xpenny

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.

Alrocket

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

baldylocks

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

jankon73

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?

blu3d0g

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

xpenny

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

spider-man

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.

xpenny

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.

spider-man

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.

Boss Moniker

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).

jane fixie

i mean, what do you expect?!

lyeinyoureye

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.

dirtyphotons

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...

spider-man

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.)

lyeinyoureye

You must get some looks for that!

2manybikes

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.

2manybikes

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.

dutret

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.

stet

AMEN!

hyperRevue

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.

jyossarian

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.

dutret

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.

LóFarkas

Returning customers do.

dutret

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

operator

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.