Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 67 total)
  • tell me about your lbs…
  • cycleworlduk
    Free Member

    after a so far crap week with scams,low footfall and general poopy customers im needing some positive lbs stories to keep me smiling! 🙂

    docrobster
    Free Member

    Just riding along is sort of on my way to work. bought rim strips etc from them but had trouble getting one of the tyres to pop onto the rim with me track pump. Took said wheel in and the guy was very happy to wack it on with his compressor. Told me I needed a bit more sealant. Tend to go back there for most things they sell now, rather than the other bike shops in sheff.
    Customer service is what counts for an lbs.

    enduro-aid
    Free Member

    I dont have a local bike shop!!!! my local bike shop is a 25 min drive away its either that or drive 30 min to glasgow and go to one of the chain stores like evans

    however I will say that on sunday at AE i noticed the R clip missing from my hope mono mini and the dude in the Ae shop didnt have any spare….baw, but he did have one pack of hope pads for 15 quid that contained the new style P clip (I'm thinking crap 15 quid for a set of pads that dont fit my bike all for a dam clip)

    guy opened the pack gave me the clip and said I'll charge you a quid for that…..result…..very nice of him to break up a pack and not charge me for the full set

    rolfharris
    Free Member

    I'd have some positive stories but with it being November, we're dead!

    We have sold a bike to the owner of a cake shop, and so whenever he needs his bike serviced we'll say "it'll be ready at 5pm".

    Come 5pm he comes in with a box full of buns that can't be sold the next day. Omnomnom!

    zaskar
    Free Member

    LBS gave me free outer hose cable so I often visit with cookies as a thank you gesture.

    LBS rocks!

    "general poopy customers" -I get that every week at Halfords (part time) but try to remember the nice customers and super hot milfs.

    Put signs out and leaftlets outside schools helped my old LBS…

    nickc
    Full Member

    My LBS is crap, didn't even have road bike brake blocks. Even though they sell road bikes with exactly the same brakes as mine. Monkey poo

    rolfharris
    Free Member

    we also get in Edith Bowman's sister.

    neilsonwheels
    Free Member

    What's a local bike shop.? I am confused. ❗

    esselgruntfuttock
    Free Member

    I have bike shops that are 'local', but my fave LBS is 45mins away, in Guisborough. (& one of the owners is very nice. Well theyr'e both nice, but one is 'nicer') :mrgreen:

    Amos
    Free Member

    I owe my LBS lots of money! Love you Local Bike Shop owner 😀

    ton
    Full Member

    i have lost all faith and trust in all bike shops……….not just the local one.
    there are 4 in leeds that are crap, and 1 that i should use more that is ok.
    the crapest is the most famous too.

    Teetosugars
    Free Member

    Dave Hinde is now my LBS 🙁

    Guess I'll just have to carry on using Merlin when I go and see the in-laws in Chorley..

    esselgruntfuttock
    Free Member

    ton, that wouldn't be the one that ripped me off for some outer cables once would it?
    Begins with 'S' & ends with the letter before 'G' perhaps?

    juan
    Free Member

    My lbs is ace. I spend lost of time there, have free coffee, we use to buy each other meal with the people working there.
    They are so ace that I am ashamed I did'nt spend much money with them, so I am going to buy a bike just for the sake of it…

    ton
    Full Member

    esselgruntfuttock

    nail on the head mate.

    stumpyjon
    Full Member

    I like LBS, they know me by name now and I get a regular customer discount (which my wife was not impressed with when she found out, she realised just how often I'm in there 🙄 ). Tend to split my purchases 50:50 between them and the t'internet. They're good for advice, support and local riding news as well as parts.

    Sorting out our cycle to work scheme at the moment and I'm making sure we go with cyclescheme so the independant shops get the business.

    twohats
    Free Member

    Ton, wasn't you singing their praises not so long back?

    CaptainBudget
    Free Member

    My LBS at uni is Summit Cycles in Aberystwyth. It is honestly the best shop I've been in. Prices are pretty good, and these guys know what they're doing.

    You give them your bike and within a day or two it comes back full of pixie dust and works better than you ever thought possible. I tend to get rebuild kits, Maxxis DH tyres and odds and ends from them.

    They also sponsor the uni MTB club so we get a discount 8)

    Anyone in that area should pay a visit, you won't be disappointed.

    vdubber67
    Free Member

    superstar_opponents – Member

    we also get in Edith Bowman's sister.

