Support your local bike shop ... puh !!

[jimihendrix]

My local one took FIVE WEEKS to get me a single speed kit, i think he sourced the seperate parts from all over the country, it was rediculous, every time i went in it was " just waiting on this bit now, give us a phone tuesday ", i could have got the whole kit off E-bay in a couple of days cheaper :roll:

They sold me an inner brake cable with the barrel end snipped off, did'nt notice till i went to fit it a week later :roll:

Ordered a Campag BB tool on a Saturday, guy said "it'll be here Tuesday", went in the next Saturday to collect it, the different guy new sod all about it "it's not even been marked in the book" he said :roll:

They quoted a staggering £129 to build a pair of wheels, (hubs and rims supplied), nothing fancy just a straightforward build on a pair of 32 hole MTB wheels.

You also get pounced on with the "can i help you" as soon as you walk in.

I'd go to Halfords before i'd use that LBS again, i've also found a cracking shop in the next town (where i got the wheels mentioned built for £70) so also go there

 

[daj]

Just out of interest after been made to feel a prat , A 32mm spanner is what you need for a 1" threaded headset? :?

 

[jimihendrix]

Just out of interest after been made to feel a prat , A 32mm spanner is what you need for a 1" threaded headset? :?

Yeah, 32mm but it really needs to be a thin bike one to slot onto the bottom nut, i use a big shifting spanner for the top lock nut.

 

[THWANG-666]

all but one of my lbs are a waste of time 3wks wait for a shock bush

 

[perry]

You also get pounced on with the "can i help you" as soon as you walk in.

The people I work with sadly don't understand that 90% of people hate the hard sell If someone wants something then they will go up to the staff and ask . We have an offer on gt85 at the moment and I got pissed off with the boss a few days ago when he told me that for each sale we had to make a note of it , with all the other paperwork I have to do there is very little time to do any actual work :x

 

[jimihendrix]

You also get pounced on with the "can i help you" as soon as you walk in.

The people I work with sadly don't understand that 90% of people hate the hard sell :x

Comes across as hard sell in the larger stores like Evans but in small ones if the guy shouts it across from behind the counter i interprate it as "just letting you know i'm watching you incase you try and steal something", even in Halfords you are left to brouse for a while, then again thats usually because the staff in there have'nt a clue

 

[perry]

Nah it's because they would struggle to sell you a 20" framed bike and that's all they have

Although I've found out that you can get a trade discount card if you " maintain your own vehicle " so that's good for 20%

 

[dbmtb]

There is a myriad of reasons why I left the UK bike trade to join its danish counterpart.

 

[velomaniac]

Go on, make us envious, whats so good about the Danish bike trade

 

[Steve Kish]

Now, if you want a good LBS, you need to go to Cycle Care in High Wycombe. Not only do they know their stuff, they'll bend over backwards to help you out for tiny bits, if they sense that you're a bikie and not just a bloke riding a bike - the difference is subtle!

I spent about 45 minutes there with the owner going through boxes of Hope brake spares to find a copper olive that he let me have for free.

Boils down to the fact that all his staff are enthusiasts who understand the problems that we have with bikes.