I don't understand the negative stigma that bike shops have w/ "customizers"

[sensor]

As odd as it is, my LBS seems to enjoy when I come in. I think it helped to have a homemade frame that was nicer than most of the factory made stuff and made in town. Now they all gather when I bring new stuff in to scrounge for shipping boxes(I think they MAY actually enjoy seeing something different). Maybe they just enjoy taking a break from work. Who knows.

 

[Rat Rod]

As odd as it is, my LBS seems to enjoy when I come in. I think it helped to have a homemade frame that was nicer than most of the factory made stuff and made in town. Now they all gather when I bring new stuff in to scrounge for shipping boxes(I think they MAY actually enjoy seeing something different). Maybe they just enjoy taking a break from work. Who knows.

Funny you should touch on this. I've had similar experiences at one of my local shops that really only stocks road bikes and MTBs. It's a small shop. I brought my RUff Cycles frame in to buy a headset. Wanted to make sure I was getting the right fit. They all gathered around and were sort of in awe of the frame...didn't know what the heck they were looking at. I came in another time with my Skull Skates cruiser because I was taking photos of it around the corner. Again...nobody had seen one and one of the mechanics said... "I don't really like cruisers normally, but man I'd ride that one any day."

I think that most of the problem lies in the fact that these guys need to actually see custom bikes done well and then many of them would probably respect the hobby more. When they hear "vintage" or "cruiser" some may translate that into "basket case" and "Walmart."

 

[Gripking1313]

What Rat Rod said sorta happened to me at the lbs I go to a lot they mostly cater to high end road/mountain bikes. The guys there looked at me funny when at first I was preaching to them about the customizing I wanted to do to my build. Weeks later I rolled in my project halfway finished just so they can see the progress done so far and now they are starting to get it. I doubt they are gonna start supply anything cruiser related since 99% of their customers only focus on how many grams they can shave off their bikes. But at least I know they have a whole new view and respect for the customizers out there who don't wear spandex and only ride on carbon fiber.

 

[JimMendel]

While I personally like selling parts for old Schwinns, etc, to be fair, some old bike customers can be extremely time consuming for the amount they spend.

A typical parts request from one of your much maligned "spandex" crowd: "Do you have a left 105 STI lever?"

A typical parts request from a "customizer": "I have a 1952 Schwinn I just bought on Craigslist you can tell it's a Schwinn because it has an S on the seat I bet you've never seen one of those it's the only year it came in this color you can't get tires for it anymore I'm gonna put an electric motor from a vacuum cleaner on it or maybe a lawn mower engine maybe I'll make it a three wheeler or a lowrider it's gonna need to be rewelded do you guys do welding here but I'm gonna repaint it anyhow jeez 400 dollars for a bicycle you can buy a car for that do you have mag wheels in this size how much do you guys charge to build wheels that's a lot do you have any old bikes in the back I can look through I don't want to spend a lot of money six dollars for a tube that seems like an awful lot I'll just go to Walmart do you have any used ones just laying around is that all the pedals you got do you sell just the patches without the glue?" Oh, and can I have a valve cap?

LOL.

 

[JimMendel]

Some of the younger bike shop employees are bewildered by older steel road bikes, too.

A Peeuwgeeaut? what's that, a Swedish bike or something?
You mean my Peugeot? No, it's French.

 

[Bicycle808]

I totally get it if/when a bike shop eyes a French bike with distrust, confusion, and trepidation. They made some good bikes, but the real Peugeots were outfitted with all the obsolete French standards, so replacements parts aren't always easy to come by--- although, now that QBP offers some of the Velo Orange stuff, it's a bit easier.

To make matters worse, there were Japanese and Canuckistani Peugeots, too, which had more mainstream threads and IDs, and some shop drones might not even be aware of this, or be savvy enough to check the decals for this kinda info.

-Rob

PS- I once saw a Peugeot mixte with 26" knobbies and cantilever brakes outside of a shop in Princeton, NJ. Despite being too small for me, I still feel a powerful lust for that bike.

 

[cl222]

Some of the younger bike shop employees are bewildered by older steel road bikes, too.

A Peeuwgeeaut? what's that, a Swedish bike or something?
You mean my Peugeot? No, it's French.

I am 15 and help out at my local shop for discounted parts/entire bikes. Since i'm not old enough to be legitimately hired without filling out a thousand pages of paperwork, I can go in whenever I want or when I'm called in. The owner only has 1 other employee so sometimes I get called in. But the discount on parts is huge and I get a cut from bikes I restore that have been in the basement for years at the shop. The first time I rode my 1916 sears master there he was amazed that it still rode. He couldn't get over the crank and the 1897 garford seat with original leather. I cant wait until I ride a skiptooth down there! he doesn't get much exposure to antique/classic bikes and is amazed that I ride heavy steel framed balloon bikes.

