I was very surprised to find that a chain LBS (Hawaii Express) here in Riga has a no bikes allowed sticker on the door. I thought it was a joke and asked the guy working about it. His response was "I like a clean store. You wouldn't take your car into your livingroom, would you?"

I've been invitied to take me bike into the doctors office, corner store, and even the HR lady at work suggested that I commute to work. "We have secure parking!" she cherped to me. (She didn't know I already commuted.) This is not a bike unfreindly city.

What gives with the LBS? Granted they didn't kick me out when I went in earlier in the day with my bike and didn't see the sign, but still, a "No Bikes Allowed" sign at an LBS?

Perhaps they don't want people's nice bikes making the showroom stock look cheap and junky?

That is kinda wild. We have a (nice looking) shop near me that can't put bike racks outside because of city ordinances, but they have told me to just bring mine inside. Of course they also have mechanics working on stuff in there all of the time too.

That doesn't sound like a shop I'd like to visit. To me, a shop that is working that hard on keeping up a neat and tidy appearance is probably trying to sell me way more bike than I want.

That sounds like a boutique showroom, not a bike shop.

You would think that it was a boutique shop, wouldn't you? It actually sells low and mid range bikes, mostly Schwinn and Scott. Nothing special.

The place in town that sells Cologno and Merckx is actually the coolest and most down to earth shop around. They've never tried to sell me something I didn't need and their parts are much cheaper than any other shop. Go figure.

I don't have a car, but all of my bikes go through the living room regularly and they live in my bedroom. How do they work on bikes if you can't take them in the shop?

I love my LBS. The guys even ride inside the shop. (Yes, it;s big enough.)

Ricardo

Hahaha, man that sucks! Here my fav bike shop you can ride right in if you want. I mean who says no bikes allowed... how do you get your bike in there for service?

Wow, what a loser! Does this shop do any repairs? How do you get the bike to the mechanic?!?

Still, it sounds like he sells bikes to people who are too ignorant to know that a bike shop is a place where people use grease and wrenches and work on muddy bicycles. Or maybe he's just that obsessive. In any event, no thanks!

I've had a shop tell me I couldn't bring my bike in. they didn't ask if I was bringing it in for repairs, they simpley said, "you can't bring your bike in here....".

No problem, I'll go someplace else...

I wonder... does he allow test rides? We have a shop here in Ottawa that won't let you test a bike before you buy it. Sure, I'll drop a few grand on a bike I've never event sit on. RIGHT!!

Hmm. I know of a bike shop with a decent selection and good wrenches, and they don't allow outside bikes in the salesroom. However, they do have a side door into the mechanic's area, and a sign directs you there for your repairs. Not a bad system, and their sales area is the cleanest one I think I've been to, so it seems to work. They sell quite a bit of high-end than some shops but with no more than the usual amount of snobbery, and they are right across from the university, so they sell a lot of mid-range Giant stuff as well.

So, without some other indicators, I wouldn't write the place off as bad. He can have a desire for neatness and still run a decent shop.

The bike shop I frequent most often is about 5 blocks from my house. I ride my bike directly into the store, whether I'm having it worked on or not. Often, I'm just buying a small part, or asking a wrench a question. The store itself is clean and neat. While I'm in there, I see many other people also bringing their bikes in. The floors are completely spic n' span.

Just Saturday, my husband and I rode our bikes there, and propped them up against a post in the store. Then we were able to look at grocery panniers and determine which ones would not interfere with the brakes on his 1984 Trek 720. I picked out another headlight, installed it right there, and then we paid for the bag and the light. The sales staff were friendly and helpful. The owner asked me if I ever found the Terry I wanted, and then ooohed and aaahed over my bike, which I hadn't bought from him.

Anyway, it's a great store. All the other bike shops in town are like that, as far as I can tell, even the teeny ones. I wouldn't shop at any LBS that treated my bike like something dirty.

I graduated from ASU in 2004 and know the store you are talking about (the italian named one on Mill). They have rediculous little 8 inch high loop racks outside. The fact that a bike store would not allow me to bring my nice bike in with their low end giants and instead insisted that I try to use that ******** rack pissed me off so badly I never bought from them. Its not like they do so much volume that they would have bikes all over the place. Moreover, a bike shop owner should know that certain types of racks clearly do not work unless you want to lock only your front wheel (a very stupid idea at ASU).

It was clear that they did not care about anything but keeping my bike outside, so I used their overhead to investigate products and ask questions and bought elsewhere. They didn't respect me; I didn't respect them. I am a "screw me once...." kind of customer.

My lbs has an automatic door with a ramp on it that opens up when you approach it.

My favorite LBS also has this type of sign on the door and I understand the reason. He operates a very small shop in a lower income neighborhood with alot of kids most on pretty beat up bikes. They like most kid abuse thier bikes by just dropping them where they are. The shop deosn't have room for bikes laying in the floor and leaning the bikes against others in the showroom is likely to scratch or otherwise damage a bike he is trying to sell. When I'm not riding my beater I ignore the sign and the owner never says a word. In fact if I have something new he will usually check it out even if it is pretty low end.
Remember not all customers are as considerate as you are. When enough customers cause enough of a problem the owner has to find a solution.
Craig

That's just stupid!

Yeah, they have that dumb rack, I agree. But I lived down the street from them for eight years, and I and many friends used that rack, and I never heard of anyone getting their bike stolen from D's. (At ASU, it would be gone in a second.)

As to taking a bike in their store: they aren't set up for it, it's a small space, and the typical ASU student shows about as much respect as you feel they showed: nil. So, I for one can forgive them. They seem to cater to people with money, not students. Not my kind of store either, but no more snobby than a lot of stores that would let me in the door with my bike.

I know of a store with a similar setup, similar size, that allows bikes in like most stores. When It get crowded in there, with five or six people with their bikes, the bikes are leaning against the counters, or being held by people waiting in line, and its a pain. You can't see their inventory, you can't get in out, it's a mess. A good mess, a fun mess, but I could see someone looking for a solution, outside parking being one. D's does a bad implementation, but I can't fault them on the idea, and it doesn't really reflect their knowledge or skills.

There is one bike shop in my area that has the same policy for the store. They have a rack right outside the front door where you can leave your bike. They only let you bring it in to the shop area, which they built with a separate entrance. Most of the guys at this shop are tools and know about as much as my 6 year-old about bikes. It is astonishing to watch these guys in action answering questions or pitching a particular line or bike. It is freakin' amazing.

There is another shop in my area where you can basically ride your bike in through the front door straight back to the shop area. Not a lot of people do it, but I have seen it done many times. Nobody even thinks anything of it. They have the store set up so that a person can wheel their bike in and have plenty of room. Most of the guys at this shop know their stuff and are really interested in making sure that you do too if you give them the time to work with you.

I never thought about that before but funny how it works out.

You know, now that I think about it, the vaunted Piermont Bike Shop has a rack outside which seems to be where one's bike is meant to go. I've parked it there both times I've been there. Hmmm.

Good thing he's selling bikes and not clothes....


What a joke of an LBS, my local is virtually a ride-thru, I don't recall anyone not riding right up to the counter (unless they're pushing in an unridable to get fixed)

My local LBS has no place outside to lock things up, but there are racks inside for the customer's use. I think it's good politics to let you bring your "baby" in.

I wanna live in your town...

I would never go into any bike shop named Hawaii Express. To me it means "We're *******s".