Frequently Asked Questions
General
We are open Monday to Friday 9am-5pm and Saturday 9am-2pm.
Closed Sundays and Bank Holidays, as well as Saturday 26th December 2026 and Saturday 2nd January 2027.
WORKSHOP/SERVICE: Our Workshop is open Mon-Friday. Note: all bikes brought in for service work MUST be left in a clean condition.
BIKE SHOWROOM: In order to ensure that someone is available to serve you properly, please contact us in advance to arrange a showroom appointment.
We love to talk with our customers over the phone on 01584 705042, face to face in store or via email . You will also find a contact forms next to every bike on our site.
Buying a bike should be an enjoyable experience, we will do everything we can to ensure that it is – we offer honest advice and guidance, baaed on unrivalled expertise and knowledge of all of our brands.
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.
And we will NEVER try to sell you something that is not 100% suited to your requirements – so please forgive us if we bombard you with questions to fully understand your needs.
We are situated adjacent to the medieval centre of the beautiful Shropshire town of Ludlow, which is home to numerous highly-rated cafes, restaurants and coffee shops, and around 10 minutes on foot from the nearest railway station. Ludlow is also bang in the middle of some stunning riding country, whether you are into road, gravel or trail bikes.
Address:
Epic Cycleworks
7-8 Tower Street
Ludlow
Shropshire
SY8 1RL
We’ve always believed that speaking directly with customers is the best way to ensure every new bike is the right fit – properly set up and tailored to your needs.
That’s why we’ve historically resisted adding simple “click to buy” buttons to our website – with a few exceptions.
The reason we like to talk to people is not in order to try and hit you with a pushy sales pitch – far from it. We have unrivalled in-depth expertise and hands-on experience of the products that we sell, and we can use our knowledge to help ensure that the bike you are purchasing is sized, set up and tailored to do everything that you need it to.
Some bikes, such as clearance models, do lend themselves well to online purchase though.
These are typically ex-display or showroom bikes that we’re moving on to make room for new stock. Because they’re already built and heavily discounted, they’re often sold “as is.” We can still adjust components after purchase and before collection or shipping, but this isn’t always as straightforward or cost-free as with new builds. The most important thing with clearance bikes is to act quickly – these are one-offs and tend to sell fast.
To make the process easier, we’ve launched a web shop outlet in our Clearance page where you can view the exact bike on offer and choose whether to purchase online or request more information. If you’re not quite ready to buy, or want to use a scheme like Cycle to Work, you can send us an enquiry. Please note, though – if you take the enquiry route, the bike will still remain available for sale, and it may sell before we have a chance to respond.
Many of our customers first make contact with us either by phone on 01584 705042, via our Contact Page or using email- 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 often 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 significant number of customers who initially talk to us from afar do come over to see us in order to talk in detail and to look at physical display bikes. Overall, we sell roughly equal numbers of bikes remotely and through in-store visits.
Sales Appointments
Because in-depth discussions require a member of our team to be available to look after you properly for an extended period of time we recommend contacting us in advance to book a sales appointment. It only takes a few seconds to make a booking over the phone on 01584 705042, via our Contact Page or by email.
As we operate a large number of appointment slots we can normally find a slot that will suit you, although in busy periods we can be fully booked for the following few days.
Our store is a welcoming and comfortable place with proper customer service facilities, all set in a quiet location close to Ludlow Castle Square, so that we have the time and space to talk to you properly about your requirements.
Ordering
If the item you require is in stock and needs no significant alteration you can either take it away or we can deliver it to you.
However, as we are specialists in adapting and setting up bikes to suit you as an individual, in a lot of cases we will take a deposit to secure your order/item and either ship it to you when it is ready, or let you know when it is ready for collection. Any remaining balance will only become due once your order is ready for collection or shipping.
