No Confidence in LBS
07-09-17, 08:50 AM
#1
Pedalist
Thread Starter
No Confidence in LBS
I am so pissed off that nobody has the intelligence to understand a few simple words. So I'm done with this forum. I'm dealing with a bunch of morons.
Last edited by DaleDee; 07-11-17 at 09:02 AM.
07-09-17, 09:00 AM
#2
Been Around Awhile
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Burlington Iowa
Posts: 29,973
Bikes: Vaterland and Ragazzi
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 12 Post(s)
Liked 1,536 Times
in
1,045 Posts
I have shopped for bikes, accessories and parts with a LBS. Over three years I bought three bikes from them, two were fat bikes.
The first fat bike came with a factory-installed hub gear. The shop customized it for me by removing the hub gear and installing a derailleur. After taking the bike home I found that it was so high-geared that it was not rideable because it had the wrong chain ring. It took several weeks for them to get the right chain ring and install it. A good mechanic might have road tested it before it left the shop.
The first fat bike came with a factory-installed hub gear. The shop customized it for me by removing the hub gear and installing a derailleur. After taking the bike home I found that it was so high-geared that it was not rideable because it had the wrong chain ring. It took several weeks for them to get the right chain ring and install it. A good mechanic might have road tested it before it left the shop.
07-09-17, 09:58 AM
#3
Pedalist
Thread Starter
I didn't buy a bicycle at all. I bought a car and confused it with a bike.
Last edited by DaleDee; 07-11-17 at 09:04 AM.
07-09-17, 11:55 AM
#4
Been Around Awhile
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Burlington Iowa
Posts: 29,973
Bikes: Vaterland and Ragazzi
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 12 Post(s)
Liked 1,536 Times
in
1,045 Posts
Thanks for the effort you took to reply to my question.
Three lessons to be learned from your experience:
1. Type BF posts on a reliable word processor, preferably with spell check, then paste the finished response into the appropriate place for BF replies, to avoid a BF idiosyncrasy for losing text while typing.
2. Learning more about bicycles through experience or from trusted sources is often better than trusting LBS sales people to select a bicycle that will best fit your needs.
3. Learning more about bicycles through experience or from trusted sources is often better than relying on any ole LBS person who can pick up a wrench to properly adjust/repair your bicycle.
Three lessons to be learned from your experience:
1. Type BF posts on a reliable word processor, preferably with spell check, then paste the finished response into the appropriate place for BF replies, to avoid a BF idiosyncrasy for losing text while typing.
2. Learning more about bicycles through experience or from trusted sources is often better than trusting LBS sales people to select a bicycle that will best fit your needs.
3. Learning more about bicycles through experience or from trusted sources is often better than relying on any ole LBS person who can pick up a wrench to properly adjust/repair your bicycle.
07-09-17, 01:38 PM
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,238
Mentioned: 211 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18415 Post(s)
Liked 15,541 Times
in
7,329 Posts
07-09-17, 02:24 PM
#8
Senior Member
Simple solution is if you do not like that store's service then go elsewhere. After a bunch of customers leave with their money the store owner will wake up. Indyfabz pass me some of your popcorn please...
07-09-17, 04:19 PM
#9
Pedalist
Thread Starter
I'm giving up with this thread. I regret posting it. If I could delete it I would.
Last edited by DaleDee; 07-11-17 at 09:05 AM.
07-09-17, 04:47 PM
#10
Expired Member
Join Date: Jun 2007
Location: TN
Posts: 11,543
Mentioned: 37 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3673 Post(s)
Liked 5,430 Times
in
2,759 Posts
There is a special sub forum for Mfg, Retailer etc feedback. Maybe ask a mod to move this for you. Sorry the shop owner offended you!
07-10-17, 06:28 AM
#11
Pedalist
Thread Starter
I'm done with this forum. I can't deal with idiots.
Last edited by DaleDee; 07-11-17 at 09:05 AM.
07-10-17, 06:41 AM
#12
Pedalist
Thread Starter
I'm done with this forum. I can't deal with idiots.
Last edited by DaleDee; 07-11-17 at 09:05 AM.
07-10-17, 06:44 AM
#13
Pedalist
Thread Starter
I'm done with this forum. I can't deal with idiots.
Last edited by DaleDee; 07-11-17 at 09:06 AM.
07-10-17, 06:47 AM
#14
Grumpy Old Bugga
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Adelaide, AUSTRALIA
Posts: 4,229
Bikes: Hillbrick, Malvern Star Oppy S2, Europa (R.I.P.)
