The customers who used to really annoy me were the rich locals who bought absolute junk for their kids. Like the well-known (at the time) Taggart actor who brought in a third-hand wreck and wanted the absolute minimum done on it. I asked him if he wanted me to sort the dire brakes – “no, don’t bother, he’s only seven” was the reply.

They’d always turn up with these Costco specials with the forks on backwards, strapped to the back of a Mercedes or Lexus, and then moan about the price to fix “just a bike”. I’m very glad I don’t do normal bike repairs any more.

The people I get now are more eccentric and entertaining than annoying. Like the person who ordered a custom £6k recumbent online (including genuine carbon fibre racing car mirrors), flew up from the south coast to collect it with the intention of riding it all the way home, walked in the door and announced “right, I’ve never ridden a recumbent, what do I do?” 🙂

I worked in a ski hire shop once and a customer bought a set of skis back because they were faulty and wouldn’t run parallel.

I’m pleased somebody mentioned Bigfoot Bikes in Hayes as being a bad bike shop. When I saw this post I instantly thought of the owner.

bencooper, we want more!

@Bencooper- I used to live just round the corner from your shop, and always loved going past on the way to mugdock and seeing the recumbent outside that looked like a fighter jet from the 60s (full metal faring, haha!)

For a while I worked at Cycle Heaven in York, specializing in all sorts of weird and wonderful bikes (Gazelle dutch bikes, brompton, birdy, mezzo etc) and used to get lots of eccentric customers. When you specialize in “alternative transport” many of your customers are the kind of people who aren’t allowed driving licenses 😆
I once had a guy who came up on a train from Nottingham to buy one of these– 3speed, uber heavy monster of a bike with a coaster brake (but very cool) and intended on riding it back.
He brought his SPDs with him (oh yes) so we popped em on, stuck a couple of water bottles in his basket for free, and away he went.
I gave him a call the next day to see if he made it home alive, and apparently he did! 10 hours, including a 1hr stop for fish and chips. Hard-****-core!
He owns a bakery somewhere in the outskirts of Nottingham, and uses it for advertising and deliveries. If anyone’s seen it parked outside a shop up there, he bought that from me 😀

snowcatsmiling – your not the only one, their Colchester branch is no better. I popped in there to talk to them about getting the parts to repair my reverb – it took them 3 weeks to finally give me a call back, in that time I had got fed up waiting (and that did include a couple of calls to the store about it) and gone to Grafham Cycles and got it all sorted.

@pinetree – still got the fighter jet, it’s sitting in my window at the moment 🙂

As recumbent have become (relatively) more normal, the number of sandal-wearing eccentrics has sadly declined. When I first got into them, they were all bodged in sheds, now they’re mass produced in proper factories – they’re no longer made out of zip ties, but some of the fun has gone out of it as well.

I used to work in what would probably be described as a bad bike shop – Harper Cycles. Adam, the owner, had a glass eye which was unnerving in itself, but he used to look at you squint with his real eye so you couldn’t work out which was real and which was fake. He’d pretty much given up so three kids – me and two others – would hang around the shop and repair any bikes that came in. Adam would turn up once a day and empty the till – we’d try to keep some money hidden so we’d have enough to cycle out to the wholesalers to buy more parts. Occasionally, Adam would turn up with another fancy woman, and we’d have to hide her in the workshop when his wife showed up.

The bad bike shop par excellence was Bob Finnie in Glasgow – he had a proper old shop with a wooden glass-topped counter and lots of wooden drawers behind, it was gorgeous. But Bob didn’t like bikes, or people, unless you were 60+ and rode a 10-speed.

That’s not bad, just niche.

Adam would turn up once a day and empty the till – we’d try to keep some money hidden so we’d have enough to cycle out to the wholesalers to buy more parts. Occasionally, Adam would turn up with another fancy woman, and we’d have to hide her in the workshop when his wife showed up.

Where does one find staff like this?

I’m surprised that Bob Finnie doesn’t get a mention in the League of Cycling Purity:

http://theleagueofcyclingpurity.wordpress.com/

He’d definitely count as one of the League’s second class shops. The league really doesn’t like me.

Where does one find staff like this?

