partykingwes

back in the summer, i got a $200.00 bike from target. scoff at the source and the price as you may, i really like the bike and its gotten me to bike commuting 60 miles or so per week plus going on joy rides. Now I want to upgrade to a road bike, maybe in the touring style or maybe not - for less than $1,000.00. I'm getting serious about the situation, and here's what I'm going to do:

Take the day off and ride my bike around Philadelphia, hitting as many bike shops as possible. I'm open minded: steel, aluminum, name brand, budget brand, new, and used will all be considered. I'm going to take notes on what's being offered - and also what I think of the shops themselves. Then I'll post my findings. So, here's my questions:

1) any tips on how to get the most of this endeavor?

2) any idea on how to fairly assess a bike shop experience? can you think of any sales or service type of question that ought to be answered such that a fudging or "you've got to bring it in" (for the service aspect) is an indication they're treating me as a mark and not a potential valued customer?

thanks!

banerjek

Just go to the shops and see which appeal to you. Talk to the people about what you're interested in, your price range, etc. If the experience feels good, it probably is.

The shops are very different in what they carry and the types of riders they're set up to help. You'll know if you're in the right place.

wphamilton

Ask them something easy like what a tune-up would cost on your $200 Target bike, or since you've got it right there what would it cost to replace the freewheel. Or refurb the bearings. You'll get an idea of what their attitude is. It it's beneath them, or if they have to "look up" a freewheel or bottom bracket for even a general price or want to charge double retail because it's unusual or "obsolete", I just go on to the next shop.

seymour1910

This is something that not enough people ask. We always get the question "what bike should I buy" but I don't see this question enough.

For me it was all about the customer service, I walked into several shops and some of them were horror stories while others were very good experiences. I remember going into shops and once they found out I wasn't spending 2k they blew me off.

I would say to follow your instincts and see who you gain a rapport with. If you find a shop you like, next look for a bike you LOVE in your price range. There is a performance bike in philly, they have great deals and be sure to give them a look address below:

1300 South Columbus Blvd, Suite 11
Riverview Plaza
Philadelphia, PA 19147

RollCNY

OP, just an opinion, but this is a bad idea. There is no magic question, and if you don't know enough to ask mechanical questions on your own, it will fall apart in a hurry. Say you ask what it costs to replace the freewheel, they look at the bike, and tell you it doesn't have a freewheel, it has a free hub, and a cassette. What are you looking to do? If you can't flow that into a conversation, you just erode your own credibility. Refurb bearings? What bearings? Sealed cartridge bearings get replaced, so there is no refurb. There is no safe magic question.

My advice: tell the sales person that you ride now, have a bike you commute on, and are looking for a nice road bike for under $1k. If they dismiss you, then you have your answer. If they show you bikes that are more than $1k, then they don't listen. But if they have a conversation, specific to you, then there is a good chance that they are a decent shop.

And I didn't mean any digs to @wphamilton, I just see limited success in the posing technical questions bit. Too easy to get you a wrong impression.

banerjek

This is not totally a fair question but you may get a good attitude read off them.

Dept store bikes typically have loads of issues and are not even really designed to be worked on like that -- have you ever actually heard of someone replacing a BB on one?

These bikes typically have loads of issues and they're the worst to work on for a variety of reasons. Add that they're not worth anything, and it's easy for a reasonable repair to cost more than the whole thing is worth. Seized cables, hopelessly out of true wheels, and crazy loose headsets are par for the course. So that tuneup should cost a huge percentage of the value of the bike and it's easy for someone who doesn't know better to think they're being scammed. Or that the shop is being snooty for not wanting to work on it because many won't.

If you want to get into road cycling, I wouldn't judge a shop by how they treat a dept store bike. Shops that are set up to help people with those are there to serve people who barely ride with some commuters mixed in. You're going to want a shop that serves budget minded road cyclists.

dking

I agree with this.^
'Just walk in and be honest, tell them what your wants and needs are, and then decide if they have the bike for you. If yes, then ask them about warranty, adjustments, hours of operation, shop rides, etc... If they seem welcoming and honest, then you've probably found your LBS.

himespau 

It seems that someone was just talking about a touring shop in philly a couple days ago. Wonder if they'd be worth a look.

Edit: here's the quote. follow the link if you want a bit of follow up discussion about them.

wphamilton

These aren't technical, not gochas, they're easy questions that even the sales guy should knock out of the park.

Chances are very good that a $200 Dep Store bike has a freewheel (though you might check). Chances are also good that OP doesn't need one, and if he does he could get an equivalent wheel plus freehub for not much more (or even less) than what the shop might charge to replace a freewheel. I would want to know how the shop handles it.

I think it's a very good indicator of how a store will treat its customers.

wphamilton

Yep, the vague question is to see how they react. Does he give you the irrelevant 20 questions treatment, ask you directly what the issue is, say he doesn't know (sometimes the most acceptable answer) or just blow it off? Does he realize offhand that your bike isn't likely to have sealed hub bearings? I wouldn't expect him to know about the bottom bracket at a glance (although RollCNY might), but he should be up front about what a un55 costs.

banerjek

I still think it's a bad test. It's not going to take the shop 2 seconds to figure out the OP has no idea of what he's talking about. So they'll either think he's a complete idiot or that he's running some kind of test that someone else put him up to.