    Nice perk. Or do you mean you get Edith Bowman's sister in? hee hee 😆

    My real lbs is truly awful, so I go to Freewheel in Notts. A nice mix of slightly quirky characters and some downright nice people as well.

    ton
    Full Member

    twohats
    who's praises
    woodrupps, who tried to rip my lad off.
    stif, who's bloke could not be bothered to ring me back when i wanted some forks.
    the bike shop who want to sell you a bike with a well know problem then not help you sort it.
    or edinburgh co-op…………..ppfff

    thomasraelburke
    Free Member

    was having trouble getting my stubborn bb out, went to small lbs asking if he could just crack it for me using his vice he said leave it over night with 15 of your english… i left with frame and bb.
    on the off chance called into halfords, same question he said we normally charge but i can turn a blind eye the vice is over there if you want to do it yourself! what a legend… even let me mooch in his toolbox for better quality bb tool. what happened to friendly small lbs and big bad halfords.. i need something, from now on im going to the generous guy in big bad halfords!

    trusz
    Free Member

    I just a new Limited Ed Blue Tracer from my 'L'BS Don Skenes and some bits to go with. It's flippin' beautiful! They didn't have my Ti Bel Air or Stem in so I have to wait a few days to complete the build but they fitted the HS and BB for free and gave me a free UST valve when I lost mine before so I can forgive them 😀 Good guys

    dab
    Full Member

    Cheer up Chris
    you're the only bike shop near me that does

    A Demos
    B Hagglers discount
    C A rock up and get it fixed now workshop
    D A club night
    E Name yer price bargain box of bits

    was well hacked that the Orange didnt suit but tbh once i got on the spesh at the weekend it all made sense, you were right i do like more xc bikes.

    Prolly just xmas and the credit crumch thats responsible for the low numbers, also dark nights…. folk just want to comfort eat, not ride bikes

    hopefully santa will bring me some cash for bike bits soon …hope he's listening.

    keep yer chin up

    Dave

    mattythemod
    Free Member

    Well i have a largeish bike shop 50 meters from me but wont shop there because of the owner , instead i travel the other side of town where the lads are friendly , offer good advice and are non condescending and non patronizing .

    mccett
    Free Member

    Teetosugars – closest decent shop to you is Cycle Centre in Congleton. Sound lads, good mechanics if you need them and some decent kit in there. I wouldnt even go to Hinde for an innertube. Not been in there in over 10 years.

    DT78
    Free Member

    I've had some pretty poor service from my LBS over the last few years to the stage that I try to do most of the stuff myself (simple things like they didn't grease pedal threads when fitting a chainset, used the SFN when I bought a hope headset and kept the expander without asking, cross threaded the BB with a hamfisted BB).

    I still pop in to look at stuff and buy the odd bit here and there (chains/spacers etc…) and my last C2W bike, but tbh I spend very little with them now it all goes towards CRC.

    Like someone said customer service is paramount – I'd pay (a bit not RRP) more than CRC etc… if the LBS actually did stuff right.

    They are a nice bunch though

    joolsburger
    Free Member

    Freeborn Esher is my local, good bloke and Northshore out back…

    richcc
    Free Member

    One just round the corner from work failed to sell me the right length spoke despite him measuring the wheel with a ruler.

    Not overly enamoured with any of my local shops. Got bike back from one after they'd replaced BB bearings and given gears a twiddle with a bent mech hanger which implied they'd never even given it a run to check.

    Customer service at another is a fine blend of ignorance and arrogance.

    In fairness I'm not a frequent flyer with any of them as I do my own fettling and generally buy online though as DT78 said customer service can swing it. When I lived in Bath, I'd buy from John's Bikes and pony up the extra cash purely on the basis of great service

    rp16v
    Free Member

    i have about 4 bike shops that i am willing to travel to iv had abit of a hickup with one recentley so wont be going there much anymore theres one guy that uesdto work in my local hellfrauds who is now in one of the shops i no his work/advice is imaculat so tend to follow whare he works lol

    RichPenny
    Free Member

    Have a choice of 3 now in Salisbury, but Stonehenge Cycles is the best. Perfect example:

    Went in on Saturday with old forks (not bought from them) wanting crown race removed and put on new forks (not bought from them). Also got them to cut steerer for me and fit star nut. Expect to leave it all there, but they did it while I waited. For nothing 🙂 Pottered round the shop and bought a few bits I needed anyway, bonus.

    nonk
    Free Member

    some day we should have a thread for lbs owners/employees to rant about cuntsrumers because belive me folks its just the same the other way round.

    enduro-aid – Member
    I dont have a local bike shop!!!! my local bike shop is a 25 min drive away its either that or drive 30 min to glasgow and go to one of the chain stores like evans

    however I will say that on sunday at AE i noticed the R clip missing from my hope mono mini and the dude in the Ae shop didnt have any spare….baw, but he did have one pack of hope pads for 15 quid that contained the new style P clip (I'm thinking crap 15 quid for a set of pads that dont fit my bike all for a dam clip)

    guy opened the pack gave me the clip and said I'll charge you a quid for that…..result…..very nice of him to break up a pack and not charge me for the full set

    Really? Personally I'd have bought the pack, purely based on the cold hard facts that sometime in the future I would definitely be needing some new pads. Good of them in any case though.

