Went the new bike shop downtown

We finally have another bike shop in my hometown near where the old one was downtown. We used to have two and then one and then none. It made me sad.

Well, we have another one now. It is not a flashy shop AT ALL but it is awesome. I didn't buy anything because I don't need a bike. I don't need a bike. I don't need a bike. But I might go back for a saddle or parts before I leave here. He has a Brooks that I would love to get my hands on but I want to see what my cash flow looks like coming back. He seems to really be willing to deal. The place is exclusively used bikes and they are very well put together. The basement is just even more bikes. His mechanic seems excellent. They buy a lot of frames and rebuild them properly, too. We're talking NICE 1990s road bikes with new wheelsets, shifters, cranks, etc. Better components than the stock build would even get you for reasonable prices.

The owner is really knowledgeable and friendly. I just walked in and said I was checking them out to see what they had and he and I gabbed about wheelsets and frames and geometry for like an hour. We talked about trails and good rides. It was awesome! He said I should stop back and he'd show me some more stuff they were working on with this beautiful Fuji. It's way too big for me to consider, of course, but I said I'd love to see a build. I might go back on Friday to see more. He didn't even care that I didn't need a bike he said he was just happy to see a young woman on a bike.

I wish that we had a used shop this big and meticulous in Columbia. There is one that is good but it has a really limited selection and the owner was never all that friendly. I got treated like a know-nothing chick when I took a friend there which annoys me. I knew more than the sales guy, at this store but the owner or mechanic are always there to help out at this shop.

I'm glad to see new LBS's pop up - especially ones with a used inventory that is affordable for all people. They have a lot of bikes well under $200.00 and really good deals on good kids frames. Hell, they even had small frame bikes and a couple WSD's for under $500.00 that were fairly new.

Great to have a shop where there was none. I agree that the exclusively used bike shop in CoMo has spotty service, some of their guys aren't too helpful. My understanding is that Karl himself is a pretty interesting person--I don't know how helpful he is but he is supposed to be interesting. Sometimes you have to be persistent.

I travel a lot, and when I pass a bike shop, I usually go in. They ask if I need help and I usually reply that not really; I'm from out of town and can't resist going into a bike shop. Their response tells me a lot about the shop. It is usually, cool, look around. Glad you stopped in.