I stopped riding a bike 15 years ago (I had a Fuji road bike in grad school). Now, with a young son, I am planning on starting again. After doing some reading, I'm planning on buying a single-speed, set up for freewheeling. Since this is just for once-a-week fun rides with the kid, I don't want to spend a ton of $.

I try to buy local when I can. I live in a smaller city, with two bike shops. Both places have ample stocks of the big "bike-store" brands, including models on the floor running up to $6-7K. Shop #1 is a bit more mountain-bike focused, while Shop #2 is more general. Neither one is a chain (Performance Bike or the like).

When I went into Bike Shop #1, I encountered three guys, huddled around a workbench in the back, fixing (tinkering with?) a bike. Even after trying to get their attention a few times, none of them seemed interested in talking to me, much less selling me anything.

At Bike Shop #2, I was greeted by an eager young man. He was nice enough, but -- honestly -- didn't know what he was doing (Example: He explained to me that the larger gears on the back wheel of the bike made it easier to pedal, "but it's the opposite on the front. There, the bigger the gear is, the easier it is to pedal." He persisted in saying this even after I asked him if he had that backwards. I am nobody's bike expert, but that... didn't seem right.) When I asked about a single speed bike, his response was "Why would you want one of those?" and he indicated that they had none in the shop, they'd have to order one, and that it would take 2-3 weeks (!) to get.

So, I'm now combing BD, etc. and making a decision. I'll almost certainly go back to one shop or the other for assembly and adjustment, and for part/mods. But, honestly, neither place gave me a lot of reason to want to return.

This is my first post here, and from doing some searches and reading the posts it seems like a great forum, with lots of helpful people and relatively little attitude. I hate to start off on a negative note, but I wanted to point out that "support your local bike shop" is a great principle, but only works when you have one (or two, or three, etc.) that are actually worth supporting.

I just bought my second bike in the last couple of years, neither from my LBS. I was in a very similar situation to yours. I'm in my mid 30s and hadn't ridden seriously in years. The first bike I got was a cheap single speed off Amazon (Takara Kabuto) for around $200. I assembled it myself, then later swapped the brakes, handlebars, pedals and tires myself. I had never done any tinkering with any of the bikes I owned in the past but I found most of those things to be easily done on my own by watching a youtube video or two and reading Sheldon Brown's site.

After starting to commute and riding every day I knew I wanted to eventually upgrade so I decided to strike up a relationship with a LBS that a coworker recommended. I bought some new 700x38 tires from them and paid them $50 for a tune up (which seems ridiculous for a single speed). I bought a few other cheap accessories and when I was ready to start shopping for a new bike it's the first place I went. Even though I had been there 4-5 times in the past couple of months and did business with them, they didn't remember me (point deduction for the LBS whose main selling point is personalized service). I explained exactly what I wanted in my next bike and they immediately put me on 3 different "bike store brand" hybrids because that's what they had a lot of in stock and want to sell them and they had nothing in stock that fit what I was asking for. They fit me by just looking at me and asking how tall I was and putting me on some bikes. I knew what I wanted and they would have to special order it and they were quick to tell me if they did order it I had to pay up front and there was no returns if I didn't like it or it didn't fit right.

Recently the bike I wanted went on sale at REI for $300 less then the LBS wanted to charge me so I bought it there. While I didn't get a professional set up on the bike to get the fit right, I saved a good amount of money which I am going to take and buy a Kilo TT off BD to replace my single/fixie that is a little too big for me and has cheap components that are starting to fail after a couple of years.

I support "the idea" of the LBS but unless I feel like I am getting personalized service and advice, I can't see why I would pay a premium on everything.

I go LBS for some things, internet for others. Supporting local shops doesn't mean you have to be a sucker.

I guess that's what I was trying to say, you put a little more succinctly

Most of the LBS around here are really helpful. Although that could be cause there's so many around, they would easily lose customers if they acted like the ones at yours.

I haven't used a bike shop in a long time, but i like doing my own repairs. If you want them to do any repairs at some point you'll have to pick one, but the mechanics forums here and youtube videos have always worked for me.

If people actually got into stuff and did their own thing, learning as they go, there'd be little need for any bike shops. But most people are lazy and don't want to put in the time necessary for learning stuff.

So they come online and ***** about people who do stuff, but whom they don't want to pay to do stuff they know they could do if they put the time into it, but for which they are not willing to devote necessary time/resources.

