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Frequently Asked QuestionsWe can't hope to answer every queston on a FAQ page, and we wouldn't even attempt to provide generic answers to complex product questions! But we think this page might answer some of your more general queries, especially those regarding ordering, delivery, and opening hours etc: When are we open? |
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When are we open?Our regular opening hours are: 10am-6pm Monday - Friday We are also closed on Bank Holidays, and from 2pm on Christmas Eve until January 2nd. How do I buy from Epic Cyles?At Epic Cycles we believe for most products, and especially for bikes, that contact with customers is essential, either in person, over the phone or via email, to ensure that the item you are interested in is fully suitable or tailored to your needs. For this reason we do not accept on-line orders (with exception of our Ebay shop, through which we do sell some selected traded in, display or off the peg items). Many of our customers first make contact with us either by phone on 01885 410641 or via email at info@epic.cycles.co.uk - we will always respond in full to your queries, but are sometimes unable to do so immediately as the volume of calls and emails is frequently very high, and try as we might we can't get back to you straight away. The whole buying process can of course be carried out remotely, but a large number of customers who initially talk to us from afar do come over to see us as the benefits of a proper sizing session and test ride usually make the trip well worth while. Don't think that we are a mail order warehouse though - Epic Cycles is a large and welcoming shop! We always have a very wide range of road bike on display, backed by a fleet of test bikes, so that you can browse and try before you buy. And we always have proper coffee and tea on the go, together with some soft seating should you need to wait for anything, such as a bike service etc. Either way, we will not blind you with science or try to sell you something unsuitable, and none of our staff work on commission, so you will not be subjected to any hard selling techniques. All of our bikes include a free professional fitting session, but if you are unable to visit the store for any reason we will happily advise on sizing over the phone or via email. If you would like a full sizing session it is a good idea to give us a call or drop us an email first, so that we can make sure that one of our fitters is free to offer you the right level of service - and please allow at least an hour - longer if you plan to go for a test ride! If the item you require is in stock and needs no alteration or customisation you can either take it away or we will deliver it to you. If the item you require needs to be custom built or adapted for you, or needs to be ordered from a supplier, we will take a small deposit to secure your order and either ship it to you when ready or let you know when it is ready for collection. Note: for bespoke items (such as made to measure framesets, unique paint finishes, or items that are not part of the normal UK range from a supplier and so need to be imported specifically for you) we may require a larger deposit, and in some rare circumstances we may need to ask for payment in full in advance. What is your pricing policy?At Epic Cycles we operate an Every Day Fair Pricing policy – but what does that mean? Well, at its most basic, it means that
at Epic Cycles we offer genuinely
competitive prices across our range of products, to all of our customers, every day of the
year – not just at sale times or on one or two promotional items. It
means that we offer the same great prices to every customer –
no haggling, no having to prove that you belong to an approved
society in order to get a few percent off. We have one set of prices
– our best prices – in store for everyone. Every day.
Who needs the stress of haggling and wondering if you really did get the best price? At Epic Cycles that is one stress you can forget. The bottom line is that our prices are highly competitive and genuine. For everyone. Every day. What is involved in a fitting session?Included every new bike sale is a free fitting session (does not apply to used bikes sold in our Ebay shop) - but we can also carry out a fitting on your own bike for a charge of £75. Please note - if you are not planning to purchase or order a bike from us during your initial visit, perhaps because you have not made a final decision on models or are waiting for funds to become available, we will need to charge you for the fitting session (£75), which will then be refunded in full when you are ready to place your order. In order to carry out a proper fitting we need to be able to fully assess your position and pedalling motion etc, so it helps us greatly if you wear cycle clothing - especially shorts, as we need to be able to measure your leg angles and extension accurately, and to be able to observe pedalling technique, knee flex etc. If you already use a clipless pedal system please bring your shoes along too, and if you use something other than a Look or Shimano cleat system it helps to bring some pedals as we may not have the exact pedal type in our test pedal stock. Each session is unique to you and your needs. We take account of your individual body proportions, flexibility, riding style, weight, fitness and, most importantly, the type of riding you plan to do. Because the range of possibilites is so great we cannot precit how long the session will take, but they are rarely less than an hour and frequently take between 90 minutes and 2 hours - so please leave sufficient time for the worst case scenario. We will of course keep you plied with refreshments! The approach we use for fitting is based on discussion, observation and feedback - it is not a computer formula or spreadsheet that collects a few standard body dimensions and spits out a standard bike