Im getting real sick of LBS around here.
iT seems anyone you walk into try to sell you a bike within under a minute of speaking. One place has Msrp stickers on items instead the actual price, talk about driving consumers to the interwebs. In addition to them hawking you like crazy.
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Nick,
I know how you feel. I am a believer in the coveted title: LBS. However, mine, in which I did my best to help them out, without breaking my own bank in the attempt, screwed me over one to many times. First it was charging me a ridiculous amount for installing new cables on my bike. Second it was not properly adjusting the derailleurs so they shifted correctly. Third, and the one that really gets me is when my wife went to pick up my bike and pay, they attempted to sell her stuff that I "might" need. |
Originally Posted by Sexy_Lugs
(Post 15652779)
Nick,
I know how you feel. I am a believer in the coveted title: LBS. However, mine, in which I did my best to help them out, without breaking my own bank in the attempt, screwed me over one to many times. First it was charging me a ridiculous amount for installing new cables on my bike. Second it was not properly adjusting the derailleurs so they shifted correctly. Third, and the one that really gets me is when my wife went to pick up my bike and pay, they attempted to sell her stuff that I "might" need. At least in Belgium you've got an abundance of LBS's to choose from, depending on where exactly you live, of course. |
Mine talked me into buying lime green tires.......I can't believe it :-)
pics upon request |
Originally Posted by AdelaaR
(Post 15652829)
That last move is nasty.
At least in Belgium you've got an abundance of LBS's to choose from, depending on where exactly you live, of course. |
Originally Posted by lenA
(Post 15652842)
Mine talked me into buying lime green tires.......I can't believe it :-)
pics upon request |
Originally Posted by lenA
(Post 15652842)
Mine talked me into buying lime green tires.......I can't believe it :-)
pics upon request Shouldn't that be "Mine tried to talk me into buying lime green tires."? |
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Oh man I want some in red.... |
one kept trying to put me into a sedate touring bike. NOT what i needed and i kept telling them that. the other, when i walked in at 445 to pick up an extra pair of gloves, said (without even saying hello) that they were closing in fifteen minutes.
at this point i just wait to have things shipped. |
Those green tires are sweet. I really do like them.
And no, I am not being sarcastic. |
Originally Posted by topflightpro
(Post 15652987)
Those green tires are sweet. I really do like them.
And no, I am not being sarcastic. |
I think this might be the one instance in the world of cycling where women get better treatment. I guess there are not enough women riders out there, but I've been told before that in fact I won't need this or that and should not spend the money.
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i agree that most men don't try to sell us extras, so that is a plus. I do find it frustrating though when i need a certain type of bike and they don't seem to believe women need anything more than a beach cruiser.
and before anyone gets insulted, i love beach cruisers. just not for mountain biking ;) |
I truly want to support my LBS but they always want to sell me a $5000.00 CF bike and sell me things I don't need or use.
I am an avid cyclist and do buy if they have a sale (got a new specialized helmet for $20.00 after the rebate and 40% off sale with coupons). There are 3 nice shops here and they know me but I usually just buy bearings when I repack my bottom bracket etc. I do notice a bit of a pompous elitist ivory tower attitude from the workers and some of the rich customers that look down at me and my 1972 PX-10...lol No wonder people buy from the internet. |
Originally Posted by rica rica
(Post 15652998)
i like them too, but i thought everyone would mock me haha
Happy now? :) |
I like my lbs. They let me raid their store of used parts for exotic builds and use the tools as long as I buy the the new parts from them. Win win. He knows I build bikes so gives me first dibs on good second hand stuff. :)
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Nice bike. Those tires are hideous! I like!
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Originally Posted by lenA
(Post 15652928)
I was in the moment.
But lets not blame the LBS for those going out the door. Any shop has a right to market stuff, especially stuff they got stuck with or that just might appeal to that one customer (and apparently it did). So just quickly replace them and either throw the Hulk tires away or sell them on craigslist. /K |
You need some Cannondale team kit to complete the ensemble. ...Can't get Lemond kit.
Anyway, getting back to LBS's. The shops around here are usually quite good about no high pressure and leaving you alone to peruse if you want that. However, I did have an encounter with a young arrogant guy at a new shop. He immediately started pressuring me to tell him what kind of bike(s) I have, and then proceeded to tell me how much better the ones they had available were. I just walked out before I launched into a diatribe beginning with, "Now listen sonny!" I hope he gets over himself soon or moves on because he was certainly hurting business. It is a nice shop, but I haven't been back. They have another location closer to my office that is nothing like that. The new shop is in a very affluent area, parking lot mostly filled with luxury cars and tricked out 4X4's. Maybe his approach works with that clientele. It sure doesn't with me. |
Originally Posted by Sula122
(Post 15653029)
I think this might be the one instance in the world of cycling where women get better treatment. I guess there are not enough women riders out there, but I've been told before that in fact I won't need this or that and should not spend the money.
you are truly blessed! |
those tires are life changing. |
Originally Posted by Nick Bain
(Post 15652596)
iT seems anyone you walk into try to sell you a bike within under a minute of speaking.
Here's a little tip from the inside: we love our customers, we really do, but walking in and wandering around moving stock around but not letting the sales staff help you find something you need (before ultimately walking out empty-handed) doesn't make you a customer. It makes you a visitor. Some of these visitors are talkers, who think that we are going to be scintillated by their thoughts and expertise on bicycles, but the reality is that the large majority of the talkers are catastrophic bores who will do almost anything to avoid actually spending any money. I suspect that a lot of these cheapskate bores are the ones who then go online and complain about their LBS. I don't know what it is about bicycle retail that makes people think that the staff want to just hang out and have a long conversation with them without selling them anything, since no one would EVER assume that about most other retail operations, but there you go. And then people get annoyed when the staff act like their job is to make money and keep the doors open. I suppose book stores have this problem as well. |
Originally Posted by grolby
(Post 15653909)
A retail store that wants to sell the products it stocks!? Fetch me my fainting couch!
Here's a little tip from the inside: we love our customers, we really do, but walking in and wandering around moving stock around but not letting the sales staff help you find something you need (before ultimately walking out empty-handed) doesn't make you a customer. It makes you a visitor. Some of these visitors are talkers, who think that we are going to be scintillated by their thoughts and expertise on bicycles, but the reality is that the large majority of the talkers are catastrophic bores who will do almost anything to avoid actually spending any money. I suspect that a lot of these cheapskate bores are the ones who then go online and complain about their LBS. I don't know what it is about bicycle retail that makes people think that the staff want to just hang out and have a long conversation with them without selling them anything, since no one would EVER assume that about most other retail operations, but there you go. And then people get annoyed when the staff act like their job is to make money and keep the doors open. I suppose book stores have this problem as well. |
I like most of my LBS, particularly like two stores that strike me as low pressure and not likely to sneer or make fun of your existing bike. But even the corporate stores (Trek and Specialized dealers) are decent enough. There is a place that just opened not far from my house that I haven't made up my mind on. I stopped by there the other day purely out of curiosity, as I wasn't sure whether it was a bike shop, an art gallery, or a bike oriented exercise studio. Turned out it was a bike shop, but the high end carbon fiber bikes were displayed on the wall as if they were rare and valuable pieces of art. I met the owner of the place and he was pleasant enough, told me about some of the services his shop offered in addition to selling new bikes (like pro bike fittings for example) then I thanked him for his time and he said something vaguely insulting. He said when he saw me come in, he wouldn't have guessed I knew anything about bikes (but that now that he talked to me, I actually knew a thing or two). My 12 year old son said to me after we left, "Dad, I think that man just called you fat." :(
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