jacksbike

Hi all !
I have just discovered this site and find it very interesting. My father owned a full service bike shop in eastern connecticut from 1952 until 1978. I worked in his shop while growing up. I owned my own full service bike shop from 1978 until 1994. My family and I stiil ride quite a bit and I have never given up the enjoyment of cycling. I have quite an extensive colleciton of bikes in a bursting shed. My wife and I bought new bikes this year, 2 new Trek road bikes with STI shifting, and 2 new Trek hybrids that we can go out on rail trails with our children.
It is unfortunate that so many bikes are now sold through department stores rather than full service bike shops. Your average customer gets a bike that is poorly assembled with no service. It does not make cycling enjyoable when you have not been fit correctly or shown how to shift 18+ gears. On the other hand it is very difficutl for you average full service bike shop owner to make a decent living.(One of the many reasons that I left the industry). It is a fun business to be in but you just can't make much money. Plus it is extremely seasonal.
Anyhoo. I look forward to posting my 2 cents in some discussions on this site !
Hello to all !!

algorithm0

Welcome to the forums! It's great to have experienced and knowledgeable people like you on the site, to help bike newbs like myself

jacksbike

Thanks for the welcome! I hope that I can you my years of experience in the bike industry to help cyclists with questions.

* jack *

What bike brands did your shop specialize in? Do you happen to have a collection of old brochures?
You should post photos of some of your old bikes in the Classic & Vintage forum.