You just allow any spotty teenager the run of the place, and a few turn up. It helps if you have an evil eye so no-one would dare nick stuff.

When I read the op’s first post I immediately thought of Thomas’s in Colchester that’s a very accurate description of how they used to be!
They’ve been notorious in the area for years for that attitude so I think it’s fair to say although yes there are a few bad customers out there, they can’t all be that bad.
A big bill to go with the first “free” gear tweaking service after you bought a bike used to be one of their favourites. A new bottom bracket always seemed to be needed.
I heard first hand of quite a few people walking out because of their condescending attitude and a surprising number of people who admitted to coming close to walloping the owner. Quite a rare talent for customer PR that!
Of course in the pursuit of internet forum kangeroo court fairness that was when I was involved with the trade 6 years ago so they might be totally different now

+1 Thomas cycle revolution
I went in the colchester shop a few years back with my pride and joy (yeti asr) one of the shop lads commented on what a nice build he thought it was to Mr Thomas who turned round and said “Nah single pivot bikes are rubbish” probably because they didn’t stock any, funny how now they have had a revamp they deal in Santa Cruz.

A while later I went in Thomas’s ipswich shop looking for some pedals, I saw some cb candys in the cabinet for £50 and asked lad in charge if I could have a look he said he could not sell me those ones as they were for display only but he had a pair without the box and he could knock a tenner off for me,
Anyhow he pulls out a set of cheap looking copies out of a bits box, he even got shirty with me when I said they not candys and was trying to rip me off.
I’ll never go in either shop again.

I’ll never go back to JE James in Sheffield after my experience looking for a bike for my 5 year-old son. The woman who served us couldn’t have been less helpful if she’d tried.

I had to ask her if she could possibly bother to get the bike off the display so he could sit on it, which she did after rolling her eyes like it was all too much trouble. Then, when the seat was a bit too low I asked her if she would mind adjusting it so he could try it for size. She sighed loudly and went to get a spanner, which she then gave to ME to make the adjustment.

Anyway, as soon as he’d sat on it and was off looking at another one (as 5 year-olds do), she immediately dropped the seat and put it back on the display and walked away. My son inevitably came back wanting to sit on the bike again, at which point we decided we’d had enough of being treated like an annoyance and took a tearful little boy out of the shop to look elsewhere.

I genuinely don’t think I’ve ever been made to feel so angry at customer ‘service’ in my life before, and I certainly won’t consider them when I spend 2-3 grand on a new full-susser next year.

The way he could make you feel 3 inches tall while explaining that indexed gears were a silly fad was a sight to see.

Old bike shop in Shrewsbury (in Milk Street) Cockle’s

Went in with my dad to get a bike.

“MTBs and Index gears where a fad and would not be on next years bikes, so I sugggest a racer with friction gears…”

soon went out of business though had been there since 1920..

nice old building though:
http://www.napierandco.com/BCJ%20Summer%201998.pdf

+ 1 for JE James being a bad shop.

I bought a bike there and just a couple of months later they totally weren’t interested in helping me. They didn’t quite hang up on me, but practically did.

Bit off-topic but Swinnerton Cycles in Stoke are BRILLIANT

They didn’t quite hang up on me, but practically did.

I like that 🙂

Isn’t hanging up not one of those things that’s either done or not done ?

Three times I’ve gone into Wheelspin Cycles In Huddersfield:

1. to buy a new bike
2. to buy a new seatpost
3. to buy a rack and pannier bags

Each time I’ve walked out without purchasing due to being made to feel like an inconvenience. Should’ve learnt my lesson the first time.

“Isn’t hanging up not one of those things that’s either done or not done”

fair point, but the person who answered the phone

– sighed audibly with frustration
– said ‘ well I guess I could phone specialized’
– needed prompting to take my number so that they could get back to me (he never did)

hanging up would have been more honest, and quicker

My friends have had a couple of problems with my LBS…

Quoted £120 for a full service.. They then decided to call it £180, plus new bits (was never asked if he wanted them), plus VAT… Was not a happy bunny!

Took a rear wheel in for the bearings to replaced.. Replace them all please.. Decided to only replace 2 bearings, the other two weren’t that bad… A month later they needed replacing.