Also, he needs to be at a shop that services what he plans on riding, not what he rides now. I wouldn't expect a decent road bike shop to have stuff laying around that would be appropriate for dept store bikes. Just as I wouldn't expect a shop that does have that stuff to sell decent saddles or other parts that you'd put on a good road bike.

Oldhead

I was at REI looking at their bikes the other night. The sales lady spent a half hour talking to me about the bikes, tires, and the shifters knowing that I wasn't buying one for about 2 months. Pretty much sold me on where to buy

banerjek

Hey Partyking!

A good shop will figure out what kind of customer you are and ask the right questions to help you. You won't have trouble figuring out if they're a good shop. If you find the process intimidating or confusing, it's not a good shop for you.

longbeachgary

The main reason that a shop won't work on department store junk is that no matter how hard they try, the bike just can't be adjusted properly. Not everyone wants a junker like your Denali and not every shop is willing to work on them. Do you think that it should cost less to work on a cheap bike?

prathmann

Really? The last time I needed a new freewheel I headed to my local shop and they charged me $30. Where could I have gotten a new rear wheel plus freehub/cassette for less?

wphamilton

Amazon or Niagara Cycles, run you $40-$50. Your local shop would be a keeper.

That kind of answer would be an example of fail.

OP can try my questions, or listen to those who disagree (apparently everyone).

I've got half a dozen bikes cluttering up the house btw, not just the Denali. It's only for nasty weather or when I want a nice easy ride.

Myosmith

One of my rules of thumb for judging a bike shop is the first question the sales person asks (Can I help you? doesn't count)

If the first question is something along the lines of "How much do you have/want to spend?" the red flags go up.

If the first question is about getting to know you, I feel much better about the shop. "How long have you been riding?", "What kind of riding do you like/want to do?", "What are you looking for in a bike?", "What are you riding now? What do you like/not like about it?" etc.

Being an older clyde, it's fun to go into a new bike shop and feign being a total newbie. It tells me a lot about a shop when I see what they try to sell me.

sefk

Yelp is really helpful to narrow down the bike shops that are good:
https://www.yelp.com/search?find_desc...desc=bike+shop

Another mark of quality is the involvement of the bike shop in the local biking scene. As you are thinking about becoming a roadie you would want one that is active in the road cycling around the city: organizing bike rides, road races, having a club and team, sponsorship, etc.

Then, go visit and see. Different bike shops are run by different people and would approach service differently. They might all be good objectively speaking but you have your own expectation of what constitute a good service.

rdtompki

Excellent advice IMO.

longbeachgary

I'm not sure why that question would send up a red flag. Why waste your time showing you bikes that you can't afford or have no interest in. If it's fun to go into a bike shop and make believe that you know nothing about bikes just for sport, maybe you need another hobby.

banerjek

It should be an early question, but not the first one.

It absolutely makes no sense to start showing bikes until you know what type of riding is intended, a bit about the rider, and what the budget is. But trying to nail down the money before figuring out the rider tells you what the focus of the person selling is.

longbeachgary

Absolutely.

jackss731

I work at a shop and enjoy finding the right bike for the customer. Figuring out how long they've been riding, what kind of riding they're thinking about doing, (mileage, performance, fitness, comfort, commuter, light trails and/or neighborhood riding) is essential in finding them the right bike. I have also heard horror stories about other shops simply giving up on the customer when they still aren't sure on what they want. I'll spend as much time as possible to get that style and fit that they can grow into, progress, and enjoy for a long time. Test rides are great too.


Be honest and tell them your needs and concerns and they should lead you in the right direction. I'm actually the mechanic but I know how to take care of budget bikes and customers, as well as bring them up to the investment of their first >700$ entry level road bike. hopefully your shops will do the same

NoviceJohn

Before going to your first LBS to look at bikes, do some research online on types of bikes and ask around (like this forum) about brands and models that fit you for what your intentions are for the bike. You already informed us about your budget (under $1k). Now inform us what your intentions are for the bike (race, touring, exercise, etc). After that, I'm sure some experienced cyclists (not me, still a newbie) can name you some brands (with the type of components) and you can look up the prices. Then go out and test ride a few and see which rides the best. IMO, the LBS that tries to up sell you even after you told them your cycling level (entry, intermediate, advanced, etc) is the one to avoid because they're more into making a few extra dollars rather than listening to your needs. When I bought my 1st road bike two months ago, 2 out of 4 LBS tried to sell me a new bike with tiagra components after I told them I wanted an entry level bike. Being informed before hand, I knew the tiagra set isn't entry level and left without evening looking at their entry level bikes.

ltmax2001

I just went through the bike shopping experience. Just got my first real road bike.
I took my nephew that is a bike mechanic (his shop could not get me a bike in my price range that "sang" to me). He did not do any real talking other than to give me the nod. We found a freaking great deal on a bike in a bike shop that is middle of the playing field as far as how I thought it should. I am going to take my new bike to another shop.

My advice is go where you find the bike that talks to you. You can always have it serviced at another place (again, my nephews shop is awesome for service and repairs).