The reason we continue to frequent our shop of choice, versus any of the other shops in town, is because of the service we receive from the moment walk in the door. We've waited for what seemed like forever before even being acknowledged in empty shops, and then just walked out the door because nobody even looked up. The minute we walked into our now-favorite store, the owner looked up, acknowledged us and asked if he could help us find anything. The rest of the people in the shop are not nearly as helpful, but the owner tries to get them to be that way.

When I went in with my husband to talk to the owner about getting a cross bike, he called me behind the counter to show me some catalogs and some stuff on his computer. He talked directly to me, asking me what I wanted, and pretty much ignored my husband. It was great!

For these reasons, I will continue to give my hard-earned money to this guy, rather than any other shop.

And, from an outsider's perspective, I think every bike shop needs a coffee stand included (or a bar). It gives the guys some other way of spending their money, and an excuse to hang out and chat. If you're going to hang out and chat anyway, you may as well give me some money for a cup of coffee or a beer.