    My LBS – Stanley Fearn's in Matlock.

    Great little shop with friendly, helpful staff and (for its size) a reasonable selection of kit. Aidan Leheup (Polaris & Trailquest legend) works there and is a family friend. Unfortunately due to major supplier restrictions and small turnover they have a limited range of bikes and struggle to compete with the big boys price wise.

    I try and shop there when I can, but when spending hundreds of pounds I just can't justify giving them my cash. The owner (and least in touch with MTB'ing member of staff) isn't overly keen on haggling or giving a bargain either. It pains me to give my cash to the monkeys that work in JE James, but when not shopping online it generally makes economic sense.

    ianpinder
    Free Member

    I lost all my lbs shops when i moved, i had wo in bristol which would do anything (bike related) for me for free even if i just rocked up. Well stocked and lots of friendly faces. However I now live in maidstone, and havent been in a good lbs yet and i have been to a few in the area…..

    Baldysquirt
    Full Member

    My most LBSs are alright TBH. Not amazing stock, but the most important things are normally easy to get at the last minute. Most of the time, though, I make the extra effort to drive the 20mins to 18bikes who I find pretty damn good for most stuff and friendly too.

    nonk
    Free Member

    STR you didnt read the post properly there chap.
    tis the bit about pads not fitting bike that is the giveaway.

    tinsy
    Free Member

    Richardsons Cyles in Leigh on Sea, have never let me down for a part, they seem to hold a good level of stock for a LBS, good advice, and the mechanic keeps my wheels in trim very nicely.

    James Browning and daughter also Leigh, good stock of ladies bike stuff, and a few kids bits and a smashing bargain bin to rummage through, got a lovely Endura riding jersey for a tenner last week.

    bedmaker
    Full Member

    My LBS, Square Wheels in Strathpeffer, is superb.

    I went into another of my lbs's in Inverness yesterday though. I had a slightly unusual request and was given the "This guy is clearly heavily retarded, try and sell him an Orange 5 or get him the hell out of the shop NOW" treatment.

    The guy also used the phrase "A full on, all mountain bike" with a serious face on in relaton to said Orange 5. 😕
    Thought they only did that in MBR.

    Thats when I knew it was time to get back to my proper lbs where they ae perfectly comfortable with my slightly unusual requests.

    1981miked
    Free Member

    I have a bike shop in Dundee that i use when i can't get 2 Arbroath to use Cycle World, bit of praise coming ur way Chris… I am picking up my Orange 5 pro 2moro, chrome grey with blue hope kit and pro pack…mmm nice. Have 2 say that the service i got from Chris and Joe was outstanding, i had loads of questions and a few requests and they took the time 2 answer them and carry out the requests. Nothing was a problem, explained the sag and pro pedal very well without making me feel stupid. Were happy 2 swap my the triple chainset for a double and swap the wheels off my hardtail over, gave me they're opinion and advice on spec and colour, let me test ride a few bikes, explained why the 5 pro was the best bike 4 my riding (even tho i was looking at pricier models and bikes) and kept me informed as 2 what stage my bike was at etc. All round great experience, my 1st brand new bike in 15 years of riding and made it easy peasy. Highly recommended. Also did a great build on a Giant Vt frame earlier in the year..i couldn't get on with it tho so swapped it for a Cove Handjob : ) . See you 2moro Cycle World.

    nonk
    Free Member

    i used to visit square wheels when i worked as a rep.
    they used to make me feel like a long lost member of the family every time i walked in.
    this i tell you when you are a rep is not normal. 🙂

    CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    RichPenny – Member
    Have a choice of 3 now in Salisbury, but Stonehenge Cycles is the best. Perfect example:

    Went in on Saturday with old forks (not bought from them) wanting crown race removed and put on new forks (not bought from them). Also got them to cut steerer for me and fit star nut. Expect to leave it all there, but they did it while I waited. For nothing Pottered round the shop and bought a few bits I needed anyway, bonus.

    +1 for the mighty Stonehenge! What time were you in? I was there pretty early, as had lots to do in the day! Oh, and a bag of doughnuts from Reeves makes a perfect bribe!

    To expand more on Stonehenge;
    They stock enough bling to keep me happy and enough ordinary stuff to satisfy the other end of the market, and all points in between.
    They let me use their workshop now and again
    They have the best wheelbuilder in the world. FACT!
    They have a great range of stock across all sorts of cycling
    They have great banter
    They are friendly, welcoming to all and enthusiastic in a good way!

    Oh, and they have some interesting plans afoot too….. 🙂

Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 67 total)

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