WORKSHOP

Hello and welcome to the Evolution Cycles workshop homepage.

We presently have three Cytech trained and accredited members of staff including Dave, our full time mechanic and nerd who has taken just about every course and module that they offer including Level 3 wheel building, suspension servicing, disc brake servicing, hub gears and suspension set-up.
Between us we have over thirty years worth of experience repairing and maintaining bikes (and trikes) in a professional capacity.

We are proudly able to undertake all aspects of cycle maintenance and repair on pretty much any type of bike. (Although we don’t get into painting, welding or brazing frames, we can put you into contact with people who do.)

Wheel Building.

Hand-built wheels can make a huge difference to the performance and handling of a bike. Additionally some applications are just much better suited to a hand-made wheel than a complete ‘factory’ build, such as touring or for larger customers looking for strength and stiffness.

Our hand-built wheels are built in house, by passionate, experienced and qualified technicians. When arranging to build your new wheels we will ask you questions to guide you towards what is the ideal combination of parts and spoke-lacing pattern for you.

We are even able to offer additional services such as tying and soldering of spokes or unusual spoke patterns like, ‘snowflake’ or ‘crows foot’. (Although we don’t generally recommend them.)

We offer in-house servicing and maintenance on most brands of suspension forks and rear shocks including Fox, Rockshox, DT Swiss, Magura and Marzocchi. In the rare circumstance that your suspension product needs more specialist care (E.G. Failed damping on a Fox rear shock), we are also agents for all of the major distributors.

For suspension servicing we prefer to use exclusively Juice Lubes* oils as they are high quality and very reasonably priced.
Additionally, we are able to carry out bearing and pivot replacements on nearly all makes of bike.
*Apart from Magura who insist on their own oils.

Most suspension manufacturers give guidelines in their owner’s manuals as to how regularly their products need to be serviced or inspected. While we do feel that sometimes these guidelines can be a little excessive, it is a good idea to at least be familiar with what they are before you start riding as we've seen dozens if not hundreds of forks with costly or irreparable damaged caused by insufficient maintenance.
Generally we would recommend as a minimum:

Rear shocks:
* Clean the exterior after each ride with soapy water and check for damage.
* Carry out air-sleeve maintenance and inspect bushings & reducers every 30 riding hours.

Forks:
* Clean the exterior after each ride with soapy water and check for damage.
* Inspect bushings and replace lubricating oil every 30 riding hours.
* Service damper and replace damping oil every 100 riding hours.

Hydraulic Brakes.

We are fortunate to have extensive experience with hydraulic brakes right from the very earliest systems and up to the most modern designs. We can offer everything from a simple bleed through to replacing lever internals or calliper pistons.
Most manufacturers of DOT fluid type brakes recommend that the oil be replaced every 6-12 months on a bike that is used regularly. While mineral oil type systems generally require less maintenance (as the fluid is non-corrosive and does not absorb moisture), air and moisture can still get into the system. As such most manufacturers of these systems (including Shimano) recommend that the oil is replaced once a year.

Additional Information Regarding Servicing.

* On the day of the service, we would ask that the bike be with us before 10.30am if it is due to be completed on the same day. We do aim to get most repairs done within the day they are booked for provided no additional work is to be carried out and we have stock of the required parts.
* We would ask that you bring your bike into us at least reasonably clean. It takes longer to work on a dirty bike and therefore we will either have to bill you for extra the time taken or to clean the bike/part prior to commencement of work.
* Additional items needing to be repaired or replaced during a service may incur an additional charge, but you will be quoted for this if it’s likely to cost more than a fiver.
* Likewise, at our discretion we may replace any minor items, E.G. Gear inner cable (£3) or handlebar plug (£2). If there’s anything more serious than this, we’ll give you a call first.
* Cost of oils/lubes is extra.
* Worn out/disused parts will be disposed of unless otherwise requested. The exception to this rule is tyres – We ask you to dispose of your own tyres as the council charges us for each one we recycle.
* We would ask that your bike be collected promptly following service or repair. We have a limited amount of storage space for bikes and our mechanic works quite fast (provided he gets sufficient tea, biscuits & heavy metal music).
* We are cycle mechanics, not miracle workers. Eventually your kit is too broken or worn out to fix. Please act gracefully when it’s time to replace your kit.

Enquiries and Bookings.

To make an appointment for servicing or repairs, or to discuss your requirements, please contact us via the link on the top right of this page.