Edinburgh Cycles Sheffield

Popped into Edinburgh cycles cycles in the afternoon, not that impressed to be honest. Not alot in the shop, loads of empty floor space. Call me a snob but when you've got a short tubby woman asking you if she can help, she was helpful but didn't fill me with confidence that she knew what she was talking about, she looked more suited to a boots assistant. felt a bit halfrauds to be honest.

Some nice bikes through, They had the Dale badboy with the rigid lefty and 3 speed internal hub, nice looking machine for commuting.

What have others thought when they've been?

Then went up to Dore to see how The Bike Tree store is progressing, their still building the counters but it looks promising, liked the northshore window display

Call me a snob but when you've got a short tubby woman asking you if she can help, she was helpful but didn't fill me with confidence that she knew what she was talking about, she looked more suited to a boots assistant. felt a bit halfrauds to be honest.

Wow, you can tell her knowledge from her physique and sex?

Call me a snob but when you've got a short tubby woman asking you if she can help

i predict this won't end well for you

…and there was me thinking the forum was a bit quiet this morning.

FATTIES ATTACK!!!!!!

nope I can't, but pre-conceived perceptions of a biker she didn't fit.

initial reactions and all that.

well Cynic-al you are a touchy one, nearly every post I've read from you has been less than favourable whether the original poster warranted it or not.

I hope to be proved wrong about the knowledge level of the staff, more bike shops in the area can only be a good thing. This is why I posted for other peoples experiences

ha ha ha. you should see her ride. she'd kick your ass!

My only experience is with the Edinburgh shop and that seems to be quite mixed. Some staff appear to know their stuff well and are helpful but some seem close to useless. The shop is well stocked though and does carry a good range of bikes and kit which is the main reason I use it.

I've been very unimpressed with their abilities with preparing and servicing bikes though, as have a number of my colleagues (our bike-to-work scheme is through them).

tracknicko, that I could believe, lol

as far as i'm aware they haven't 'officially' opened yet i.e. no promotion yet or full roster of staff. i'd be almost 99.9% sure the shop will be full of stock once its opened!

Mafu26, if your on about the Edinburgh cycles sheffield store they've been offically open about 3 weeks now

<Puts down cream cake>
You're a snob.
And the fact that you found it necessary to mention that the assistant was also short and female (in order to confirm her obvious unsuitability to work in a bike shop) says it all really.

Personally as a short fat person with large breasts, I find this offensive on at least three levels. 🙂
<Picks up cream cake, wonders what's for lunch>

Rusty, being a short fat person with large breasts, surely you can only reach the first level, therefore you cannot be as offended as you state 😆

I'm only short on the outside.
This means I am still capable of taking the moral high ground.

I did the same thing at North West Mountain Bikes in Stockport once. A nice, friendly kiwi lady that I'd not seen in there before asked me if she could help, as shop people do. It was a Saturday and I wanted some advice pending a purchase of a complete Orange Sub 5. I wanted somebody who knew what they were talking about and I spotted Nigel Page putting a bike in a box. "Ha" thinks I "Nigel Page will know a bit about bikes, I'll have him help me"…..I made some lame excuse about just looking to said young lady and contrived to be served by Mr Page who proceeded to introduce me to his girlfriend Vanessa…… at the time current World Downhill Champion, very nice person and more clued up about bikes than I ever will be.
Yep, I felt a proper tool (and told them so – they both took the mick out of me which was only fair). A harsh but yet subtle lesson learnt that day. I still bought the bike though.

This thread is useless without pics

Whats it like up there?

Say hi to Cynic-al for me

EDIT: monksie this was directed at rusty 🙂

I was only saying….sheesh, some people 🙂

I was a bit underwhelmed too.
Loads of space for people to unhook bikes and wheel about and stuff but the clothing was a mess. Parts looked like a reasonable mix but I wasn't really looking. Lots of space but possibly less choice than Decathlon especially on "own brand" lines, better than Halfords.
A really nice and helpful assistant looked something up for me. Probably the same woman.
I think it is sort of work in progress and needs time to shake down what stock works for the customer profile in Sheffield for the time of year. Stuff gets thrown up on display for an opening, its keeping the standards up and mix just right.

she looked more suited to a boots assistant.

Unbelievable

N0b

Wasn't impressed with the clothing stock and we're so eager to sell me a hradset that they didn't actually listen to what I wanted

All in all just the same as any large specialist chain shop, boots included

Sorry for pointing out the obvious, OP, of course it's me that's being negative here 🙄

aww, I've been a presumptious tool again. Lesson not previously learnt.
Apologies ruminant

RopeyReignRider I refer you to my previous comment

'pre-conceived perceptions of a biker she didn't fit.

initial reactions and all that.'

I think TPTcruiser has summed it up quite well actually.

Oh and congratulations on being the first to use an abusive word, your a hero to the the world.

Just ask yourself when you go to 18 bikes, leisurelakes(nottingham) etc. what the general defining characteristics of the staff

Well, I hope the athletic, male, slim sales assistants continue to reinforce your self image.

