LBS Taboos?

[Irulan]

Doing it myself is not an option.

Just curious, why not?

[ny biker]

Just curious, why not?

If she's like me, she just does not have the knack.

My mechanical skills begin and end with changing tires and cleaning/lubing the chain.

[Crankin]

Exactly. I can barely do the tire thing, I just dislike doing this kind of stuff, and I am not good at it. No lectures about empowering my female mechanic, please. Those of you who know me know I'm no shrinking violet; I just suck at anything that requires fine motor or eye hand skill, a deficit I inherited from my dad. My mom could fix anything. I amaze myself that I can actually ride a bike... this is why when people write posts about having trouble starting, getting on, and stopping their bikes, I can totally empathize. I was one step above this. And frankly, although I am loathe to have DH do most other things for me, he sets up and maintains all mechanical things for me. He's good at it and I can barely button my coat and tie my shoes.
However, I would not be so bold as to ask a shop owner to come to my house to get the bike off of the trainer. Like, why would anyone expect that kind of service? I would ask/find a friend to do it or show me. And by the way, I can't get my bike on the trainer. You have to hold the wheel, position it right, and do some lever thing all at the same time, which proved impossible for me to accomplish. In fact, I wrenched my back out trying a couple of years ago. I can get it off, though.
With so many knowledgable women cyclists, why does this pattern of treating us like sh*t still continue? Probably the best thing I ever did was write about my crappy experiences with my Kuota on TE. I get treated much better now .

[jyyanks]

I'm not sure what my experience with my LBS is. To be honest, I bought my bike from them and really liked my salesperson. In fact, I tried to buy another one for my husband but it ended in disaster (had to cancel the order). To be honest, I feel a bit intimidated and stupid when I am there, almost like I have to buy something or I'm wasting their time.

The LBS near me is the busiest LBS in the area. They are more expensive than everyone else but offer free lifetime tuneups if you spend over a certain amount. The problem is that they are so busy that you have to wait a long time to get serviced and the salesperson is usually servicing multiple people at a time. They have a ton of bikes, but not a lot of accessories. To be honest, I have purchased all my accessories from other places (including online) because they have a better selection.

Recently I found another LBS that is smaller and that I feel more at ease with. They don't carry the big name brand bikes like the other LBS (specialized, trek etc) but they are attentive and I just feel more comfortable with them. It feels more like a true mom and shop then the other LBS which feels like a big city bike shop. They even pick up and deliver which is an added plus.

So, I am in the same dilemma as the OP. I want to start going to this other LBS just because they are smaller and more personal service but they don't have the name brand bikes and the added "lifetime tune up" that the other LBS has.

In any event, sorry for hijacking. I also feel the same way the OP feels. Part of me whats to switch over but the other part feels like I need to stickit out. Is it unusual to have 2 LBS's?

[shootingstar]

I have been shown how to change bike tires..and keep on forgetting/maybe need to practice.

By the way, not all guys enjoy changing bike tires either. That includes my partner....and this is a guy who built his own farmhouse years ago and has a civil engineering degree.

Even going to a bike store run by someone who I personally know, still means I have to be firm with the store's bike mechanics. After all, they don't know me.

In a way, I almost don't expect a bike store to carry much cycling clothing that suits my personal taste/preferences. And I don't want to deal with customs brokerage fees/their possibility, if I order online from outside of Canada.

The value of YouTube and similar tools would help some people who were willing to learn but they were not immediately accessible to the bike store.

[jessmarimba]

I felt awkward and out-of-place in pretty much every shop I went to here. So both of my bikes (!!) were bought online. One ebay, one craigslist. But when the mountain bike needed a little work I decided to give one of the shops a second chance. When I rolled the bike in they immediately asked me how I liked it - which threw me off. They thought it was one of their demos!! I told them I liked it so much that I bought it, which broke the ice. They were exceptionally helpful after that, but I guess I needed some way to stand out. I think it also helped that I came in with a bike that would appear to be hand-built (not as in, custom made, but as in, none of the parts really "match" so obviously not bought off the rack) but well-thought-out bike. I didn't tell them that another shop owner had built it up for himself If thinking I had some say in it gets me better service, then I'll take it.

[ny biker]

I'm not sure what my experience with my LBS is. To be honest, I bought my bike from them and really liked my salesperson. In fact, I tried to buy another one for my husband but it ended in disaster (had to cancel the order). To be honest, I feel a bit intimidated and stupid when I am there, almost like I have to buy something or I'm wasting their time.

The LBS near me is the busiest LBS in the area. They are more expensive than everyone else but offer free lifetime tuneups if you spend over a certain amount. The problem is that they are so busy that you have to wait a long time to get serviced and the salesperson is usually servicing multiple people at a time. They have a ton of bikes, but not a lot of accessories. To be honest, I have purchased all my accessories from other places (including online) because they have a better selection.

