Is my lbs normal

[Vonpotter]

In my neck of the woods there are 3 shops in town and one out of town
The one out of town is awesome for a builder. He has any part you can think of, if he doesnt he will get it. He's been in business for over 25 years, been the owner the entire time. He used to be a Schwinn dealer, now he deals in Trek. A lot of local cyclists hate him, but I've developed a good friendship with him. He says he's ok if a lot of the "cyclists" in the area hate him, because he doesn't like them much either :lol: If you come in with your 4000 dollar stuff and cant even change your own tube, he makes it pretty clear how he feels about you. Now if you come in with something you built up and need an idea or two, he'll talk your ear off, take you to his private stash, show you his collection in the basement, etc etc etc. Might not be the right approach from a business standpoint, but I sure do like it

There is one shop in town, that I didn't like so much when I first started shopping there. There wasn't the parts selection of the shop above. Then I started talking to the right people in the store and found out that they will get you anything you need....in about 3 days. They sell all kinds of bikes, from Striders to Niners to Unicycles. They have a ton of tools. and they do a ton of advocacy work for cycling in our city. Any cycling event that happens in our city, county or most of our state, they are right there with a booth set up for repairs. They put on all the CX races in our city. Just a bunch of great dudes that want people to ride. I ended up liking them so much, that I got a part time job there this year.

The other two are a nightmare.

 

[yoothgeye]

My story has been told here a thousand times, I don't have a LBS, unless you consider 50 miles away local.

When I moved to this town there was a bike shop, but the owner passed away and the guys working there shut it down.

There is a shop in Rocky Mount (the one 50 miles away) and I've been there once, they were helpful, but kind of short with me, it is a bike shop and locksmith in the same building, seemed like they didn't have time for me and my stupid questions (I was just getting started at the time). I haven't been back, that was over 2 years ago.

Every time I go out of town and I have time I seek out bike shops and mostly I am disappointed, Just new new new, no room for 1 piece crank stuff.

 

[motopsyco]

I really miss living in Wilmington, just because the shop 2 Wheeler Dealer was there. There were at least 100 vintage bikes of all kinds hanging from the ceiling. And you could buy everything from a carbon fiber time trail racer to 2 foot apehangers from stock right there in the store. If every bike shop were like them there would not not be the huge internet bicycle market there is today. Here I have one Trek dealer 30 minutes away. It's alright most of the time & most of the employees are nice and helpful but if the owner is there he can be a p.i.t.a. sometimes. Only Trek cruisers, which to me are funky looking and over priced. I wouldn't mind a belt drive Soho but that's about all they make I really like.

 

[Vipon]

I work in a Bicycle shop, just me and the owner. The shop opened in 72 and he has owned it since 78. We mostly sell cruisers cuase thats what the customers are buying because we are close to the beach.

We can order anything you want. I used to bug out about "order anything you want" also when I was a customer. but now realize the shop owner has thier own money tied up into the things you see in the store. If the product doesn't move for two years its just taking up space that something that sells can occupy. We do have 1 piece cranks, under seat assembies, training wheels and what looks like some stingray apes that probably has been there since the last stingray rolled out of the shop years ago.

We work on everthing though, walmart to 6000 dollar mountainbikes. We build wheels, and today we made spokes for an odd size rim. I about flipped out when he dug out a spoke threader,, didn't even know we had one! Don't even get me started on the box of reproduction Black Phantom stuff he has that has never been opened. or the Earth Cruiser frame from the early 80's that never been built. We have customers buying bikes for their kids who got thier first bike bought for them in our store.

I feel really lucky that the owner offered me a job with him. Everyday he shows me how to do something that just isnt done anymore, because its easier just to order the part already built in china. Sometimes when I say hey we should stock some part that I think is cool he will say "how many people in town need this part". Thats when I realize that this is a business and he has bills to pay.

I guess my point is. talk to the owner he may be into the samething you are, it just doesn't make sense for him to stock it.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

I've tried to talk to him, he hates old bikes with a passion and thinks they should all be melted down for scrap (his exact words), he says muscle bikes are outdated and I need to "get with the times", and he thinks if you built it yourself you're too poor to buy a "real bike". Needless to say he gets under my skin a little bit.

 

[Daddyar]

Maybe because I'm in SoCal it's different. My LBS has it all-cruisers, BMX, fixies, road bikes, and MTBs. They carry whitewalls, cruiser accessories (they are a Nirve dealer). I've ordered 26x1.75 whitewalls on Friday, and they had them by Tuesday. They also work on everything from dept. store bikes to the high dollar stuff.

 

[outskirtscustoms]

Maybe because I'm in SoCal it's different. My LBS has it all-cruisers, BMX, fixies, road bikes, and MTBs. They carry whitewalls, cruiser accessories (they are a Nirve dealer). I've ordered 26x1.75 whitewalls on Friday, and they had them by Tuesday. They also work on everything from dept. store bikes to the high dollar stuff.

Must be nice! Not to mention the nicer weather.