We believe that talking in depth with customers either face-to-face, over the phone, or via email enables us to understand fully your riding background, what you plan to use your new bike for, and helps us to advise you properly on which bike is best suited to your requirements or how it can be tailored to meet your individual needs.
The entire conversation and buying process can of course be carried out remotely, especially for customers who are confident about their bike setup and sizing, but a significant number of customers who initially talk to us from afar do come over to see us in order to take advantage of our fitting and set-up expertise, to look in detail at physical display bikes or to carry out a test ride.
As in-depth face-to-face viewings, discussions and fitting sessions all require a member of our team to be available to look after you properly for an extended period of time, without unnecessary distractions or interruptions, we strongly advise making an appointment for Sales visits.
Please contact us in advance to book an appointment. It only takes a few seconds to make a booking over the phone on 01584 705042, via our Contact Page or by email. As we operate a large number of appointment slots we can normally find a slot that will suit you, although in busy periods we can be fully booked for the following few days.
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 a confirmed order with with us (secured by a deposit), the price of your order will of course remain fixed as long as you don’t make any changes to the order content or to the delivery destination, or there are changes to VAT rates or import duties.
For bespoke items, such as made-to-measure framesets or unique paint finishes, or items that are not part of our standard range and so need to be ordered or manufactured specifically for you (i.e. are special order items), we may need to ask for advance payment in full.
At Epic Cycles we try to make things as flexible as possible, so we accept most common forms of payment, from cash and cards to Cycle to Work schemes.
We are able to take payments using all major debit and credit cards – please note that for card payments over the telephone we will need to verify your card and shipping address, and may occasionally need to ask for additional security checks for high value items which can take up to 3 working days to complete.
We also accept payment using BACS transfer and in cash for personal callers – please note that we can no longer accept personal cheques.
We can also accept payments on-line payments via Stripe or using PayPal, whether you have a PayPal account or not. For many customers this is a convenient, secure and efficient method of payment.
Finally, we are keen supporters of the Cycle to Work initiative, and can work with most scheme operators – please our Cycle to Work scheme page for details.
Please note that due to rising fees and high interest rates we are no longer able to offer credit facilities/0% Finance. We are however able to accept all major 0% credit cards (some exemptions apply, such as American Express).
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 entire range, to all of our customers, every single day of the year – not just at sale times or on one or two promotional items.
It is also important to compare what we actually offer vs what some on-line discount outlets supply. Almost every bike we sell is personalised in some way – it is not just simply supplied in the form that it left the factory. It is adjusted to fit your needs (e.g. we alter component sizes to suit your measurements, or fit different gear ratios, different width tyres or more suitable saddles etc), tailored with additional or unique parts of your choosing, or built from scratch with a full custom specification.
And every single bike we sell is stripped down, subjected to rigorous quality control inspections, and then tuned for safe, reliable and high performance riding – with every aspect meeting full warranty protection requirements. It is NEVER just shipped in the state it left the factory!
So, when comparing prices for fully tuned and personalised products we believe we are day-in-day-out the best value bike store in the UK…not just at some once a year clearance event.
Who needs the stress of haggling and wondering if you really did get the best price we could offer? 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.
Very few bikes leave us without being personalised in some way to suit the individual rider – whether it’s no-cost tailoring of factory specification bikes, component upgrades for improved performance or comfort, or complete custom builds. So what do we mean by tailoring, upgrades and custom builds?
Tailoring
Tailoring covers all of those tweaks, component swaps and alterations that we can make to your bike so that it meets your own unique fitting needs – often without changing the cost of your bike at all. More >>
Everyone has their our own individual body proportions, fitness level and riding style. We all ride over different terrain and have different goals in mind, as well as personal preferences when it comes to things like handlebar shapes, and differing priorities attached to performance vs comfort. You may also want to change gear ratios, perhaps because you live in a hilly area or conversely you prefer a narrower spread of gears in order to eliminate large jumps in gearing.
