brandenjs

Just at my local LBS and telling him about my Le Tour that I found and the reaction I got was pretty surprising. He suggested I get rid of all that old crap and get a real bike. HUH? I would just like to know what the definition of a "real" bike is. If by real bike he means a $2000 ride that he has on the showroom than I guess I'll stick with my old crap. I have a soft spot in me about keeping a old classic on the road. I have a feeling I'm not alone in this. I know alot of this was in good fun on his part but it still struck me as kind of odd. If we all had brand new bikes this section of the forum would'nt be any fun at all. I think I've discovered a new addiction since I've been posting with all of you on here..My wife would agree...

reverborama

On the plus side, it was that kind of attitude that got me a pristine ~'83 Raleigh Marathon for $20 this summer.

gr23932

It's not only you. I went from one road bike in May to.....can't say the actual number because the wife sometimes visits this site. As for your LBS telling you that crap; ignore them. I'm able to keep up and blow past guys with full carbon bikes on a daily basis with my piece of "crap" steel Merckx. It's not the bike that really matters on a ride.

big chainring 

Did he have a nice used bike, only ridden to church on Sundays by an old lady, to show you?
Le Tour? Sounds like one of those french bikes.

Sammyboy

I would've said what you said, but instead of here? To his face.

alanbikehouston

How old was the guy "knocking" your Le Tour? Sounds like a kid. The Schwinn Le Tour name was used on a wide variety of bikes, from some that were average in their price range, to some that were well above average. Any Le Tour that is tuned and in good condition is a nice "around town" bike.

The guys in the LBS in my neighborhood have great respect for the old Schwinns, including the lowly Varsity. When they get one in good condition as a "trade", they recondition it, tune it up, and sell it for a nice profit, the selling price reflecting both their usefulness as neighborhood transportation, and their important role in cycling history.

jcm

By my sig, you can see that I have an '06 Sequoia Elite in my herd. It's a nice, comfy recreational-class road bike of modern manufacture. But, it's the '95 Scott that has me regreting the purchase, since I bought the Sequoia new. I paid $150 for the Scott, and even though it's not vintage or classic, the fun factor is very high, and the lines are beautiful compared to many of the "real" bikes out there today. Ride what you like.

USAZorro

I guess I'm rather lucky. I go to two LBS's, and they both are very understanding, and actually helpful in enabling me with my habit. Maybe it's worth another conversation with the guy who told you that to see how serious he was. See what he meant by that. Maybe he would have drooled over your bike if it had been a '69' Cinelli.

pastorbobnlnh 

Today I delt with a guy on the telephone at this place WA. https://www.aspirevelotech.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc

I'm trying to fit a nice alloy headset to the '73 Super Sport Dr.Deltron is painting. They couldn't answer the question about tpi, but said they would call Chris King and get right back to me. When he asked what I was planning, and I told him, he was very interested, asking about paint color, decals, and the other components. It was a great experience.

Hobartlemagne 

You misunderstood him- he was talking in code. He really said:
"I have no idea how this business operates. Spend your money at another shop because
I just can't wrap my head around the concepts of 'service' and 'repeat business' "

brandenjs

That's what surprised me the most. He is an older gentleman with a vast knowledge of bikes. And this shop used to be a Schwinn store. Don't get me wrong I really like talking to him and the other guys that work there, they have been great suppliers for my addiction. And I hold no grudge against him at all. It just kind of put into perspective how different all aspects and outlooks on this sport can be. I'd bet if he saw the bike he would probably be snapped back to the day when you did'nt have to worry about cracking the frame on a pothole. Nothing against those who have been able to step up to the newest and greatest because I may be there eventually..For now I'm lovin ridin some good old nostalgic steel..

SchwinnGirl

That sucks. In my opinion, the bike shop person should appreciate your love of the Le Tour (salivate) or bikes in general. Grr.

markwebb

Maybe he meant that to do any serious touring or riding get a "real" road bike.

Hey - Before you react please know that I am the retro groutchiest of the retro groutches and I think Grant Peterson often walks on water, I think aluminum is for beer cans only, and I really dig lugs and steel - but even back in the day a Schwinn LeTour was not considered anything except a cheap low end product. When I rode with a club back in the late 60's and early 70's no one in the club in LA rode LeTours. No one raced on them. They were a kids bike or teenagers bike to get around the neighborhood, and maybe you took it with ya to college - but even back then it really wasn't a "real" bike in the sense of a real road bike made for all day touring, club events, century's, or any sort of racing except around the block against the other kids in your tract or subdivsion.

Now, if he was talkin' about a Peugeout U08 those would have been fightin' words. I took a yellow UO8 in 1974, replaced the Simplex derailleurs with SunTour, replaced the shifters, and went out and did lots of road races in the SoCal LA San Fernando Westlake Ventura CO areas. And I could outclimb virtually everyone. I owned Decker Canyon. And the darn thing weighed about 2 million pounds, and rolled on cheap stock wheels. But even the U08 was several classes abouve a LeTour.

SchwinnGirl

Mark, while you do have a point, and I am not trying to be rude to you at all, it's still a jerky thing to say, in my opinion. Lol, I am so not a road bike person, so I couldn't tell you the differences in class between all these bikes, and as a layman, I would find it offensive. I think that anyone patronizing his business deserves respect, regardless of what they do or don't ride, and this guy clearly didn't respect (at least, to me.)

