Nope, never been in the shop, althopugh I used to live in Johnson City. Might be worth a phone call to see what they are like.

+1 for going to another shop, but I would go the extra step and tell the shop owner that you won't be shopping there and why. Maybe if he gets enough complaints and/or losing enough business, they'll start treating their customers (even potential customers) better.

In my area the various shops (and there are quite a few of them) have different "flavors" and tend to support different types of cyclists. The small shop closest to my home not too long ago admitted that he was an MTB shop, after I went in for the umpteenth time looking for something there... which he did not have. I went there first as he really is within walking distance. Well I still buy tools and some parts there... I do want him to stay in business... but that shop is not really serving my needs. There is a nice Trek superstore some 4 miles away... but they cater to the lycra set... so again, not exactly my cup of tea.

Frankly, I have come to realize that nobody really caters to commuters... we are the ugly b@stard step children of cycling. There is no glamor in day to day commuting... at least in the US. The only shop I have ever seen that was geared to commuting was in Oulu Finland. The bikes on the floor were daily riders, the gear on the wall was for day to day riding and not OCP or MTB or BMX or.... whatever. They did have a nice US bike in the window... but it was window dressing, it was the one of the few of that style they had. I asked about drop bar bikes... they could order those and yes, touring cyclists used them, but their big sellers were commuters. And they were geared for commuters. I rented a bike for a couple days and really enjoyed the vast network of bike paths there. (unbelievable compared to anything I had ever seen in the US... the paths even went to the airport)

Locally, in the US... every shop seems to specialize in something... except commuting. Seems like "everybody" wants to sponsor the next "Lance," but forget just going to work. :rolleyes:

It also doesn't help that bicycle manufacturers tend to see "commuter" bikes as all being Dutch-style bikes. While I have nothing against Dutch bikes, not all commuters are the same nor do they all want the same style bike. Granted, there are some nice drop-bar bikes with fenders and/or racks pre-installed, but not one (at least not that I know of) that is a drop-bar version of a Dutch bike (i.e. fenders, rack, dynohub, lights, kick stand). Seems to me that if there's a niche market (and let's face it, bicycling has its niche markets as well as being a niche market itself), that there would be an opportunity there, if someone were willing to take the risk. Alas, the bicycle industry has too slim of a profit margin as it is, and the American people haven't come to the tipping point (yet) to view bicycles as anything other than recreational or exercise machines.

when i go into a shop i go for the people. customer service and the tactile sensation of getting my hands on the item. if i wanted lowest cost i would just order online. so it is dissapointing to me when the shop i choose to spend my time in does not deliver

This shop doesn't cater exclusively to commuters but they certainly are a good place for commuters to go:

The Hub

If they have a specialty at all it's with the commuting/utility/car free/fixie crowd.

To me what makes a bike a good commuter is more about how it's outfitted rather being a specific type of bike. In my mind the ultimate commuter is a cyclocross type road bike and so any shop that didn't carry at least some drop bar bikes wouldn't work for me.

A bike shop owner with a good business sense will cater to commuters, as well as racers, fixed gear hipsters, and anybody else who rides a bike. I hear there's a shop in Austin, Texas, with that kind of business model: they even rent out lockers and provide showers for downtown commuters.

And I think you could call the owner a "roadie."

I've just had similar treatment from a shop called Bikelab here (Poole, Dorset, UK). Went in and there's two staff in there that I can see. One of them is busy chatting a friend over the counter, while the other's assembling a bike in the middle of the shop floor. Neither are interested in even saying 'can I help you'. After standing and drifting around the shop for 10 minutes I decided they didn't want my custom and left.

This is, frankly, not only discourteous but rude. It's also not good business sense. I'm shopping not only for a bike for myself, but for my girlfriend and for three guys at work, one of whom's looking to buy a high end carbon fibre road bike.

It doesn't matter whether the shop is catering for a niche market; there are ways of politely and attentively saying 'well, we don't really do what you're looking for at the moment, but these are our services and if there's anything we can help with in the future, please ask'.

They have no idea how much money has just walked in with someone, nor how much is walking back out the door, nor how much is reading threads like this when they're shopping for bikes, and quite possibly going elsewhere.

