The first bike shop I ever went to sucked. I always say, especially to new guys 1) don’t go there, and 2) if I knew then what I know now I would have gone somewhere else. The owner is a dick. No bones about that. It’s just the truth. I got a really crap low end bike for my first road bike and had to dish out for a new bike 2 month later (I went somewhere else).
The story here is people taking advantage of people. The owner has been looking at me like I’m some sort of remedial cycling moron since day one. I don’t go to this shop anymore because not only do they barely have the minimum essentials for cycling gear and product, but they’re over priced and more times than not, dicks. I will go 15 miles out of the way to not go to this shop. I go there is there is an emergency or I’m in a jam.
So I went yesterday. I have this wheel set from my original bike I got from these guys. The wheel set is bullet proof and fantastic. Heavy and reliable. In almost 3 years I’ve had the wheels trued once and they’re straight as an arrow. I broke a spoke in the fall and haven’t been able to find a proper spoke for it since. I’ve gone everywhere. So I broke down and went to this god forsaken shop yesterday. When I walked in I felt the same foreboding annoyance that I associate with this shop and went to their service counter and ask for a spoke to the wheel. I brought the wheel with me for illustrations sake, nothing more. I can true my own wheel. So the owner takes the wheel, and goes on the hunt for a spoke. He finds one. I say cool, while I’m looking at some tires (Specialized Armadillos). I turn around and he’s saying “OK, done!” Cool, I’m thinking. It turns out he trued my wheel. What?! I just asked for a spoke! He fully took advantage of me here and I’m in a quandary. Do I say something? I probably should have, but I’m not there enough and really, do I complain about $15? I decide the trade off is to talk smack on my blog.
Thanks. You’re a champ.
DC
