Singlespeed & Fixed Gear - Mean LBS guys

I took my cheap road bike which I got from online (about $300 , not cheap for me actually) and asked them advice about how to convert it to an SS. It's not a fixie/SS specialized shop so they don't have
the parts that I need. But they kept talking to their own people like " it's just a low quality bike he got online". I really felt humiliated, even though they were not talking to me. And when I realized they don't store track crank and freewheel in stock and asked them what I should measure to make sure I could buy a compatible crankset myself, a first guy just kept saying he does not know I am asking (I was sure that I have made myself clear), and finally a second guy made it clear:" if you ask us to do it for you, we can measure and determine what you need based on our own knowledge (if they have any); but if you want some free advice, we don't do that". All right, maybe I was just too stupid not to get that message earlier. I don't know how expensive or professional their knowledge is, but I just feel miserable for them.

Wow, what a bunch of pr!cks. Next LBS, f#ck those guys.

There's enough know how on this forum, let's help him out. Whatca need to know?

I agree. Ask here, and you shall aquire all kinds of cool info.

I propose a page rating bike shops similar to the way MTBR rates bikes!
Eh? Eh?

man, if people are being that ****ty, name the LBS so the rest of us know to stay away.

It's Durst Cycle in urbana, Illinois. You guys are right. I should have asked in here in first.

I agree the shop could have been more diplomatic and shouldn't have talked trash about your bike. But if someone came to my shop and asked me to help them figure out what part they should order from someone else, for a bike they bought somewhere else, I wouldn't be very accommodating.

I agree the shop could have been more diplomatic and shouldn't have talked trash about your bike. But if someone came to my shop and asked me to help them figure out what part they should order from someone else, for a bike they bought somewhere else, I wouldn't be very accommodating.


If I own a shop, I prefer to be opened and let the customers choose what they really need. I know I will lose some at the beginning, but the faith I keep is they will come back or bring more of their friends due to the way they are treated.

Faith doesn't pay the bills.

I guarantee you if you go to an automotive dealership with your car you bought across town, and ask them for free advice on what part you should order from the shop across town, you'll get a similar reaction.

Really depends on if you know the guys or not. A LBS I kind of like has a wide plethora of cold college guys who think that just because they know the difference between an OCR and a TCR they are better bikers for it.. or something. But I know a couple of the guys and they can be kind of nice if you give them specific tasks.. like teenagers! Here's a tip:

Say, "I need such and such a part, but I don't know what size or if you carry it. How about we determine it, and if you don't have it, order it for me". They like doing that because they make a profit off the wholesale prices they get (so long as it's not a vintage or really rare part).

i mean, what do you expect?!

I guarantee you if you go to an automotive dealership with your car you bought across town, and ask them for free advice on what part you should order from the shop across town, you'll get a similar reaction.

Really? I've asked a couple automotive parts people about cross-referencing part numbers and they've been very polite. I suppose if you asked a salesperson about the same thing they'd be an asshat, but they're always asshat's unless you're actually buying a car. Imle, it depends on the person as opposed to the store. I've met some cool people and some asshats, YMMV.

it's a rare thing to find a mechanic who will enthusiastically help you with being a total cheapskate.

if you do find one, bring him/her a six pack once in awhile. they deserve it and you'll find that they probably know lots of ways to save you money...

Really? I've asked a couple automotive parts people about cross-referencing part numbers and they've been very polite. I suppose if you asked a salesperson about the same thing they'd be an asshat, but they're always asshat's unless you're actually buying a car. Imle, it depends on the person as opposed to the store. I've met some cool people and some asshats, YMMV.

To be forthright, I don't drive, so I can't very well conduct the experiment.

I will do this one, though: I'll buy a slice of apple pie from my local pastry shop (LPS) and take it to the other pastry shop down the street. There, I'll explain to them that I bought my piece of pie down the street, and I'm wondering if they can give me advice on what sort of beverage I should order to go with it when I go back to my LPS.

(For the record, I know what beverage goes with the apple pie. This is just an experiment.)

You must get some looks for that! ;)

Most bike shops have workers who fix bikes and sell bikes, and do everything else in the shop. They don't have a sales person who can spend time with you if the shop has any other work to do. They just can't afford it. Time for you is time away from fixing or assembling bikes, selling bikes, etc.

You did get the message, but they should be able to deliver the message in a nice way without putting down your bike, or you. There is always a nice way to say "We don't do that"
Even if it is delivered in a nice way some people never get it anyway, that becomes frustrating over the years. People don't understand the logistics of a small place where one person has many jobs and can't accommodate everyone all at once.

Just try and see it from the bike shop point of view. You want then to stop working, tell you how to do the job yourself, and tell you what to order? Were you then going to leave and get the parts on line, and do the work yourself?

What happens to the shop if most customers do that? ~ No more bike shop.

