Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Bad LBS experiences?

I've read about a lot of people who love their LBS. I wonder if any one else has had a bad experience with theirs?

I went to every shop in town, and finally found a bike that I was drawn too. The first time I was there the owner spent a fair amount of time talking to me about bikes etc.
I took a friend back to look at the bike later in the day and the owner was still pleasant.
The next day, I went back to buy it. He was doing something in the back and didn't seem like he was all that interested that I was there.
I went ahead and bought the bike and thought, ok, this is where the fitting process comes in.
He took it in back and put on the water cages, and the computer etc., while I was doing the paperwork.
As soon as my credit card was swiped he said he had to go and left the shop.

So the other young guy that was there helped me load the bike up and sort of explained how to shift gears etc. I had already explained that I had never ridden before.

I was a little miffed, but didn't really let it bother me.
On my first ride at a local MUP the bike seemed to get stuck in one gear and it wouldn't shift out of it. I loaded up the bike and went to the shop and (of course) as soon as he tried it shifted perfectly. So he said I was just doing it wrong somehow.

A couple days later, after riding some more, my hip was REALLY hurting. I thought it might be my position on the bike, or something like that. I called to ask him about it, and he said "I'm not a doctor, go see one" After that comment, I decided that it wasn't even worth asking him about bike fit.

So, I decided to start using a different LBS. I won't get the free adjustments or whatever that you get when you buy a bike, but frankly, I don't really care.

Has anyone else here experienced something like this? Maybe he is just used to getting more typical looking cyclists, and not a clyde like myself. But still....

What sort of bike did you buy?

No offense, but it sounds like maybe you expected something that you never asked about. Reading BikeForums you may expect that every shop does a $200 fit on every hybrid or cruiser they sell, but in my experience few shops go to that sort of trouble for more upright bikes.

You can always keep bringing your bike there for the free adjustments... if you don't want to learn to do it yourself. You don't need a relationship with an LBS to ride.

I understand what you're saying lambo vt. I was torn between a road bike and a more upright bike. The lbs owner convinced me that the more upright one was better for someone just starting out. I don't know if it's considered a hybrid or what. It's a Marin Muirwoods 29er.

I definitely wasn't expecting them to prop me up on stationary trainers and take measurements etc, but I would have at least thought he would have checked seat height and the handlbar height.
After I got home, I checked out some info myself and adjusted the seat height. Still not sure if I have the handlebars right.

I'm not trying to bash anyone, I was just curious if other people had exerpienced this, and felt the way I did about it. I won't talk bad about the shop to people, I just won't go there anymore.

I did get a couple books on bike maintenance and repair. I would like to learn to do it myself.

I did get some different "vibes" from the 3 shops in my area. Two of them were really solid and offered lots of help in selecting some bikes for my family. One of them was not so great on the two visits I had there....indifference and even a snobbish slant. Funny thing is that shop recieves all types of accolades and hype in the local press....they sponsor many events.

The shop I went with sold more brands and really took the time to take care of my heavy needs. They encouraged frequent returns with the bike for tune-ups and assistance. I felt better about spending our hard earned $$$ with them and feel that they will be there for us.

In this day and age....with our struggling economy....you would think they customer service and at least friendliness would be at an all-time high. It's crazy.

Good luck....hope things work out well....maybe the guy was having some explainable issues that day and things will be good in the long run.

I did feel it important to establish a good bond with a solid lbs du to the fact that we need 3 bikes minimum in a short period of time....and two them, my sons and mine, are at high risk of being torn up. He's a typical energetic 9yo and I simply will stress mine due to load strain!!!

Sumo, I gotta say, you sound like someone I'd really enjoy hanging with. Of course, that's not unusual here in C&A.

When I bought my road bike I was 300lbs and the shop gave me a proper fitting, I also heard them tell people on the phone they don't do mtb or hybrid fittings. They said there isn't really much they can change on those bikes other than adjust seat height. I got good service and it seemed like they were just trying to save the people the cost of a fitting.