As well as guiding you in your choice of bike, these individual differences mean that changing things like stem and crank lengths, or handlebar and saddle widths will improve the ride of your bike. So tailoring doesn’t necessarily mean upgrades in the sense that we are fitting higher level/cost components, but they are upgrades in that they involve fitting components that better meet your needs.
This is of course on top of basic set-up considerations, such as handlebar and seatpost height, which are simple adjustments that normally require no component swaps at all.
Upgrades
On many occasions our customers like the look of a standard “factory specification” bike, but would like it to be upgraded in a few places, for example with a super-light set of wheels or maybe by swapping to power cranks or a top level set of race tyres.
If you are thinking about taking a standard “brochure-spec” bike and making a few upgrades the most economical time to do this is when purchasing your new bike, as we can normally offer a trade-in value for the parts being taken off (unless they have no resale value, for example where they are unique to the bike and therefore can’t be re-used or are highly unusual and therefore rarely sold as individual items) – and we don’t charge for the workshop labour involved with upgrading new bikes.
Once you have taken a bike away the costs of upgrading components always increase, as the trade-in value of any parts that you are replacing will often be nil, and there may well be chargeable workshop time involved in carrying out the swap at a later date.
Please note that many component changes need to be carried out in particular ways to meet warranty requirements of both the components and bike – our technicians are fully versed in the requirements of different manufacturers. So as well as being the lowest cost time to make changes to your bike, you also get the added peace of mind that things will have been installed correctly and in accordance with manufacturer tolerances.
There comes a point of course where the number of components being swapped means that it is more economical and practical to custom build your bike from scratch, which brings us to custom specifications.
Custom specification
Purchasing a new bike can involve a significant investment, especially at the premium end of most ranges. So why not consider a full custom build, where every part is specified by you to meet your preferences and needs?
Around 20% of our bikes are fully custom built, and when compared to high end brochure specifications the costs can often be highly competitive – on many occasions are actually lower – while at the same time giving you exactly what you want.
Custom specifications can either start with a bare frameset, which we can work with you to specify in full, or with a full factory specification bike that we strip down and rebuild for you, for example where the groupset that is fitted to the “donor bike” is not to your liking but the frameset is exactly what you are looking for.
Tuned for Riding (not shipping!)
As a UK centre of excellence for all of our bike brands we pride ourselves on knowing our bikes inside out, especially on the technical front.
Our technicians are some of the best and most experienced in the UK, and are regularly contacted by the manufacturers themselves regarding tuning and technical aspects of bike set-up and optimisation.
When bikes arrive with us from the manufacturers, even ones that are entirely standard off-the-shelf models they are either partially built or pre-assembled using efficient but not necessarily optimal techniques. Factory builds need to cater for speed of assembly, and the requirements of secure packaging for long-haul space-saving transportation. This is especially so in the areas of cabling, bearing adjustments and installation, and drive-train optimization. In most cases the factory assembly (if complete) will of course work, but not as well as it could with proper set-up and tuning.
So every bike we sell is thoroughly inspected, adjusted and where necessary reassembled to ensure the smoothest and most reliable operation possible – whether, among other things, it is accurate gear shifting, precise braking, free running bearings, or weather proofed seals (not all bikes are built with British weather in mind!).
The other aspect to the tuning of a bike is the adjustments that are needed to ensure it is fully set-up to meet the needs of an individual rider. Our technicians will usually need to make changes to certain components, perhaps to swap to a different length stem or crank, alter gear ratios and saddle placement, or to cut down steerer tubes etc. All of this needs to be carried out by qualified personnel who understand in detail the technical requirements of warranty cover and safe operation.
Where bikes include optional extras or safety packs, containing items such as bells, reflectors, frame protection etc we will not normally fit these unless pre-fitted at the factory or requested by customers, as many people prefer either to fit alternative after-market items or not to fit them at all. The packs will of course be included with your bike. Where such items are pre-fitted at the factory we will not remove them unless requested to do so by customers – please note that some items such as frame protectors can be difficult or impossible to remove once fitted without risking cosmetic damage.
