The guy who owns the LBS I favor built my bike. It's a rigid MTB to which I added a rack and fenders.

I like the guy. He's 82 years old, a former bike racer, and very experienced in all matters mechanical. It's by far the best bike repair shop in town - not the flashiest one, but the kind of shop where you know real work gets done.

But our interactions have been very much like this: yeah, those fenders are fine, but you'll want to take them off eventually. Yeah, I can install a kickstand, but you'll want to take it off eventually. You want to change the flat bar to drop bars? But that would be wrong on this bike; those are for racing. You are going to prefer padded lycra shorts to your jeans. Your posture isn't aero enough.

On the other hand, his tips about riding technique are spot on, as is all the mechanical advice.

I just get annoyed that he can't seem to accept that there are other uses for a bike than racing. So I uh-huh him a lot and filter out a large part of his monologue. Apart from that, I like the guy.

Wow, 82 and still working the floor and wrenching? Respect!

Maybe just hang out and soak up his wisdom.

Good post, but you'll want to say it with fewer words eventually.

The owner of the LBS I frequent is interesting like that. If you Yelp the guy, you will see either all 5* and and occasional 1*, with little in between. in his case, it isn't so much racing as basic bike maintenance that he gets on about. He really prefers to do the hard stuff and would get real annoyed with someone like me bothering him to fix a flat.

Nice.

funny...

Reminds me of that French movie "2 Seconds". About a recently retired female downhill racer that butts heads with the local former old Giro d'italia racer turned bike mechanic. Of course it's more endearing as a movie than it is in real life I bet.

I was taught to wrench by a guy just like this. He was only 76 at the time I started working in his shop. It was just his way of having a conversation. I learned to say things like, "Harold, why the hell would you say that?" He used it as an opportunity to talk about stuff that was important to him. I later learned from his wife, that he saw me as his protégé, and simply wanted to pass along stuff he knew, but was afraid would get lost. He's gone now and I miss his "opinions".

Hmmm...

I HATE fenders. But alas, they do serve a purpose and are a necessary evil. I ride my fendered bike as little as possible.

Probably.

Well, flat bar bikes tend to have different geometry/fit than drop bar bikes, so yeah, I wouldn't recommend such a change either.

That's just dumb.

Eh, he has a point, but lycra isn't for everyone.

No kidding. OP rides a flat-bar bike. Aero isn't exactly part of the design there.

Let me Guess .. Mexico, there is no retirement scheme other than accumulated wealth ,
so you work until you drop dead , if not rich enough to stop.

my father made war machines for the US, he had a good retirement income.

Lycra is OK but chamois diapers annoy me...callus TFU people!

The best shop in our area has the same atmosphere, but most of the staff are younger than me, so it's even more annoying. I had them install a disc-compatible touring fork on my commuter for two reasons: I wanted a front disc brake and I needed a longer steering tube to alleviate neck issues. I told three people at the shop that I didn't want the steering tube cut. The guy who installed it cut it down to the height he thought I should be using. I even tried it for a few days, but it wasn't working for me. I made them get a new fork and do it the way I asked. Neck feels much better. Eventually I will be able to cut the tube at a height I can live with.

So the guy is a great mechanic but a lousy salesman. It's difficult enough to find someone who is good at both, let alone find an 82-year-old racer who is going to change at this point.

None of the fine mechanics at my LBS understand commuting or touring or the reasons people do these things. That doesn't stop me from using them as mechanics, because an efficient bike is an efficient bike, whether you're racing it or you're riding bike paths and bike lanes like I do most of the time.

we all only have so much time.

you're part of the information transfer to the next generation.

deal with it!

and be thankful that you found such a resource

touring takes place in the summer , and thats when you work in bike shops,

so It's not surprising the are not touring savvy .. to tour is to quit the bike shop job.

pay is not good enough to go to south America, NZ and Australia in the other summer..

SE Asia ... I survived on about $5/day

you dont work in a bike shop though.. missed that point.

what was the Air fare cost?

about €400 roundtrip Frankfurt-Bangkok.

i met a couple of Danes doing 8 months for less than €5000 as a couple.

i think 3 months with airfare from the US should be under 1000USD/person.

vietnam was great, food was blah.

India would have been spicier..

Dear Federico:

Count your blessings that you have such a wise bicycle mechanic at your fingertips and ignore his advice of things such as upright posture, cycling attire, front and rear racks and fenders. There is so much more to cycling than racing. John

My lbs is owned by an old racer, great mechanic, fast and cheap too. He tells me never to adjust my bike because I mess it up. Lol. He wants to do it. He once seen me riding and pulled alongside in his truck and gave me tips on climbing. Lol

Great guy. Idk if I'd love cycling as much if it wasn't for him.

The old racers have there opinions, but my lbs owner knows it's a business, so he never turns down whatever odd bit you could want on your bike

if and when one reaches that age, it becomes increasingly difficult and decreasingly important to satisfy the social expectations of others. really.

I like this story, very endearing.

+1. I work in a building that houses a senior citizens program, so I hang around with 80 and 90-year old people all day long. These are some of the purest people I know, as they don't give a rat's behind about anything other people think of them. That said, they are some of my favorite people and best friends because of it.