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SJX426- the guys/gals at City Bike on 19th know me by sight & some by name! lol. One of the guys working at City Bikes Coop was helping a young woman with a French bike - he sees me & says something like, "Oh here's someone who's a French bike expert!" They know because I had frequented them looking for stuff for my Moto. Finally bit the bullet & bought VO French bottom bracket as well as the Grand Cru MK II crankset, which pretty much solved my problems. The folks at Universal, down the street know my first AND last name! Community Cycling folks know my face too.
I consider them acquaintances, not "friends". They know I like older bikes. Heck, the Bike Gallery in Beaverton knows my first & last name, but they like newer bikes.
As an aside, I like being in my garage, alone, thinking, talking to myself figuring things out. It's mechanical as well as artistic to me. I'm all about aesthetics AND function, and sometimes that combination requires creativity and thought. It's my "quiet time" tinkering around.