But generally they are very good, everyone that works there is an enthusiastic cyclist and will try and help in whatever way they can.

I’ve had more problems with a mail order company beginning with T… 3 weeks for bike bags, they said would be 2-5 days. Phoned them after a week and said I need them ASAP for holiday, their reply was “oh in that case we’ll order them”. They arrived one day before holiday. Also ordered some fork fluid that was in stock, 2 weeks later I get two bottles of mineral oil. Doubt I’ll ever order from them again, and they used to be sooo good!

AW cycles in Reading.

The road cycling department are really are snooty ****.
after spending 3k with them, between spending the cash and collecting the bike they went from angels to a complete bunch of unhelpful condescending bellends.

Pudd – try taking something back to Evans in brum to see how good their customer service is. Needless to say I take my business elsewhere.

TWO WHEELS WORDSLEY DREADFULL

personally if a customer wasn’t satisfied with the level of service they’d received in my shop I’d want to be told so I could try to rectify it – at least before they went slagging me off online in forums! If they didn’t have the confidence to come back and tell me then a tweet, a facebook message an email anything like that would do – at least then something could be done as I know well at least on my part bad service wouldn’t have been intentional!

Marshalls,Hall Grove, WGC.
Hatfield Bike Centre, Hatfield.

Continuing the great tradition of bodge ups and bad service on everyone I know, including blowing the tyre off my mums bike.

I’ve just realized that, in the 40 odd years that I’ve been riding bikes, I’ve only actually bought 4 bikes new from a shop (mostly build my own, buy second hand etc) and have had pretty good service all 4 times.

Number 1 was a Rayleigh Dune Dance from Halfords Croydon ~1990. Looking back I doubt the guy selling it knew much about bikes, but he was helpful.

Number 2 was a StreetMachine recumbent from Ben (Hi Ben) ~2000. I’ll spare his blushes, but it was all good.

Number 3 was a Brompton from Cycle Heaven in York ~2005. Not much too that one really. Saw it in the window, popped in an bought it. They did give it the once over for me though and it’s been faultless ever since.

Number 5 was a Giant Trance from Edinburgh Bike Co-Op (Aberdeen), this year. Sorted out a demo and gave me lots of good advice. They have taken an age to fix a stripped freehub (busy workshop), but they did give me a nice 29er to play with while mine is getting fixed, so no complaints.

Maybe I’ve just been lucky.

Cheers,

Andy

Went into a bike shop in Jedburgh a few years back to buy a new Marin Wolf Ridge (dodged a bullet there) guy was on the phone having a long conversation with a friend. After he put the phone down it rang imediately and was on it for five minutes. When he hung up it rang again but rather than ignoring it and dealing with the person who had now been patiently waiting in his shop for close on 15 minutes he picked it up. I walked out and spent £2K elsewhere.
He moved premises to Galashiels where I live, I bought a few consuables off him but his and his sour faced wife could never raise a smile or show interest in their customers at all. He wet out of business quite quickly.

Recently I also got ignored by three members of staff in Alpine at GT, the front of shop guy was on the phone to a customer, fair enough, but the three people in the workshop, only one of who was working left me standing obviously wanting to be served for over five minutes, I walked out again.

On the flip side the best LBS I’ve been in by a mile is I Cycles in Innerleithen, ran by top guy Steve Deas.

smell it,I too would like to thank all the lbs in barcelona for making me become a decent mechanic.
They are all shite.All of them.from probike,who built me a set of wheels with 2 threads showing on the non drive side rear.though to be fair,some of the blokes are allright,when they don’t have their period.to cap problema,a brompton only bike shop who manages to know f all about the single item they sell that’s not mentioned in the catalogue.The mechanic is a decent bloke,the manager is a pretentious tosser.
To espai bici,tossers,no clue about anything.have loads of niche bikes on show and basically are run on worthington’s law (ie.a thing is as good as it is expensive).
To be fair.most bike shops I’ve found here are based on that.
Oh,the worst.but it’s closed.thank god,a bmx shop that had one tool.a hammer.
tossers,but bike24,crc,rose,sjs and others get all my money now.I’ve got a lot more bikes than I could afford had I gone the lbs route.Mechanically they’re all in much better condition than they would be if I paid someone else to sort them out.(25eu/h ffs)
So,to all the bike shops in barcelona I hope you die and go to hell.