When supplying just a frameset (not as part of a complete or partial bike build) we will fully inspect the frame/forks, including quality checks of external paint finishes, alignment, missing parts and structural integrity, prior to careful repackaging or collection.
We will not carry out frame assembly or preparation tasks, such as facing of brake bosses, tapping of threads etc, as most preparation tasks need to carried out as part of a full bike build, often in conjunction with the actual components to be fitted.
Many modern framesets require specialist tools in order to complete safe and accurate fitting of components – if customers do not have the required skills, experience or tools for full frame assembly we strongly recommend taking bare framesets to a qualified mechanic for building up (a service that we provide free of charge when frameset and build components are purchased from ourselves).
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. “Mail Order” or other remote/distance purchases: If you are unhappy for any reason with a non-bespoke item that you have mail ordered from us, either over the telephone or electronically/on-line, simply notify us within 14 days and return the item to us unused, in its original condition, and securely packaged, within 14 days of notification. Returns outside of these timescales, or returns of an item that has been used (even very briefly) are solely at the discretion of the store manager and will be subject to a £100 administration fee, plus deductions for any signs of wear. 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 or permanently adapted items please see following paragraph), less any shipping-related/postage costs associated with the return and incurred by Epic Cycles (shipping-related costs are currently £50 for bikes and £20 for wheelsets). You will be responsible for the returned item until it reaches us, so please ensure that your return shipment is adequately insured and packed safely. Damage due to inadequate packaging cannot be claimed for on transit insurance, and the customer will be liable for any such damage incurred during a return shipment.
1.a. For bespoke items (such as made to measure framesets, hand-built wheels, unique paint finishes, or items that are not part of our standard range of products and so need to be ordered or manufactured specifically for you) or any items that have been permanently adapted for you (e.g. drilled, cut, glued or painted) 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.
1.b. 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 via our Contact page or email, or by calling 01584 705042 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.
2. Mail Order and In-Store Purchases: If your item is faulty please contact us immediately (either by visiting in person, phoning on 01584 705042 or via our Contact page or email so that we can discuss the best course of action. If you subsequently need to return an item to us or to a manufacturer approved service centre for rectification or inspection under extended warranty cover, please note that all of our warranty, sales and service agreements operate on a “return to base” basis, and that customers are responsible for any associated transport/postage costs to and from Epic Cycles Ltd or other approved service centre. Please inspect your item carefully prior to use to ensure your item matches your order (including colour and size), as we are unable to offer refunds or exchanges on non-faulty products once used.
3. In-store Bike Purchases: For in-store collections please ensure that you are entirely happy with your bike before taking it away, as we cannot offer refunds if you simply change your mind once a bike has been set-up and accepted, unless we have previously agreed otherwise in writing.
4. For other (non-bike) items collected in store we may, at the discretion of the store manager, be able to offer a full refund if you change your mind as long as the packaging is un-opened, the item has not been “special ordered” (i.e. it is part of our normal stocked range and is not a bespoke item), and the item is returned within 14 days with your receipt/invoice.
5. All bike orders cancelled prior to delivery/collection are subject to a £100 admin fee, to be deducted from the deposit paid. Unless otherwise stated in writing, deposits are non-refundable on special order, custom built or bespoke items once orders have been confirmed by Epic Cycles, including any bikes that have been altered to fit, e.g. by cutting the steerer.
Bike Sizing
If you are not sure which size of bike you need, as geometries have become ever more varied, we can help you to decide by gathering a few pieces of information.
There are two ways for us to help in assessing your required bike size: using your current bike, if you are happy that it fits you well; and/or by using a few key body measurements.
Please visit this page, where we have a simple form designed to gather the essential measurement details we need to help establish the correct bike size..
