onespeedbiker

In the interest of fairness (after my "Has an LBS ever ripped you off") I want to also talk about all the good things that come from a brick and mortar local bike shop or dealer. My best story is about the West Coast Marzocchi Service Center in Valencia, CA. (which unfortunately is now closed) I bought a 2002 Marzocchi Atom 100 and rode it very hard on my single speed. About a year and a few months later a seal was leaking from one of the stanchions so I sent it to Marzocchi for a rebuild. When it came back it was still leaking and I discovered there was a groove on the back of one of the stanchions probably made by a piece of grit trapped in the seal. I then sent the shock back again to see if it could be fixed. The tech at Marzocchi got back to me; first he apologized profusely for sending the shock to me in the condition it was in. Unfortunately he also said the stanchion tube needed to be replaced and since the stanchions were pressed into the steerer, they would have to replace the entire upper and since the warranty had expired the cost would be $300. He then gave me the option of paying $50 more, trading in my old shock and upgrade to a new Marathon shock. Well I didn't have the $300 or $350 so I told him I would have to think it over. The next morning I received a call from the Tech who told me he had found a blemished Atom 100 upper, which has a small scratch on one stanchion; he scratch was also high enough on the stanchion that it would not rub against the seal. The tech said he could not sell the upper because of the scratch, so he said if was acceptable to me, he would install it (post date the purchase so it appeared to be a warranty fix) with a new seal kit for no charge other than the original cost of the tuneup and oil change ($75). Of course I agreed and Marzocchi shipped it back no charge and even credited me the cost of shipping it back to them the second time. I will never know how far this tech really went for me, but the scratch on the stanchion is so minor it could have been right at the seal and it would not have made any difference.

miamijim

One of my local shops does, great guys there.

fietsbob

Past owner of the local allowed use of his seat tube reamer to 27.2 my BS RB1 seat post , not worked there ,
Got a good deal on a CoOp made Burly Flatbed.. trailer ..
consigned my BoB FS, there..


though the Mgr.

[Running the business and stipended paying the widow of the guy who started the business,]
(to keep her from driving the place in the river..)

more recently, Offered me a gig..


Token geezer

speedevil 

Yes. The guys at the local shop are knowledgeable and helped me with the adjustments on the brakes and derailleurs when I built up my CAAD8 frame. They wouldn't charge me for their time, and I asked several times. They've also helped with some odd parts and help I needed for my LeMond build - removed/replaced the crown race; removed old headset cups; insert new headset cups; brake cable ferrules because Campy doesn't include them any longer; recessed nut for the front brake caliper; checking/straightening the derailleur hanger; etc.

I bought a pizza for them, and I ordered bar tape and the stem through them even though I could have paid less online. I'm sure that if I needed some work done that I didn't have the expertise or tools to do, they would gladly do it, and probably wouldn't let me pay them for it. I send every bit of bicycle business I can to them.

RaleighSport

Sadly the only LBS around here that I felt went above and beyond, also went under , he was stocked with vintage NOS and used parts.. frames/forks.. full bikes, new bikes etc... always had what I needed and always tried to sell it at a fair price, also made sure if he didn't have what I needed he could point me to where I could lay my hands on it that very day... RIP Uncle Crusty's

Looigi

Yes. There's one shop owner around here who will go to ludicrous degrees to help out a customer having an issue with a product.

wphamilton

There's a local bike service shop here that really impresses me, "Fresh Bicycle of Roswell". I wanted to see if they'd really work on anything so I brought in a big box bike and asked them to get the bottom bracket out. Although the drive side cup wasn't coming off, they did succeed in repacking the bearings while resisting the commentary that the bike deserved, and charged less than the trouble objectively rated. Highly recommended.

floridamtb

Trek Bikes Florida, both the Fort Lauderdale and Sunrise locations. When it came down to all things being equal between a Trek Madone and Specialized Allez I picked Trek specifically because of the bike shop. I'd also already been dealing with the Trek store with my mountain bike. But lately I've been having issues with a lot of flats on the rear tire, they've really stepped up to resolve the issue. I'll never go anywhere else!