Originally Posted by
nick__45
OP here,
the two shops i speak of have been around for about 20 years and are the only game in town. a lot of people with money i guess. i always thought a purpose of riding a bike is to save money by living responsibly but i am having second thought by the price of these bikes. :>)
Even an expensive bike will save you money in the long run (as long as you ride it frequently), and even up front may not cost as much as a year of auto insurance. I've had one bike for 18 years, a mountain bike was around for at least 10 years, and my latest touring/commuter bicycle is already 4 years old. So think of it as a long-term investment. Of course you shouldn't spend more than you need to, but do get a bike that fits you and one that is suited to the type of riding you plan to do. I always tell people to buy from a shop they are comfortable with, even if it costs a little more. In five or ten years you might still be riding that bike, and by then you won't care if you paid $100 more than you thought you should have. During that same amount of time you'll probably get some free quick adjustments from the shop, and hopefully quality service and repairs that are worth the price.
Here is what I would do about the poor customer service you received at these two local shops: As someone who has managed a few apathetic employees, I recommend that you relate your experience to the store managers and/or owners. Like many industries it can be really hard to find good help in the bike shop business. I can assure you that the owner wants customers to have good experiences, and he or she may not be aware that there is a problem from the customer's perspective.
Of course there are shop owners and managers that just aren't good at training employees or supervising them, so it's possible your complaint will not help... but it might. And since you only have two local bike shops to choose from, do what you can to improve their service by reporting your experiences to the manager or owner. If the management is worth their salt, they will take it as an opportunity to re-train the staff.
The best bike shops take pride in service before anything else, and my favorites cater to commuters and casual cyclists as much as racers and mountain bikers. It's a competitive business... especially now that people can order parts, accessories, and entire bicycles online. You don't have to give the owner your name when you call to complain about your experience, but given that he needs your business he might just offer you a discount to get you back into the store.
Sean