 

[jerrykr]

Funny you should touch on this. I've had similar experiences at one of my local shops that really only stocks road bikes and MTBs. It's a small shop. I brought my RUff Cycles frame in to buy a headset. Wanted to make sure I was getting the right fit. They all gathered around and were sort of in awe of the frame...didn't know what the heck they were looking at. I came in another time with my Skull Skates cruiser because I was taking photos of it around the corner. Again...nobody had seen one and one of the mechanics said... "I don't really like cruisers normally, but man I'd ride that one any day."

I think that most of the problem lies in the fact that these guys need to actually see custom bikes done well and then many of them would probably respect the hobby more. When they hear "vintage" or "cruiser" some may translate that into "basket case" and "Walmart."

Same here, I took my CWC board tracker in to the super high end shop (where we got our Bianchis) and they were all over it. I sold them 2 Columbia straight bar ballooners. The owner and the mechanic ratted them out. They loved the Cream Fat Franks. The owner put a motor kit on his, and the mechanic kind of copied my racer. I convinced them to leave all the patina alone. Both bikes are displayed in the shop right now. I later gave the other mechanic a cantilever frame for his own project. I need to go back by there and see how he is doing. When I need something, I go by there first, and many times they have what I need. They never look down their nose at my requests that don't even fit what they normally sell. I guess it boils down to .... we all love and appreciate bikes!

 

[Bob Gray]

When we start wearing Spandex and goofy eyewear when riding our cruisers and Kustoms, maybe they will pay attention.

You've got to understand that you just don't look very manly if you don't shave your legs and dress in spandex. I'm waiting for them to discover that fishnets result in a 9 gram weight savings and that false eyelashes give you an aero edge.

 

[JimMendel]

I am 15 and help out at my local shop for discounted parts/entire bikes. Since i'm not old enough to be legitimately hired without filling out a thousand pages of paperwork, I can go in whenever I want or when I'm called in. The owner only has 1 other employee so sometimes I get called in. But the discount on parts is huge and I get a cut from bikes I restore that have been in the basement for years at the shop. The first time I rode my 1916 sears master there he was amazed that it still rode. He couldn't get over the crank and the 1897 garford seat with original leather. I cant wait until I ride a skiptooth down there! he doesn't get much exposure to antique/classic bikes and is amazed that I ride heavy steel framed balloon bikes.

So it sounds like you might know a Peeuwgeeaut from a Pogliaghi, then.

 

[American Vintage Bicycle Supply]

 

[rickpaulos]

You are outside their comfort zone. They could spend hours with you trying to find something you like, might fit and convince you to put down a deposit for the special order. They won't make any money at it and you probably wont be happy and want a refund. In other words, you are wasting their time.

We have people who look at all the boxes of parts at our coop and think they can "Build a Bike" by grabbing a few parts be all set. Yeah, try putting that Chevy starter in your Ford. There are many sized parts for every single component on a bike that won't fit a particular bike. People look at you like a deer facing headlights eyed when you try to explain the difference between cranks and so on. I repeatedly tell them to bring their bike along when shopping for parts so we can see what they have and what will fit. I repeat, there is not a single universal part for bikes. What ever I sell you, there is a high chance it won't fit when you can't even tell me what your bike is or has been changed too since it was new.

My peeve is my local hardware store. All of the guys that work there seem to have had special training in saying "No". They rarely know what I tell them I'm looking for. I've learned to just say "I'm looking for ideas" or "I'm looking for inspiration". That shuts them off real fast and they walk away so I can look for myself. That is a huge plus over bike shops. Being able to look thru countless bins of hardware. You won't get that sort of cooperation from your LBS.

Of course the worst hardware store employees follow you around like you are a shoplifter or try to get you out of their store. Fortunately those afflicted stores are not the closest to my house.

Oh yeah, I used to sell and repair them so I can even spell Peugeot. $%^&* Napoleon.

 

[pjbjr413]

No, Denton, methinks we've got a metroplex of unscrupulous bike shop owners on our hands.

I've dealt with those shops in Denton, had one of the guys make fun of me for messing around with BMX stuff, referring to them as "dumb kids bikes", that was the last time I stepped into their establishment.

 

[Gripking1313]

Bmx is like sunlight to a vampire when it comes to shop owners here in south Florida. They have absolutely zero knowledge and support down here. I had a employee of a well known bicycle shop chain in Miami claim to my face that my kink empire rev-b and standard sta500 were both "Walmart pieces of junk". I felt like strangling that guy behind the counter When it comes to my beloved bmx's I stick to danscomp or Albes bmx. No point helping any
local shops if they can't respect the customer and the ride they bring in. Regardless of the lack of knowledge they might have they would come off better asking, learning then admitting to knowing nothing about whats infront of them.

