Beginning to rethink this whole support your LBS thing

[AL_BUNDY]

So I finally bought that Raleigh Circa 2.0 a couple months ago. Shortly after the original side stand broke and it tumbled over bending the left brake lever.
I called the bike shop about warranty and was told to stop in with the bike. I did and gave them the side stand and paper work. After about 10 days not hearing back I called. They had no idea what I was talking about but would take care of it. Another 10 days I call on a Wed. and again they are confused claiming the guy I had talked to is no longer there but to bring it in Friday and they would repair it. So I take it in today and sure enough they replace the levers no charge but with a different brand. I get a block away and notice the shifter is rotated about 100 degree and I cant see the #s. So back I go and the explanation was that was the only position it would fit. I said I would prefer it the way it was and the guy got all huffy with me. But supposedly they will now order the right levers. To top it all off they lost the original side stand and pretty much ignored me when I brought it up. On the way home I notice the plug is gone from the end of my handlebar.

Would you be happy with that shifter turned like this??

[nfmisso]

Al;

You are FAR more patient a gentleman than I !! Let alone my wife - we have $50 gift card from a major restaurant chain because she was not happy with a waiter's service.

My stance would have been - you will fix it now, while I wait, or you will give me complete refund now.

[AL_BUNDY]

I didn't buy from them but that's only because when I told the salesman I wanted a bike with an internal hub he said we don't have one and walked away so I bought it where I could, 50 miles away. But I did ask them before bringing it in if they were OK with doing the warranty work.

I still can not believe he thought it would be OK with me to have that shifter rotated like that.

Now I am just hoping they don't blow me off because with out the original parts I'm hosed. I suppose I could try to contact Raleigh.

[Bill]

Oh yea you should contact Raliegh and make sure you mention the crappy service and attitude you got from there "AUTHORIZED DEALER"! But wait until they fix your ride correctly. That's if you want to. Like Nigel said you are a very Patient person . Maybe I'm just a little "cranky" today lol.

[AL_BUNDY]

Well they tried and failed again. This time they put the correct brand (TEKTRO) and the shifter is facing the right direction. But they put those 2 finger BMX levers on and I have to stretch my fingers to reach.

I called Raleigh and was told to talk to some one else at the LBS or go to a different Dealer. I told him the next nearest dealer was over 50 miles away and I no longer had the original parts. He didn't care. He as god as told me Raleigh would not help at all if I couldn't get the dealer to fix it. I don't under stand what is so hard about putting the right levers on my bike

My 3rd new Raleigh and my last.

[DaveM]

No advice on the warranty issue. But will just point out that the new levers they put on do have a reach adjustment so they can be set so they're not as hard to reach. FYI
That said, this type of short lever is not ideal to mix with the shifters you have which force the brake to be mounted far inward from the grip.

[AL_BUNDY]

Well I took it back another time when the shop owner was there. and he insisted the levers were fine. So I said just put my old bent ones back on. He said we don't have them. I insisted he look and low and behold he dug them up along with the long lost side stand but the wouldn't switch them unless I paid labor. He said we've already switched them twice out of the goodness of our hearts. I informed him had they done it right once would have been enough. In the end he let me go home take his levers off and return with them and get the originals. When I did that he must have felt a little guilty because he gave me a new side stand to replace the broken one.

So I came home , got on the net, and in just a couple minutes found a set of levers even better the my originals (4 finger rather then 3 finger) . Also found the originals. I bought the longer ones and they arrived today and will work. I will mount them tomorrow and update.

[AL_BUNDY]

Well after 4 unsuccesful trips to the bike shop look what I did myself in 1 try.
I guess I know who is the better mechanic
<img src="http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q63/sidmabb/bicycles/Raleigh%20Comfort/IMG_8262.jpg">

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<img src="http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q63/sidmabb/bicycles/Raleigh%20Comfort/IMG_8261.jpg">

[nfmisso]

we knew you could do it

[Bill]

Yes BRAVO!!!!

[AL_BUNDY]

After all that I'm thinking of changing over to tap fire shifters and they have integrated brake levers. But that is probably several months away.

[RobAR]

Hi Al . You know how hard it was for me to sit back and watch this thread unfold? Very hard. I wanted to jump your case when I read the subject line but, after your OP I could only shake my head.
It sounds to me as though you just stumbled into a third-rate LBS and that is a shame. A LBS should be the coolest place on Earth! Please rethink the 'Support your LBS thing' and continue to do so - just at a diff LBS if you have one. If not, be your own LBS. As you have found, it's not difficult to perform the basics. It's just that those darn customers keep expecting things to be done Right when they are paying out thier hard-earned money.

