Originally Posted by
FBinNY
Sadly the skill and caring level of bike shops has declined materially over those years, and the service you got isn't rare at all these days. But just as there are sloppy uncaring shops, there are great ones with knowledgeable, caring staff. The trick is sorting them out.
Oh trust me, I know. The level of everything has declined; everyone became car salesmen. Bike salesmen are no-knowledge plebs with no clue what they're selling you or how to size a bike. They work on commission and try to push crap--I told mine I was looking for a commuter (I was eying the GT I bought before I talked to a salesman) in the $400-$500 range and he immediately pulled down the $800 bike and started insisting that I need disc brakes. I would love disc brakes... in the range I'm looking to pay, without crap-ifying the rest of the parts in exchange.
There was a time when businesses were staffed by people with requirements like knowledge and customer service ability, not mindless minimum-wage con artists.
Originally Posted by
FBinNY
Meanwhile, in case you're not sure your bike likely requires a 5x.8mm screw for the rack/fender eye. While your there buy extras preferably in stainless steel.
Another bike shop told me it was probably the same screw as the water bottle cage and I might be able to pop that in there temporarily, but that screw didn't fit (I tried, I happen to have replaced them with longer ones while adding a bike pump under the water bottle cage). They seem to have better service thus far, but it's also a smaller shop, and only 4 miles away, so I'll be there tomorrow for a new screw. I'll be going to them from now on probably, since they seem to still provide decent service; hopefully they're technically knowledgeable as well, and a little more careful than the other one.
None of these bike shops have bike racks out front!