On the otherhand the mechanic in the shop I don't really like, and his work seems shotty at best. I now go to another shop, for my mechanical stuff. I don't have to talk to anyone when I walk in except the mechanic. I tell him what I need, regardless of whether or not I bought the parts there he simply tells me a price and time, writes a ticket and has me pay when I pick up bike.

Both bike shops were in the top 100 in bike retailer magazine. They both have good service but are good at different things. They also ride a lot and I see them on my rides so they may take me seriously when I walk in the door.

Now I have been to some shops that just turned their nose up at me and basically cast me aside. I never went back to those shops.

Thanks for the replies guys.
Sumo, you're absolutely right. It's very possible that he had some kind of emergency to deal with and obviously, he wouldn't spill his guts to me about. lol.
I think it was more of the phone conversation that finally made up my mind. No grudges though, just feels better to find LBS I really like as people and they aren't too important to answer newbie questions.

I wish I had found this forum before I actually bought a bike. I think I would have ended up getting a road bike instead of my hybrid. He made a case for the 29" tires, and the disc brakes, etc. and I was sold.
Don't get me wrong, I still love my bike, and I'm going to ride it for speed and distance, even if that's not what it was designed for.

jesspal, I only went into one shop here that did the snob thing. I browsed around an empty store for at least 20 minutes while the shop owner was on an obviously unimportant phone call. Eventually I left without him even acknowledging I was there.

I've had polar opposite experiences. One shop gave me the super shop snob who talked down to me, treated me like dirt and insulted my bike at every turn. The other shop gave me a guy that praised me for riding at all, no matter what I was riding, helped me get that bike as good as it could be, fixed problems *caused* by the first bike shop, then helped me decide what kind of bike I might want to buy in the future. He talked nutrition with me, we chatted about about a million things in the couple of weeks I was getting to know the place and the people in it.

And when the opportunity to buy a new road bike came up, guess who got my money? Since I paid for the bike I have been in the shop every day for a tweak here or an adjustment there. Always a smile, always helpful, and he even used me as an "inspirational" story to another customer. Guy was bigger and worried about riding a road bike. There I sat with my new baby, all geared out looking like ten pounds of crap in a five pound sack and I got *respect* from the shop owner.

Dude has earned my loyalty - and my money - for *life*.

jm, the nice thing is, there's always N+1. ;) It never hurts to have more than one bike. I ave 3 myself. A modern road bike, an old 23 year old hunk of classic lugged steel, and a Fixed Gear conversion of a 1971 Nishiki.

My problem is that I have a recumbent trike. I've gotten snubbed at every LBS I've gone to. Told 'Get a normal bike'.:notamused: Needless to say, my learning curve on maintenance, fiddling and so forth shot up rather quickly.

At least I was already good with parts of bikes. Unfashionable for a woman to do mechanical things or not. :thumb:

Last time I had four brake pads changed during my bikes annual check up. At a mega store. Four pads plus labor.. almost 57 dollars.. at my favorite lbs witha mechanic I know.. same work, same amount of merchandise... 26 dollars..

Last time I had four brake pads changed during my bikes annual check up. At a mega store. Four pads plus labor.. almost 57 dollars.. at my favorite lbs witha mechanic I know.. same work, same amount of merchandise... 26 dollars..

Last time I had 4 brake pads changed at a shop it was $7.50, mind you that was 35 years ago...... Actually for that same $7.50 I can now buy the 4 pads, spend less time doing it then it takes to load up the bike in a car, drive it to the shop, unload it, have the mechanic do it, load it back up, drive home and unload it. Pads are cheap enough that I usually keep a set for each bike at the house, when they need changing, I just change them.