set up, as we have found these systems to be extremely unreliable, as they do not take account of a full range of factors and many ignore the latest research. We also avoid most old-school rules of thumb, as many were based on out of date cycle design principles and only ever work on averages that actually suit no one individual. We do however use one or two of these techniques merely as sense checks to highlight any fitting decisions that are vastly different to the average range. The underlying principles for our bike fitting service are that a riding position must be comfortable, efficient, promote good handling, and be tuned to the individual characteristics of both the rider and type of riding the bike is intended for (e.g. aerodynamics for time trialling). All of our bikes include a free professional sizing session, but if you are unable to visit the store for any reason we will happily advise on basic sizing over the phone or via email. If you would like a full fitting session it is advisable to give us a call or drop us an email first, so that we can make sure that one of our trained fitters is available to offer you the right level of service. What is involved in a test ride?We run an extensive demo fleet of over sixty road bikes, so test rides are available on most road bike models - please call or email to confirm availability of model/size as we can't possibly carry every model/size combination (as there would be hundreds) and during busy periods many bikes are already booked for fitting and test rides. It is up to you as to how far you wish to ride a test bike! The roads immediately around the store are pretty quiet and varied in terrain, as well as being very scenic - the road surfaces are not the best, so they certainly won't flatter the bike, but they do offer a realistic test for UK conditions. In order to maximise the benefit of any test ride we must carry out a fitting session first, so please ensure that you have allowed sufficient time for that to take place (at least an hour on top of the test ride). Many customers will wish to test ride more than one bike in order to make a final decision on models - but it gets very confusing if you ride more than even a couple of bikes. So we suggest trying to narrow down your selection to two models, based on fit, budget and the type of ride you are looking for - we will of course offer advice on this during your visit. While we will try to spend as much time with you as you need, we clearly cannot spend all day with each customer! Setting up a test bike to match the results of your fitting session can be quite time consuming, so we operate a limit of three test bikes (if time allows) - during busy times we may need to limit this further though, especially if your riding position/preferences require a lot of component swaps. Finally, if you do plan to test ride a bike please bring some form of identification with you (such as drivers licence or passport). How are items delivered and what will it cost?If you would like us to deliver your item to you, rather than taking it away in person, we are very happy to do so. Bikes, frames and some larger items such as wheels are delivered via ParcelForce or TNT, who need someone to be at the destination address to sign for the package (for this reason many customers choose to have items delivered to a work or business address). Smaller items are delivered via Royal Mail. New bikes and framesets are delivered free to addresses classified as UK Mainland by TNT (this excludes Highlands and Islands). Other items, or deliveries to non "UK Mainland" addresses, including usedf bikes purchased from our Ebay shop, will be subject to a delivery charge that depends mainly on size and weight of the package - in these cases please contact us for delivery prices. Deliveries via ParcelForce or TNT are made on Mondays to Fridays, during normal business hours - if you require delivery outside of these times (e.g. on a Saturday) please contact us for a quote - in all cases we will aim to minimise delivery costs to you while attempting to meet your scheduling requirements. Please note that deliveries using ParcelForce can take place up until 7pm to residential addresses during busy periods, such as pre-Christmas. If the item we are shipping requires a signature or is too large to fit through a standard letter box we will contact you to agree the shipping date before sending the item out. It is at this point that we will also take the balance of any payments due on the item. Although we are able to ship items out on a Friday, they will not arrive until Monday morning using our standard service. This means they will spend the weekend in a warehouse - therefore we usually advise customers to delay shipping until the following Monday with the goods arriving on the Tuesday. All items will be carefully packed to minimise the risk of transit damage - in the unlikely event that your item does arrive with damaged packaging please advise the carrier immediately (before signing for the package). If the item itself has suffered any transit damage please advise us by phone on 01885 410641 or via email at info@epic.cycles.co.uk within 48 hours. Please inspect your items carefully, as any claims for transit/packing damage cannot be accepted once the item has been used. All bikes are subject to a full Pre Delivery Inspection (PDI) and tuned up ready to ride before despatch. Most bikes will then be shipped with the front wheel and seatpost/saddle removed, the handlebars twited to one side and turned under, and if you have ordered pedals these will not be fitted. All you will need is a couple of standard allen keys in order to reassemble the seatpost, handlebars and pedals - we will provide verbal or written instructions on how to do this if you need them. What counts as Highlands and Islands?We use ParcelForce or TNT for most of our deliveries, and they classify places according to postcodes when it comes to charges and delivery