dedhed

Went into REI the other day to buy a new helmet and walked out with a bike. Oh, and a helmet. Scratch & dent Radonee for a real good price.

"Also need choice - left infuriated because they didn't have part or consumable again, ordered from Interweb."

Unfortunately this happens to me all too often. We can order that - Well so can I, and it comes right to my door without another trip and waiting for someone to call me and say it arrived even though it arrived a day or two earlier or I have to call back and ask about it.

905

I served a lot of time in bookshops back in the day, and can remember when we used microfiche to see if the distributor had that copy of The Joy of Sex in Braille in stock.



It's hard not to rhapsodize about consumer choice when all of us here are consumers, though I sympathise with shops having to compete with the likes of Amazon, where I buy my chains because they're almost half the price. Can this cognitive dissonance be cured by retail therapy?

shipwreck

Last time I was in a bike shop I had a headset pressed in. The owner, who has worked on bikes for 35+ years told me that my NOS garage sale find was one of the nicer steel frames he has seen, so I felt pretty chuffed about my score. Also better about the 50 mile drive, as the owner of the local bike shop runs in a wheel all night and eats pellets.

While I was in there, I looked at an old Frejus, came really close to paying far to much for it. SO I guess I would have to say I ogled some steel. Rusty steel.

905

Speaking of rust, whoever owns this, which I spotted outside a supermarket today, needs to visit their LBS pronto:

I-Like-To-Bike

All I went in for was to use the restroom.

905

The post-Christmas season has me wondering if I should add a poll option: Returns. It's the thought that counts, but you can't exchange or get a refund on thoughts. Have you been gifted anything which is making the trip back to the shop? May include gifts to yourself which you wish you could return.


"Too small."


"I wanted the Tour of Flanders model."


"I've already got one."


"Doesn't go faster than the speed of light, as advertised."


"I'm suspicious it may have been stolen."

wahoonc

To give them appraisals on a couple of vintage bikes they had taken on trade, and to pick up some stuff I had special ordered.

Aaron

cyclist2000

I went in to the LBS to get some small forgettable item, spent 30 minutes looking around. Had to tell myself that I had too much cycling stuff already and not to waste the money at this time, waste it on a new frame later.

mconlonx

Last thing I did in a bikeshop: rebuilt my commuter from flat bar, back to drop bar, except instead of bar end shifting like I had before, I'm trying STI Brake/Shifters for a change. Test rode plenty, never had them on any of my own bikes. Left the bars unwrapped because I'm checking out some Soma Portola (wide-flare, mtn drops) bars. Might keep them; might go back to a compact drop (Soma Highway One).

Side benefit of working in a bike shop: using the service area for personal use -- stand, tools, small parts...

Jim from Boston

Mine is one block away, How much do I love it?

Twice what I expected to pay, but saved $4000. Such a deal.

interungulate

I didn't like the ones where I grew up; when I was younger, I'd only pop in for a bottle of lube when I reeeeeally needed it, maybe. The experience continued to the one by my university. I can't stand it, but it's the only one that sells shot bloks, etc., so I go in just for those. I know what I need, grab it, get out.

But then I was in the market for a bike, so when I went home for winter break I tried a new LBS, one in San Francisco (Contrada). The second I walked in I was like yep, this is where I will be spending all of my disposable income. I think I found my bike shop soul mate, and it feels so good.