We have a wide cross sections of bikes shops in a 30 mile radius, and sorting out the good from the bad can be hard at times. I have found that certain shops are better at different things as well as different areas of expertise. A lot of shops sell comfort/ hybrid bike as well as commuter style bike and service them well, but I had to travel 30 miles to find a shop that I trusted when I bought my road bike. So, don't limit yourself to one shop. Find out which each shop does best, and get what you need from them. That being said, you don't have to put up with poor service or being treated like a second class citizen. I have paid extra or traveled out of my way to avoid dealing with a bike shop that has not treated me right.

I will say that I am glad to hear that most bike shops don't do much with fitting upright bikes. I bought mine in April from a LBS owned by a gentleman I go to church with. I think that we can be friends with time. When I bought my bike I went in with plenty of time for fitting. He took 5 minutes adjusting the seat, and while I was happy for the bike and the deal he gave me, I was a bit disappointed that the fitting wasn't more complete. But if upright bikes aren't as complicated to fit then I now feel better.

There are some shops that only care about the sale, then after the sale they do a 180 and treat you like crap. Then there are great customer service oriented LBS. You just need to find the right one, or learn how to wrench yourself...

I have worked in many shops and seen a lot of different approaches to customer service and fitting bikes. A lot of the difference has to do with the people serving you and their general attitude and knowledge. As I developed as a salesperson I tried to ask questions that would help me provide the right level of advice and guidance to the client - basically figure out what level of service they expect then offer it to them.

The last shop I worked at sold custom assembled 'house-brand' bikes and we did a fitting session for almost every road bike customer, but for hybrid and MTB customers we generally tried them on a bunch of different bikes then tried to tailor one bike to the rider. It was often a lot of fun and we would deal with some customers many times as they visited to swap a stem for something 2cm longer or a different saddle or handlebar.

We were able to do all this because the 'house-brand' business model relies on higher mark-up of products (compared to big brands where a most of the price goes to the manufacturer or distributor) but spends a lot more time per bike to make every rider happy... most shops selling bikes manufactured in Taiwan or China don't make enough money on each bike to take that kind of time.

The only bad experience I have had is when the store has turn over with floor staff. I am use to a guy, that just got promoted to manager of a different location, who would do a lot of fit stuff off the floor, for free. Now that he is gone they expect me to pay:(.

I know there is a ton of lbs in the Portland area. Talking with people about their favorite shop is worse than talking to people about their favorite tattoo artist.

I always find it amazing how differently people get treated at different shops. I deal almost exclusively with one shop as I've always been treated great. I now ride with this shops club and help out customers once in awhile. Then others will go in this store and feel as they were treated like sthi. I have been in some places that one day will not give me time of day then be all over you the next. Sometimes thou you may have to understand the crap the owners sometimes have to take as in doing repairs for free on something you know damn well was damaged by rider not equipment. Also many times they have someone come in spend an hour of their time then end up saying well I like the bike but too much money I'll just order a BD bike or go ebay. I'm also a straight forward guy and the shops who give me no time of day I like to tell them how much I typically spend a year on cycling stuff just to see them cringe as I walk out.

There's a bike shop in Lewes, DE, with a mechanic who doesn't know how to install a Presta tube. Does that count?

My problem is that I have a recumbent trike. I've gotten snubbed at every LBS I've gone to. Told 'Get a normal bike'.:notamused: Needless to say, my learning curve on maintenance, fiddling and so forth shot up rather quickly.

At least I was already good with parts of bikes. Unfashionable for a woman to do mechanical things or not. :thumb:

Yes, I've had that experience: walked into a roadie-oriented store with my 'bent when it first came from its previous owner by mail. I was looking to get the wheels/spokes checked out, etc. Minor stuff. And this is a bike with a 1.5" top tube that easily fits on standard work stands. From the sales/maintenance guy's reaction I might as well have taken a dump on the table during a fancy dinner. Since then I've done all the work myself. I figure if I can build million dollar optical instruments I can handle some cable operated brakes...

i can only imagine the looks on their faces if they see a trike.