timescales. The areas outside of "UK Mainland" for delivery purposes are: Channel Islands, Isles of Sicily, Isle of Man, certain Scottish postcodes (IV, KW1-14, PA34, PA37-39, PH19-40, PH41 Sector 4 and PH49-50) and the Scottish Islands. How long are quotes valid for?As you may be aware, the bike industry is currently going through a period of extreme price volatility. If we have given you a written quote for an item the price will be valid for 7 days - however, even though we can't guarantee prices for any longer than this in the current climate, in practice most quotes will remain unchanged for much longer. Once you have placed an order with with us (secured by a small deposit), the price of your item(s) will of course remain fixed as long as you don't make any changes to the order content or delivery destination. How long will my item take to arrive?When you order an item from us we will give you an expected delivery date. If you are purchasing an in-stock mail order item from us, we will agree a shipping date with you at the time of purchase, which could be as soon as the following working day for straight forward products that are ordered before our daily carrier collection. For in-stock bikes, we may need to make size adjustments or alterations for you, or if the item is not yet fully assembled we will need to carry out a full Pre Delivery Inspection. This may mean there is a short delay before delivery or collection takes place, but we will alert you to this at the time. If you are ordering a customised product (e.g. a custom built or tailored bike), a one-off item, or a product that we will need to order from a supplier, we will provide you with an estimated availability date, and keep you informed about any variations on that date. Once your item is ready we will contact you to confirm any final details regarding shipping or collection and to settle any outstanding balances on the order. What types of product do you sell?At Epic Cycles we specialise in road bikes and associated accessories and clothing. This mainly covers things like cyclosportives, road racing, triathlon, time trials, touring and commuting, but also takes in other forms of cycling that use a 700c wheel, such as track and cyclocross. We also stock a few selected 26 wheel bikes, such as hybrids and cross country MTBs. We can supply and service other forms of bike, but our expertise is firmly centred on the 700c lightweight world with a dash of cross country thrown in! How do I return items if I have a problem?At Epic Cycles we inspect all products thoroughly before shipping or collection to make sure they are in perfect condition, we also package everything carefully to ensure that it won't get damaged in transit - we also attempt to provide as much information as possible to all customers to minimise the chances of purchasing the wrong item (this is especially important for customers who can't visit the store). However, despite our best efforts there may be rare occasions on which you need to return the item to us. 1. If you are unhappy for any reason with an item that you have mail ordered from us, either over the telephone or electronically, simply return the item to us unused, in its original condition, and securely packaged, within 7 days of receipt. Please include a note within the packaging to let us know the reason for the return and a copy of the invoice or receipt that included the item. We will issue a full refund (for bespoke items please see following paragraph), less any postage costs associated with the return and any refund charges imposed by your credit card company. You will be responsible for the returned item until it reaches us, so please ensure that your return shipment is adequately insured. 1.b. For bespoke items (such as made to measure framesets, unique paint finishes, or items that are not part of the normal UK range from a supplier and so need to be imported specifically for you) we will not be able to offer a refund, as the item will be unique to yourself and so will not be suitable for resale or return to supplier. 2. If your item is delivered in damaged packaging please advise the carrier immediately (before signing for the package). If the item itself has suffered any transit damage please advise us by email at info@epic.cycles.co.uk or by calling 01885 410641 within 48 hours, so that we can discuss the best course of action. Do not attempt to use a damaged item under any circumstances. Please inspect your purchases carefully, as any claims for transit/packing damage cannot be accepted once the item has been used. 3. If your item is faulty please contact us immediately on 01885 410641 or via email at info@epic.cycles.co.uk so that we can discuss the best course of action. If you subsequently need to return an item to us or to the manufacturer for rectification, please note that all warranty agreements are "return to base", and the buyer will be responsible for any associated postage or return costs. How do I find Epic Cycles?We are pretty easy to find as long as you follow the brown tourist signs near Tenbury to Kyre Park gardens - full instructions can be found here. There is a large car park in front of the shop - the gardens are behind us. How do I contact Epic Cycles?We are only too happy to talk bikes over the phone on 01885 410641, face to face, or via email at info@epic.cycles.co.uk . Buying a bike or cycling accessory should be an enjoyable experience, we will do everything we can to ensure that it is - we offer honest advice and guidance, and will not try to sell you something that is unsuitable for your needs! We will always respond to your queries and calls, but we are sometimes unable to do so immediately as the volume of calls and emails we receive is frequently very high, and try as we might we can't get back to you straight away. We also try to reply to all queries fully - not just with short "yes" or "no" answers, but with information that we hope will be of genuine help. |
