Cycling in Melbourne Australia
Not knowing a Schraeder from a Presta shouldn't make you feel like a bike tool
Article from the Guardian describing a local 'British experience' of visiting the LBS.
Is this still the same scenario here in Melbs or have shop staff evolved slightly? I'll mention that one does have a interest in the subject as I've been doing casual work selling wares in a particular LBS & we simply don't behave like this. No that's not a selling ploy, we just do our level best within reason when talking to people.
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The Guardian: Not knowing a Schraeder from a Presta shouldn't make you feel like a bike tool
Six week waiting lists and snooty staff are thankfully a thing of the past - for the most part
The scene took place a few weeks ago in a cycle shop in the corner of south-east London not long after I had moved there. Pushing my bike inside, I inquired tentatively about booking a service at some point in the coming days.
The proprietor's response was crushing: "No chance mate. We've got a six-week waiting list and we don't even touch bikes which weren't sold here."
"Hang on. So I could live here for 10 years and you'd never do a single thing to this bike?" I asked.
"Yup," came the reply.
In some ways it's something to be celebrated, the fact that a bike shop is so busy they're turning away custom. But the brusque – in fact almost smug – way I was dismissed took me back to the bad old days when staff in cycle shops seemed to take positive pleasure in patronising, belittling or otherwise abusing customers.
Much like the perennially snooty staff at independent record shops, during the start of my cycling career it seemed obligatory for bored bike shop assistants to delight in displaying their vast knowledge as they simultaneously showed me up as a novice or a fool, perhaps both.
Most terrifying was Condor Cycles, the revered institution on Gray's Inn Road in central London, in business since 1948 (I should stress immediately that these days Condor staff are the epitome of patient friendliness).
Even buying a new inner tube was an ordeal. "Schraeder or Presta?" the assistant would bark before I'd even finished my question, referring to the two different types of valve, the respective names of which even now I can never remember.
I'd pause for half a second. With a world-weary sigh the assistant would reach under the counter and bring out a dusty wooden block into which an example of each valve had been mounted. "BIG valve or LITTLE valve?" came the follow-up, spoken as if to a five-year-old.
Five years ago, my girlfriend, then a novice bike commuter, picked up her cheap, secondhand machine after repairs at an independent shop in east London.
After a 10-minute wait, the mechanic dragged the bike up from the basement workshop. "I've spent half my day servicing this piece of shit," he grumbled along the way, clearly realising the bike's owner was in earshot. "Who'd ride this? It's not even worth mending."
Her experience was not unique. A number of female friends and colleagues recount being patronised in bike shops over the years.
Now, of course, this is much rarer, a culture change brought about in no small part by the rise of chains like Evans and Cycle Surgery, who, while condemned by some as soulless and ubiquitous, understand newcomers make up a big part of their customer base and train staff accordingly.
But is this the case everywhere? Some customer reviews would indicate otherwise. Why do bike shops tend to be so rude – and is your local one still stuck in a timewarp?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Thom on -
It still happens today, here in Melbourne. It's like any culture though, you'll always find there are elitists, and in this case, they seem to love serve the "new and uninformed".
Not all LBS staff are like that, and I would say that the elitist type staff are in the minority these days. I used to work in an LBS in the inner east, and whilst most of the staff there were always helpful to all types of customers, we did have a couple of members with pretty ordinary attitudes towards some customers. Not I of course! -
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Permalink Reply by Cory on -
Yeah - thankfully there's already heaps of LBSs, and more popping up all the time.
I'm happy to give my custom to those who make me :D. To the others... buh-byyyy! -
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Permalink Reply by ChrisS on -
I get particularly annoyed when after patiently listening to peoples experiences, that the main issue with some bike shop staff is attitude. Not that they can't supply it, order it, repair it or neutrally discuss whatever the customers question is. Yes there are economies of scale etc to deal with, but these can be chatted about amicably (i.e.: is it worth fixing for starters) without being condescending or basically being shitty towards the customer. Remember, the customer pays the money, gets want they require and a nice side benefit from proving good service is word of mouth referrals. Other benefits are obviously money into business + business can successfully operate = food on the table. Simple as that.
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Permalink Reply by RobE on
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its not just confined to bikes and trusty treddly pedlars... a similar thing occurs in the world of music and heaven help you if you pick up a guitar and strum it in a music shop and you can only get out a few notes of the intro to "Stairway to heaven" you will almost forceably be tossed out with a curse " didnt you read the sign- NO STAIRWAY this means YOU..." ech... like bikes we all start as novices, with enquiring minds and that is to be encouraged not squashed... so LBS's and business mellow a bit!
back to the LBS's ,
we now have a proliferation of one brand Bike Specialis
edt Stores and the " if you didnt buy from us we dont want to talk to you thing may raise its ugly head... but well they can be recognised and avoided by most... I too spend the odd hour helping a mate in his'n'her LBS and they have the full gammut from neo pro's and elite Euro riders down to the kids with the Tahjay $100 special flat bar mega spring fatty and everywhere in between, and now also electric bikes..so they realise to be successful in their community and as a valid corporate citizen with a local face they have to service ALL needs and do it with friendliness, patience and courtesy and carry a wide range of equipment parts and tools. These days with just-in-time ordering most things can be ordered and in stock in 24-48 hours...They offer service support and advice, much of which is lacking on direct dealing with the web based sellers, and they realise that although they cannot always compete on price they can win on service and customer relations... pity more LBS's dont get the message.
