Originally Posted by
adebrunner
What shops are you talking about, out of curiosity, particularly the excellent one? I have had similar experiences here in Camp Hill...I really like Mountain Side Ski and Sports in Mechanicsburg and I like World Cup alright, but I've found that nobody has any idea what they're talking about anywhere besides Mountain Side. Holmes is an awesome bike shop, but it's so hit or miss about who you get for service. The people are friendly at World Cup but not knowledgeable. I think all of this is a total crapshoot and since bike shops get exclusivity for their brands, it makes it easy for them to lay back and accept whatever business happens to pass through.
I like Pedal Pushers on Walnut. Not the greatest selection of parts and whatnot to pick from, but they are not jerks. Prices seem to be about what everywhere else is.
The excellent one is Merv's Bike Shop. USAZorro alluded to it in his message. It is a pretty good haul from Camp Hill, since it is about 2/3rds of the way to Shippensburg from Carlisle. Maybe too far for weekly visits for you, but sometime you should make up some excuse to get in there. Fantastic prices, best stock of any place I have ever seen, and while Merv and his boys are sort of shy (maybe a Mennonite thing?), they are extraordinarily helpful. They will leave you alone in the store and will not be too quick to offer help, but if you ask them to help, they will do anything for you. Its not too hard to find (take hwy 11 out of Carlisle towards Shippensburg. Take a left on Firehouse road (maybe about 14 miles out of Carlisle), and his shop is on the left after about 1/3 of a mile.
jim
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