But yeah, there's bad shops, bad employees out there. In the case of the OP, considering history with bikes and experience with LBSs, buying a BD bike and having it assembled/serviced locally would probably be the way to go. I'd call both shops, though, and see where they're at about assembling a bike sourced online -- some shops/mechanics have hair across their nether orifice regarding such work.

This is how I feel. I have been learning as I go along. I don't think there is anything about a bicycle that is so complicated that the average person can't figure out how to do most of the work on their own. The only limiting factor it seems is having all the tools for the job and desire to learn

one of the idea I have, renting out stand time, and access to the bench once customers sign a waiver.
the problem is keeping that space clean, so I am still playing with the idea. not everyone treats tools like they are theirs.

another idea, is to sell (co-op brand) bikes that donate bikes to the local co-op that would allow them to stay open more often, than 2 days a week. they are our would be our closest and most direct competition, but I do think the city needs them to,\

I do think $50 is ok for a tune $45-50 is ok for a tune depending on how much per-hour shop time is, how much other shops are charging, what all they are doing, if my idea of a tune-up is their and idea of a tune-up is the same, the 50 is ok.

Tools that often cost more than taking the bike to the shop for work. Tools that you may only use once in your life.

Agreed, plus the space to store them and the space to actually do the work without ruining walls/floors/etc. Not everyone has basements and garages.

Also, willingness to pay for an expert to do something better and faster is not necessarily laziness. My time is worth something too.

I can cut down a fork steerer. I even have a tubing cutter. However, my LBS charged me a whopping 10 dollars to do it. No brainer! I spent the hour it'd've taken me to do it taking my son out to lunch.

We actually have a place like this in Los Angeles.
https://www.bicyclekitchen.com/index....out-this-site/

My local LBS has tools that I don't have and expertise in areas that I don't have time for (say respokeing or dishing a wheel..I could do it but....for modest cost, they can). The owner and I talk politics, the mechanics...bike issues, hunting, trails, etc. I always cruise the consignment area and reduced table looking for my version of a deal. I buy tires occasionally. Brake pads every now and then. He brought a nice used excellent condition Felt Tri bike in that he got on a swap knowing that someone local will like it too. I also buy online, search for deals at the Goodwill store (you'd be amazed what shows up), buy & sell from friends. Whatever works.

thank you for the link, I am still looking for a business model aside from mine.

As much as I'm in Hollywood and I never knew about this place? Shame on me.

You just have to find a good bike shop. I used to hate LBSes until I went to Go Green bikes in Burbank. The worker there (Christian, I think his name was) schooled me and my friend on the industry and was more interested in getting us on the perfect bike than selling the stuff he had.
I think a lot of bike shops deal with so many high end customers that they lose sight of us little people who also bike. In my town, the three shops won't do anything for older bikes (pre 2000), one just flat out telling us to get our bikes out of there. I guess when you have Freds buying new $5000 carbon bikes every year and not minding to pay hundreds in services and parts you can afford to treat others like crap. But I hop over the mountain and hit Los Angeles, the shops are so nice and so helpful. Also bike Co-Ops are awesome. I wish they would return my emails about volunteering because I'm on unemployment and would love to get bike experience!

Clam down guys. If you have feelings against OP, don't post in his thread. Simple as that.

The closest LBS to me is about 15 min away and whenever I have time to go there they are not open. I have a great shop about a half hour away up in Nashua NH but I buy basically everything online and do all my own assembly, maintenance, etc, except for wheel building/truing, I still haven't learned and don't have the tools for it.

I try to buy everything from my local shops. I'm lucky, I have 6 within about 20 min of my house. I've bought at least a little something from each over the last few years but have settled on one that I like better than the others, and he's getting most of my business these days. I pay a little more than on-line; but I like having manufacturer representation, good product knowledge, and product close by.

That said I had an experience like yours at one of the other local shops when buying a bike for my daughter about three years ago. She wanted the bike at the shop with the most inept sales person we came a cross all all day. I got into a stupid argument with guy, then ended up paying full list for the bike. But, that was the one she wanted, so they lucked out that day.

I think the majority of tools that would be needed for the majority of repairs capable of being undertaken by an average skill/inclination person would not fall into this category. Also, good bike tools hold their value like crazy and can often be purchased, used once and then resold for a loss that is less than the cost of the repair at a shop.

Also, lol, who takes an hour to cut down a steerer? If it really took that long your LBS would be charging you a lot more than $10.

Cut once, measure 20?

lots of LBSs are dumb and full of incompetent or senile folks

find a good one with friendly people and a good mechanic, and give them all the business you feel comfortable with (typically just wheel builds for me)