Zaphod Beeblebrox 

Aside from all the countless other times they've helped me out, done great work and hooked me up with free stuff...today was really cool.

I brought my french threaded TA cranks down to see if they could tap them to english threading. Come to find out the head mechanic (who is around my age and also a C&V junkie) formerly worked in a machine shop as a fabricator. Well I guess he was happy to have something out of the everyday ordinary to do because I dropped the cranks off and proceeded to ride the 6 miles to work. I walk in the door of my office and my phone is ringing. Its the mechanic from the Bike Store. Just letting me know my cranks are done and I can pick them up any time

talk about quick turn-around!

Just another reason why making friends with the guys at the Local Bike Shop is a good thing. I owe those dudes some beer.

ColonelJLloyd 

An LBS like that is a valuable asset.

My favorite LBS is very similar. It's a one man shop that deals almost exclusively in 70s and 80s lugged steel. I think the only new frames he sells are Soma and I'm not sure he's even sold one (new shop). Most of his bikes are priced from $300-500. He goes through everything on the bikes he sells and has a few boxes in front of the counter that display the worn out parts he replaces. On top of that he's been generous with his time and walked me through cleaning and repacking bearings in headsets, BBs and hubs. Once a week I'll bring a six-pack in the evening and we'll talk and wrench on bikes over a few beers.

Oldpeddaller

Sounds perfect!

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

This just gets better....

I stopped at the beer store on my way home and grabbed a 4 pack of Murphy's Stout (you cannot properly ply your mechanic with cheap beer). I get to the bike store and they ring me up....$16.50 to tap my cranks. pretty darned reasonable I'd say. I gave him the beer and he says "oh man have I got something for you"...really? more?

Go in the back and he's got a full case of Boddington's...he pulls out a 4 pack and swaps it with my 4 pack of Murphy's and says "Hey we're trading beers now...this is pretty cool".

Heck yeah it is

if you're ever near Lincoln Park, NJ head over to 'Bicycle Tech'. They'll take good care of ya.

WNG

What a great story!

noglider 

I'm taking this as a suggestion. I left my wheel off at the bike shop in Millburn. Nice guys there. I haven't left anything at a bike shop since I was about 14 years old. I'm 49 now, so that's 35 years. They're putting new cartridge bearings in my hub. This is the rear wheel from my Cross Check.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

Ride down on your Super Course to pick the wheel up....you'll find out real fast if they are a C&V interested kind of shop.

One of the kids at my LBS, probably about 18, turns me around and walks me right back outside everytime I come in so he can have a look at what I'm riding this time. He doesn't know a thing about vintage bikes, and he's quick to admit it, but he's always so interested in all the various vintage bits. Its cool to see that kind of enthusiasm

Old Fat Guy

FYI- Park pedal taps are about $35. Retap two French bikes, and you've made back your investment.

khatfull

Sadly, I've not found an LBS that appreciates C&V yet. They all seem to be focused on selling the latest and greatest. Period.

Seriously, if any of you in MSP can set me straight and point out an LBS that's C&V friendly by all means, please set me straight. I think gomango might suggest Grand Performance but I don't find them to be friendly at all, about anything.

gomango

Part of the Grand Performance experience for me is a very long term "bike" relationship with the owner Dan. I've been treated extraordinarily well over the years. All of the Italian racing bikes I love so much were brands that he has sold/serviced throughout the years. He has been a Bianchi dealer for forever and a day. I also love asking about the different regions of Italy he visits annually. In addition, I thoroughly enjoy talking about the local racing scene. Whether it is road racing or cyclocross, these guys know their stuff. Their mechanics are also very skilled, and their bread and butter is getting folks back on the course, or on their training rides. I've seen mechanics stop working on $10,000 Colnagos though, to help someone with a flat tire on an old Huffy. In fact, when we were having some challenges with some parts on my Miyata SS MTB, two of the mechanics got very interested, and helped my kids get her out on the trails. This is a 25+ year old MTB we are talking about here. I don't know that they are the best source for metal bar end plugs though. They might try to show you some trick new carbon jobbies instead. In conclusion, they may not try to be cheapest, and they may not try to be all knowing about an old Schwinn Racer. But they are the very best at supporting amateur local club racing at its finest, and I thank them for that. It means my kids are going to have a top shelf place to go as they get into road racing. So I am biased. Period.

