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  1. #26
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Huh?
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    10,910
    Spats and Tap, you covered it perfectly. I definitely got the impression they really need to get their shit together. And no amount of words can fix what is only earned through actions.

    I'm definitely gonna see DGC. I haven't met him yet, but everyone says he's the mang. I'll find out tomorrow, when he's supposed to be in. Plus I love dealing with their other store. Great techs and great peeps.

    I'm also considering Helen's Bikes down in Arcadia, CA (LA suburb). My sister's dealt with them for years and I went in there a few weeks ago. Very cool guys and they definitely know their shit. They also sell both SC and Turner. I'd like to avoid the long distance relationship though. Still they build great bikes and won't dick me around.
    Last edited by Arty50; 06-29-2004 at 04:49 PM.
    "I knew in an instant that the three dollars I had spent on wine would not go to waste."

  2. #27
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Southeast New York
    Posts
    11,766
    Bummer what you went through with that shop Arty. I've been following this thread and kept wishing there was something I could do to help. I hate it when another bike shop blows it like that, it makes us all look bad. If I had blown it like that with a client I would expect them to walk on me too, just like you did with 123.

    To all in this thread that bashed bike shops, please keep in mind that we are not all like that. As to lifetime tunes included with the purchase of the bike: I include the first two with every bike I sell. I feel that after the second time I go through a bike it's in better shape than when it was brand new. After that anything that goes wrong is most likely due to the fact that it's being used. If there is some sort of defect with the bike or a part I will probably service it at no cost to the client forever but that rarely happens. The way we ride our bikes (read - hard) things will go wrong. Things may go wrong more frequently than you think they should but you really need to ask yourself if it was the shops fault or not. I guess what I'm trying to say is please don't ask us to give ourselves away, we are just trying to feed our kids too. Margins on new bikes basically suck. I'm not trying to feed y'all a line of cr*p, just venting a little. Thanks for the space...

  3. #28
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Huh?
    Posts
    10,910
    Understood. I ride like a kludge and thus mess things up too. So I wouldn't expect a shop to fix something for free that I broke/mangled/gnarled/overpowered/etc. Lifetime service would be nice, but it's not a major buying point. That's one of the great things about this experience. I'm learning what to look for in a good shop.

    On a separate note, when I was down in LA a month ago I demoed a bike at the shop where I bought my old Gary Fisher. As a thanks for the free two day demo I brought in some beer. They were in shock. I guess the people down there are heathens. Isn't giving shop techs free beer an international law.
    Last edited by Arty50; 06-30-2004 at 09:09 AM.
    "I knew in an instant that the three dollars I had spent on wine would not go to waste."

  4. #29
    Join Date
    Oct 2002
    Location
    Shadynasty's Jazz Club
    Posts
    10,248
    Every shop here and in Charleston offers lifetime tune-up with a complete bike purchase. I really don't think it's too much to ask. Obviously, servicing a shock or rebuilding a wheel isn't covered, so the labor is minimal

    Honestly, in my experience it ends up being an excellent stream of revenue. People bring in their bikes more often to be worked on, and the shop charges them for parts. While they're there they might decide to buy a jersey, gloves, new helmet. New cables/housing, brake pads, etc. takes no time for a decent tech to do. Similarly, I think it's ridiculous for a shop to charge a customer outrages labor rates for something as simple as a tune-up.

    Not trying to fight w/ you gravity, just offering my opinion from my experience working in a shop. I will admit that there was the occasional jackass who brought his/her bike in daily because something wasn't just right. We'd just start hanging on to the bike a little longer each time until they got sick of waiting.
    Remind me. We'll send him a red cap and a Speedo.

  5. #30
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    写道
    Posts
    13,434
    Artay, since your box is stuffed, I'll just post my PM here:

    Doood, Cyclepath in Portland is a Turner dealer and the owner is super cool. Also, no sales tax. If you come to Hood mini, I'll take you there...very close to where I live. He may even have a 5-spot in the shop in your size.

    Number is: 503-281-0485. Talk to Bill.

    And, if he were to fuk with you, I'd go down on him like USC went down on fucla last season!

    Good luck!
    Daniel Ortega eats here.

  6. #31
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Southeast New York
    Posts
    11,766
    No fights, no problem. Some shops have good luck with the lifetime free labor thing but in NY if you're willing to give away part of yourself these jokers want the rest of you too. Over the top labor rates are another thing entirely. I agree with you that a lot of shops think they're worth their weight in gold, or at least that they should make as much as their plumber does. Right, who are we kidding? Why should we think that we can make a living too? We own shops because we love bikes and some of us aren't any good at working for other people so therefore we should just lay ourselves out at your feet and give it up. When you've found a shop that you trust and their wrench is really good the labor rate should then become acceptable. I'm not trying to start anything just showing the other side.

  7. #32
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Southeast New York
    Posts
    11,766

    Oh yeah, 1 mo thing

    Arty, you're right. BEER is the universal motivator!!

  8. #33
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Huh?
    Posts
    10,910
    Viva, many thanks!

    Today I met the guy lph and Tap mentioned. We spent 4 hours talking about bike components and riding technique today. It was absolutely amazing. The guy has tried just about every component on the market and knows his shit inside and out. He's the kind of guy that will give you a bunch of options and tell you what he thinks is best for you, not what's best for him. I'm definitely thinking of getting a bike from him. Also there's some break in work that needs to be done, and he'll take care of it free. If I buy from somewhere else, I'll have to pay. So I've got to consider that also.
    "I knew in an instant that the three dollars I had spent on wine would not go to waste."

  9. #34
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Warm, Flat and Dry
    Posts
    3,307
    A good bike tech is a great thing. I couldn't pay the guy that built my bike enough.
    "if the city is visibly one of humankind's greatest achievements, its uncontrolled evolution also can lead to desecration of both nature and the human spirit."
    -- Melvin G. Marcus 1979

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