Specialist Bike Fitting
If you are experiencing persistent discomfort when riding, or have an injury that requires medical knowledge to address, or you are looking to optimize every aspect of performance, we would strongly suggest that you seek the help of an experienced specialist fitter after purchase – preferably after you have become familiar with how your bike rides.
The cost of a comprehensive bike fit can run to several hundred pounds and take a number of hours, but a good bike fit can transform injury recovery and avoidance, and deliver tangible competitive performance gains.
Shipping
HOME DELIVERY
We offer a choice of two home delivery services to most UK addresses.
COURIER DELIVERY (AKA ‘BOXED DELIVERY’)
Not available for e-bikes or bikes with one-piece cockpits*
*There are some bikes where courier delivery is not available, because it is not possible to pack and ship them safely in a carton or box – for example, all e-bikes and any bikes with a one-piece cockpit. For these bikes we can either deliver them to you fully built and ready to ride using our Premium Hand Delivery Service below, or you can of course collect from store.
Standard courier delivery is free for orders with a value of £1999+ (with the exception of clearance bikes purchased from our eBay store), including bikes*, framesets and wheelsets to addresses classified as UK “Mainland” by our carriers, APC. Bikes delivered by a courier will be shipped in a large cardboard carton.
For orders with a value under £1999 there will be a courier delivery charge of £25 for bikes, £20 for framesets, and £15 for wheelsets
PREMIUM HAND DELIVERY
We are pleased to now offer a Premium Delivery Service by Cycling Logistics to 90% of UK addresses, where a qualified mechanic will provide a handover of your fully assembled bike, ready to ride, on your doorstep.
This is a ‘white glove’ or hand delivery service – your bike will not be delivered in a box, and will be set up according to your instructions with all accessories fitted.
This premium service offers a number of clear benefits, including:
- Your bike is delivered “ready to ride”, set up to your measurements, with accessories and pedals fitted. If you are supplying your own pedals these will be fitted by the mechanic on arrival.
- The handover is conducted by a qualified bike mechanic not a delivery driver.
- There is no unpacking and reassembly required by yourself, and no packaging to dispose of.
- Your bike will be safely transported to you in a custom adapted “service course” van and it will only have been handled by trained cycling industry professionals.
If you choose this service you will be provided with number of delivery dates once your bike is ready, so you can choose the one that suits you.
There will be a short delivery lead time following the assembly of your bike in our workshop. The delivery time for this service can be up to 10 days, but it is often shorter than this, depending on the capacity and demand on Cycling Logistics at the time.
This Premium Delivery Service is only available for bikes with a value over £1999. It is free for bikes/e-bikes with a value of £5000+, and bikes with a one-piece integrated cockpit.
For e-bikes with a value under £5000 with a two-piece cockpit there will be a Premium Delivery charge of £49. For ‘analogue’ bikes under £5000 with a two-piece cockpit there will be a Premium Delivery charge of £39.
For full details of our Delivery services, as well as our Collecting from Store please click here >>
We use APC for most of our courier (boxed) deliveries, and they classify places according to postcodes when it comes to charges and delivery timescales.
The areas considered by our carriers as being outside “UK Mainland” for delivery purposes include:
Channel Islands, Isle of Wight, Isles of Scilly, Isle of Man, Northern Ireland, postcodes AB, IV, KW, PA, PH, and the Scottish Islands. Bike and other items delivered to these UK “non-Mainland” addresses will be subject to a small delivery surcharge that depends mainly on size and weight of the package.
Please Note: We are currently unable to ship bikes to Isles of Scilly, Isle of Man, Shetland and the Channel Isles.
For all other Highlands and Islands, except Northern Ireland: bikes and framesets will carry a surcharge of £39 per item; wheelsets will carry a surcharge of £20 per pair. For Northern Ireland bikes and framesets will carry a surcharge of £50 per item; wheelsets will carry a surcharge of £25 per pair.
We are no longer able to deliver bikes outside of the UK.
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.