Keep in mind though, I dealt with a real jerk in a LBS not too long ago, solely based on my gender. That jerk.

old_alfie

I live in the Quad Cities Iowa / Illinois with 4 full-service bike shops and a very-busy and successful BMX-only bike shop. Not a one of those shops really _is glad_ to get my special-order business for a chain, tire, etc kind of items. I ought add that I refurb only Sturmey Archer 3-spd bikes and most of them Chicago Schwinns. Only 1 of the 4 actually adds a bit of friendliness to his politeness and he's the one who gets my wheel builds and my more-technical special orders.

Of the remaining 3 full-service shops 2 are polite but cool and the 4th, which is the local TREK Store, is downright forward aboout using terminology like "we only carry components for _upscale_ bicycles (emphasis there was the shop owner's) and can't be expected to carry a single-speed chain. That last came about when I asked them to QBP-order me a nickle plated 1/8th inch chain. I had to explain first what I meant by asking for "1/8th inch" chain.

So all of this is fine, I now lose a tad of convenience but save a wad of cash. I buy my chains, brake pads, cables and some tires from Niagara Cycle online and hold off ordering till I have a $75 order to get free shipping. Online I get a much better item price and pay no 7% sales tax. For the "upscale" saddles and bags I put on my refurbed Schwinns and other 3-spdrs, I shop carefully and watch the sales at about 25 or so online sellers. My Kenda Schwinn tires and my occasional Continental tires I get from Biketiresdirect but again, waiting till I can buy $75 worth gets me $5 shipping from them.

Bottom line, I don't get insulted or demeaned and save money as well.
alf

well biked

While le tours weren't high end, if we're talking about an '83 or later le tour the frame is full chromo of some type of another. It's funny to me how desirable, to some folks anyway, a new lugged chromo frame with sport touring or touring geometry is these days. They're quite expensive, too. And yet you can go buy yourself an old chromoly le tour at a garage sale, and there you go. That's certainly one of the things I like about my '83 le tour luxe, which I've upgraded and modernized completely. I've owned the bike since it was about a year old, the original components weren't so great, but now it's what I consider the near perfect tourer/commuter. But I realize my approach isn't for everyone-

Sammyboy

My LBS isn't really friendly, or more accurately, the boss isn't. All the others are, but he's always surly. However, he'll take any work, no matter how small, his rates are good, and he tries to help. If I need a fixed cup that's stuck in a frame removing, they'll do it for a couple of quid. Likewise, if I can't get a freewheel off (yep, you're getting the idea of the sort of work I give them), they'll do it. And he never tries to talk me out of my lugged 531 and into a carbon fibre monster.

USAZorro

We need to know which era his bike is from. If it's from the mid 80's it is actually a quite nice bike with 4130 tubing. Still, not something the racers ever chose, but a nice bike.

Versa2nr

perhaps you might direct him into getting a "real" job...

John E

I had quite the opposite experience recently at my second most favorite LBS, Encinitas Bicycle Retailer, owned and operated by the son of Craig Breedlove, whom some of you may recall from his world land speed record runs at Bonneville with his Spirit of America jet cars. His head mechanic closely inspected my 1959 Capo and seemed duly impressed. (I have always considered it to be a real bike. )

John E

Mark, I share your opinion that the UO-8 is surprisingly good for a basic carbon steel frame (see my signature -- mine has a Shimano Titlist front derailleur, a SunTour Cyclone II rear derailleur, SunTour barcons, one of the last Sugino 144mm BCD cranksets, a short-rake fork, and a Normandy Luxe Competition hubset), but I wonder objectively whether the UO-8 frame is that much better than the LeTour.

John E

If one of my two favorite LBS (Leucadia Cyclery and Encinitas Bicycle Retailer) has what I want in stock, I am happy to support a deserving neighborhood business. If I need to special-order anything, particularly any vintage part or component, it makes far more sense to buy it over the Internet, where eBay or CraigsList may even be the sole source if LooseScrews or Harris Cyclery doesn't have it.

Stacey

The owner of my LBS is always busting on me. "You and that old junk" he says.

I've been explaining to him how the profit margin percentage is higher on my old steel junk, than it is on his brand new $2000 plastic bikes.

He then quietly aske me... "Do you need a brake or shifter cable?"

FlatTop

This is where the "support your LBS" argument always falls apart. The average LBS seems to want my business, but only if that means buying new bicycles from them, getting all service done there, and buying quantities of accessories and apparel. To be repeated on a three year cycle.

I'm not destined to enrich my LBS and they damn well know it:
They would happily sell me a bike, but won't stock anything that appeals to me.
The parts and accessories that I'd willingly fork over my cash to buy are unfortunately nowhere on his shelves.
He has a plentitude of stock to sell, so ordering things just for me from suppliers is a bother.
I'd love to have some wheels made for a couple of my projects using my hubs, but nobody in the shop can do such fiddly work.

This leaves tubes and pumps. Pretty dismal.

melville

OK then. What would any of you say to a LBS where S stood for Shop and not Store? Repair and used bike consignment only? Encouraging customers to rekindle that old love with a good dusting, new tires and cables and barwrap? If I were to run such a thing in my small town out here on the edge of the continent, would I be living fat and happy or would I be saving up for when ramen noodles went on sale?

I've been out of the biz for nearly 10 years and I'm itching just a little to get back in. When I was in it, the part of it that was the biggest crapshoot was stocking and selling the new bikes and if I could do without that I'd sleep better.

Hope this isn't too big a hijack, but there seems to be a gathering of the disgruntled here. I'd like to hear what you have to say.