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 370 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 8 Times
in
6 Posts
The learning curve can be steep and painful. It shouldn't be, but it can be. Probably all of us have a shop we don't go back to. Indeed, I bought 'the wrong bike' from a shop that quite satisfyingly went broke a year later and the salesman who sold me that bike moved to a super elite shop for those with too much money (yes, it does have that reputation... and I think it too has since gone broke).
Anyway, the point is, what happened sucks and it shouldn't have happened. However, dial down the outrage and learn from this experience. It may be a few years before you can benefit from it, but if you choose, you will learn and become more knowledgeable. Most of us go through a few bikes before finally working out what it is we want and, more importantly, how that meshes with what we need.
Anyway, the point is, what happened sucks and it shouldn't have happened. However, dial down the outrage and learn from this experience. It may be a few years before you can benefit from it, but if you choose, you will learn and become more knowledgeable. Most of us go through a few bikes before finally working out what it is we want and, more importantly, how that meshes with what we need.
07-10-17, 06:57 AM
#15
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2011
Location: Alpharetta, GA
Posts: 15,280
Bikes: Nashbar Road
Mentioned: 71 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2934 Post(s)
Liked 341 Times
in
228 Posts
Hit the browser's back button, without logging in. The text will probably still be there in the form, where you can copy it, log in, then paste.
07-10-17, 06:58 AM
#16
Pedalist
Thread Starter
I'm done with this forum. I can't deal with idiots.
Last edited by DaleDee; 07-11-17 at 09:06 AM.
07-10-17, 07:17 AM
#17
Pedalist
Thread Starter
I'm done with this forum. I can't deal with idiots.
Last edited by DaleDee; 07-11-17 at 09:06 AM.
07-10-17, 07:21 AM
#18
Pedalist
Thread Starter
I'm done with this forum. I can't deal with idiots.
Last edited by DaleDee; 07-11-17 at 09:07 AM.
07-10-17, 07:33 AM
#19
Grumpy Old Bugga
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: Adelaide, AUSTRALIA
Posts: 4,229
Bikes: Hillbrick, Malvern Star Oppy S2, Europa (R.I.P.)
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 370 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 8 Times
in
6 Posts
Wrong size. My touring bike was fitted by a road racer who imagined that everyone, including old gits like me, rode tiny frames with the bars around their ankles. I was too enamoured by the bike and sucked in by his personal glory to understand that I couldn't ride the thing.
Wheel building is a wonderful art. Keep and eye on ebay and you'll be able to find a truing stand and tension gauge at sensible prices and from there you'll open a whole new world of messing with bikes. I also enjoy ball and cone bearings because once again, it's about the feel, the art of the whole thing. Modern cycling is too sanitised and too much about the latest great idea. Learn to look beneath that. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the latest technology, just that it isn't always the greatest or the most relevant technology.
Wheel building is a wonderful art. Keep and eye on ebay and you'll be able to find a truing stand and tension gauge at sensible prices and from there you'll open a whole new world of messing with bikes. I also enjoy ball and cone bearings because once again, it's about the feel, the art of the whole thing. Modern cycling is too sanitised and too much about the latest great idea. Learn to look beneath that. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with the latest technology, just that it isn't always the greatest or the most relevant technology.
07-10-17, 07:46 AM
#20
Senior Member
Wow, why the flames?
I totally agree with the OP. He seemed to give the benefit to the shop. He's been articulate and informative about his situation.
However stuff happens and we move on....to another shop. Since you're mechanically inclined, order online and do all your own work. I wouldn't worry about supporting local bike shops because it's a business, one that has a high risk of failure and they probably know that going in. People are the same, jerks and cool people are everywhere. There's a lot here on BF. I wouldn't call out any jerks but I would call out some cool people like @gcpmsame. When I grow up I wanna be like Bill.
I totally agree with the OP. He seemed to give the benefit to the shop. He's been articulate and informative about his situation.
However stuff happens and we move on....to another shop. Since you're mechanically inclined, order online and do all your own work. I wouldn't worry about supporting local bike shops because it's a business, one that has a high risk of failure and they probably know that going in. People are the same, jerks and cool people are everywhere. There's a lot here on BF. I wouldn't call out any jerks but I would call out some cool people like @gcpmsame. When I grow up I wanna be like Bill.
07-10-17, 02:15 PM
#21
Pedalist
Thread Starter
I'm done with this forum. I can't deal with idiots.
