Originally Posted by Blue_Bulldog

Uhhh, my bike began life as a Wal Mart bike. Granted the only thing still factory on her is the frame, forks, and handlebars... yet, thats where she began life. And I did a century on her. Granted with a buttload of modifications at my LBS..which brings me to my point

There's a shop in my town which will remain nameless, that has sat downtown since I'm pretty sure before Lee surrendered to Grant at Appomattox. It's "A Greenville Institution" and apparently if you don't get your stuff there, you're a terrorist.

Ok, I hate that shop. With a complete passion, hate it. And I'm a pacifist so for me to hate anything is a feat. They are the most condescending and snooty jerks I have ever seen run a bike shop. Unless you're in their cute little EC Velo club, you're a second class citizen who doesn't deserve eye contact. On top of this, these guys are worse shysters than personal injury lawyers and car mechanics combined. I have literally seen them charge $45/hr labor to merely take a look at a bike, come back and say there's nothing wrong with it, charge for the entire three hours it was in the shop waiting to be worked on, and then when the people come back with the identical issue? Double the parts charge to do the actual repair they could have done the first time. I hate this shop and if it ever burned down, I would happily be there making s'mores and singing Camptown Races.

Meanwhile, on the other side of town.....

Babits Bikes (yeah im giving them a plug) is owned by this one guy who literally just digs on some bikes. Sells normal equipment at barely above cost. Will do repairs at minimal labor, stays often till after 11pm to get bikes out when promised, and is hands down one of the nicest people you've ever met... because he likes seeing new bike riders. They have one employee (who is smoking hot) and she is equally as friendly and nice. Both of them will flat out tell you they operate the way they do because the other shop is such a grease fire, and they know how to treat people and not be greedy.

And they have never once frowned on my bike because of her origin, and actually looked at the "tricking out" process as a neat project.

MORAL OF THE STORY:
There is always another game in town. If you're less than thrilled... take your business elsewhere. As the cliche goes, if you dont make the customer happy, someone else will.