crank_addict

^^That is quite a bad impression.

On the contrary, just today dropped by a shop (see earlier post and with positive comments - only three year's in operation). Just happened to be nearby and to say hello. AWESOME greeting, all employees, owner takes me in the back storage with other bikes and shows me a new (older) tandem for his keeps, upgraded and all into it! Another tech shows me with enthusiasm his newly restored vintage Schwinn SS. They now have an area with neat older bikes for sale. Invited to go on some vintage rides, etc. Owner starts showing me a catalog and info on the new 2015 stuff. Terrific people. No time wasted and just a brief, respectful exchange. BTW: These are all young folks and no 'cog'gers...LOL

noglider 

I went to the shop one half block from my home today. They know old bikes. I asked the young woman for a Sturmey Archer gear cable pulley. She knew what it was but didn't know where to find it. The mechanic found it. He said they had only one in stock and now they'll have to order a new one to keep in stock. Score!

This young woman is going to buy herself a bike for herself in the fall. She's debating between an old Raleigh and an old Rudge. What a sweetheart!

Sixty Fiver

Nice.

As far as I know, my shop is the only one besides the co-op that can service / overhaul SA hubs and quite a few local shops have passed on their old SA parts to myself and the co-op.

One older fellow I know used to run a small shop here some 30 years ago and he contacted me as he heard I was the "old three speed guy" and gave me a small truckload of parts... I will never run out of Raleigh headsets and have enough small SA parts to refit hundreds of hubs.

jjames1452 

I trust K&G Bikes in Dayton, Xenia and Centerville Ohio.
Paul, a true wheel building genius in the Kettering store, is moving to the great Northwest.
NoCal benefits!
Justin and the rest of the crew do a great job, and only do what is both needed and smart.
They give advice as if each bike is their own.

I have a slightly bent World Voyageur that I will deliver to them for a winter resto.

noglider 

There was one small hitch getting that pulley. The mechanic knew old bikes, but he was under the impression that these pulleys are only for bikes with a brazed on fitting for them. I showed him bikes in his own shop that had the clamped on pulley. Then he looked for me and found the one I needed. Good enough!

crank_addict

.... one more (can't help myself)
I went to a bike shop (one of three with a city pop. of 129,000) and ask what they have available in tubular tires. Friendly folks and certainly knew what I wanted. They do carry high-end bikes priced up to $12,000 and believe they sponsor racers. But..... was told they don't stock or no longer 'fuss' with tubulars as nobody wants them. Say whaaat?

noglider 

@crank_addict, that's merely a reflection of what they perceive as the demand. They're basically saying that carrying tubulars wouldn't justify the cost. Every business has to make decisions like that.

If another one of those shops carries them, you're in luck.

Trakhak

Bikes with brazed-on pulley fittings were rarer than those with clamp fittings, at least when I was working as a bike mechanic in the '70s and '80s.

One of the mechanics I worked with was a huge SA fan. I once overheard him at a New York bike trade show telling a Sturmey Archer sales rep that the company should sell replacement chain links for the indicator rods.

noglider 

And a chain riveting tool to match, right?!

VarVintg

Maybe this doesnt fit here, but how about those "internet" stores I get emails everyday from. One day it's a 40% off sale, and the next day the same item is 20% off, but its always the same price, (in the end) really??

noglider 

Wow, I'll pay more attention now.

3alarmer

...if you want to complain about bike shops not meeting your needs as a C+V rider,
then disallow their explanations as to why it might not be a good business strategy,
There's not much point in talking. I find this one particularly ironic:

.............

Drillium Dude 

Gregg's (Alderwood Mall shop) up here in WA. Why?

Claimed their out-of-true (both in the lateral and radial planes) final result after replacing 16 non-drive spokes was the best they could do - and that I needed a new rim. This was the Campy Hi-Low rear wheel on which I broke a spoke recently.

WNG is visiting and he de-tensioned the wheel, inserted new nipples on the 16 drive spokes (now new all around), re-tensioned, then fine-tuned it. Guess what? Almost perfect - and plenty satisfactory for me (he still wants to do one final tweak - Will's a perfectionist when it comes to wheels).

