Tales from the bike shop...
07-10-09, 11:14 AM
#1
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... and informative too!
07-10-09, 11:30 AM
#4
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I agree that he's 100% right but he's forgotten one significant fact:
Customer's aren't required to make bike shop employees happy. It's the job of bike shop employees to make their customer's happy. When you accept a job in the bike shop those things that he's ranting about is what you've signed on for.
Customer's aren't required to make bike shop employees happy. It's the job of bike shop employees to make their customer's happy. When you accept a job in the bike shop those things that he's ranting about is what you've signed on for.
07-10-09, 11:30 AM
#5
Lost
awesome
07-10-09, 11:37 AM
#6
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Brilliant. Simply brilliant. My favorite passage:
Being made in the 80's may make something cool, but that doesn't automatically make something good. The reason that no one has ridden that "vintage" Murray is because it's *****. It was ***** in the 80's, a trend it carried proudly through the 90's, and rallied with into the '00's. What I mean to say is, no, I can't make it work better. It's still *****, even with more air in the tires.
Last edited by Little Darwin; 07-10-09 at 03:36 PM. Reason: edited quote to allow filter to catch profanities
07-10-09, 11:52 AM
#10
I eat carbide.
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OMG!!! That was really, really funny. Well thought out, articulate and entertaining without the over aggressive tones that many too important shop owning fools have. the only thing aggressive about it was the "feed your kids to sharks" bit but he saved it by saying "because sharks are f'n AWESOME!"
I really f'n laughed out loud at this one...
I really f'n laughed out loud at this one...
Originally Posted by PO'd shop worker/owner
So you want a bike that you can ride to work, goes really fast, is good for that triathlon you're doing this summer (snicker), is good on trails and mud, and costs less than $300. Yeah. Listen, I want a car that can go 200 miles an hour, tow a boat, has room for five adults, is easy to parallel park but can carry plywood, gets 60mpg, and only costs $3,000. I also want a unicorn to **** me.
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07-10-09, 11:54 AM
#11
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Genius.
07-10-09, 12:13 PM
#14
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Broke me up. Everyone here at the office is wondering where all the snickering is coming from . . .
07-10-09, 12:19 PM
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He's not the owner. The owner wouldn't have time to write that. More likely he's the all-too-common snide LBS employee.
That said, he's also funny as hell!
Oh good lord that hits the mark here in Northern California, where any casual stroll on the sidewalk can end suddenly with an upper-middle-class d-bag in skinny jeans running over your feet.
That said, he's also funny as hell!
Go have an ironic mustache growing contest in front of American Apparel, so that I can continue selling $300 bikes to fatties, which is what keeps the lights on.
07-10-09, 12:42 PM
#16
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The few triathlon comments are all I have to take issue with. Every triathlete had to start somewhere with it.
Yes, I realize the banhammer is approaching.
Yes, I realize the banhammer is approaching.
07-10-09, 12:52 PM
#18
I eat carbide.
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Not really...they're actually busy checking your internet traffic and writing you up.
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07-10-09, 03:16 PM
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wow, how clever
Something about calling half of your customers an insulting "fatties" just seems out of step with
also this
which is really unfortunate, I had my LBS do some final tweaks on a self-build bike
they were happy to do the work and they get my repeat business
you know this guy isn't the shop owner because that attitude wouldn't get him out of bed in the morning to do the work that has to be done every day
frankly, he sounds like an ass**** who didn't realize the regular everyday customer would be his customer
Something about calling half of your customers an insulting "fatties" just seems out of step with
Good for you! Biking is awesome. It's easy, it's fun, it's good for you. I want you to bike, I really do. To that end, I am here to help you.
I won't do the "final tweaks" for you.
they were happy to do the work and they get my repeat business
you know this guy isn't the shop owner because that attitude wouldn't get him out of bed in the morning to do the work that has to be done every day
frankly, he sounds like an ass**** who didn't realize the regular everyday customer would be his customer
07-10-09, 03:26 PM
#22
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07-10-09, 03:43 PM
#23
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"I won't do the final tweaks for you."
Here's what he's talking about: "Final tweaks" is one thing if you're talking about a conventional build with compatable parts. That's called a tune up.
It can, however, turn into a nightmere that never ends. Non-stock tandems, non-stock recumbents, tricycles and various home-built inventions are a completely different story. Non-compatable shifters and derailleurs, goofy cable routings, chain line issues, too short computer wires, computer sensor mounting points, the list goes on and on. Any one of the above can easily eat up hours of shop time and require multiple phone calls to the customer. At roughly $50.00 per hour, you'll never come out whole. Generally speaking, these projects also tend to take up a lot of shop space, sometimes for months at a time, while the customer rounds up parts that "might" work or saves up money to pay the bill. Politely avoiding "projects" is a talent that bike shop employees have to learn if they want the shop to remain profitable.
"I won't do the final tweaks for you." is terse, bordering on rude. Keep in mind, however, this is a rant. The author probably doesn't really talk to customers that way. That's why he felt the need to blow off some steam.
Here's what he's talking about: "Final tweaks" is one thing if you're talking about a conventional build with compatable parts. That's called a tune up.
It can, however, turn into a nightmere that never ends. Non-stock tandems, non-stock recumbents, tricycles and various home-built inventions are a completely different story. Non-compatable shifters and derailleurs, goofy cable routings, chain line issues, too short computer wires, computer sensor mounting points, the list goes on and on. Any one of the above can easily eat up hours of shop time and require multiple phone calls to the customer. At roughly $50.00 per hour, you'll never come out whole. Generally speaking, these projects also tend to take up a lot of shop space, sometimes for months at a time, while the customer rounds up parts that "might" work or saves up money to pay the bill. Politely avoiding "projects" is a talent that bike shop employees have to learn if they want the shop to remain profitable.
"I won't do the final tweaks for you." is terse, bordering on rude. Keep in mind, however, this is a rant. The author probably doesn't really talk to customers that way. That's why he felt the need to blow off some steam.