I put that through babelfish and it still does’nt make any sense.

I have had the misfortune to walk into Lowfell Cycles. I went in with my wheels recently and asked can you make these tubeless for me please? I didn’t get a yes, I didn’t get a no. What I got was: ‘you don’t look like a racer, you’ve no need at all to use tubeless’.

This was followed by lots of condescending remarks and even a ‘Hope make terrible products’ AND ‘I’ve never heard of Stans’!

This coming from a former Gary Fisher Dealer!

I couldn’t contain my disappointment and after several minutes of abuse, I walked out.

Why act that way? I had cash in my pocket to pay him and would have bought the kit in his shop!

R: here’s a special version,just for you.
lbs.barcelona.shit.
I did a course in electronic translators,about 10ys ago,at uni,basically I came away with the idea that I would later hold to be true about bicycle shops in barcelona.

I read your post and instantly thought of cycle revolution!
Most people I speak to seem to have the same opinion as well,
Moons are helpful and friendly I have found in the past if a little less top end

Haha Low Fell cycles!! Bought my first mtb from there 20yr ago or so, Townsend I think. They didn’t know much then and they prob know less now…
Someones gonna have to give me a clue which ones to avoid in Durham? Agree the one in Guisborough seemed canny and purchased frame from there.

Old bike shop in Shrewsbury (in Milk Street) Cockle’s

I had my first approaching proper bike from there – 5 speed Dawes Chevron in January 1975 😯 . He was OK with me when I took the drive side crank in asking how much a replacement would be as I’d bent it falling off on ice – he stuck it in the vice and straightened it for free.

I must be lucky. Never found a bike shop i would describe as properly bad. I have had stiff words with one but got a solution both could live with as a result and still go there regularly. I have had phases of avoiding certain shops when I wasnt so keen on the staff but both my good local shops have 3 or 4 branches so tend to change branch rather than shop.

I have had the misfortune to walk into Lowfell Cycles. I went in with my wheels recently and asked can you make these tubeless for me please? I didn’t get a yes, I didn’t get a no. What I got was: ‘you don’t look like a racer, you’ve no need at all to use tubeless’.

This was followed by lots of condescending remarks and even a ‘Hope make terrible products’ AND ‘I’ve never heard of Stans’!

This coming from a former Gary Fisher Dealer!

I couldn’t contain my disappointment and after several minutes of abuse, I walked out.

Why act that way? I had cash in my pocket to pay him and would have bought the kit in his shop!

That is so funny! the bloke who owns it (or did) was/is called Keith & was kinda related to me, (my Uncle married his mum). Lets just say I haven’t seen him for a long, long time.
The shop in Durham I was on about was MTS, a bigger piss taker is hard to imagine, which is why I took my (& lots of mates) business to Bike Scene in Guisborough, & still to this day (today actually) use.

i been using marshalls cycles wgc for over 15yrs. love em

I do remember when a large chain of cycle retailers (not halfords btw)opened fairly close by I was asked to get some gear cable outer for one of my mates.

I was told they didn’t have any, but they have brake and they’re the same anyway.

not taken any advise from them since, although I do believe their mechanics are different now.

Someones gonna have to give me a clue which ones to avoid in Durham?

Not which one to avoid but I found Cestria Cycles in Chester le Street great to deal with when buying a bike for my son. They were helpful and a pleasure to do business with. I would certainly use them again.

@ on and on. Another minus vote for AW Cycles in Reading (Absolute W**k) Shockingly poor.
I spent nearly 3k on an Intense. Was specced/built by moron. Numerous faults including a Fox 36 fork longer than (warrantied/designed for frame that hit the down tube! Chain set that gouged the bottom bracket plus other crap. Unhelpful attitude and an owner that snuck in/out of shop (an hour late!!)avoiding our pre-arranged meeting to sort the nonsense.
I got a full refund in the end and spent 4k elsewhere, plus plenty since. ELSEWHERE.
I use the new Evans in town and a much better experience.