waynebiker
new member
Reged: 12/20/03
Posts: 31
Loc: usa
|
|
Gentleman, Lend me your Ears!!!!
Today I started out on my ride with my New Tetra-Pro with Campy Record 10-Speed with Carbon cranks. (My New baby) I have been thinking that my position could be a little more stretched out( I have a 58 frame 57 top tube with a 120 stem) The shop that I got my bike at closed this past winter, so now I am searching for another shop. There is a shop that is about 7 miles from my house so I decided to stop in and discuss my position with them. The first guy that helped my said that it might be a good idea to try to lower the stem a little, before spending the money on a new 130mm stem. I have 15mm of spacers. So we took out 10mm of spacers. The shop guy had trouble getting the headset to tighten propertly so he called the owner over and he said, "That is an expensive bike" When he said that I didn't say anyting. He was also very interested in My Fizik Arione World Champ saddle. The owner asked where did you get it. They are vey rare and hard to come by. ( they are all over the internet...world cycling and Excel sports. I said that I ordered it. He said nothing and kept touching it. then I asked him if he would like to ride and he said that he was to busy. They tightened the headset and I asked what do i owe you, he then said, "What, you have no money????" I said no I have 6 dollars and a credit card. He said,"A dollar would be fine." I paid the dollar and went on my way. For the next 20 miles I could not figure out what this guys problem was. Any thoughts? Did this guy judge me on my bike? Or was it that a 27 year old should not have a bike like this? Or did I bring a Ferrari to a Hyundai dealer?
I went to another shop ( ahigh end bike shop that sells Seven Seotta, trk etc... in the next town over and talked to those guys. The man that helped me just picked up the bike and did not say anything else the stem should be here by the end of the week and we will see how that works out. Lowering the stem 10mm made no diference at all.
Thanks for letting me vent.
what do you guys think? An I too sensitive about my bike???
|
Jas0n
journeyman
Reged: 01/26/04
Posts: 62
Loc: Westchester, New York
|
|
i had a similar experience, and am in a similar boat. being a shop brat (im 20), i ride a d'fly which at the time was built up with dura ace, deda cockpit, aliante saddle, and a pair of sl's. i brought the bike over to a shop because the shifting was a bit weird; i expected it was simply cable stretch but since i dont have barrel adjs. on the bike, i figured i would let the shop handle it. the wrench at the shop began my telling me how robin williams broke a d'fly and that calfee isnt as good as kolnago (as he pronounced it) and that rode a c40 himself with all the goodies. i kept shut and admired his "ride." then he starts to tell me that i cant cross cables underneath the downtube, that the special type of housing i used is too stiff, that the effe ti cass. i was running wouldn't be compatiable with the dura ace; note: the bike worked amazingly before this cable stretch and all i wanted was a tension adj, but got a mouthful of b.s. i promptly asked him to put everythign back on the bike (he had taken the cable out of the stop and cut the housing??) and took it to a shop 10 miles away. 5 minutes later, the bike worked fine. this time, they simply admired how light my ride was and didn't charge me; they are now the shop i frequent when at school. moral of the story: some shops are beter than others
--------------------
eat to live, live to ride
if it ain't rainin, it ain't trainin
|
easypedaler
contributor
Reged: 02/08/04
Posts: 149
|
|
Interesting.....I had just the opposite experience but with LBS owner that I am familiar with. This LBS owner is realsitic. he know not all bike are bought in his store. he also knows I always bring my bike into him for any and all work. he actually was excited to see the calfee luna. wanted to ride it but he was busy. Made me promise to being it back to let him take a quick ride down the back road where the shop is. This guy is cool. My age. and seems to be realistic. Some places as desrcibed from previous posts get upset if the bike is bought elsewhere.
|
Dave_Thompson
prophet
Reged: 12/19/03
Posts: 719
Loc: Spokane, Washington
|
|
Easy: The owner of your LBS is a great guy! He's interested in all bikes and in his customers. That's kind of rare nowadays. Shops that get upset at other brands aren't seeing the big picture of the world they're in.
My LBS here in Spokane is the same way. I've bought bikes from them, and from other places too. If I bring in a bike they haven't seen yet, they inspect it, make observations and once in a while ride it. Nice guys, they like bikes.
--------------------
Steel lover, but then I like Ti with carbon too.
Licensed bike geek.
|
1centaur
journeyman
Reged: 12/24/03
Posts: 126
Loc: Massachusetts
|
|
WB: As a guy, I presume, you are likely to be insensitive about these things, so I would trust your instincts. Some people are just weird, and small shop owners are more likely than the general population to be eccentric. Small LBS owners, as anybody who reads the many forum comments about LBS experiences must know by now, are often grumpy, resentful, and most likely afraid that the money they need to survive will never walk through their door. The ones with that attitude are usually right; you can speculate on chicken vs. egg. In my experience, the most successful shops employ people who like bikes, like people, and are generous of their time and even on their prices (the exception being high end shops in super-wealthy locales, which charge what they want). They know they need to make less to make more.