What would you do in that position? It's not easy.

Really? I've asked a couple automotive parts people about cross-referencing part numbers and they've been very polite. I suppose if you asked a salesperson about the same thing they'd be an asshat, but they're always asshat's unless you're actually buying a car. Imle, it depends on the person as opposed to the store. I've met some cool people and some asshats, YMMV.

The car dealership can afford to have people to work with you and not work on cars at the same time.

Typically but not always, the bike shop has the same person trying to do mechanical work ,everything else in shop, and take care of you at the same time. There is not the profit of a car dealership to afford another way.

The way a car dealership works has nothing to do with the way most bike shop need to operate.
However most people assume it does. This is the problem.

Typically but not always, the bike shop has the same person trying to do mechanical work ,everything else in shop, and take care of you at the same time.

I don't know what bike shops you go to but the vast majority have seperate sales staff and mechanics. Sometimes the mechanics may come out on the floor to sell stuff but it's nto the main part of thier job.

While I hate the "support your lbs nazis" going into a shop and asking what to order is pretty low. If you can;t figure it out yourself let them order it for you and take their markup. If you are talking about buying track cranks you can clearly afford it.

I'll take elitist jackasses at a bike shop any day over the usual clueless know it all morons that will insist that they know what you need better then you and without fail give something that is not at all what you need and then argue with you when you refuse it.

it's a rare thing to find a mechanic who will enthusiastically help you with being a total cheapskate.

AMEN!

know it all...that will insist that they know what you need better then you

Not to take this off topic, but that is a very apt description of you on here.
Just sayin'


And the shop at which I work has 1 person who acts as the salesperson. When she isn't there, it's the mechanics' job to deal with sales.

In Milwaukee, it's about half and half between shops that have dedicated sales people and those that don't.

I think if the LBS starts off by calling it a low quality bike right in front of you, then doesn't offer to order the parts you need, you should go find another LBS. It's your money, go spend it somewhere you feel comfortable.

Not to take this off topic, but that is a very apt description of you on here.
Just sayin'



yeah except I was talking about insisting you need an FR5 instead of a BB7 or rubber cement instead of rim cement. Stuff that simply won't work. I've never told anyone they need something they didn't only pointed out that the choices they make are aesthetic not practical. There is a difference between opining on what works best and the rank incompentance common in LBS employees(especially sales staff.)


Everywhere I've lived it's been at least 80/20 big shops/little ones.

Faith doesn't pay the bills.
Returning customers do.

Returning customers do.

not if they are not going to buy anything substantial or pay you for labor.

not if they are not going to buy anything substantial or pay you for labor.

Perfect!! You got the LBS attitude nailed down! Are you sure you don't work at one of those awesomely high priced and snobby shops? I guess you've never heard of the term word of mouth, or reference.

I guess you've never heard of the term word of mouth, or reference.

+1 A customer who has been treated poorly will be glad to pass the word on that the particular
shop isnt worth spending money at

Really? I've asked a couple automotive parts people about cross-referencing part numbers and they've been very polite. I suppose if you asked a salesperson about the same thing they'd be an asshat, but they're always asshat's unless you're actually buying a car. Imle, it depends on the person as opposed to the store. I've met some cool people and some asshats, YMMV.
You usually have to go beyond the idiot customer approach and show them that you do know what you're talking about before you're cut any slack. The good ol' boy knowitall gets in the way of that most times. I've had some experiences where the parts guy, be it bike or car or otherwise, has been very condescending to me only to be mistaken on something technical and I call them out on it. They usually lighten up after that, if not they're full of it and you have to know what you want or else you get screwed.

yeah except I was talking about insisting you need an FR5 instead of a BB7 or rubber cement instead of rim cement. Stuff that simply won't work. I've never told anyone they need something they didn't only pointed out that the choices they make are aesthetic not practical. There is a difference between opining on what works best and the rank incompentance common in LBS employees(especially sales staff.)




I wouldn't characterize telling people that they're lying to themselves about what they deem suitable for their riding needs as "opining on what works best."

I wouldn't characterize telling people that they're lying to themselves about what they deem suitable for their riding needs as "opining on what works best."

I never said they anything wasn't suitable I said they things were not the most comfrotable option and later the most practical. But that is another thread anyway.

I definetly do not work at an LBS and despise the vast majority of them. However, people that won't buy stuff from you when they are noobs are unlikely to do so once they actually learn from you. Word of mouth is great but word of mouth from paying costomers who weren't kept waiting is going to be better then word of mouth from cheapskates anyway.

if you go into any bikeshop and they make you feel uncomfortable or badly about your bike, go to a different shop. that being said, i think it's important to realize that shops don't really exist to give free advice. this forum is the best place for that. also, sheldonbrown.com is an amazing resource.

i constantly try to find things cheaper online, but when i do buy something i go to salvagetti's here in denver. the owner there will waste all sorts of time talking to you about various bike stuff. i've spent several hundred dollars there over the last few months. but some shops only care to talk to you if you're buying a $3000 bike. those shops are probably the same ones that talk ***** about you after leave with your expensive bike since you could never hope to live up to the potential of riding such an expensive bike. so again...if you go into a shop that makes you feel uncomfortable, there's always a shop down the street.

