.
I was in a happy place and just open minded...
Last week I was told they were ordering new upgrade Shimano but told today that the Shimano brakes weren't available til March so they are getting an even more expensive set (Hays?) - have you not received a text or a call - NO!
Thankfully it wasn't out of my way and with the warmish weather I can still use my roadie so no real sweat - as yet

Ah well.


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## TonyEnjoyD (16 Dec 2013)

Finally!...
Collected my Cyclo-cross yesterday, new Hope CX Pro calipers, pads and rotors - AND... I was treated like a valued customer!
I took the bike around the block and gave the brakes a serious workout - excellent, they stop, smoothly and don't sound or feel like there's a rasping file attached to the rotors.

Has it fully redeemed them? personally I would say no, however, they did eventually deliver on what they promised, but only after I refused to accept sub-standard brakes, being patronised, poor service and 8-weeks down the line with 3 of those in dry-dock.
Gonne check companies house to see if they are owned by Helfrauds

So, there you go - another life experience

Oh happy days


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## Leodis (16 Dec 2013)

Glad you have got yours sorted.

I think my bad days have just arrived... Picked up my Whyte Sterling on Saturday, checked the bike over in the shop and all seemed ok. Couldnt get my left foot in the cage pedal whilst cycling so swapped out them for some flats. 1st commute today on it and there is a creaking noise coming from either the BB or pedals, will swap out for clipless tonight and see if its the pedals or BB. The Sram Via GT group set is meant to be set with no chain rub at all, all 20 gears accessible, mine has chain rub and I just noticed the chain stay (which I added a protector too) is covered in oil from the chain rub and can only be when in the top gear rubbing the chain stay. Also not sure if this is right for the groupset but when I am going uphill and gear up/down it is moving 2-3 gears at once.

Will give them a shout.


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## TonyEnjoyD (16 Dec 2013)

Fingers crossed you'll be fine @Leodis


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## Leodis (16 Dec 2013)

TonyEnjoyD said:


> Fingers crossed you'll be fine @Leodis



Yeah I called them and listed the issues and they have booked the bike in on Saturday, mentioned the seatpost as well, I undid the clamp and slid it up and totally scratched. Not having much luck with bikes recently.

They did seem ok, though they are not sure what can be done with the seatpost but it is scratched to hell and there must be a blur or something on the frame finish


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## Pale Rider (16 Dec 2013)

Looks like another example of a poorly prepared bike.

I expect the gears changed fine on the stand, but not under any load.

Shop staff seem reluctant, for whatever reason, to road test a new bike.

I know it's under warranty, but a new seatpost shouldn't cost a lot if it comes to that.


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## Leodis (16 Dec 2013)

Edit: It may be the SKS guards making the creaking noises and since found it was the light which made the chain stay look like it was rubbing.

Still the seatpost & gears to get sorted but on the way home it was feeling like a nice ride.

Edit x 2 - The creaking is coming from the seatpost. I swapped out the pedals and did a quick up and down the street on them this morning and it still creaked, swapped back to flats, tested in and out of the saddle and yep there is the creak. Got to work and tightened it.

Another thing wrong with the set up is that when I go up to the big ring this morning it over shot and ended up on the crank twice leaving chips (not the fishy sort) on the crank.


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## Leodis (22 Dec 2013)

Right slight update.

Cause of very bad creaking was the seat. Dropped bike off yesterday (Saturday) and reported the issue of the seat, the blurr on the frame scratching all the seat post, the limiters on the front derailer not set correctly throwing the chain off (twice within a mile both in heavy traffic in the middle of the road whilst over taking) also which has scratched the crank and the chain rub (though the SRAM Gt Via is designed to have none). They said the mechs would look at it and they will text me once sorted (though how they are going to fix/replace the seatpost and seat in 6 hours is beyond me), got a strong feeling they will try and blag the indexing issue and fob me off with the seatpost and seat, if they do I will just ask to return the bike under consumer rights and go for the Spesh bike. Will call them tomorrow and found out what they actually did.


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