I'm off for a bike ride. If you see me, just close your mind & complain on here when you get back – I really don't do 'our' image any favours……………

Wouldn't say I was being negative, as a positive point, she was very pleasant and would be less threatening to none enthusiast bikers who just want a bike for riding round rother valley.

nope they don't help my self image at all, being tall, slightly overweight myself 😐

What about tall blokes with beards, would you not buy a geared bike off them as they clearly all ride singlespeeds (or old marins)

My experience of Ed Bike Coop – in Ed – has always been really positive – i have bought my last 2 bikes through them and have no complaints.

On one occassion i had a niggly problem with the front mech whilst riding round Ed on a Saturday afternoon – got to the shop just as they were closing – they took the bike in the workshop – replaced the cable and generally sorted it out – and didn't charge me. My the time they were finsihed it was 30 minutes after closing. And it was a female mechanic!

Maybe they sent the trainee over to help you because you didn't look much like a cyclist?

Just playing devils advocate… 😉

Rusty Spanner – Member
<Puts down cream cake>
You're a snob.
And the fact that you found it necessary to mention that the assistant was also short and female (in order to confirm her obvious unsuitability to work in a bike shop) says it all really.

Personally as a short fat person with large breasts, I find this offensive on at least three levels.
<Picks up cream cake, wonders what's for lunch>

are they moobs or boobs?

Not sure why everyone is getting so snippy about the OP's comments.

It's human nature to make snap judgements, it's hard wired in our brain, the gut over head response.

All the OP is saying is that the woman didn't 'look' like a mountain biker and therefore his 'gut' reaction is that she 'probably' isn't one and therefore she more than likely won't be able to offer him any advice he wasn't already aware of.

Consider the following;

You make an appointment for a financial adviser to call at your house to give you some advice. He turns up in a shell suit with a baseball cap on backwards and a Bulldog on a piece of string. Your gut reaction is going to be, 'What the **** is he going to know about ISA's and share options'

The woman in the shop is exactly the same thing, only a bit more subtle. It's human nature to make these instant decisions.

I defy anyone to say they have never made snap judgements about someone or something, which may or may not then prove to be wrong. Anyone who says they give everyone the benefit of the doubt without preconceptions is I'm afraid telling porkies.

I think it is sort of work in progress and needs time to shake down what stock works for the customer profile in Sheffield for the time of year. Stuff gets thrown up on display for an opening, its keeping the standards up and mix just right.

Yeah, I think you're probably right there. I've recently bought a bike from EBC Sheff (very good deal), along with a few of bits of clothing – and have found the staff there to be pretty good. Seems a good mix of people working there – not just surly/snobby bike geeks. One of the mountain bikers that works there is mega-enthuastic and can talk tech with the best of 'em, but he's very down to earth. Might not be the perfect shop stocking everything a mountain biker needs, but it's a refreshing change to the usual local shops – and nice to see loads of families with kids and commuters using it.

Poisonspider that is spot on mate, which I did point out in my second post.

Oh and congratulations on being the first to use an abusive word, your a hero to the the world.

Thanks, is there a prize?

My concern is more to do with the fact that being a "Boots sales assistant" was implied as a derogatory term.

Maybe you didn't mean it like that, in which case I apologise for calling you a phallus.

peas out.

no it wasn't an insult, that would be quite bizarre.

"God your a complete Boots sales assistant"

This reminds me when I went on an outbound centre week with school(long way back in the day). They banned us from swearing, so kids being kids we used a new word to express our displeasure, god everything was so TEAL that week

As with the original gut reaction that she was not a mountain biker, it is perfectly understandable that the gut would say she fits the general description of someone you would associate with working in Boots.

Which I suspect, should the research ever be carried out, will show a disproportionate number of short tubby women working there, since Boots tends to employee women of a cerain age, who in turn statistically tend to be carrying a little extra round the middle.

As for;

being a "Boots sales assistant" was implied as a derogatory term

Get over yourself. 🙄

a short tubby woman

OK, so you've just described the ex-BMX world champion working in the Bike Chain in Edinburgh* who has been very helpful on my visits.

Don't get me wrong, I'd probably think the same but deceptive appearances and all that jazz.

*The city, not the bike shop.

Get over yourself

Phallus off phallus face 🙂

RRR, let's face it you just wanted to object to the OP for the sake of objecting (unless you are in fact a short tubby Boots assistant, which I doubt)

Now you've heard the voice of reason, you're feeling a little foolish for getting all name-cally and you're trying to hide your justifiable embarrassment by again resorting to the weapon of a 5 year old.

I'm deeply hurt by your insinuation that my face resembles an erect penis.

Shame, shame, shame on you!

I'm deeply hurt by your insinuation that my face resembles an erect penis

floppy p£nis then?

And to clarify, I wasn't objecting for the sake of objecting I was genuinally a bit like "woooaaah doood" at the apparent like dissing like of Boot's sales assistants and the derogatory use hence of 'em..

However, I see now that that was not what was intended and hence apologised.

And as for feeling foolish… not any more than usual old bean..