 

[Bicycle808]

BMX is a real moneymaker in these parts. It cannot carry a shop by itself(a few have tried and failed) but a shop that has knowledgeable staff, enough parts/access to parts, and a decent BMX line or 2 can really make some $$$ from that segment. The trick is to hire a high-school age BMXican with a lot o friends, but just don't ever leave him at the shop alone... The right kid in the scene can bring a crowd; you just don't want the temptation of discounts/freebies for friends to cancel out all the profit.

 

[Chips_Mahoy]

We've got two, Vic's Classic Bikes, and Old Bikes Belong. One shop that truely is a jack of all trades, because they sell many types of bikes and the only dedicated bmx place. Which is called Bikes On Your Left. Theres the Bike Courier Shop, a local chain that has had to downsize, also a Jamis dealer. A general bike shop that is still pretty awesome. Bardstown Rd. Bike Co. is another awesome shop, who are also a Specialized dealer. Theres Parkside bikes whi are more road/cx/touring- cannondale ddealer. One shop closed down. BCS downsized to two shops, leaving two important bike areas, frankfort ave. and the UofL campus without a lbs. There is one Schwinn store left. It's been a while, I hope it's atill there. They are also the place for lowrider parts and old(like you guys like) bikes. I was thinking of see

I always wanted to check out Vic's every time I went down to Bardstown for a couple days. Is it any good? I've never had the extra time to check it out.

 

[Chips_Mahoy]

I'll consider myself lucky then. Of the 2 shops I frequent most, I always have good experiences with them. Maybe that's why I frequent the m the most.... But that's because so many other shops, not all of them, look at me like a failed science expirement when I tell them what I'm doing and why I'm doing it.

Now, when I go into my "regular" place, I have great conversation my current or latest project and have to be sure I have lots of pics to share. While the guy there may not be "into" what I do, he definitely shows a lot of interest and respect for it. Can't go wrong w/ that! In fact, I've been there so much, he's interested in being a part of the HACBC Show/Swap in June to check it all out. That's cool in my book....

 

[JaxRhapsody]

I always wanted to check out Vic's every time I went down to Bardstown for a couple days. Is it any good? I've never had the extra time to check it out.

Like most of the shops, he runs tue-sat. He deals with old bikes but has some new ones and a brooks dealer. Pure fix dealer too. He's pretty friendly and know his ..... I don't go in there much because I din't have anything he specializes in. If you go by during his hours and he isn't there(I think he rexently got another employee) or he isnt there and its locked, chances are, he's just walking his dog.

 

[Chips_Mahoy]

Like most of the shops, he runs tue-sat. He deals with old bikes but has some new ones and a brooks dealer. Pure fix dealer too. He's pretty friendly and know his ****. I don't go in there much because I din't have anything he specializes in. If you go by during his hours and he isn't there(I think he rexently got another employee) or he isnt there and its locked, chances are, he's just walking his dog.

Ok.....Thanks!

 

[kingsting]

While I personally like selling parts for old Schwinns, etc, to be fair, some old bike customers can be extremely time consuming for the amount they spend.

A typical parts request from one of your much maligned "spandex" crowd: "Do you have a left 105 STI lever?"

A typical parts request from a "customizer": "I have a 1952 Schwinn I just bought on Craigslist you can tell it's a Schwinn because it has an S on the seat I bet you've never seen one of those it's the only year it came in this color you can't get tires for it anymore I'm gonna put an electric motor from a vacuum cleaner on it or maybe a lawn mower engine maybe I'll make it a three wheeler or a lowrider it's gonna need to be rewelded do you guys do welding here but I'm gonna repaint it anyhow jeez 400 dollars for a bicycle you can buy a car for that do you have mag wheels in this size how much do you guys charge to build wheels that's a lot do you have any old bikes in the back I can look through I don't want to spend a lot of money six dollars for a tube that seems like an awful lot I'll just go to Walmart do you have any used ones just laying around is that all the pedals you got do you sell just the patches without the glue?" Oh, and can I have a valve cap?

O....M....G.... How many times have I heard those!!!

I have the same guy that comes in my shop (actually, we have 4 or 5 of them) about once a month, usually on Mondays when I'm busy and the only one there. Has about 6 bikes, plain, mid 60's off-brand middleweights. Thinks they're vintage Schwinns and worth a grand each. He's usually looking for some little trinket part like a seat clamp or odd threaded axle nut and spends hours telling me about these bikes and how he's going to "restore" them. He comes in with coaster brake hubs missing parts and wants me to tell him how to overhaul them. Brought me a square steel wheel in to have respoked and couldn't understand why he couldn't wait there for it to be done. I quoted him a buck a spoke and $40 labor thinking he'd leave but that just encouraged him to stay longer - all the time criticizing our prices on everything and how Wal-Mart and Amazon are sooo much cheaper.