Where I live, it's a lot easier to have a conversation with the owner from Oct-March (except xmas season) when most people's bikes are put away for the winter, and only bday shoppers are looking for new bikes. Some days are busier too with orders being compiled and shipment receipts, others are slower. This time of year it's a zoo.

You should get a basic bike repair manual, geared to newbies. Get a metric allen wrench set. You should be able to adjust your saddle height, fore-and-aft adjustment and nose-tail angle, ride with different settings and see what's most comfy.

Definitely learn how to use the barrel adjusters on your brakes and derailleurs, and stop screws.

Clean and lube your chain regularly. Clean and oil the cables under the bottom bracket, often if you get mud on them.

Bikes aren't complicated. It's worthwhile learning how to do some basic servicing on them.

Nothing wrong with having N+1 bikes. For example, ride the hybrid in wet and dirty conditions. Easier to ride in heavy traffic as well. Ride a roadbike in dry, windy conditions, and whenever you want to do a lot of miles.

I gotta say, I am overly pleased with my LBS. I went in 4 times asking questions and all 4 times was treated great. I ordered my bike Saturday, they ordered Monday, and wound up having one in store and set up ready for fitting by Tuesday morning. When I went to pick up my bike, the first guy I spoke to did the initial fitting. Then the owner came and made sure everything was good. Then they took it into the back to make some adjustments and install a computer, etc. Their work area is easily accessible for customers in one aisle to be able to watch and talk with the staff. The owner went over the bike with a fine tooth comb.

They speak to you like you have been a family friend forever. I went in this past Saturday to have a couple things checked out and again, BS'd while they did my adjustments. Then hung out for a good 30 minutes before I headed out.

Glad I have not had a bad experience ... otherwise I would have just forgone getting a bike.

I have to agree with rcaddell. My LBS has been super good. They even have a great deal on upgrading any new bike with mechanical discs to hydro for a nominal fee. This place has been open and owned by the same guy almost as long as I have been alive. It is just him and one mechanic/salesman. Always willing to answer my "dumb" newbie questions with a big smile. I hate to hear the bad stories. I work in a job where I have to deal with the public all day. I understand how people can sometimes become unfriendly in the service industry. But you have to step back take a breathe and come back with a smile.

Last time I had 4 brake pads changed at a shop it was $7.50, mind you that was 35 years ago...... Actually for that same $7.50 I can now buy the 4 pads, spend less time doing it then it takes to load up the bike in a car, drive it to the shop, unload it, have the mechanic do it, load it back up, drive home and unload it. Pads are cheap enough that I usually keep a set for each bike at the house, when they need changing, I just change them.

I know it's not all that tough to change brake pads. He was doing an overview of my bike; so I said change them.. When I have done them myself, i toe them in and all. But, it seems I don't get the squeak out.. At only twenty some bucks for all four. Whose sweating it.. I am happy for him to do it.. What . Material for high quality pads might be what.. 20 bucks........ what. Maybe 9 bucks profit to a dedicated trusted, mechanic. That's ok with me.

I worked at a bike shop for 2 years in 88-89 then bought into the shop and was a partner from 90-96. In those years we were meticulous about fitting road bikes and reasonably serious about fit of mountain bikes over $600 (that being the price point where the bike generally was used seriously in the dirt) beyond that, we did a 5 minute check on a stand if the customer was willing to spend the time and made sure saddle height and cockpit length was comfortable. we would change stems ,seats and handle bars for no charge unless the customer was doing a $$ upgrade. then we only charged the difference in wholesale price.

if you bought a bike from us, you never paid for adjustments to brakes or drivetrain.

a bike was test ridden by someone OTHER THAN the mechanic that did any work (usually my partner or myself) before the bike was delivered to the customer. In those 8 years, I don't recall a bike ever coming back for poor work.

