Anyone had a poor 'service' experience in Biketreks Ambleside? Very expensive, just tried to charge me £2.50 for for road gear inner. At the same time the manager tried to flog me off with a 'break' wire cap for a gear inner, and amazingly (to my astonishment) he also tried to flog me off with a spoke head to use as a inner gear wire cap!!!
Very expensive, just tried to charge me £2.50 for for road gear inner.
Seems not unreasonable price. What were you used to paying? When and where?
Ooh yes, that's terrible. I mean £2.50 for a gear inner wire? That's about 50p less than TWO of [url= http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=6275 ]CRC's own brand[/url] and about 40% cheaper than a Clarkes one?
Where's the problem? Funny thing to put up as your first post - they must really have wound you up? I'd heard from riding buddies and customers of theirs (though I have no 1st hand experience) that they were a pretty good joint up there?
Shimano STI Stainless Inner Gear Cable 1.2mm- RRP is £2.69 so fail to see the huge overcharge?
gonetothehills - MemberOoh yes, that's terrible. I mean £2.50 for a gear inner wire? That's about 50p less than CRC's own brand
Apart from the fact that £2.99 is for 2 on CRC 😉
Bought my bike from there and always had really good service from them.
£2.50 is only 50p more than the cheapest gear inners on CRC. Hardly seems unreasonable.
Granted on most things they are not as cheap as big online retailers, but what LBS is?
Apart from the fact that £2.99 is for 2 on CRC [;)]
LOL - I was editing mine as you put that up there! Not sure what the OP's problem is to be honest? 🙄
flog me off ?
sounds a bit pervy.
So bad you felt the need to post it twice?
Never been back after someone tried to sell me a Nomad that had "about 4 inches of travel". Pet hate of mine that - people trying to sell (quality) stuff who clearly know nothing about it.
I think I caught them on a bad day!
OP sounds like the kind of customer biketreks can do without.
Low spend and then spouts crap on the web doesn't really help your business.
I wonder if someone will invent a sensor based on anti shoplifting device working in reverse to expel this kind or retard from a shop and save us all from this rather silly bother.
I quite enjoyed the comment on spelling
ssss - MemberAnyone had a poor 'service' experience in Biketreks Ambleside? Very expensive, just tried to charge me £2.50 for for road gear inner. At the same time the manager tried to flog me off with a [b]'break'[/b] wire cap for a gear inner, and amazingly (to my astonishment) he also tried to flog me off with a spoke head to use as a inner gear wire cap!!!
in what I had assumed was a spoken conversation? But I appreciate the sensitivity of not using the word nipple and substituting spoke head.
Damn, said it myself!
Fair price, Its a one shop operation, no way they can match internet prices. Always found them helpful, some of the younger staff can be a bit over enthusiastic but I'm a miserable old git, so thats probably just me resenting their youthfulness.
A roady complains about a few pence, hmmm. Should imagine that Biketrecks owe him their living. Great shop, so it's a bit pricey at times, big suprise for Ambleside.
I guess you needed the cable that day for your ride. You got the cable at what is a reasonable price if not dead cheap. You were offered two different ways of capping the cable even tho they did not have the correct thing in stock. Sounds like fair service to me
I suggest you get a life
Biketreks is a good shop as several people have said for a LBS its not at all expensive.
I once went to Ambleside for a winter ride only problem my chain was hanging up in the shed back home. Went in to Biketreks and they sorted me out quickly and got me on the trail. Though they did royally take the piss out of me I could hear them still laughing as I rode across the bridge 😳
A cable end cap is a cable end cap, It'll work with a brake cable or a gear cable.
Top shop IMHO.....not exactly LBS in terms of distance, but have used them numerous times......recommended!
You seem to have joined his forum just to tell us all about the service at biketreks, seems a bit strange. The wheels they built for me are excellent as was the service and and general help in the shop.
Moaning over a £2.50 road gear inner!!
Yes you are definately a roadie.
people use cable end caps? i never bother anymore as they either fall off straight away or crush the cable anyway, making it fray when you remove it so you cant reuse the cable.
