Originally Posted by
cj3209
A local bike shop can be really nice to have, close by. I am very lucky to have multiple ones around where I live. They helped me with seating a stubborn tubeless tire, adjusting my hydraulic brakes, maintaining my Mtn Bike, and other things that I cannot do for myself (at least not at the moment). Plus, you can have nice conversations with the bike mechanics which is priceless although, I have to admit, I learn alot from watching youtube videos.
Cheers!
We have three LBS in my area, and at this point I only consider one worth going to.
Shop 1 is a Trek dealer, run by two guys with decades of experience and ****** attitudes. It's the closest shop to me so I've used it in the past, but when they became active covid deniers I decided I was done there.
Shop 2 is a Giant dealer. Have never used them but a buddy of mine does. Recently a friend of mine bought herself and her two kids three bikes, plus a rack setup at this shop. The shop charged her $30 per bike to "setup" the bikes...not sure exactly what that entailed except whatever it was it was a ripoff. On her bike the (D-shaped) seatpost was sliding down during rides despite being as tight as possible. She took it back and they put some assembly paste on it which seemed to solve the problem. However there were other issues - one of the chain links was essentially frozen (probably where the chain was connected). I replaced it with a KMC missing link. The rear derailleur was really poorly adjusted so I fixed that. The front derailleur wasn't even set up - he told her not to worry about ever shifting the front gears, just leave it in the small ring. I adjusted that and explained to her how the combinations of gears work. I have no idea what he actually charged her for, but it certainly wasn't to ensure the bike was properly assembled and adjusted.
Shop 3 is a Specialized / Cannondale dealer run by a young(er than me) guy with some even younger mechanics. They're all enthusiastic and knowledgeable. One mechanic who looked like he isn't old enough to drive solved a problem for me by cutting some spokes to size and re-threading the ends. THey host shop rides for all levels, and seem to be really building a local riding community.