Even the experts can be wrong

So I pedal into Bikeline, ferret out Bruce (name changed to protect the misinformed fellow from being embarassed), the manager, from the mechanic area and tell him I want better tires for winter and I'm thinking I should have a second bike since I'm only biking these days for transportation.

So, Bruce, probably thinking I'm a old woman retiree with very little money, tells me that sure he'd like to sell me another bike but all I really need to do is buy a set of spare wheels to trade out for winter riding. "Cause I know how much you love this bike and have it all decked out with stuff."

I eye a $1500 Cross bike with great looking tires that would be fine for winter riding and would be a great second bike, but Bruce tells me that all Cross bikes, all mountain bikes have dropped handlebars and he knows I only want an upright sitting position.

I didn't argue. I mean really, where would you even begin to carry on a conversation with such misinformation as that. He is a great mechanic but not so good with customers, I guess. Or maybe he just can't wrap his mind around me having two bikes. Silly, isn't it?

Don't you hate it when people make assumptions about you without really knowing anything about you? It doesn't sound like he even listened to what you wanted. If you were interested in cross bikes, why can't he just show you a couple, tell you pros and cons, and let you test ride them?
vickie

I went into a bike shop the other day to test ride a specialized ruby to see what carbon felt like - the bike shop guy was quizzing me as to why I wanted a full carbon bike. I was telling him various reasons, and he just wanted me to bring my aluminum/carbon seat stay bike in so he could help fit it to me. I was telling him I wanted the stiffness, not to mention the road vibration deadening of the carbon & zertz, given that I had pretty crappy wrists... He was recommending a higher angle stem on my current bike, wider tires at lower inflation, and various things like that.

I finally asked him "Aren't you supposed to be trying to sell me this $3k bike?"

I did test ride it and decide that I was fine with my current bikes...

I did appreciate that he wasn't trying to hard sell me the specialized ruby and was being honest in saying that he didn't think I needed it.

Personally, I think it's a great idea to have a sturdy set of winter/commuter wheels that you can just slap on your bike when the season changes. One set of wheels for faster fun summer riding, one for nasty winter commuting.
It's convenient, saves a ton of money, storage space, and extra bike upkeep. If you get the whole set of wheels (as opposed to just getting winter tires) you don't even have to swap out the tires and tubes. :)

On the other hand, if you want another bike for a whole different riding style or purpose, then that's different. For example, if you want a light go-fast bike for group riding or competing, and then also a touring bike that will carry heavy loads and be comfortable on long distances. Touring bikes, commuter bikes, and hybrid bikes with racks and bags can all be used as errand/grocery bikes as well.

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Originally Posted by Catriona

... why I wanted a full carbon bike. I was telling him various reasons, and he just wanted me to bring my aluminum/carbon seat stay bike in so he could help fit it to me. I was telling him I wanted the stiffness,

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It was my understanding, based on a big carbon verses aluminum lesson dh recently gave me, that aluminum is typically a stiffer ride than carbon (depending on other factors).

Anyways, yeah, I had an LBS guy try to sell me on less expensive tires than the one's my dh had told me to go in and get. He assumed my main goal was a tire that won't go flat easily, even though that was secondary to performance, plus I think maybe he thought the expense wasn't necessary for my level of riding or something. Not sure, but it kind of felt that way. I do know he's a good guy and was simply trying to save me some money.

Get yourself that 'cross bike and get disc brakes (better for winter riding).

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Originally Posted by Jiffer

It was my understanding, based on a big carbon verses aluminum lesson dh recently gave me, that aluminum is typically a stiffer ride than carbon (depending on other factors).

Anyways, yeah, I had an LBS guy try to sell me on less expensive tires than the one's my dh had told me to go in and get. He assumed my main goal was a tire that won't go flat easily, even though that was secondary to performance, plus I think maybe he thought the expense wasn't necessary for my level of riding or something. Not sure, but it kind of felt that way. I do know he's a good guy and was simply trying to save me some money.

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It could be how they're defining stiff?

Aluminum is stiff - it really doesn't flex all that much, it's also a bit of a harsh ride.

The major advantage of carbon (it depends on how well it's made ) is complete power transfer - you don't lose any energy to flexing, vibrations, etc. - that's what I was referring to as stiffness, but it's also as well. It also can deaden road vibrations. The ruby that I test rode had an absolutely massive bottom bracket area to ensure stiffness and power transfer.

It's nice when the bike shop guys try to save you money, it's better than when they're pushing high level sales on you.... But you should definitely buy the tires you like.


Back on topic:

Zen, buy the cross bike if that's what you want. Or at least test ride it. If you like a more upright posture (I'm not sure if the bike shop guy just assumed that or not), you can always put a higher angle stem on it. I mostly ride the hoods on my road bikes or keep my hands on the top of the bar near the stem. I'm rarely in my drops.

Get a cross bike with bar ends (or maybe a Long Haul Trucker), and convert it to albatross or mustache bars (you should be able to keep the shifters and probably the brakes). And yep - I hate assumptions. I'm heavy, but I ride a lot. And yes - I have a right to drool at the really sweet bikes.

CA

Yes, wel, "Bruce" was just trying to be helpful and considerate, however misguided his misconceptions were abut me. And it is my favorite bike store since their bikes are great and everyone there breaks out in a big smile when I walk in. The subtext of their thoughts must be, "Wonder what the crazy old lady is going to ask today...the last time I asked she was thinking of taking up ice hockey..."