"you will probably never get really good advice and service since their attitude is all wrong"

+1

OK, rant over!! :lol:

+1 on finding another shop. If that shop carried only road bikes and was doing booming business, then fine, you may not be their market. However, they are carrying Haro, which is a BMX company that also makes some mtn bikes. If it's in their shop, that's part of their market. Giving a customer the brush-off because they want to buy a product that you are a dealer for - that is truly poor customer service.

I worked retail for a number of years, and if I did what that shop guy did, my manager would kick my ass. If you're with a customer, and another customer comes in, you politely excuse yourself and greet the new customer, asking [with a smile] what brings them in. They state their purpose for coming in, then you say "Excellent! Why don't you have a look around, I'll be with you shortly". That's all it takes. If they're in a hurry, you ask your shop tech to come out and lend a hand. Your tech has to have the same commitment to service as your floor staff, or it's not going to work.

I would figure out or ask for the owner's name. I would then without doubt send a letter of complaint.
Then I would find another store.

I'd find another store first, make a photocopy of the receipt from the stuff you bought at the other store, and include it in the letter.

I was reading along in this thread and surprisingly noticed some familiar names (like Johnson City and Kingsport, Tennessee)...I live over the state-line (in Virginia) about 50 miles from Kingsport. There are no bicycle shops close by me. I have tried to visit any bicycle shop within a reasonable driving distance (closest is 50 miles, a few others around 75 miles from my home). I don't know how close these shops are to the OP but...

There is a shop in the Piney Flats, Tennessee area (I don't know the exact name but "Piney Flats" is part of the name, maybe "Piney Flats Cycling Shop")...This shop is located on a road (Bristol Highway I think) that is in an area between Bristol and Johnson City and has a lot of bikes and accessories spread over a large floor area, and the few times I visited it (a 90 minute drive one-way) the staff greeted and talked to me.

Another place I recommend checking out (especially for repairs) is Boyd's (Bike or Cycling) shop in Bristol Tennessee (or Virginia, it is a city that sits in both states). Boyd's does not have a lot of floor space. They have about 20 new bikes hanging from a rack that you see as you enter (I recall that Diamondback is one brand they carry), a wall behind the bikes with tires hanging on it, and maybe an 8-foot section of accessories. Ones movement is mostly restricted to a twenty-foot pathway that leads to the counter/repair area. I guess I'm trying to say that this might not be a place to go hang-out and browse, but I took my old ('86) Schwinn Traveler back-wheel there to be lubbed, assuming I would have to leave it and come back another time to pick it up, but Mr. Boyd (it's a family owned buisness, I met the father and son) said to come back in an hour for the wheel. I've taken other things to him, and he repaired them right on the spot (lubbed and tightend crank, replaced spoke and trued wheel), and at a price much lower than what I was expecting. The last time I was there (about two months ago) he said he was glad to see me (as in glad to see I was still alive, there are only a few adults that ride bicycles in my county (Lee County, Virginia with a population of around 24,000) and when a Lee County man was killed while riding it made the regional news, and Mr. Boyd assumed it was highly probable that it was me (he hadn't gotten my name from my two previous visits). He doesn't look down on my old Schwinn, I haven't had to do the old "leave it and come back next week", and the prices are very reasonable. I feel welcomed there. I have had occation to be in Bristol a few times a year (when my wife visits a medical specialist there) and I am keeping Boyd's in mind to help me keep up the maintianence on my humble bikes

I like to go to shops with ****ty customer service to try on things like shoes and gloves and jerseys before I order them online.

[QUOTE=mawtangent;6988818]

There is a shop in the Piney Flats, Tennessee area (I don't know the exact name but "Piney Flats" is part of the name, maybe "Piney Flats Cycling Shop")...This shop is located on a road (Bristol Highway I think) that is in an area between Bristol and Johnson City and has a lot of bikes and accessories spread over a large floor area, and the few times I visited it (a 90 minute drive one-way) the staff greeted and talked to me.


interesting that you should mention the piney flats shop! we were just there 5 hrs ago. terri found a bike she seemed to love there. appears to be a 2001 model univega alpina 400. I say appears because info on this brand seems sketchy online. harris cyclery only states that they were a parallel line to raliegh bikes for a few years before being phased out. It has acera components alex rims and kenda tires.