Recently, both my wife and I crashed on a rainy day coming off a wood bridge on the SART in Orange county. I took both bikes in to the LBS we bought them from for checkups. $160 later, both bikes still had shifting issues. So I took them to another shop, both had bent derailleur hangers. Needless to say, we wont be back to the shop we bought the bikes from.

I've had a mixed bag of experiences with bike shops. It seems like if you have a newer bike and/or just want to order parts shops are generally pretty nice, although I've had an incident where because I only needed a RD with a certain chain wrap capacity and largest sprocket requirement (didn't care about brand as long as it wasn't garbage) the guy just gave me attitude cuz I didn't say "I just need this particular Shimano model" or something of the sort. He seemed like he just memorized a catalog and didn't actually know how to fix anything. However, if you need anything done on an older bike from the 70s or 80s, I seem to get the runaround for anything besides really minor stuff because they'd rather work on easy stuff on a larger number of bikes and make more money. In my opinion, it seems like bike shops really don't want to work on anything they didn't sell you. I totally understand that and don't have a problem with it, but just don't ask me to give a hoot when I just fix all of my stuff myself and buy from discount online stores and I don't "buy local" anymore. I shop local as much as I can, but when you get treated like you don't matter it's hard to want to give SOME local shops your money.


EDIT: The work I wanted done on my 70s road bike was just redishing/retruing my rear wheel after converting to a 7 speed freewheel, which also caused the chain to hit the side of the frame ever so slightly so that also needed to be fixed. The mechanic told me I had to get a new axle and do a bunch of other stuff to get the wheel fixed ("this will cost more than this bike is worth" was what he told me) when all I did was move a spacer from the left side of the axle to the right and now the chain clears and the wheel seems fine.

Seems like most of you have had pretty good experiences. I will say that in most of the shops I visited before buying, I did get great service.
I was talking to the guy at my new preferred lbs, and he told me I could take my bike over to his other location and they would prop it up on the stationary trainer and make sure everything is kosher.
I'm thinking I might have to cut a couple inches off my handlebars, I'm getting some weakness in my right hand. I thought it might have been my gloves, but I did 24 miles this morning without them, and I can feel it again. Maybe my right hand is just a wimp. :P

I have only had a bad experience in on shop. It's THE shop to go to in our area and supports every cycling related activity in the area, supports two race teams/clubs, has numerous group rides for every level of rider, and has anything you would ever need or want.

My first thre visits there I was mostly ignored and once even insulted for looking at what I was checking out, even though all I was doing was gazing at a "someday" set of wheels.

I know too many people that I respect that hold this shop (bike mall?) in very high regard, so after a few months of boycotting the place I gave them another try. As time went by and I got to know a few employees, (there a a lot of employees), I have changed my mind.

Looking back I can see that the times of day I went were very busy hours for them and I also mistakenly chose badly when I aproached sales people. You would think this wouldn't matter, but believe it does depending on the size of the shop. This place can have as many as 10 or more employees in the store at a given time. They have folks who are MTB guys, Roadie/racer guys, hybrid types, ec, etc.

Being a vintge kind of guy at heart they had one thing going for them that I couldn't ignore. The head mechanic is a treasure trove of knowledge and they have a stash of older parts. I got to know the mechanic and boght a few accessories over time and they got to know me. I also stopped going during peak business hours when everyoe was running around like crazy. It made a difference.

In retrospect, this was all very out of character for me. I normally wouldn't give any business that many oportunities to earn me as a customer, but as stated earlier, I know too many people who swear by the place. All in all, I'm glad I did.

I also have a really small shop with just the owner and a wrench that I frequent, along with my local Performance shop. Never had a bad experience in either one.

I know that at some point a shop has to be written off if the service is really bad. I just wanted to emphasize that everyone can have a bad day. Circumstances can be weird on a given day, and anyone is capable of making a mistake. I think the worst possible scenario is being disregarded due to size. When that happens, it's time to attempt a bit of an educational process. If that doesn't work, time to move on.