There are at least four shops locally that do a great job with C&V. If you want a source for cheap parts though, you already know about Niagara, and these places sell service and experience for the most part. They are traditional brick and mortar shops that have different overhead structures than online retailers. There are employees in each of these shops that are as knowledgeable as many of the best on C&V here, but ya' gotta get to know them. After all, good relationship building takes time, and these are some of the same guys I have been buying parts from at swap meets for fifteen years.

Maybe it will just take you some time to get to know these folks. I've had an incredible experience getting to know some "characters" that work in these shops.

Doohickie

They make you park your bike outside???

Both of the mechanics at my LBS appreciate vintage. One prefers working the vintage bikes to the newer ones. They have some nice "junk bins" too. Sometimes I contribute but to be honest I take more than I give. They don't mind too much.

khatfull

Well, here's my most recent experience...

You know they moved the boxes of old parts (brake parts, stems, etc...) down to the basement right? Well, I stopped by not knowing that and practically had to BEG them to let me go down to see if I could find a stem after having driven from Woodbury. Finally they let me down there and I found a stem. Fine.

A month or so ago I needed another one so I called ahead and asked if I could get down to the parts boxes. That was fine with them, I drove over, pinged an employee so they knew I was heading down, went downstairs, found what I was looking for and was upstairs at the counter paying. As I was paying some employee who didn't have anything to do with what I was doing passed behind me and said in a HORRIBLY snotty tone "Next time you need to ask before you go down there." I said, "Well excuse me, but I called ahead 40 minutes ago, asked and HAD permission from this employee (pointing to the one behind the counter)." The person behind the counter ringing me up looked mortified.

I paid for my parts and left, never to return. I'll stick to ExBike and Sibley.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

No, i'm sure they'd be find with me bringing it inside but its a tiny store. The sales floor is packed to the rafters (literally they are hanging them in rows from the rafters) with bikes for sale. The shop is big enough for them to work on 3 bikes at once maximum and then you can barely turn around in there when there's 3 in the shop. The whole place is roughly the size of a really small Dunkin Donuts. Its probably a bad fire hazard.
So rather than clutter everything up and have my ride getting in casual customer's way I just park outside. My town is the real-life equivalent of Mayberry...bike theft is not even a thought....nobody locks up their rides...no doubt its hard to believe this exists in New Jersey

Doohickie

My LBS started out in a place like that, then moved into another spot in the strip mall that was about 4-5 times that size. They are a pretty good size shop now.

Zaphod Beeblebrox 

Mine is about to move into a new fancy big shop next month. I'm hoping it works out well for them....and hoping the move turns up some old parts for me The shop has been in its current location since the 50's or 60's i'm told...the current owner bought it from the original owner...i'm sure there's some interesting stuff lurking in the depths.

noglider 

They (High Gear Cyclery in Millburn) got rid of all their old stuff, including the tools to work on steel frames. But they know me well and are always happy to see me. One of the younger mechanics asks me what I'm working on today, because he loves to see it. When I rode in on an all-original Varsity, they all gathered around and admired it. They know my interests and quirks but are happy to help me. The accountant there (who is a manager) recommended The Bike Stand in Scotch Plains, so that's how I know that shop. I'd go to The Bike Stand more often if it were more convenient for me.

MajorA

My Austro Daimler Superleicht, an eBay snag, came to me with bare DuraAce wheelhubs. I had my LBS (Paul's Bicycle Way of Life in Eugene, Oregon ... plug, plug) build them up with modern Mavic OpenPro rims. Total cost, including the rims, spokes and rim tape, less than $200. First comment: freshly rebuilt wheels, done by a pro, ride like a dream. Second comment: they told me at pickup that if they ever need truing, it's on the house of the life of the wheels. Kudos all around.

gomango

That's a shame! I've never had an experience like that there.

I think it may have something to do with an occasional case of PBR getting dropped off near closing time.

....or maybe spending an ungodly amount of money there over fifteen years!

Oregon Southpaw

I've heard nothing but good things about Paul's, they are pretty C&V friendly yes?