i76gts
06-28-04, 08:22 AM
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General Cycling Discussion - the nitty gritty of bike buying
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i76gts
06-28-04, 08:24 AM
im working on a project about bike stores any stories anyone has about buying bikes and what you look for in a bike. or problems you have with store layouts or anything.
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H_Roark
06-28-04, 09:04 AM
LBS's are like any other store. Some are good, some are bad, and some can go either way depending on the day and who you talk to.
The last time I was in one, a salesman rushed up the moment he saw me eyeballing the $6000 Treks. He lost interest compeletely when he found out that eyeballing was all I was doing; I was there for a new pair of gloves. That store is in a very affluent area, and I got the distinct impression that unless you were there to spend a lot of money, they had no real interest.
Another LBS near me has very knowledgeable staff who are quite friendly. Unfortunately, both times I have taken a bike there for simple work, (tire out of round, deraileur hanging up) the work was done, but not all that well. The wheel was better than it had been, but still not completely round, and the shifters came out of adjustment a week or two after I picked the bike up.
The last time I bought a bike from an LBS was when I got my Gary Fisher in California. The shop owner helped me pick a bike, make sure it was sized, took some time to ensure that that bike was the best for me, and threw in a free tune-up after 100 miles. All in all, it was a very pleasant experience, and I'm still very much in love with the bike a little over a year later.
The last time I was in one, a salesman rushed up the moment he saw me eyeballing the $6000 Treks. He lost interest compeletely when he found out that eyeballing was all I was doing; I was there for a new pair of gloves. That store is in a very affluent area, and I got the distinct impression that unless you were there to spend a lot of money, they had no real interest.
Another LBS near me has very knowledgeable staff who are quite friendly. Unfortunately, both times I have taken a bike there for simple work, (tire out of round, deraileur hanging up) the work was done, but not all that well. The wheel was better than it had been, but still not completely round, and the shifters came out of adjustment a week or two after I picked the bike up.
The last time I bought a bike from an LBS was when I got my Gary Fisher in California. The shop owner helped me pick a bike, make sure it was sized, took some time to ensure that that bike was the best for me, and threw in a free tune-up after 100 miles. All in all, it was a very pleasant experience, and I'm still very much in love with the bike a little over a year later.
H_Roark
06-28-04, 09:05 AM
BTW-I won't mention the names of the other shops, but the one in CA was called "Adventure bikes" or something along those lines. They're located in Oceanside.