I started out in this business back in the early '90s working for my Dad, a big perfectionist like myself. His ideology was to always give the customer more than they expect. If someone brought in a bike for the $35 Basic Tune-up, and the bike was dusty from years in a garage or storage building, that bike got a good 10 minute 'shoe-shine' with a rag and even a toothbrushing in the nooks and crannies. You know what happened? Those people that had dug that bike out with the intention of riding for the season - actually Rode! And kept coming back for bottles, cages, tubes, grips, saddles, etc! Business was good. Many of those customers became avid cyclist' and are close, personal friends to this day.
When my Dad came of retirement age, we closed shop one day and I cried that afternoon. I had owned my own business before and didn't want to do that again. I got a 'real' job that came with stress and good insurance, etc. I still have that job. Several years passed with me doing 'favors' for old friends in the shop that I set up in my garage. A $20 bill here, a few beers there... nothing serious. But it was in my blood and I missed it. My heart ached for it.
Then one day I got a phone call. Big Jim says "Hey Robert. Alan has opened abike shop. Did you hear?" All I could think was 'Oh Crap. Not Alan!' Don't get me wrong. Alan is a good guy and loves to ride but, knows Nothing about the bike biz. He had signed up with a distributor and ordred.... nevermind. Not a pretty story. I now manage Alan's store andwork dirt cheap just because I have to if this small Arkansas city has any chance of retaining a bike shop. We have many local riders and good, loyal customers. But - it's not due to the Owner nor the Brands we carry. It's my ability to take care of a customers needs and to do it in a timely fashion and with the knowledge and passion that only comes with time.
Please forgive my rambling and, I hope that I don't seem a know-it-all.
Perhaps I have painted you a picture of what a true LBS should be. I hope so and I hope that you find yours. There is an old saying - "If you want to be a Millionaire, start with two million and open a bike shop". Honestly, that is very true. The reason I will not own one. The reason we all should "Support Your LBS Thing". Just make sure it is a LBS worth supporting. Let the Darwin Theory take care of the rest.

Rob

[Painkiller]

awesome Rob, right on ! +1

[xerxes]

There are 6 bike shops within 2 miles of me, all of them pretty hopeless.

One is a Halfords.

Two that sell childrens bikes and generally cheap BSOs.

One that sells some nice bikes and has a trendy coffee shop as part of it where you can get a nice cup of coffee and a cup cake for about £10.00 ($20.00) - er, no thanks. But has a really limited stock of parts and no real interest in servicing.

One that also sells surf boards, skate boards, and expensive (ludicrously overpriced?) trendy clothes. Once again, very limited stock of parts and no real interest in servicing and the staff all look as though they are slightly more concerned about their trendy haircuts than they are about customers.

The last one has been there for years, when I was a teenager, it was the only local shop and I went in there for stuff like tyres, tubes, chains etc. The guy was miserable and generally pretty rude, as soon as alternatives became available, at first there were some mail order firms and now the internet, I stopped going in there. I have not set foot in the place for about 25 years.

[AL_BUNDY]

Back in the early 80's I bought a new World Sport from the same Schwinn dealer My parents bought my 1st bike with training wheels from over 20 years earlyer and my next 2 bikes including a Deluxe Stingray with 2" wide slick and 3 speed stick shift. I'm getting off track here.
I picked the bike up and loaded it in my Volvo and went home.
Upon arriving home I unloaded put the wheel on and tried to go for a ride. The wheels were so far out of true it was hard to ride with them rubbing the brakes. Back to the dealer I go and leave it less then an hr after I had picked it up new.

The next day I go to pick it up and was presented a bill for $40. I informed him that this was a new bike and I should be able to ride it with out extra charge. He relented on the bill but told me never to come back. He was an alcoholic and started early in the morn. I'm wondering if that wasnt caused by owning a bike shop.

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Back in the early 80's I bought a new World Sport from the same Schwinn dealer My parents bought my 1st bike with training wheels from over 20 years earlyer and my next 2 bikes including a Deluxe Stingray with 2" wide slick and 3 speed stick shift. I'm getting off track here.
I picked the bike up and loaded it in my Volvo and went home.
Upon arriving home I unloaded put the wheel on and tried to go for a ride. The wheels were so far out of true it was hard to ride with them rubbing the brakes. Back to the dealer I go and leave it less then an hr after I had picked it up new.

The next day I go to pick it up and was presented a bill for $40. I informed him that this was a new bike and I should be able to ride it with out extra charge. He relented on the bill but told me never to come back. He was an alcoholic and started early in the morn. I'm wondering if that wasnt caused by owning a bike shop.

[Bill]

Hey AL,
Sorry to hear your bad experiences with LBS's and all. . When I was a kid back in the 80's there was a LBS in town that was family run. This guy was actually pretty nice to many people. I remember getting a flat tire and being on the poor side this guy was walking by and asked if I was having a problem with my tire. I said yes and he told me to stop by his shop. So I told Mom where I was going to be and she said that was a Bike shop and she did not have the money. I told her that he did not asked for any and being as sweet as she is she let me go.
When I arrived he had his garage/shop open. Seeing bikes I was in awe . I rolled my flat tire bike to the entrance, he met me saying that he would fix it. I asked what it was going to cost. He said 2.00. Ouch for me back then. Feeling already embarrassed, I told him that I didn't have any money and turned around to leave. He asked where I was going. Stating on my home he insisted that I stay because he had a different way for me to pay.
We rolled the bike in the shop and put it up on the stand. He told me what to do and I was actually working on my bike! After patching the hole in the tube, he said you just paid for your own repair. Not knowing he explained that if I was willing to repair my own bike he was willing to supply the tools and materials needed. Honestly I did not understand what he was trying to prove, but later in life it hit me. When you can not rely on someone else, whether it be bad service or no money, there is only one person that is left, yourself !
After getting home my mom asked if I learned anything. I told her yes, not to be afraid to work on bikes! She laughed and explained basically if a person wants something they have to go out and work for it. So there were two valuable life lessons, one repair lesson .