I commute on a carbon and aluminum road bike.

[QUOTE=nemo;6991067]Older Univegas were pretty good bikes. Many were made by Miyata. I'm not sure about the more recent ones. Alex Rims and Kenda Tires don't scream high-end though. My bike has Alex rims and they're fine, but better wheels are high on my list of potential upgrades.

+1 Even the most charming worker in a "roadie boutique" shop is a wierd bird for most of us.

Either that or he has some other strange prejudice. It always surprises me to see those kinds of business people. You wonder how they stay in business- but some do.

Money is hard to come by. Spend it at a shop where it is fun for you and the seller is joyful to have you as a customer. Make the whole purchasing experience wonderful for you and your family.

I stopped by a local shop the other day that I assumed would be like the shop mentined in the original post. They carry mostly high end road bikes and mountain bikes and have racing shwag all over the shop. I was looking for a small derailleur part. They took the part off one they had and just gave it to me. So don't assume they're all snotty like I did.

That's a nice approach, but...being realistic, some people gotta realize that they're not God's gift to retail. I know I'm not, because I just don't consume like crazy. Accordingly, I don't expect a store where my purchases are not that significant to have a "joyful" reaction to my big, big $2.99 purchase. I'm also mindful that a significant purchase for me may not be a significant sale for the shop. A wise seller will recognize when that disparity exists as well, and will do what they can, but if the shop is slammed and I'm dithering over the purchase of a $500 bicycle -- significant to me -- while half a dozen people are waiting to get sales help on everything from a helmet to bikes costing a couple grand or more, I would not expect them to spend a lot of time making it "fun for me". My LBS is really a study in how to do this balancing act well, IMO -- on the day I bought my new bike, the shop was totally slammed. The shop dudes time-sliced giving me bike recs and sending me off for rides on different models in with sales and service to at least a couple dozen other customers. It was really interesting, because they had a real mix to deal with -- including some people who just wanted to ask the same question over and over because they didn't like the answer. They were particularly good at handling these types and not letting them monopolize their time.

I donot and did not expect to walk into his or any shop and they have exactly what i want and practically give it to me, however i did expect at least a small measure or attention.

Customer Service in general today, sucks! There are very few places or associates who really care or put the customer first.

I would have done the same thing and made sure I said, hey Jackass, I'm going to a store who wants my bidness.

I would like to relate my experience with customer service or the apparent lack thereof. I am a bike commuter of many years experience, off and on for over a decade, So when i say i usually know what i want/ need believe me I do. My wife and I have made the decision to involve more aspects than just me in a quest mainly to save gas. On Tuesday afternoon, we came to your shop with the intent of spending what for us is a large sum of money. We brought 3 of the kids with because we intended to get Terri and our oldest new bicycles.we were in your store for about 25 minutes without anyone even acknowledging our presence, after that i asked for assistance, finally we had to leave. The next Evening we went out to norris scwinn and to piney flats. between the shops we were able to get what we needed. I Do NOT expect any retail store to have everything that i want, and practically give it to me, however IF i choose to spend my time to come to your store I DO expect to recieve at least an acknowledgment of my existance. If I want the lowest possible price, with the largest possible selection I will shop online and save time and fuel. However when buying many things i use Notice use on my bike, I like the tactile sensation of holding it in my hand before i purchase.Be assured I will not return rather i will drive twice the distance for better service.
Good Day

the proceeding is an email i just sent to Hampton trails Bicycle shop. I do not expect a reply and don't care i said my piece.

I saw something like that late in the last century. My wife rolled her commute bike DIY lights and all into a new shop knowing what she needed. The two shop workers chatting in the back ignored her. When she could not find what she needed she approached the clerks. They glanced in her direction and walked into a back room, shutting the door.

I was very active in the two biggest clubs in the area, the Orange County Wheelmen and the Bicycle Club of Irvine. I bent every ear I could find for the next two months. I can not say I was the only person they p****d off but at the end of that two months the shop was out of business.