Last edited by DaleDee; 07-11-17 at 09:08 AM.
07-10-17, 02:38 PM
#22
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,036
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 175 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
Apparently, Avid brakes required them when they were I.S. mounted. Disc brakes, post mounted, don't require the washers. Tektro post mount brakes have never required them. I thought maybe the owner knew what he was selling but I could be wrong. The way I described the two situations to him, he must have known they were botched jobs. When a mechanic stacks six cupped washers under the heads of the two caliper bolts, it ought to be apparent to anyone that they're not being used for adjustment; they're being used because the bolts are too long. I'd expect that from some backstreet amateur repair shop but not from a professional business, on a new bike.
Then where you have two flat mating surfaces - the mounting bracket and the caliper - and a cupped washer was sandwiched in between the two mating surfaces to keep the caliper from binding on the rotor, it's another botch job.
Perhaps other bike shops resort to the same kind of tricks. I would hope not. Hey, Jack! We need to order another bucket of rim brake washers!
Then where you have two flat mating surfaces - the mounting bracket and the caliper - and a cupped washer was sandwiched in between the two mating surfaces to keep the caliper from binding on the rotor, it's another botch job.
Perhaps other bike shops resort to the same kind of tricks. I would hope not. Hey, Jack! We need to order another bucket of rim brake washers!
It relies on convex washers sitting inside concave ones to allow 3D alignment.
Avid started using them on their canti and v-brake brakes and then adapted them for use with disc brakes. Which is why Avid brakes used an adaptor for IS mounting.
Without a photo of the brakes as they were installed by the shop it is hard to telletl. But your description of "cupped washers" makes me think those washers were where they were supposed to be.
07-10-17, 04:46 PM
#23
Pedalist
Thread Starter
I'm done with this forum. I can't deal with idiots.
Last edited by DaleDee; 07-11-17 at 09:08 AM.
07-10-17, 05:00 PM
#24
Senior Member
What, a stack of rim brake washers on the caliper bolts because the bolts were too long? And one rim brake washer sandwiched between a caliper and the mounting bracket, so the caliper was cock-eyed? The front brakes on both bikes weren't botched like that. And the Sun bike had an adjustable bracket to prevent the caliper from binding on the rotor. The 'mechanic' apparently couldn't figure that out. The shop owner said they were for adjusting the caliper. I'd like to see how that was done considering Tektro doesn't use or need them.
The photo shows how the washers were used, but not both on the same bike. Two stacks were used on the Specialized, and one was used on the Sun bike. I shorted the bolts to the right length, threw the washers out, and adjusted the Sun mounting bracket and threw the washer away. I'd be interested to hear what Tektro and Specialized would say about the botched brakes.
The photo shows how the washers were used, but not both on the same bike. Two stacks were used on the Specialized, and one was used on the Sun bike. I shorted the bolts to the right length, threw the washers out, and adjusted the Sun mounting bracket and threw the washer away. I'd be interested to hear what Tektro and Specialized would say about the botched brakes.
This is all rank speculation, since you haven't posted a picture of your particular setup...
07-10-17, 05:56 PM
#25
Senior Member
Join Date: Jan 2009
Posts: 1,036
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 175 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times
in
2 Posts
What, a stack of rim brake washers on the caliper bolts because the bolts were too long? And one rim brake washer sandwiched between a caliper and the mounting bracket, so the caliper was cock-eyed? The front brakes on both bikes weren't botched like that. And the Sun bike had an adjustable bracket to prevent the caliper from binding on the rotor. The 'mechanic' apparently couldn't figure that out. The shop owner said they were for adjusting the caliper. I'd like to see how that was done considering Tektro doesn't use or need them.
The photo shows how the washers were used, but not both on the same bike. Two stacks were used on the Specialized, and one was used on the Sun bike. I shorted the bolts to the right length, threw the washers out, and adjusted the Sun mounting bracket and threw the washer away. I'd be interested to hear what Tektro and Specialized would say about the botched brakes.
The photo shows how the washers were used, but not both on the same bike. Two stacks were used on the Specialized, and one was used on the Sun bike. I shorted the bolts to the right length, threw the washers out, and adjusted the Sun mounting bracket and threw the washer away. I'd be interested to hear what Tektro and Specialized would say about the botched brakes.
Without a photo of what was there I can't tell if the installation was wrong or not. But if you go to the Sun Bike you can see the rear disk brake is supposed to have the conical washer there.