What to expect at the LBS?

[poogle]

Hey ladies, I am new to cycling, just got my first adult bike in May and I am loving it a lot!

When I decided to get a bike, I did a lot of research on brands, ect, but not so much on specific bike shops, the place I got my bike from was ok, (picked mainly due to being close to my house) and my bike is ok, but as I ride it further it is becoming more uncomfortable, and I feel like it is not the right size for me at all, and probably not the kind I should have gotten, it is a Giant Escape W, it was under $500, so I don’t really want to put a bunch of $$ into it, so I have just resigned myself to getting a new bike sooner rather than later. However, I would like some guidance as to what my expectations should be at a bike shop, I wouldn’t go to Target and expect Nordstrom service, but I feel like I have no clue what is considered the standard of service at a bike shop.

Specific Questions:
Is a fitting usually included, or just for bikes above a certain dollar amount?

What kind of service plan is customary?

Should I expect some guidance on what brands/models will be more comfortable/ suitable for my uses?

Thanks for reading my giant second post Please include anything else you think might be useful!

[Irulan]

Good questions, and all I can say is your experience will vary. Some shops provide a lot of service, free tune ups etc, and some don't. Inquire in your community as to what shops people like, and why. At minimum, basic fitting for saddle height and cockpit should be done but the degree of how fine tuned this is depends on the shop. There typically isn't a service plan - but some shops will offer free basic tunes for the lift of the bike, or a year. And you bet they should try and fit the bike to your needs as a rider.

Good luck and happy shopping.

[velo]

Irulan nailed it. Every shop is different.

Also keep in mind that different shops sell different brands. Don't think that there is only Trek, Cannondale, Specialized, and Giant. I'd encourage you to look at shops that sell other brands. In my experience, shops that carry bikes other than the major brands tend to be better shops and give better "perks" post- purchase. Just my opinion and thought... not necessarily true for everyone.

[Sky King]

Not to hijack but had to share. One of our customers was bike shopping and another lbs tried to convince her she needed 700c wheels so she would "go faster". She fits a 46cm bike. Uhhh toe overlap anyone. And how fast your bike goes is not based on wheel size alone. Happy to say she is ordering a beautiful A Homer Hilsen frame and we will help her with 650b wheels and the rest of the build.
As women I believe we need to research even more and ask lots of questions.

[Irulan]

I don't think it's a hijack. These kinds of comments are important. I recently took a friend mtb shopping. Her budget was 2K-$2.5 K so she wanted a pretty nice bike. She had been to her go-to shop, but I wanted to take her to some of the shops that I support. The bottom line is this. "My" shop ( or one of them, we never made it to the second one) took the time to put her on the trainer with bike and do a fitting for the test ride.. Saddle height, fore/aft, and a cockpit length test for each bike she test rode. They wrote down the settings after the first one so they could quickly set up the subsequent ones. She ended up buying bike #2, which was $150 more than a bike she liked at "her" shop. She said to me that it was worth $150 to her to have the time they took in fitting her before the test ride. No other shop had done that for her. OF course they did a full fitting, including setting the brakes once she had purchased the bike, at no additional charge

[Eden]

She fits a 46cm bike. Uhhh toe overlap anyone.

It's not always true that you get toe overlap on a small frame.... I ride a 44cm 700C wheel bike and have no toe overlap issues.... I also have a 47cm with 650s, and a wee tiny cross bike with 24" wheels - which ironically being the smallest wheel bike I have, has *a ton* of toe overlap - I can't put a front fender on it because it hits my foot just pedaling normally. The 700C wheel bike is my best fitting/handling bike.

[poogle]

Thanks everyone for your info, I will keep them in mind as I am bike shopping, I really wish this was the kind of thing bike shops listed on their website. I am all for supporting local businesses, but I must say, bike shopping is almost as annoying as car shopping

[goldfinch]

It's not always true that you get toe overlap on a small frame.... I ride a 44cm 700C wheel bike and have no toe overlap issues.... I also have a 47cm with 650s, and a wee tiny cross bike with 24" wheels - which ironically being the smallest wheel bike I have, has *a ton* of toe overlap - I can't put a front fender on it because it hits my foot just pedaling normally. The 700C wheel bike is my best fitting/handling bike.

Is it the length of the top tubes? All the 700c wheeled bikes I looked at had top tubes of 49.5 or more. No toe overlap for me but the reach was too long.

[Eden]

the top tube is 498 - I do have a short stem on, but the top tube on my 47 is no shorter, so I have a short stem on that one as well. lol... the only bike I have a normal/long stem on is the cross bike, which I think if measured conventionally would be a 38

[indysteel]

My view on toe overlap is that many of us learn to deal with it such that it becomes virtually a non-issue. Avoiding toe overlap at any cost can lead to less than ideal compromises in terms of bike geometry and/or how the bike is set up.

Just my humble opinion; I realize that there are different opinions on toe overlap out there.

[Eden]

My view on toe overlap is that many of us learn to deal with it such that it becomes virtually a non-issue. Avoiding toe overlap at any cost can lead to less than ideal compromises in terms of bike geometry and/or how the bike is set up.

Just my humble opinion; I realize that there are different opinions on toe overlap out there.

No arguments here - I barely even notice the large amount of toe overlap on the cross bike until I try to put a fender on it. Even occasionally using it for cross racing and even on some of the rougher, slower parts of the courses, I still don't turn the handlebars sharply to turn... especially with my pedals in the 15/45 position....

Take home lesson is find what suits you best.... until pretty recently all I ever heard (as a short rider) was that it was *impossible* for me to get a good fit on a 700C bike - toe overlap.... bad head tube angle.... bad seat tube angle.... handling compromise... etc, etc... but in practice with my particular goofball proportions that's what works best for me. On the whole my 650 and my 700 bikes are around the same level of long ride comfort, but the 700 out performs the 650 in a number of ways.

[Sky King]

No arguments here - I barely even notice the large amount of toe overlap on the cross bike until I try to put a fender on it. Even occasionally using it for cross racing and even on some of the rougher, slower parts of the courses, I still don't turn the handlebars sharply to turn... especially with my pedals in the 15/45 position....

Take home lesson is find what suits you best.... until pretty recently all I ever heard (as a short rider) was that it was *impossible* for me to get a good fit on a 700C bike - toe overlap.... bad head tube angle.... bad seat tube angle.... handling compromise... etc, etc... but in practice with my particular goofball proportions that's what works best for me. On the whole my 650 and my 700 bikes are around the same level of long ride comfort, but the 700 out performs the 650 in a number of ways.

Love your sentence - what suits you best. Every bike is different, and as we all know not every bike fits every need. Love my 650B's for the type of riding I do (touring, long day rides & commuting) The first sentence out of my mouth when a customer comes in asking about bikes is "what do you see yourself riding with said bike" my second sentence is "how would you describe your bike riding skills, as in what have your been used to riding"