Returning customers do.

He wasn't a customer. He didn't buy anything. Repeat seekers of free advice won't pay the bills.

I took my cheap road bike which I got from online (about $300 , not cheap for me actually) and asked them advice about how to convert it to an SS. It's not a fixie/SS specialized shop so they don't have
the parts that I need. But they kept talking to their own people like " it's just a low quality bike he got online". I really felt humiliated, even though they were not talking to me. And when I realized they don't store track crank and freewheel in stock and asked them what I should measure to make sure I could buy a compatible crankset myself, a first guy just kept saying he does not know I am asking (I was sure that I have made myself clear), and finally a second guy made it clear:" if you ask us to do it for you, we can measure and determine what you need based on our own knowledge (if they have any); but if you want some free advice, we don't do that". All right, maybe I was just too stupid not to get that message earlier. I don't know how expensive or professional their knowledge is, but I just feel miserable for them.

Sorry about what happened to you in the LBS. I have been treated rudely by store personnel in a LBS and other places as well. Time to channel that negative situation into something positive. Why not try to educate yourself on bicycle maintenance? If you have a specific question you can ask it here in the bicycle maintenance forum. Here is a one of the most popular guides for bicycle maintennce. It's called Zinn and the Art of Road Bike Maintenance (http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=3943376). Start learning for yourself so you can atleast minimize depending on rude people for advice.

Good Luck!

He wasn't a customer. He didn't buy anything. Repeat seekers of free advice won't pay the bills.

And he never will be, same with his friends, and the friends of their friends. You people amaze me.

I never said they anything wasn't suitable I said they things were not the most comfrotable option and later the most practical. But that is another thread anyway.

by the way, that yamaguchi... i think you'll be surprised by how comfortable and functional for my proclivities that it'll actually be. the CAD dwg that KY drew and i approved is on nyfixed. good stuff.

Maybe an LBS is doing so much business that they're lucky enough to afford to be rude, arrogant or condescending in their dealings with potential customers.

Otherwise it's just plain stupid, and if I was owner of any business, nevermind such a repeat customer intensive style business as LBS, I'd fire those guys for incompetance.

by the way, that yamaguchi... i think you'll be surprised by how comfortable and functional for my proclivities that it'll actually be. the CAD dwg that KY drew and i approved is on nyfixed. good stuff.


You still haven't given us the geometry for it(at least here.) Also I was only one of many voices in that thread telling you a TT bike is not really like a track bike and that they are generally not good for much other then time trialing. Maybe you are just a born TTer.

fillet brazed, all proprietary aero steel tubing, 58 ST @ 74d, 57 TT, 1-1/8 HT @74d, 30mm rake aero fork, 38 CS, BB clearance 30, curved aero ST, seat stays intersecting with TT several cm in front of the ST/TT joint.

a bit more relaxed than track geo, but a pretty good compromise.

http://visitordesign.com/YAMPAINT.jpg

something like this sketch i did for the paint (raw steel with yellow detail. wraps around brake bridge and toptube. thick matte clearcoat).

" if you ask us to do it for you, we can measure and determine what you need based on our own knowledge (if they have any); but if you want some free advice, we don't do that".
Oddly enough, the internet is made for this. Literally ****loads of free information. Why go all the way to the LBS when you can just go here? You obviously knew it existed.

Oddly enough, the internet is made for this. Literally ****loads of free information. Why go all the way to the LBS when you can just go here? You obviously knew it existed.

Exactly. And we're not on the clock. Well, some of us are. :o

a bit more relaxed than track geo, but a pretty good compromise.


Doesn't seem out of bounds for track geo. Either way, it is much more a track bike with a derailer hanger rather then a TT bike with track ends. Which is pretty much what me and everyone else reccomended in the other thread.

if your still looking for the info youre looking for, you might try bruce, he owns/runs a small, hole-in-the-wall place, though ive heard he can be more condescending sometimes. i dont know the street, im not from chambana but i do know hes not far from durst, about three block south. you should ask around.

im all about giving advice, i think its good to share knowledge with someone who needs/wants the help.
and as far as mechanics working as the sales people, i know that story too well, most the time there will be four or so mechs working with no sales people at all, it does suck to always be pulled away from what your doing, but i dont hold it against the customer, its more or less managers fault for never scheduling well enough. end rant.

As others have said, this is what the internet is for. Tell your friends to stay away from that shop and learn what you need to know on your own.