I KNOW that I want a cross or mountain bike for next Spring and Summer and as the road conditions worsen this winter, I'll probably get a spare set of wheels so those are great things to look forward to.

Meanwhile, no, I'm not taking up ice hockey. I just hired a new chemist who is on a local women's ice hockey team and I will be watching a few games. But it was fun when people gave me a hard time about my bicycle so I'd tell them I was taking up ice hockey and was looking for specialized "elder ice hockey medical insurance."

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Originally Posted by CA_in_NC

Get a cross bike with bar ends (or maybe a Long Haul Trucker)

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If you want the Cross bike and like the idea of LHT's why not get the Surly Cross Check :D

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Originally Posted by CA_in_NC

... and convert it to albatross or mustache bars (you should be able to keep the shifters and probably the brakes).

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Like this? :cool: :D

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=15784

You can sometimes find cheap sets of relatively new wheels on craigslist. People selling the stock wheels after they buy a bike & immediately upgrade their wheel set.

I picked up a beater/trainer set that way. if you want it for winter conditions, a beefier heavier set is pretty much all you need.

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Originally Posted by Trek420

If you want the Cross bike and like the idea of LHT's why not get the Surly Cross Check :D



Like this? :cool: :D

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=15784

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Yep - that was part of the inspiration:) But I was thinking for really cruddy weather, she might want 26" wheels:)

CA (who loves her cross check too...)

Along the lines of people being so overly-helpful that they complicate things with misconceptions, like "Bruce,"..... or help you toooooo much.....

All the bus drivers now all seem to know me whether I ride their bus or not. This is probably due to the fact that my lab is right next door to the bus garage and I sit under a tree for a break next to the bus driver parking lot so I say hello and chat with a number of drivers walking by to start their bus routes.

Anyway, I took a different bus home tonight and before I could even start pushing the bike toward the bus, the driver has sprinted out of the bus (loaded with full capacity passengers) and flipped down the bike rack. He snatched the bike out of my hands with a BIG grin and tossed it up on the rack.

Ummmmm, well, ummmm except he installed the bike in backwards and was trying to load the spring over the back tire instead of the front tire which made a difference in the tightness of the hold. I debated about saying something since he was so kind but I also knew he would be barreling down the interstate at 65 miles an hour on bumpy patches of road and I really didn't want to see my beauty Trek being launched into the air so I suggested we turn it around into the correct position.

Clearly he has never put a bike on a bus before. The wheels spun at angles which seemed to baffle him and he was having trouble getting the tires into the slots so by the time we FINALLY got the bike settled and got back on the bus ALL THE FULL CAPACITY PASSENGERS were glaring at both of us.

After this experience, I'm pretty impressed that I can strip the bike of a messenger bag, panniers, flip the rack down, whip the bike into place and get on the bus with my bus ticket in hand ready to punch all within 20 seconds.

Oh, and by the way, he did the reverse at my bus stop near home. He blocked a long line of traffic at a Shell gas station while he got the bike off the bus, walked it well out of the way of the cars, waved goodbye, and then got back on the bus.

A very sweet man.

That's cute about the bus driver! You know, I am always intimidated when there is a full bus or I'm holding people up, and I know I would probably wind up dumping out the contents of at least one of my bags...you know how that goes!

Did you take a bow when you got on the bus? haha...

It pays to have a second set of wheels. If you have disk brakes it will get pricey but it's worth it. I know I have a spare set and once when I got a flat I just used my second set because I was in a hurry AND I left my patch kit at work!

To confuse things more I have 26 X 1.75 tires on my LHT, with 50mm aluminum fenders. :D My Surly looks like a tank. But when it rains, my feet and legs stay very dry. I just added a very cool set of mud flaps too! I also have a second set of wheels with my studded tires. They're quick and easy to change when need. bikerHen

It's all in the fork clearance.... :eek:
http://www.vincelewis.net/myimages20/bigbike-x2.jpg

Wow, I'm still to see a Vancouver bus driver doing that!!!!

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Originally Posted by BleeckerSt_Girl

I think maybe we are confusing 26" diameter mtn bike size wheels with 700x26c wide tires?

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Nope - not me at least:p

But in case anyone is confused...

The Cross Check is 700c diameter wheels, and will take probably ~38's (maybe more...)

The LHT (at least in the size most women would ride) has 26" diameter wheels and will take very wide tires - I was thinking she might want to do something along the lines of what bikerhen has done:)

CA

Weight is the biggest consideration. I have to lift it up on the bus rack. Between now and Spring I'll be test hefting quite a few bikes.

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Originally Posted by pardes

Weight is the biggest consideration. I have to lift it up on the bus rack. Between now and Spring I'll be test hefting quite a few bikes.

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I can just see you in a bike shop doing curls with a bike in each hand. :D A couple in the right, nope, do a couple with the left, nope, back to right, try a couple more. Put down bikes, pick up a pair more.....

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Originally Posted by pardes

Weight is the biggest consideration. I have to lift it up on the bus rack. Between now and Spring I'll be test hefting quite a few bikes.

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Do it at home too! The more times you heft up a bike, the stronger you will get! :p