Chicocreole

So I bought a brand new Truvativ Rueler Crank & Bottom Bracket off ebay, now I know its a bad idea to buy things of ebay but it was a good price and the product was as advertised. One problem it didn't come with a BB tool, so I thought I would take it to a LBS and have them install it for me.

First he doesn't have the tool, then he asks me if I really want to install this crank & BB. so I aks why do you ask is there a problem with it since I bought of the net. He tells me that no it is just inferior product and doesn't have the quality of shimano or campy and it the BB will probably only last a week.

and then he tries to sell me some old raggidy used Campy crank for 40 bucks ----- WTF is he on crack

So I call another LBS who carries bikes with Truvativ Cranks & BB, he doesn't have a BB tool for truvativ, so I ask him what do you do if you have a problem one of the bike that you sell how do you remove the BB he sais it hasn't been an issue!

thewalrus

I'm not sure whether you're talking about a truvativ external bearing BB (which uses the same tool as Dura Ace bottom brackets), or their ISIS, which should use a tool similar to shimano octalink BBs.

anyways, what does communism have to do with the soup nazi?

no soup for you!

Chicocreole

sorry not a big Seinfeld fan!

tinrobot

There must have been a forgotten "Soup Commie" episode.

No soup for the proletariat!

Chicocreole

thanks man its the Giga Pipe GXP BB, are you sure that the dura-ace tool will work with it?

nitropowered

Yup, the Hollowtech 2 tool works for it. Works for all the Hollowtech 2 BB units, (XTR, XT, LX, Saint, Dura-Ace, Ultegra, 105) also for the FSA Mega-Exo and Truvativ units

jemoryl

Hmmm, I guess I missed the part of Das Kapital where churlish and incompetent bike shop owners were discussed. What you experienced seems more typical of petit bourgeois capitalist shopkeeper behaviour....

demoncyclist

Park BBT-9 is the correct tool for the Giga Pipe BB that goes with the Roleur Crankset. That is what I have on my R900 and I haven't had to touch it yet.

iamtim

*blink, blink*

I thought that was the episode where the Soup Commie gave everyone equal shares of soup -- no more, no less?

:-)

shokhead

Keep calling around and see what its going to cost vs buying a tool for yourself.

tekhna

I'm pretty confident that the bit about cyclist shop owners is a Leninist digression-If I recall correctly it's in "What is to be Done" but I could be wrong.

TrekDen

I would have thought most shops would have this on hand. I could be wrong though.

Park BBT 9 from Performance $19.99

hairyleg

Hm, it seems the LBS guys are generally not very helpful unless you buy from them. I know all the guys at our LBS and I am still trying to figure out how to break it to them that I just got a new frameset on the internet. Ebay actually, just go for 100% feedback people.
Yet another reason to learn how to do all your own bike work.

Dizzy

Except for some people who get more soup. This is because some people are more equal then other people.

Coyote2

I would not expect to be welcomed with open arms when approaching my LBS mechanic with internet parts.

alxra

He says it's not an issue, but if they sell bikes with Truvativ cranks, didn't he have to put the BB and crank on during initially assembly? What tool did he use then?

It's getting harder and harder to get any kind of service from businesses unless you are one of the original majority investors. I'm speaking generally of course, as there is always the exception. But who has time to find the exception?

You ought to buy something expensive from both of those bike shops, and then return it complaining that nobody called to follow-up on the sale.

iamtim

Right, exactly. I remember that episode.

merlinextraligh

Let's see, you bought a part of the internet from a source with little or no overhead because they have no pysical facility and provide no service, at a price your LBS can't hope to match, and you want them to install it for you for a couple of dollars, (and take on your future complaints when it creaks, or doesn't shift well with your other internet purchased componets) Does it surprise you they couldn't find the tool?
Have you bought things from these guys before? They have no obligation to help put themselves out of business.
When you buy on the internet you're forgoing advice (i.e. making sure you get the right part to fit, etc.) and service. If you don't need those things, then the internet may work for you. If you need the service, however, it's reasonable that you buy the part from the shop.
Personally, I'll buy things on occassion on line, that I can install and adjust myself. But I also like the service I get from my LBS, so I make sure I throw enough business their way that they are always glad to see me.

Bottom line. You get what you pay for. (at least not more), and you didn't pay for the LBS's service. It's actually not communism, nazism, or fascism, it's capitalism.

geneman

Maybe the majority of their profit is loaded into the part, but I doubt it. It's not that way in the automotive industry and I doubt it's that way in the bicycle industry. So, they're refusing income on principle? That's either a crappy way to conduct business or a sign that the times are perhaps a little "too good" for bike store owners. I vote for the former. Worst case scenario, they should accept his business but put it behind customers that purchase hardware from the store.

Maybe he changes his mind as a customer and makes all future purchases through the store.

Mark

DXchulo

WTF are these shops thinking?

I mean, it seems pretty simple to me- earn $20 or so installing an internet part or earn $0 by being an ******* about it.

This kind of idiot behavior isn't going to make people stop buying from the internet. In fact, it probably makes things worse. Why buy anything from a shop that lied to you?

They just pissed away the chance to make some money, and they're probably the type of shop that whines about how little money they make. I wonder why?

merlinextraligh

Things a little too good for bike store owners? I don't see a rush of new capital heading into the local bike shop market to take advantage of the excess profits being generated in this segment. With the internet , ebay, on one side, and Wal Mart, and Performance on the other, do you really believe that?

geneman

Re-read my post ... I said "I vote for the former," suggesting that I think it's just plain bad business.

merlinextraligh

Whether it's a rational decision, I think is debatable, depending on the business model. It's perfectly rational to say we're going to focus our efforts on providing high touch full service work for customers who typically don't do their own work and buy bikes from us.
You're unlikely to get rich doing the one off job for the guy that buys everything on the net, and gives you one job a year for $20, when he doesn't have the tool.
Of course you could choose to make your model that you only provide service for parts bought online, and don't even stock parts because the margin is too low, and it may come to that.
Regardless of how rational the decision not to install parts bought elsewhere, it is certainly an understandable human reaction, and one that the LBS has every right to make. They can choose who they deal with and on what terms. If you don't like it you don't have to go there. It doesn't make them Nazi's.

Mr_Super_Socks

I don't think he was asking for free or discounted service. He just went to a place where bike mechanics ply their trade and asked them to do some work on his bike at whatever price they charge. He was willing to "pay for" the service.

The fact they tried to sell him something crappy when he had a perfectly good part is just shady.

fawelsh

Local bike shops have always been the place of last resort when it comes to buying bike components. The LBS owner would probably be the first to admit it. All of my LBSs have an extremely limited selection at hefty markups, which they have on hand in case someone needs it badly enough that they are willing to pay premium. Complete bikes are their bread and butter. Friendly, competant service is the best advertising of all if they want to sell bikes. I would never buy a bike from a shop that doesn't have the tools required to fix the bikes they carry.