Shops like the first one you went to turn out to be useful for full-price, just-need-it-now transactions, and you end up going farther to get better service and an enjoyable experience. Such is life. Don't second guess your instincts - they're probably right and if you have a few more transactions there over the years you will see if they are worth more than the $20 a year you might spend there.
--------------------
"You never make a gift of Ventoux"
Eddie Merckx to Lance Armstrong
|
Wisdom
new member
Reged: 04/09/04
Posts: 3
|
|
Yes, you are too sensitive and not only about the bike.
Two shop owners, both former pros, remarked -
1. "Took it for a ride and it's the smoothest bike I've ridden."
2. Called his mechanic out to check the bike. Couldn't get over the look of cobalt blue in the sunlight. "Amazing bike."
Getting dropped on this Tetra Pro is the worst, nothing to blame but the motor.
Guys spring for their Benz roadsters and still can't pick up babes. Jealous people hate the shmoes for having the money but having one would still be fun. If you worry about it, don't wear loud lycra, fairy slippers and Euro hats while you ride expensive bikes. Stay home, drink beer, and watch TV while you bloat.
|
dave_donielson
friend
Reged: 02/03/04
Posts: 32
|
|
Wayne-
I'm not really sure what wisdom is saying but you are not being too sensitive about your bike, you just found a weird bike shop owner.
Trust your insticnts,go to the second shop. In the long run you and the 2nd owner will be happy.
Dave
|
dah
new member
Reged: 01/09/04
Posts: 19
|
|
I think you took your Ferrari to the Yugo dealer.
|
SpinDoc
friend
Reged: 12/24/03
Posts: 35
Loc: Columbus,Ohio
|
|
You couldn't pay me to take my bike to a LBS. None are worth a damn here in Columbus. Take that back, there's one that's a decent tri shop but they are so pretentious and full of themselves that asking them anything eveidently is too much burden for an elite athlete like they claim to be. Nevermind that I get regular joy out of dropping members of their "team".
I'll never understand that mentality, this sport should be all about spreading the joy, not a cycling form of a pissing contest.
FWIW I have good reason to feel this way about the LBS, I've NEVER been to one here in Ohio without them significantly screwing something up and actually creating more work for me. The last straw was when I took my wife's Litespeed in for some adjustments to my mechanic and he did what he always does...stripped the bike down to check it completely over. Strange thing was he couldn't get the seatpost to budge. Now this guy is about 6-2 260 so he's a bit of a beast. He sprained his wrist and destroyed a workbench getting that seatpost off! Seems the dummy who I bought the bike from (all custom btw) didn't use antiseize on ANY of the Titanium.
That was the last time I went to a LBS for anything more than supplies. No way no how.
--------------------
|
dah
new member
Reged: 01/09/04
Posts: 19
|
|
I am of the same opinion on LBS's. The last thing I had an LBS do was put in a headset on the Tetra I got a couple years ago and when I sold it I discovered the head tube was cracked. Can't be sure how it happened but I suspect the headset press was tightened to extremes. That was the first time I had let an LBS touch anything in 15 years. It won't happen again.
|
waynebiker
new member
Reged: 12/20/03
Posts: 31
Loc: usa
|
|
Just to finish the story..the stem arrived this week and the shop installed it this morning. After the longer stem was installed the mechanic and I put the bike on a trainer and evaluated my position. After all is said and done I am glad that I left the other shop and the 130mm stem is just what I needed to get my position right...for now.
Thanks to everyone for their great insight
|
Ohio_Bruce
new member
Reged: 12/23/03
Posts: 2
Loc: Dayton Ohio
|
|
SpinDoc
I had no problem with the Columbus LBS you were referring to. After test riding some of their bikes and talking to them and others over several months I still went to our good buddy Kevin (THE BIG GUY)for my Calfee Tetra Pro. They understood my decision.
We must be luckly here in the Dayton area. Roger at I-PRO bikes in Bellbrook is a great mechanic. Vey trustworthy!!
I still use Kevin (our Calfee buddy) whenever possible and for any major overhaul.
Bruce C
|
SpinDoc
friend
Reged: 12/24/03
Posts: 35
Loc: Columbus,Ohio
|
|
Hey Bruce long time no talk!
I still go to the Caveman for everything but basic maintenance as well. The Tri shop I know the folks on a first name basis and you'd have a hard time telling that for all but one person there. I've had too many experiences and heard way too many "war stories" from the caveman to have much respect for that crew. The Central Ohio crowd is full of quality people, but the teams in this area are full of pains in the backside. This all coming from someone who's pretty darn easy to get along with.
Put it this way...there's a lot of politics and juvenile rivalry between the two crowds. In addition, the owner of the shop I refer to has personal beefs with the Caveman and I've seen those beefs play out and been affected by them. They know the Caveman built and maintains my bike...draw your own conclusions.
--------------------
|
Previous
Thread Index
Next
Threaded
Calfee Stigma??????? kinda of long....
Edit
Reply
Quote
Re: Calfee Stigma??????? kinda of long....
Re: Calfee Stigma??????? kinda of long....