Your Bike Shop Experiences

Well, I started posting all of this stuff under the Bicycle Johns thread. I also noticed that lots of people were jumping in with their opinions of multiple shops. That's what I did. Please remember the Rules of Engagement.

Edit for @herzalotz:
I fixed that and have opened Shop Forums for each of his comments. Try and get THAT kinda service on another Forum! ! Ha hah!
-imtbtrails Bike On!

 

I'm not gonna start a new thread about them since they won't get much love here anyway, but Performance Bicycle is great IF you know what you're after and it's not a high-end specialty item. If you want jerseys to sweat in, shoes to pedal with, wheels to ride on (wheels, but maybe even complete bikes), or even cranks and cogsets, it's a great place to go and save some ducats.

The theme with Performance is go in with your eyes open and know what you want. I've never had bad luck with them with that stipulation.

 

I've bought quite a bit at Performance, and you hit it on the head. Know what you want, and make sure their "sale" price is in-line with the competitors. The only thing that turns me off there is the high pressure sales tactics, and the fact that every item is "on sale" every day.

 

I gotta be honest.....I'm not one to visit LBS's all that often.

I don't take my bike in for service, because honestly....I can do it myself, all the way down to building wheels. Not to mention I have had enough bad service experiences that I prefer to do it myself.

I do shop online mostly. It is about prices. I go through too many parts too quickly to pay the higher prices at the LBS's.

That being said, I have had good and bad experiences at a couple shops....a couple I will never step foot in again. The Path, Rock'N'Road, Adrenaline, Jax....even Jenson is close enough to be considered a LBS.

Warranty issues can mostly be dealt with via consumer direct....Shimano/Santa Cruz. I haven't bothered to warranty other parts, save for the RS fork I got from Jenson.

I know the shops serve a purpose....I know, i worked for one for nearly 4 years.

Will try to post positive experiences in the shops that have been to.

 

J, I think this is known as "damning with faint praise."

 

I also dont have a ton of reasons to visit shops, can do all my own wrenching/wheel building. Ssometimes like to get some parts at shops though. Fave is the path because they try to keep a lot of inventory in stock, but its hard for me to get out there. Bought my last complete bike there, and the blindside frame.

 

I still can't figure out how to remove the cranks on my FSA Gossamer setup on the road bike....it just doesn't want to come off. If I have to ask the shop, I'll be embarrassed!!

 

In case you still haven't figured it out, it has a self-extracting feature built into the non-drive side crankarm. Loosen the outer nut (which is usually a left hand thread, so turn as though you would tighten it with right hand threads) just enough to allow the bolt underneath to turn freely (a 1/4 turn is enough), and then loosen the crank underneath that you access through the hole in the outer nut. The inner bolt pushes against the back of the outer nut to self-extract the crankarm.