First trip to the LBS--advice?

[Blueberry]

I like that shop. Friendly staff. (I'm a former Dukie). Out towards Sanford, there are a couple good shops with other brands (Cannondale, Cervelo, etc.) that seem pretty decent. I'm blanking on the names now, but I could try to look them up...

Hrm...Bicycle Chain has Cannondale and Trek. Some of their other stores have affiliated brands. Cycling Spoken Here and the Spin Cycle in Cary have lots of other road stuff - Klein, Seven, Serotta, etc, etc. Not sure about towards Sanford....

When were you at Duke?

CA

[aicabsolut]

I thought the BC had specialized and trek.... eh, it's been several months since I was last down there (late April).

I graduated in 2003.

[TahoeDirtGirl]

1) Leave your wallet in the car. That way you won't be pulling out a credit card for something you don't absolutely love!

2) Do some homework before going in. What exactly you want/don't want. Especially color. Do you want to commute with it? Make sure it's compatible with what you want to do, that is one of my downfalls.

3) IF you don't want clipless pedals, why get them now. No one should force them on you. I get tired of people pushing them on me. I have combo pedals on my commuter. If I want to use them, I do (can't right now bc of foot issues). If I don't, I don't. If you don't want to learn them right now, don't. I don't like when I go to a bike shop and they start on me about the pedals. For me, that is a big red flag if they don't like my answer-everyone is entitled to their own setup. Just my 2 cents...

And most of all...remember, you are the queen of your domain...

[Blueberry]

You're right - they have Specialized too (forgot about that) - but I know they carry Cannondale and Trek too.

We graduated in 2000, and I graduated from law in 03.

CA

[Ana]

Well, the sales people certainly saw me coming I was new to cycling and very enthusiastic. The only questions they really asked me were: "What kind of frame material were you looking for?", "Did you have any specific brands in mind?" and "How did the bike feel?" Seeming as I was completely new, they should have offered some more insight into what these questions meant.

They took a few measurements and stuck me on a bike. I love my bike although I am not fully convinced that it fits me correctly I suspect that they were trying to sell me the model they had on the floor rather than the bike that might have fit me best. They did not offer to order anything or try another brand in a smaller size. The shop did not fit me at all at my time of purchase (it was during a sale) and I had several fit issues which I had to address on my own.

So here's what I will request the next time I purchase a bike (which will be several years from now ). I'm just drooling over the custom bikes everyone raves about but that would add to my wait for a new bike so we'll have to see

1. The bike staff should ask you questions about the type and frequency of riding you will be doing to determine the best bike for you. They should be happy to answer your "newbie" questions and not be condescending or make you feel stupid Nice staff will delight in your interest in bikes rather in your lack of knowledge.
2. The seat height should be adjusted for you to test ride it.
3. A good bike shop will offer to order you the size that will fit you best if they do not have it in stock instead of pushing their floor models on you.
4. A good LBS willl fit the bike to you when you purchase it: this means checking handlebar width, saddle position (or even better, a saddle swap), stem swap, etc.
5. A good LBS will tell you the best time to bring your bicycle in for it's "break in" tune up (should be free!)
6. A good LBS will so also help you with fit issues a week up to a month after your purchase to ensure your bicycle is fitting you in the best way possible.

...and that is what I will be looking for when I can afford to purchase a new bike!

[Blueberry]

I might add - due to the location of this shop (right across the street from Duke) - they will likely be pretty busy for a few weeks. If you want to go in soon - try mid week, mid afternoon, or another random time. Chances are if you go in on a Saturday they will be mobbed and may not be able to spend as much time with you as they would like to.

[tpb]

1. The bike staff should ask you questions about the type and frequency of riding you will be doing to determine the best bike for you. They should be happy to answer your "newbie" questions and not be condescending or make you feel stupid Nice staff will delight in your interest in bikes rather in your lack of knowledge.
2. The seat height should be adjusted for you to test ride it.
3. A good bike shop will offer to order you the size that will fit you best if they do not have it in stock instead of pushing their floor models on you.
4. A good LBS willl fit the bike to you when you purchase it: this means checking handlebar width, saddle position (or even better, a saddle swap), stem swap, etc.
5. A good LBS will tell you the best time to bring your bicycle in for it's "break in" tune up (should be free!)
6. A good LBS will so also help you with fit issues a week up to a month after your purchase to ensure your bicycle is fitting you in the best way possible.

...and that is what I will be looking for when I can afford to purchase a new bike!

- A REALLY good bike shop will tweak your bike for fit issues beyond a month.
- A REALLY good bike shop will also do a mini-fitting before a test ride.

At the start of summer, I got my first drop-bar bike. My body has been adjusting to the new position the more I ride. The owner of my LBS actually has encouraged me to just keeping coming in if I have issues or if things need to be adjusted as I get more used to cycling. Right now, my bike is set up so that I ride in a fairly upright position (for a drop-bar bike). As my body gets into better shape, they have offered to swap out the stem for a more aggressive riding position. I know they mean this because they've tweaked a few things for me over the summer as I've taken longer rides and noticed different issues.

[Ana]

- A REALLY good bike shop will tweak your bike for fit issues beyond a month.
- A REALLY good bike shop will also do a mini-fitting before a test ride.

At the start of summer, I got my first drop-bar bike. My body has been adjusting to the new position the more I ride. The owner of my LBS actually has encouraged me to just keeping coming in if I have issues or if things need to be adjusted as I get more used to cycling. Right now, my bike is set up so that I ride in a fairly upright position (for a drop-bar bike). As my body gets into better shape, they have offered to swap out the stem for a more aggressive riding position. I know they mean this because they've tweaked a few things for me over the summer as I've taken longer rides and noticed different issues.

OMG! They can mini-fit you before you ride it?

Oh, the things I learn from TE

My LBS from which I purchase my bike (though I'm overall dissatisfied) tweaked my bike fit about 6 months after I purchased it...although they were rather reluctant and didn't really do it properly.... I had to go back again and they fixed the stem where it attaches to the front of the bike...

[aicabsolut]

You're right - they have Specialized too (forgot about that) - but I know they carry Cannondale and Trek too.

We graduated in 2000, and I graduated from law in 03.

CA

My cousin was '99. I knew some people from law '03 from a couple classes, but so many names escape me these days....