Local service avoids the rip-off

Being a keen cyclist in London I pride myself on taking care of my bike and making sure it is safe to ride.

So I have regularly been taking the bike to a well know chain (Evans cycles) just off Oxford Street for servicing and maintenance.

My bike is quite old so it needs regular TLC and when a spoke went in my back wheel - I thought it would be a simple case of replacing it and checking everything else works.

So I duly wheeled in the bike and booked it in. This service was going to cost £49.99 plus parts, which I felt was steep but was willing to pay for peace of mind.

But I received a phone call from one of their 'engineers' saying the bike needed loads doing to it and it would cost me £260.

Um, Excuse me?

"I think I'll take the bike away and think about it," was my reply.

I duly took the bike home to Leicestershire - where I live -  on the train, and took it to my local Halfords; where I've just been told the price for a service and spoke repair etc will come to £19.99, including a year's cover and another free service on top.

What a huge difference having something done locally makes.

And Evans cycles? You have definitely lost a customer.