Aren't all bike shops the same? Bitter old managers and ignorant young kids trying to sell you over priced gear you can buy much more cheaply on the internet? Shame really, I can remember MTB before the internet was invented where a trip to the local decent bike shop was exciting and filled with knowledgeable shop staff, shiny things and bikes you could aspire to afford. What's more they were sociable places where they knew your first name, made you a cuppa and sneakily got you to buy stuff.
Happy days............
Biketreks must have done quite a lot right, won an award or two. Good team there, good advice and Keith makes a top cuppa....
Aren't all bike shop [b]customers[/b] the same? Bitter old roadies and ignorant young kids on DH bikes trying to screw you over the price of gear they will go and buy on the internet having picked your brains for 3hrs then expect you to fit / warranty for free? Shame really, I can remember MTB before the internet was invented where a customer of a decent bike shop was polite, non-agressive, liked looking at shiny things and bikes they could aspire to afford. What's more they were sociable places where they knew your first name and didn't treat you like dirt, brought you doughnuts when you helped them out beyond what is expected and thanked you for the cuppa you just made them
Happy days............
Sorry a very busy day in the shop, made worse by agressive customers and down right rude people...they would make the Dalai Lama punch them!
SSP
the local decent bike shop was exciting and filled with knowledgeable shop staff, shiny things and bikes you could aspire to afford. What's more they were sociable places where they knew your first name, made you a cuppa and sneakily got you to buy stuff.
My LBS is still like that
congratulations!! most pointless rant ever, however, has made for an enjoyable and entertaining read,
i just can't believe that they didn't give it to you for free and clean and service your bike for free, whilst they were there,
oh and throw in tea and biccies whilst you were waiting
I call into Bike Treks a lot,I think they pride themselves on exellent customer service, and I can only say Andy and "the staff" are always keen to help people out where they can,and Keith makes an awesome coffee!
At the end of the day they are there to run a buisness not a bargain basement bike shop ffs! I think there pricing is reasonable considering there location,and they often have great deals on kit competing with online pricing at times. The rates on a shop like that must be HUUDge,I think were very lucky to have such a proffesional,well setout shopee in the Lakes that Illustrates mountainbiking in such a nice way.
Biketreks sets the standard.....Others follow behind!
ducks behind kmb flag!... Max will never forgive me! 😥
Whatever happened to that girl who was trying to blag a freebie off Alpine Bikes in Edinburgh because she had no money on her and she had come 12th in some XC event or other? That was a classic thread.
TJ - name and shame. Who do you use in Edinburgh. Tell me its not that place half way up Leith Walk?
Druidh - That was a classic. I seem to remember it was the Alpine Bikes shop in Tiso's in Inverness.
What a piss poor rant! As others have said £2.50 for a gear inner is a perfectly reasonable price (and less than Shimano rrp) and any old bit of soft metal with a hole in one end will function perfectly well as a cable end cap.
Oh and I've just noticed that you appear to have registered to this forum just to post this rant. LOL!
OP seems to have [i]'Wound his neck in'[/i]! :op
SFB, I am sure Biketreks will suffer from such BAD publicity lol 😉
biketreks - never the same since andy left his farm shed in greenodd (sp?) !
£2.50?! £2f'in50! You wasted my time reading your thread for £2.50!!!!!
If the bike shop owner made all of that as profit he wouldnt be leaping for joy.
I'm amazed anyone bothered responding.
(yeah, I know I just did as well)
😕
well i,ll post as well seen as tho ive had a bit of a rant on ere today !
will i be the last to post on this pointless thread ? lol
Well, Bike treks sorted my Mrs out lovely with a new saddle - we were in there for ages trying stuff out (on a few bikes no less) and they even stayed after closing time for us. Top.
If anyone from biketreks is reading, the saddle's been brilliant - way better than any of the others.
I can't believe I've come back from a curry and looked at this s*dding thread again.
OP - come back, keep ranting, we need you...
Maybe we should have a new thread - what CAN you get for £2.50 these days that you're actually happy about?
Didn't Razzle used to be £2.50?
Didn't Razzle used to be £2.50?
Depends on your age - LOL - think it was less than a couple of quid for me BITD 😀
Geoffj - bikechain is the one I mainly use.
