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Old 11-08-10, 08:39 PM
  #24  
mr,grumpy 
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Join Date: Jul 2009
Location: Boston Burbs
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Bikes: 1978(ish) Peugeot PRN10e, Specialized Tricross

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We have two bike shops in town. Shop A is very old and well established. There are two guys who own it. The "mechanic" is a good fellow. He's a prety good wrench and they are reasonably priced, They stock some cheep line of accessories (sunglow or sunstar or some thing) and have very little in the way of clothing or parts. The other guy is an idiot. (Not really. He is actually VERY knowledgeable if you can trick him into running his mouth but he tries so hard to pay the part of idiot I'll let him win for the purposes of this discussion). His primary purpose in life is to sell you a new "comfort bike" and scowl at you if you try to order parts. They get a B.

The other bike shop is a one-man deal. He has been around for a very, very long time. He is booked solid. You have to make appointments two months out to get a tune up UNLESS you can get him talking. It might take the better part of an hour but if you get him chatting he'll usually tell you to bring the bike around and if it doesn't need to go on the stand, he bangs it out and charges next to nothing. His work is meticulous. He has almost nothing in his "shop" whatsoever, but can get damn near any thing your little heart desires. He would rather sell you $60 worth or tires than a $600 bike. A-.

Neither of these places charge any where NEAR that much. The swankiest bike shop in the toniest community in the area only hits you for sixty buck an hour. They are a "normal" bike shop in stock, service and sales BUT that's a half hour away from the casa. B+

What am I getting at? I'm not really sure any more. I guess you just have to figure out if it's "worth it" for you. You pay something weather it's cash, time or gas. If the guy has always treated you right, go there. If it's all about the bottom line, go elsewhere.
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"I'm built like a marine mammal. I love the cold! "-Cosmoline
"MTBing is cheap compared to any motorsport I've done. It's very expensive compared to jogging."-ColinL
Rides:

1980ish Raleigh Marathon (Vintage Steel)
2006 Trek 820 (Captain Amazing)
2010 Specialized Tricross (Back in Black)
2008 Specialized Roubaix
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