Recently I found another LBS that is smaller and that I feel more at ease with. They don't carry the big name brand bikes like the other LBS (specialized, trek etc) but they are attentive and I just feel more comfortable with them. It feels more like a true mom and shop then the other LBS which feels like a big city bike shop. They even pick up and deliver which is an added plus.

So, I am in the same dilemma as the OP. I want to start going to this other LBS just because they are smaller and more personal service but they don't have the name brand bikes and the added "lifetime tune up" that the other LBS has.

In any event, sorry for hijacking. I also feel the same way the OP feels. Part of me whats to switch over but the other part feels like I need to stickit out. Is it unusual to have 2 LBS's?

So the choices are a shop that intimidates you, is expensive and has long wait times, or a friendly place that you like? Forget the lifetime tune up and go where you are comfortable.

[marni]

I have two go to bike stores and a third that I visit on occasion. The first one is where I bought my bike and where they do all of my mechanical work. They carry a wide range of bikes, helmets, shoes, socks , gloves and helmets but not much clothing. They are definitely road and racing oriented with a secondary interest in mountain biking. They sponsor several local rides, host two weekly rides and are around at the charity rides with several mechanics and sweep riders. While I haven't made a significantly huge purchase from them recently, I do make a point of going in frequently to eyeball the bikes, and they know that I will eventually be ordering my madone build from them when I get enough saved up. They know my bike and will take a moment to do a quick adjustment if I ride in off the road. I also go to them as the are the closest for gu and gel and other nutritional stuff and chamois butter. These are the guys that get the batch of homemade cookies or 6 pack of home brew from time to time because they take such good care of my bike.

The second bike store is a lot further away and is actually more of a tri bike store with swimming and running but they do carry interesting clothing and fun bits and bobs like knog frog lights and jingle dingle bells. Fun eye candy. Plus they used to have a womens group that I used to ride with.

The third is just one I visit off and on when I am in the area. They are ok but seem rather bothered and flustered if I ask any technical questions. They are mostly into commuter/urban biking and mountain biking and don't actually carry very many road or higher end bikes but it is good to go in and eyeball the stuff.

I am lucky to have a choice.

[Crankin]

I have 2 I go to, a third, well, DS used for race for them, they actually are nice, have great mechanics, but not really close. I've only been there with other people, lately, looking at bikes.
The first store is the one I bought my bikes from. I only go there if it's something they need to do to related to the Guru purchase. In the past, I have run in there to buy a pair of socks, levers, etc. I did buy both pairs of my new shoes there.
The other shop is just as close, and DS worked there in HS. They also "know" me by name, or at least "Hey, there's Scott's mom." The owners are slightly weird and the male half is not that friendly. They sponsor lots of local charity things. Shop #1 sponsors racers. I have bought more commuter related things there; blinkies, a visibility vest, etc. They carry the only gloves I can tolerate, so I buy them there, as Botranger obviously has price fixing and no one ever has them on sale. We tried to buy x country skis there (another specialty), but they were trying to convince us to buy something we didn't want... and we don't know half as much about skis, so we ran away quickly.
Shop one sells high end brands, some I've never heard of, and Giant. They have a good selection of kid's bikes. They have bikes that cost 15-20K . Shop #2 sells Trek and Specialized, not sure what else. They have a lot of hybrids, too.
Both of these shops are medium sized, in terms of the amount of stuff they have, but they are in smaller spaces. Shop #3 is very big. They sell Trek, Specialized and a lot of other brands, too. A whole floor of clothes and accessories. I never bought a bike there, but DS bought 2 there and they did some mechanical work for us before DH learned everything. The same mechanic is there that was there in 2000, which is unusual.
I bought my mtb at another "large" well known store here. They treated me like a non person and only addressed DH. This was before I was really knowledgeable, and I paid for it later. My bike was too big. DH had bought his Trek there and liked them, but at that point, he was a younger, tougher rider who was very fast. Your typical male buyer.

[beccaB]

I love my bike store! But there are days when the guys who I know on a first name basis, are grumpy, especially one of them. It just so happens I like quirky people. There is one guy there that is the best salesman around. He can get me to buy anything, and he knows how to set me up with something that helps me grow as a cyclist, without being more than I need. I did buy a bike at a different store once, because they offer lifetime free tuneups. I still wish I had asked MY bike store to order it for me instead, just because they are so in tune to my needs. They have done us up right, and my husband takes a six pack of good beer to them once in a while because they spend so much time with us. My favorite salesman teases me though, because I have yet to change my own tube. I carry 4 or 5 tubes with me, but my husband changes them. I have only had a flat twice in 10,000 miles!. Pat teases me about carrying all the tubes, but it's like carrying an umbrella to keep it from raining.