i am a married man, who's wife is the main earner.
so DO NOT ACCUSE ME OF BEING SEXIST OR CHOVANISTIC.
but why do bike shops employ ladies or girls who do not seem to have a lot of idea about bikes.
some will, but surely before people employ them find out 1st.
i popped into evans at castleford to buy a new headset.
the young lady looked confused when i asked for a a-head set for a mtb.
i showed here on a bike what i wanted
she disappeared round the back, only to return saying that they do not sell them.
i showed her in a old evans book that they do.
she vanished again and brought a box full of stems back
i said i do not want a stem, i want a headset.
she went away again and this time came back with a box full of headsets.
i bought a cane creek one.
surely someone working in a bike shop must be show of know what parts a bike is made up from.

discuss………. 😀

Too right. What she should have done is engage in a long and utterly pointless discussion with you about the merits of a Chris King versus an FSA Orbit XLII. 🙂

go to canada where they employ girls that could out mechanic and out ride most of the men on here

did she have a lovely set of references?

But you are being sexist. Asking why bike shops employ people who have no knowledge of bikes is non sexist -and I have met men who have no idea as well.

also its women not ladies or girls.

welcome to the 21st century

teej, she was a girl……..maybe 17.

Well said TJ!

I've been into plenty of bike shops where men don't have a clue, and to make it worse on more than one occassion these men have been patronising and assumed I'm wrong and clearly don't know what I'm talking about because I'm a woman! Grrr…

Still, on the positive side, that's one of the reasons I'm very loyal to my lbs.

I'm with TJ on this.

I also happen to know at least 2 very good lady bike mechanics……

But you are being sexist. Asking why bike shops employ people who have no knowledge of bikes is non sexist -and I have met men who have no idea as well.

also its women not ladies or girls.

welcome to the 21st century

Tsk, you bit.

Evans…….

probably just started and learning the ropes ton, but many LBS staff (male or female) don't have a clue

i've had a bloke look at me as if i was speaking another language in one chester bike shop when i wanted to purchase a star fangled nut for a new fork i wanted to fit

"we don't do nuts and bolts mate, try B&Q" was his reply…

also the female of the species has varying views on which term they prefer to be used. There is no correct term, as was voiced on here by actual females (not male keyboard warriors) when the question was posed a while ago 😉

I'll 3rd TJ – was just composing a similar reply in my head when I read his. One of my LBS has a female co-owner, who you certainly couldn't accuse of lacking knowledge.

Probably because the majority of bike shop punters are not boring bike nerds. My fave LBS does well to offer a selection of high end kit but they make their bread and butter by churning out men's and women's ridgeback hybrid-commuter things and entry level high vis jackets.

They employ a couple of ladies and it's a genius sales move in terms of selling more women's bikes.

If the way my wife has been treated in the past by various shops whenever she tries to buy me any bike related presents is anything to go by, I can't see it being a bad thing.

I quote:

"Can I help?"
"I'm looking to buy some riding gloves…"
"Hehe, what for horse riding?"

I kid not…

Shame. Maybe she is a riding genius who could shame us all but knows little of the technical side!

But I think responsibility lies with Evans and they will reap the loss of customer confidence in them as a result.

I quote:

"Can I help?"
"I'm looking to buy some riding gloves…"
"Hehe, what for horse riding?"

I kid not…

That's Mud Dock for you. 😉

This could develop into a whole new thread! People who work in bike shops, yet don't have even the most basic clue about what they are selling! Men, women, tall ones. short ones, fat ones, thin ones. It's irrelevant! The issue remains (and seems particularly prevalent in Evans) that it doesn't take much in these shops to have a greater knowledge of their job than they do. They are such a good advert for mail order! I too want to support my LBS but not if it hapens to be an Evans staffed by scater boys and girls who don't understand and perhaps more annoyingly have never been trained.

ton – Member

teej, she was a girl……..maybe 17.
Post menarche she is a women. A girl is pre menarche / pre pubescent

Maybe she's only just started and is being trained up, maybe her technical knowledge isn't great but she knows all about clothing?