What fullbouncebill said! 8)
Whatever happened to that girl who was trying to blag a freebie off Alpine Bikes in Edinburgh because she had no money on her...
Remember* that one well! IIRC she was commuting, had a meeting to go to, had a puncture on the way but no pump/puncture repair kit/cash on her, stopped off at an Embra bike shop and was aghast at not being given/lent a pump and repair kit at the bike shop that her husband had once used...
* Approximately
Did anyone else use to browse through the Razzle mag first brazenly just to make sure you were getting VFM before purchasing? Is that a Yorkshire-trait still? 🙄
What Foxychick said! 8)...sorry had a few beers tonight!
fullbouncebill!!!
Max is on Holiday so he will probably not read this......I recon you`re safe!!!
Stoney,Thats ok then,I am sure the odd stw-ers on here that might know me wont say anything! 🙄
Loving the tags to this thread!!!
Keith is indeed Mr Supermatchmaker!!! 😉
I pop in a couple of times a year when I'm in the Lakes. Never had anything but excellent service from them, and very good advice when I haven't bought anything.
Thought Youd like that one FC 🙂
What FBB and FC said ;-P
My LBS is great. I:Cycles in Innerleithen.
The best Razzle is one found in a hedge....might have to split a few pages with a knife but still such a bargain.
Amblewhat?
Just to set the record straight
The price quoted was £2.14, the offer of a 1.6mm crimp was foc, as we sell packs of twenty and the guy did not want to pay for twenty. Fair enough so offered free items that would sort him out. He stormed out without buying anything as he had no cash on him. The offer of a spoke nipple was a tongue in cheek gesture, as he was such a tight wad. If he classes his experience as bad service, then either he, or I, have a lot to learn. Make up your own minds I guess.
As an aside what is the problem with trying to make a living? We try our best to help every person that walks through our doors. They have taken the effort to walk in, we take the effort to help, not always sell!
I thought SSS was a troll. From the above post obviously not! I only wish I had a bike shop like BikeTreks near me!
Nice one ridemore,Its funny how a troll, and a very poor rant can bring out the best qualitys in a LBS! 😉
So ssss joined the forum on saturday and this is his only post?
I love it when LBS staff come on to correct the rants of their 'customers'!
Well said Andy! 🙂
he had no cash on him
basic shopping concept FAIL.
😆
Spoke nipples make good cable ends. Being a right pikey, I've used them several times!
😉
[i]he had no cash on him[/i]basic shopping concept FAIL.
LOL!
😀
Hate to break up the love in, but my brother had bad service from Biketreks, he bought a Nomad which had problems with the chain line, (the chain wouldn't run smooth resulting in a couple snapped chains, and much annoyance ) Biketreks refused to accept there was a problem even though they built the bike. After lots of tooing and froing they swopped the parts but claimed the bike had been damaged through use in some way (it hadn't) and charged him. They also had a nasty habit of just replacing parts and changing things that weren't necessary without asking. Considering the amount of money he'd spent I thought the service was poor. Ive found the staff downstairs to be condescending on a couple of occassions too. Pity because its a lovely shop, I haven't got a bad word to say about Keith he's always very helpful.
Now I've had to join to say my bit.... Sometimes people just dont get it. They buy everything from the internet 'because it's cheaper' - What about all the things LBS's do free of charge...When you want something from the LBS they may not be there, credit crunch etc. Use them or lose them.
See if you can get your gears tweaked or get route advice from a computer. I've had bad service in Biketreks and in Wheelbases, but I also get bad service in Morrisons I just dont get the chance to broadcast it over't 'net.
Now where's me copy of Razzle....Keith is the man, shame all the other staff keep changing!
Since the early nineties Biketreks have provided me with fantastic service
and its always been a pleasure visiting the shop for the banter and friendly advice. Customer service doesn't get any better than this - period!
Quite often the folks that complain about quality of service are the ones with a fundemental flaw in their personality....the inabilty to deal with matters in a rational and polite manner....the only way they feel this is posible, is stamping their feet and having a rant....result they dont get their own way...then sign up to a forum and whinge.