LBS Loyalty ???

[Brina]

I am a big supporter of small local businesses. It makes me sad when chains come in and drive my favorites out of the market. That said, there is a line between store loyalty and settling for something that is not right solely because it is carried at the local store.

When I bought my road bike I bought it at a store about 15 minutes away rather than at the store 2 blocks away. They aren't a specialized dealer and they do not have as much selection as the road bike specialty store I went to. They have good products, just limited selection due to space contraints.

I do try to throw as much business to the local shop as I can. I bought my campus peddles and my kickstand from them (for my hybrid), my kids' bikes, probably my dh's bike will be from there, and we use them for service on everything except for my road bike.

[pikato]

Ok, so I went back to my LBS last night to again look at extras that I'll want to put on him. Now, they do have 2 different pedals that I definitely will want, either the Shimano 520's or another Shimano pedal that is 'normal' on one side(sorry, don't know the lingo yet) & clipless on the other--not sure which to go for. Any suggestions appreciated..

Now, for the saddle, I definitely want a woman's saddle. I was lucky enough to talk with the owner about my options & he mentioned that even though he doesn't carry all the woman's saddle's on hand, he can order any that I may be interested. So, that's good.

I'm curious about one other thing...I know that he'll swap out the pedals for free, but do they generally also swap out the saddle too, or is that something I'd have to pay for??

Ok, so those are the new developments. Thanks for y'all's help.

[DirtDiva]

If you're going to be using the one bike for everything and are likely to just want to be able to jump on (for a trip to the shop or whatever) in your street clothes and shoes, the pedals with the SPD bit on one side and the flat bit on the other would be great. Otherwise, I'd go with the 520s.

[Brina]

I love my two sided pedals - those are what I refer to in my post - campus peddles. Having the option is really nice.

[CorsairMac]

Ok, so I went back to my LBS last night to again look at extras that I'll want to put on him. Now, they do have 2 different pedals that I definitely will want, either the Shimano 520's or another Shimano pedal that is 'normal' on one side(sorry, don't know the lingo yet) & clipless on the other--not sure which to go for. Any suggestions appreciated..

Now, for the saddle, I definitely want a woman's saddle. I was lucky enough to talk with the owner about my options & he mentioned that even though he doesn't carry all the woman's saddle's on hand, he can order any that I may be interested. So, that's good.

I'm curious about one other thing...I know that he'll swap out the pedals for free, but do they generally also swap out the saddle too, or is that something I'd have to pay for??

Ok, so those are the new developments. Thanks for y'all's help.

They should switch your saddle out for you also. You might even ask them if they'll show you how to do those things so you can start learning some of the basic maintainence for yourself. As for the double-sided pedals? Greatest thing in the world if your just starting on a clips(less). Also nice if you're going to be doing a lot of stopping and starting. I highly recommend them as a first time clipless pedal.

[btchance]

As far as pedals go, I love my two sided ones. Anytime I get in a situation on my mtb that I'm not comfortable with, such as an area of trail I've never done before or a portion where I need to be able to put my foot down, I have that option.

For the LBS, there are two near me, one I use as much as possible because they are more than willing to work with me and my limited budget, answer any questions I have, and have a pretty good selection of WSD. If I can't get what I need there then I'll go online, but only after I've checked them first. As far as the other shop, I won't go near them again. A couple of my friends and I have all tried them, and they were rude to every one of us, kinda that little girl doesn't know anything about bikes attitude. I've given up on them.

[Aggie_Ama]

I personally stay loyal to one shop for maintenance. But for pedals, clothing, accessories, etc... I shop around. You have to get what you want and for the right price. If the shop I get my bike worked on at has it for the a reasonable price, I go there first. Today I had to go to a competitor to get my husband a helmet for his birthday tomorrow because my favorite shop was out of his size. A lot of times we order clothing from the internet because it is a better value and selection.

My opinion- stay loyal when you can and don't feel bad for buying what you want where you want.

[KnottedYet]

I went to another LBS today (on recc from a TE member) so now I have 2 favorite shops. Recycled Cycles (www.recycledcycles.com) and Ti Cycles (www.ticycles.com)

Ti Cycles had some awesome pedals (shimano/rat trap on both sides) that RCC didn't have. The sales chickie was very cool and very helpful to a "newbie" in the clipless world. That'll be coming up later, when I'm ready for clipless. Ti Cycles was all about getting me comfortable with the pedals, so I'm getting really psyched about it. (maybe Saturday... hmmmmm)

I got my Ibex knickers there for 40% off. Yeah, baby!

I'm very into LBS, and having a couple to choose from is a happy thing in my world.

[betagirl]

I try to be loyal to my LBS but if they don't carry the products I want, then I go elsewhere. Like when I got my Lemond, I *would* have bought from the LBS I rode in a club with. But the owner doesn't carry anything by Trek (some sort of grudge). And I'm not interested in the bikes he carries. So when I showed up on my new bike, he was a bit cranky about it. But that was his problem, not my and my shiney new bike's problem.