An ELITE Cyclists and his money are soon parted

@rcannon100 30770 wrote:

So I went to my local LBS yesterday. Outside the front door, a wheel bender bike rack. Oh, that’s not a good sign. Go inside. Now I am not an ELITE cyclists – nor do I dress like one. And while I like to look at the shiny objects, I usually am in there for something mundane. For the rest of the story, go to Kent’s Bike Blog: So I Went Automobile Shopping.

There is one local LBS that doesnt do this. They regularly have the mundane thing I am looking for; they will take time to explain the difference between a widget and a wodget; they will not dis the other LBS attempting to establish themselves as The Experts.

Just hypothetically of course, could you name an example of the first kind of LBS and of the second kind? Hypothetically.

@TwoWheelsDC 30773 wrote:

Regarding the blog, I think it erroneously assumes that cyclists are either “mundane” cyclists or ELITE cyclists, and kinda has an “us vs. them” attitude.

Agreed. Nothing wrong with having horses for courses. Part of the fun of cycling I think. One of these days I’ll have enough bikes to ride a different one to work each day.

I have never experienced problems with the LBS by my work or by my house. Can’t say it’s the same for all of them, but I always felt they treated me the same as the more ‘elite’ crowd. I’m more along your lines RC, although partially because I just don’t see the need to spend money I don’t quite have when there are other things I want more. As long as I have the mundane things that keep my gears working, pedals moving and tires inflated, i’m good to go.

@vvill 30776 wrote:

Agreed. Nothing wrong with having horses for courses. Part of the fun of cycling I think. One of these days I’ll have enough bikes to ride a different one to work each day.

I hit that mark long ago… not sure I could stomach a 25 mile pavement ride on a MTB SS. Also on days 6 & 7 I’d be on a unicycle (one for each day) that might take awhile, especially on the 16″ wheel one.

Here’s a suggestion — why not bring a pizza to your LBS sometime on a slow day/time (weekday, 2pm?) and just chat with the staff or owner about your observations and suggestions? You might be surprised at the responsiveness to your constructive feedback.

Obviously, I think LBSs are extremely important to helping get lots of new riders on the road. Mine certainly has helped me — I otherwise would have been too ignorant or intimidated to try to ride as much as I do now without their help all along the way. It’s great to have a place within riding distance that you can go to learn and ask questions. Internet forums are great, but in-person coaching and encouragement is even better when you’re starting out.

However, if you think your local shop is too focused on high-end gear and doesn’t communicate well with utility cyclists, it’s fine to just tell them that! The message might get through and the staff could make adjustments. Or they might say — “Yeah, we know such-and-so is a major gadget freak, and that sometimes come through to customers. But we’re not all like that — you should come in on Sundays when some-other-person is here — he (or she) has tons of experience with …. [what ever it is kind of riding you’re interested in]”

Or it could be the other way around — maybe your shop doesn’t have the top end stuff you want? They might be interested in knowing that — they might have been afraid to stock up because they didn’t know there was a local market for more expensive gear.

All LBSs are competing against internet purchasing, so margins tend to be very low and staffers are often just working because they love bikes, not because the pay is great etc.

So I’d turn the question around and rather than being frustrated that your LBS didn’t serve your needs as well as you liked, just talk to them and try to make it a little better maybe? Customer feedback can be really helpful sometimes (not always I know), but I’d suggest giving it a try as a first step. -Jeff

@GuyContinental 30793 wrote:

A rider that spends lots of time in the saddle and really knows bike anatomy simply isn’t confronted with these ego-bruising scenarios very often so rapport stays strong and the conversation at a high level- bike guy to bike guy. Then again, Dirt’s secret may be that he carries and distributes pink fuzzy bunnies wherever he goes…

Very true. I’d also say that being a pretty tall, somewhat substantial guy with tattoos, though completely fluffy and harmless at heart, tends to cut down on people putting out a bunch of ego.

My modus operandi in a new shop is always the same. I go in and ask as though I don’t have the background that I do and I listen. I think a customer’s attitude can have an impact on how things go in a relationship too. I remember having my patience tried at times by getting attitude from customers. I can imagine that having to compete with the Interwebs definitely puts a different spin on things. Back when I was shopping, the big competition for LBSs was the large chain stores.

The internets never gives me ego. Just good prices. 😮

OH yeah: insofar as being branded as “elite” (as this forum uses) vs. other… I think is truly silly. I have owned, or currently own a full carbon road bike, a 29er (as shown on here) which is frankenstein’d out, a recumbent (Bacchetta Corsa SS, RANS Rocket), a folder (1958 Steel Bianchi), a touring bike (Randonee, similar to the Surly LHT), and I plan on building up a fatbike this year… and that’s on top of the dozen or so road bikes along the way… from steel to aluminum to carbon… they all belong in the stable.

Different stokes for different folks… nah! All strokes for each folk.