The worst part about the shop experience was when we went back with the near-perfectly trued wheel and got the "it's the old rim - you need to replace" song and dance from the maintenance supervisor. We handed him the wheel which he could see immediately upon spinning that it had been amazingly trued. Then he backtracked, claimed he had not been done with the wheel when one of his minions released it to me (he was gone from work by the time I'd picked up the wheel the day before). He displayed some attitude, too - Will's worked recently in a bike shop and had his own opinion as to why that was.

Bottom line: the shop gave up on getting it right, probably due to diminishing returns due to the time being put in. I was to be charged for a complete wheel build ($60), which I understood. With the shop rates of today, that's about an hour's work, so I took it to be a deal. If they'd have kept going, if they'd have just called me to let me know some things or suggest others...let's just say they gave up and tried to blame it on the age/mileage on a vintage component. That seems to be the easy way out, doesn't it?

So, I have a reason this winter to practice wheel-building until I get it right. I'm never going to take a chance again that a shop will not deliver as promised, instead pulling the "vintage equipment" card to bail them out

Here's the man at work fixing what the shop couldn't. Note: he didn't use a truing stand at any point in the process. Thanks, Will!



DD

etherhuffer 

Cool photo! I learned to build on my own just using Sheldon Brown's page. Yes, it was slow. Also, it is foolish to cheap out on components, as I belatedly learned. I had an old set of Alex rims from a tourer. Pretty bad shape. Got some spokes and gave it a go. It built up true save for some pothole dings. I found that sometimes the wheels just landed on true, but another rim had me chasing 1/4 turns on the spokes forever. The shop may have hit one of those jobs that took too long (to make money on).

R3tired

this thread has for good or bad not followed it's topic. seems there are more people defending their LBS, than complaining. i think in the bigger view, that's probably a good thing. i only use my LBS for the things i don't have the tools to do myself. mainly BB and Headset installs. the mechanics are young(ish) and all have a set of Campy tools (downstairs). they love my old bikes and ask what i'm bringing in next. i dropped off a Cinelli frame to have a BB/Headset installed and when i went back to pick t up they had it in a frame box and the guy gingerly passed it to me like it was some fragile piece of art. another day when i went to pick up my CIOCC which was in to have the BB properly tightened (which i learned i can't do), when the (youngish) owner saw me, he said to the guy heading downstairs to get my bike, "it's the awesome red bike with the chrome forks and custom Campy group" (the bike has c-record with deltas).

i think the issue is not the shops. it's the expectation. i have two cars. a 1974 TR6 and a 2010 Jaguar XJR, and i have two mechanics. like it or not, we in the C&V world have what have become specialized machines. not every local shop is going to be able to work on them.

Rocky Gravol

Saw this the other day.
When asked if she knew her fender is mounted backwards,
she said it came that way from the store.

noglider 

I love the picture of @WNG truing your wheel!

Drillium Dude 

Our thoughts exactly - not that that lets them off'n the hook, of course

Gregg's is still on my list for buying stuff from - I've never had attitude in any way, shape or form from their other two shops, so those locations will at some point in the future get some of my money for sundries and the occasional on-sale clothing. Alderwood's shop? Not so much...

DD

eschlwc

^ on my first build, the service manager at gregg's greenlake gave me some serious attitude with my questions about tools and such. he made me feel like a bit of a 19th century chump in a modern age. but still, i bought a bunch of tools from him.

since then, those guys have gotten to know me. i live so close, it's where i go to get a freewheel removed or to buy little things like tubes, spare spokes or seatpost bolts. they never charge me for service and are often interested in the vintage bike i bring in that particular day.

eschlwc

also, dd, i could really use a bike stand like that. i usually use a stack of books, which is a bit of a pain to get just right (and hope the cat doesn't get too close). but, at least the books are being used for something.

yeah, i used to read...

crank_addict

Referring back to my original post about that same bike shop.

