Pacific Bicycle in SF I liked - thanks Darcy for the test rides and, later, quick frame warranty.

The Performance shop near there I liked, too, although there was a real df that worked there, the other staff more than makes up! - great sound system, big roomy store.

Snobby ahole at the Berkeley Performance did order small parts for my mtn pedals a couple of Decembers ago; heh, did he perk up when I asked him, "...do you ride a lot?" So, a few weeks later, I call to see if the parts are in, as I'll be in Berkeley. My luck, I get the same guy, who slowly, and with emphasis, states that they will call me when they come in. Three weeks later, I call, get the same thing, same guy. A few weeks later, I call, and get a different voice, and, yup, they are in. Turns out the parts had been sitting in the shop since before my first call. Just my time and energy, that's all.

Mnt bike crank ruined, I call WC Performance to see what they have - a low end RaceFace, just like what I have in my hands, for reasonable price, o.k. It's obviously an OEM removed from a new bike and thrown in a box, and the bottombracket is Truvativ, also removed from a new bike and boxed, but o.k., I'm desperate. Too bad I didn't notice until setting down at home to do the install that the pedal threads are FUBAR and there are parts missing from the bb kit. Just my time and energy, that's all.

In the first case, the manager made good, in the second case, there was grumbling about the return policy, implying that I was at fault, but in that case I couldn't be bothered to escalate.

Nobody's perfect, including YOU; you make your choices, try to make them smart ones, including treating people well, even they act like aholes. Maybe they had a bad day. The man who handed me the f'd up crank - his son was in the hospital; he was running on autopilot, poor bstrd.

Both stores have/had some great people.