and we are not alone in Oz or the UK, over in Alaska it seems they also share the experiences and they call it snobbbery sucks :)
just watch out for the moose on the way to the LBS
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Permalink Reply by weg on -
Bike shopping was a truly miserable experience for me, to the extent I took no prisoners in the end. I'm not sure why they think women are stupid. I stood over one bike (way too big, but wanted to see) to have the shop owner suggest it fitted. "So top tube clearance is over-rated?" Another guy said I didn't want a 650c cos it was too hard to get parts. "So you think it's better to ride a bike that doesn't fit 365 days a year rather than have trouble with parts two days a year?" We can fix the reach with a short stem. "But then it will still be too big, with crap handling to boot." A 76deg seat tube is fine; there's 650s with 78deg. "But they're tri bikes." And one guy who wanted to argue about rolling resistance to put me on a 700. "Do you suggest your male customers ride a bike that's too big?" Funnily enough, that last guy was all over me 12 months later when I went in for something else. He didn't remember our previous meeting.
But even these encounters ultimately prove useful. I learned that these people didn't respect customers (or just women?) and had the thinnest veneer of knowledge about geometry and fit. All without it costing a cent. And they make me value the good ones all the more. The relationships with my fave shops have been built mostly through non-shop experiences - riding with one bunch, mechanic course at another, skills sessions etc. Another mechanic set up a test bike properly for me (when his colleagues hadn't) and is now elsewhere. And his new boss agrees that I have the world's most beautiful skewers, so he knows the way to a girl's heart. hehe. And there's another two shops I'd take my bike to, cos I know one of the mechanics socially. They're just not convenient for most things. Dealing with Baum was just heaven after the LBS experience.
I guess Utopia would have bike shop staff as friendly/skilled/fun as my regulars without investing time in the relationship, but I wouldn't hold my breath. I think part of the problem is the rotating door of part time work, and maybe young guys without much retail experience/training. The industry seems to be moving towards more structure so I guess that has to be a good thing. I'm just so glad I have ended up with several shops I'm happy with, and I steer others to them. -
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Permalink Reply by Jaeger on -
Surprised no one else has used this thread as an excuse to name names. I live in Ascot Vale, and over the years have at times found reason to deal with the following LBSs (in order of favourite to not-so favourite): Cyclic Bicyles (Pinoak Cres Flemington), iRide (King St Melbourne), BSC (both city stores), Goldcross Moonee Ponds, University Cycles, CBD Cycles, Flemington Cycles.
The first two are bloody outstanding in service, attitude, knowledge, etc. Cyclic in particular is just brilliant, if anyone is searching for a shop to do your repairs and provide some friendly service I can't recommend the shop highly enough.
The last three have provided fairly atrocious service at times through a combination of poor attitude (One staff member at university cycles was in this category) and complete ineptitude (some staff at CBD and Flemington cycles are in this category). I would now only go to Flemington cycles if I had absolutely no other option (as Cory said, prefer to give my business to someone who actually deserves it).
I've found that the shops with separate floor staff and mechanics (who often aren't allowed out of the workshop) can be the worst, possibly because the floor staff don't actually know what they're talking about so they try to hide it with attitude and jargon. -
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I think most of us have named names in other places and are over it... but it doesnt excuse poor service and fair treatment from lousy LBS's... so if anyone feels the need to name names go for it with the caution that we know on this earth that no matter what situation of service, " you cant please everyone" and for every comment here in the negative about a specific LBS there is likely to be a Yin Yang opposite where someone actually got decent service for their needs and is very comfy with that LBS... now, if we had an overwhelming turnout for one shop either way, that certainly will give us an indication, but our relatively small sampling wont help us really define who to avoid or who to see.
Mechanics in LBSs (aka"The Wrench") are usually the experts in their field, ( such as the late and great Captain Bike
......sometimes they double as sales/help staff, I know many though
who prefer only to have the contact on receiving the bike and handing it back, otherwise they prefer to be left alone to work through their backlog/workload in peace not pieces...:) and they want to keep an eye on their tools anyway.
Obviously we will get all kinds , as in any field, but an LBS worth its salt ...
will have an induction process, hire competent people and have a mechanisim to deal with situations of tyre kickers, serious sales, general enquiry and every where in between in a manner which encourages dealings in the future, those that dont will get a mention on the road, in the peleton, over the coffee and in forums now and and then...
Now if you go to Japan you will get a bike shop in a back street that is run by the owner, who sells, services and deals with all sorts of needs in a space smaller than a drivers compartment on a Melbourne Tram..
. and youll get a smile, a bow and and a please come back...its a cultural thing in many businesses and they typify it... our guys sometimes do... but its pretty rare and when you find it stick with it..
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Permalink Reply by ChrisS on
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Naming names unfortunately leads to major tanties and snot bubbles. Although some LBS's should really know better.
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Permalink Reply by kenneth james scott on -
I do my own work on all my bikes and i know more than my local dealer but when i need parts i drive an hour to a one man shop who realy knows his stuff and friendly as well. Realy makes you feel better about dealing with some shops.
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