Last night traveling through the general area, we decided to detour a bit for some eats and try a micro-brewery. I zoomed past that bike shop but recalling my need for another pair of tubulars and glue, decided to turn around. I don't mind paying a bit more than the net for some things, long as it goes to the independent brick and mortar small business.

Why I'm bothering to rant is likely wasted effort but really is the answer why many bike shops are hurting themselves. There's another recent thread in the C&V section about this. I could only reason for them staying in business is the affluent area, prime location and apparently an old established name.

So I ask them for what's available in tubulars and glue. BTW: This place sells new major brand race lightweights. Glue, check but zilch for tubulars. Not even a single tubular! A younger fellow though tells me they might have some used and leads me to the well organized selection of tires. Funny as he didn't understand what tubulars are and wanted to show me 'tubeless' for road! I politely explained my initial request and what they are.

Moving along, I noticed a near new pair of Conti- 26" semi-slicks + tubes. Figured I could use them for one of the kids builds, asked how much for the pair. He wasn't sure but checked with another employee. That person looked at them and said they were bad and can't sell them. Told him they look excellent to me. Sensed this guy didn't like my reasoning and he quickly replied 'can't sell for liability reasons'. I asked 'so why do you have them anyways?'

Anyways, no tubulars of any type new or used were available. Also, in the middle of the showroom they have a bargain area. The crap in it was mostly UV faded packaged junk from the 1990's, 'discounted' to original MSRP...lol. Useless stuff anyways. As I left, told him I'll conveniently order online. Then Mister Bright pipes back that I could do that and order from them online. NO THANK YOU AND GOOD BYE!

......and for the C&V part of the story.
As I'm leaving, a nice couple is unloading out of their car a beautiful English 3 speed. A gem with lovely patina, perfect decals, 100% original right down to the Dunlop's and valve caps. The dust and dirt stuck to the oily chain and hubs preserved it. Beautiful original white ribbed cables, brake blocks and straight mudguards. Black finish had a mild oxidation but I simply rubbed a finger in one area and could see rapidly shine back up. I complimented them on the bike and we started to talk. They were considering having this shop completely refurbish it. I cringed inside yet couldn't hold back. Kindly advised and warned them. Refereed them to another shop and owner I know of. I just hope they do follow through as it would be shame to see it destroyed by the idiots. It even crossed my mind to preserve it for no fee.

rommer25

I tend to go to small independent shops. The problem there is turn over. I used to love to go to one local small shop who had two excellent Mechanics. Their work was excellent and they test rode the bike before you could take it away. Over the past year of so, I've been without any problem I could not do. Finally I was taking off the bar end shifters and could not get one loose. I took it to the shop and there was a whole new crew there. The guy tried to get the shifter off the handle bar by going counter clock wise. I told him it was the other way. He would not stop trying. I ask for my bars back and then he tried clockwise and it came loose. I purchased some shift cables and left. I don't know where the excellent mechanics go but they do not seem to stay at the small shops very long. I don't know of any large shops that carry what some call Vintage Parts.

wrk101

Motion Makers, Sylva, NC. Last time I was there, I asked about any old parts. Head mechanic asked me how old my bike was (1987). He then told me any bike over five years old is obsolete and not worth fixing. He then dismissed me.

hxzero

One more for a good shop--I live in Long Beach, CA and was lucky to ride my goofy Miyata QuickCross into The Bicycle Stand on Broadway, where I was greeted by Evan, the very friendly shop owner. I knew from the mix of C&V bikes hanging from the ceiling, and the new commuter bikes in the showroom, that I was in the right place. I was only in to get a set of locking skewers and a grocery bag pannier, but got into a nice conversation about weird part sizes and touring with some of the employees. As I waited, folks brought in a variety of bikes--a Peugeot mixte with a kid carrier on the back, a Free Spirit 3-speed, a modern beach cruiser, and (iirc) a full-carbon Ridley. The mechanics seemed happy and knowledgeable enough to work on all kinds. I'll definitely be going back, and I hope they stay there a long time.