I agree, I've given every shop a second chance no matter how good or bad. I have gone in to some shops during peak business hours and not gotten the best service and I can understand they're busy, just don't give me the 'record store snob' attitude :) Somewhat ironically, not wanting to deal with bike people at times has made me dive into fixing my own bike a lot more which, if anything, makes me more attached to my bike. I think some of it is also that all of my bad bike shop experiences have been in the city where every shop is swamped, especially in the summer. Out in the 'burbs and in more rural areas I've had much better luck.

There is one bike shop that I go to more than others in my area. Not only because of convenience, but also because they provide the best service. When I was looking to buy a new bike I wanted to purchase from them, but because of circumstances was unable to. When I showed up with my new bike (from a not so local LBS) and needed work done, they still treated me great. The owner even let me ride his bike when I was in the market for a bike because they didn't have one in the shop my size (the owner and I are about the same height).

An owner from another LBS that I bought a bike from rubs me the wrong way. I've heard he's just that way, but I only do minor business with them now.

I have had a mixed experience with all three LBS's in town and to be honest I still frequent all three of them depending on what I need to purchase or have done and what time frame I am willing to have it preformed in.

Bike shop A: located 1.5 miles from my house. Sells Trek, Cervello, GF, Giant, and Bianchi. I've tried three times now to buy a bike from them and each and every time the salesman rubs me the wrong way and I just can't bring myself to drop any cash. Last time I wanted to check out the Bianchi Axis and they didn't have one in my size. The salesman couldn't be bothered to check to see if they had any more in stock "i don't think we do and we probably don't have we can order in. You'll have to wait until the next years shipment comes in". Maybe so, but in the mean time you will have to kiss my butt, I'll go give my money to a shop that wants it. Ironically they are the "highest ranked" bike shop in town, sponsor a ton of events and generally have top notch mechanics. I go to them when I need a tool, bag, or a repair done ASAP.

Bike Shop B: Has the hipster vibe, sells Raleigh, Diamondback, Bianchi, and Surly. They have the best, most knowledgeable sales staff who would bend over backwards to make you happy. Nothing seems to be a problem. They were great mechanics (note: were), the last few times I have had service work done I was not satisfied with it and ended up redoing most of it myself. I still love the shop and if I need to buy anything that does not involve a mechanic then I certainly will do so.

Bike Shop C: Specialized, Felt, Jamis, and some custom built brand. The floor staff leaves much to be desired but the selection and prices are outstanding. Almost every brand new bike is on sale, I just picked up an 09 Spec tricross sport for 1250 (MSRP 1450). Prices are very fair and they took the time to measure and do a proper fitting free of charge, they even measured my shoulders to determine that I needed a wider handlebar which has made a world of difference in my comfort (turns out I'm a gorilla or something like that). So far the mechanical work seems excellent and all in all I like the shop even though they are primarily a winter sports store that sells bike in the summer. We'll see how they do in ski season. Selection of bike related stuff in stock is somewhat limited.

Every shop has a completely different vibe, familiarize yourself with all of them and adjust your spending habits accordingly.

Here's a suggestion...post a review detailing your LBS experiences, good or bad, on google maps, yelp, or other consumer review services, and give the benefit of what you learned to other cyclists in your area. Before I patronize any local business with a major (or even sometimes minor) purchase for the first time, I always check out their reviews. It's not a bad idea to check the BBB web site as well, especially before a major purchase.

^^^ Great advice but I tend to take the reviews I read online with a grain of salt, wedge of lemon, and a shot of tequila. Mainly the people who go through the effort of writing up a review on googlemaps had a bad expirience and they want to moan and complain to anyone who will take the time to look it up. Never mind the other 99.5% of the customers the buisness made happy. It's like they say, if you provide excellent customer service above and beyond what your customer expects they will tell a friend. Provide sub par service and they will tell ten friends.