I think you'd struggle to find anyone who knows everything about every bike. I've met pro riders who know almost nothing about the inner workings of their bike but they can certainly ride it!

ok, i apologise for the ladies/girls part of the question…i was wrong.
should a person working in a shop know what a a-head set is when asked for one by a customer……….

Christ TJ, you must be smooth with the laydeez. 😉

i popped into evans

that is definately where you went wrong

fwiw evans in chiswick has a relatively(for an evans) knowledgeable lady working there
however i have an almost identical tale to ton regarding stem spacers with a guy in same evans

TG stop being pedantic, otherwise I'll be forced to call my grilfriend my womanfriend which I don't think even apears in the dictionary.

She's having a night in with the girls tonight, shall I inform her that it's a night in with the women?

She's 32 BTW, and is usaly found watching the football on SkySports whilst I'm in the kitchen cooking dinner.

Mr Agreeable smooth like this chap

ton did she sell you a spade and a book of big holes, as well? most blokes I have met in shops are clueless, I think in general a lot of shops employ people who are not into the sport, its just a job to them and they need to learn on the job which could take time, nothing to do with being male or female.

an ton – maybe she was spooked by your reputation.

It'd be like working in a car dealership when a top of the range footballer walks in. Perhaps she thought 'jesus it's him, what do i do, there's only so many bikes in the world and he's got/had most of them'

Yes, a person should know what a headset is when asked for one by a customer or at least have the decency to say 'sorry, I am not sure I will ask someone'

Yes, you were wrong with the ladies/girls part of the question. I rang a bike shop to ask if they stocked Hope lights the other day, only to be told that Hope don't make lights – it wasn't a girl I spoke to 😕

EBC: when I want a replacement gear hanger for my Giant, spotty lad came back with something that resembled a gear hanger but not for a Giant

"Oh they're a standard fit that fit any bike"

turns and walks out of shop.

But you are being sexist. Asking why bike shops employ people who have no knowledge of bikes is non sexist -and I have met men who have no idea as well.

He did this with Chinese people as well a while ago I think.

Ton – I think you need to open your own bike shop. You could make sure the staff were up to snuff, plus think of the discounts.

TJTJTJTJTJTJTJTJTJTJTJ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

More interestingly, why aren't gear hangers a standard size and shape? It's save bike companies a fortune! And open the doors to hope etc making pimpy anodised ones 😀 and Thomson claiming theirs will bend and not break despit being the same as everyone elses.

my best was in halfrauds asking for a hope olive… he said they were not a food shop, I called him a twit and asked to speak to the manager, he was!…. I then found it on their ordering system for them

I'm not being sexist/racist/ageist/fattist/roadie-ist/homphobic but…

Famous last words!

its just a job to them and they need to learn on the job which could take time, nothing to do with being male or female.

I learnt all my mechanics from scratch in a bike shop – one of the experienced mechanics basically taught me, some of it I picked up myself through "trial and error" or just doing it.

It tends to be a bit more regulated now, a lot of shops want Cytech qualifications and proven experience.

surely someone working in a bike shop must be show of know what parts a bike is made up from.

This thread would be pretty lame if it wasn't for this sentence, which is epic. 8)

bd, i was typing under great stress.. 8)

I think you'd struggle to find anyone who knows everything about every bike.

OK but it's a flipping aheadset! She shouldn't be working there if she knows that little! I'd understand if you went in asking for an Italian threaded bb or a cotter pin or something slightly obscure….

Worked in a couple of shops where the women were knowledgeable and could also show the blokes a clean pair of wheels when out riding. There's good and bad staff and its not confined to one sex or the other.

Crazy – I mean shop front assistants, not mechanics, I know a mechanic will need exp, shop front would prob just need shop exp, so most front of house may not have bike knowledge of any depth… potentially 🙂

Yes, you were wrong with the ladies/girls part of the question.

… – it wasn't a girl I spoke to

OOOPS 🙄