'Local shops' vs Halfords

naked_draughtsman said:

I know a lot of people don't like Halfords, and every bike I've had off
them has required a fair bit of fiddling to get it working how I like
it but Loughborough Halfords get my vote for customer service and value
this time!

Now, if we can only get Halfords to move that lad round the country, or
clone him. Perhaps he could do Halfords Sheffield & Leeds on a Monday,
Edinburgh on a Tuesday... :-)

naked_draughtsman said:

I know a lot of people don't like Halfords, and every bike I've had off
them has required a fair bit of fiddling to get it working how I like
it but Loughborough Halfords get my vote for customer service and value
this time!

I think it depends on local staff members.

For example, a friend of mine who cares about cycling worked there
part-time to support himself through his PhD. If you'd been served
by him, you'd have got as good service as any normal LBS. But of
course not all halfords staff give a toss, and you get pot luck.

--
not me guv

naked_draughtsman said:

I know a lot of people don't like Halfords, and every bike I've had off
them has required a fair bit of fiddling to get it working how I like
it but Loughborough Halfords get my vote for customer service and value
this time!

Even the best quality system can't prevent a gem being produced from
amongst the uniform dross ;-)

--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham

"naked_draughtsman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

I know a lot of people don't like Halfords, and every bike I've had off
them has required a fair bit of fiddling to get it working how I like
it but Loughborough Halfords get my vote for customer service and value
this time!

The best thing about them is that they open late - they've helped me out of
a couple of exploding tyre situations after the other shops have closed.

--
Simon Mason
http://www.simonmason.karoo.net

That's fine. It sound like the service was excellent.

However, the conversation with the next guy going into Halfords could have
gone something like this :-

Consumer : I've now got 8 points on my license from those ***** speed
cameras. As well as that the police keep setting up mobile radar traps.
Have you got any of those Road Angel things that let me know when to put my
anchors on and warn me of either a speed camaera or modbile speed trap.

Assistant: Certainly sir. We have these excellent devices which are legal
for us to sell but we have to warn you are illegal to use. However, as you
go around breaking the law by speeding wherever you can get away with it I
am sure you are not going to be bothered by anything like that.

Consumer: Excellent and at just 200 quid thats a lot cheaper than losing my
license. Now do you also have any tuning kits which can make my car go even
faster on the roads.

Halfords want to ride with the cyclists and hunt with the hounds. Its like
supping with the devil, they help you on one hand but the next motorist that
blasts past you going way above the speed limit may have got his radar and
speed camera detector from Halfords.

You make your own judgement on Halfords, but mine says "no way".

Best regards

Rod King

"naked_draughtsman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...
I ordered a new front disc caliper from a bike shop over the web for
£20. When it arrived it didn't fit the mount on my forks and when I
queried this with the shop they said I'd ordered the wrong version
(even though they only had a post mount version) and I'd have to buy an
adaptor off them for £12. I also asked why the adaptor was shown in
the picture but they said it didn't come with the product.

Slightly annoyed at a small lump of metal with 4 holes costing £12, I
went to the local, well established bike shop in town who said they
didn't have any but could order one. It would cost £20 for the
adaptor and I would have to buy a new, larger disc to get it to work or
alternatively I could buy a set of hydraulic brakes off them for £80.

Tried another smaller bike shop in town and they had no idea what I was
going on about.

As last resort I tried Halfords. The young lad who was new had a look
through his cabinet of parts and found one, but it would require a
bigger disc. I showed him some of the display bikes which had a
different adaptor which allowed smaller discs to be used, he went out
in the back and came out with one such adaptor and sold it me as 'stock
disposal' for £3!

I know a lot of people don't like Halfords, and every bike I've had off
them has required a fair bit of fiddling to get it working how I like
it but Loughborough Halfords get my vote for customer service and value
this time!

"Rod King" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:44660f25$0$5929

Quoted message said:

Halfords want to ride with the cyclists and hunt with the hounds.

Or isn't it just a case of their business is simply to sell kit for *all*
people who own vehicles with wheels, whether these vehicles have engines or
not?

Staff are variable everywhere. I've met complete numpties or staff who
aren't interested in serving the customer in both local bike shops; and some
decent people in Halfords.

A lot of people in LBSs are technically skilled but not as good at customer
service - and in many "specialist" small businesses (not just bike shops)
there is also a tendency to cherry pick customers from a clique whom the
staff get on with and to ignore the rest. This happened to a great extent in
specialist record shops which sell urban music (dance music) - leading to a
lot of people to eventually think "f**k this for a game of soldiers" and go
and buy their stuff on the internet instead.

Alex

--
Mr R@T / General Lighting
Ipswich, Suffolk, Untied Kingdom
http://www.partyvibe.com

Alex

My point was that while they offering a service to cyclists and pretend to
have their interests at heart, they aid and abet people breaking the law by
driving above the speed limit which has been set to protect cyclists and
other vulnerable road users.

Whether they are good at serving cyclists retail needs is less relevant than
the manner in which they sell equipment designed to increase prevailing
vehicle speeds above the legal limit which is to the absolute detriment of
vulnerable road users.

I do agree with you regarding LBS who only relate to the sector of cycling
they get on with. I once went to a retailer was just sending a woman on her
way with a bog standard mountain bike, complete with chunky tyres for use on
the road going to the shops. When questioned he said that he was quite busy
with customers in his specialst area of triathlon bikes. I did ask him
whether he had any touring bikes and he told me that generally he found
those intersted in tourers were penny pinchers and weren't worth bothering
with. So I left the shop, got back on my £2500 tourer and have never been
there again.

Best regards

Rod

---Nothing is often better than a cycle facility---

"Mr R@t (2.30zi)" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Rod King" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:44660f25$0$5929

Quoted message said:

Halfords want to ride with the cyclists and hunt with the hounds.

Or isn't it just a case of their business is simply to sell kit for *all*
people who own vehicles with wheels, whether these vehicles have engines

or

Quoted message said:

not?

Staff are variable everywhere. I've met complete numpties or staff who
aren't interested in serving the customer in both local bike shops; and

some

Quoted message said:

decent people in Halfords.

A lot of people in LBSs are technically skilled but not as good at

customer

Quoted message said:

service - and in many "specialist" small businesses (not just bike shops)
there is also a tendency to cherry pick customers from a clique whom the
staff get on with and to ignore the rest. This happened to a great extent

in

Quoted message said:

specialist record shops which sell urban music (dance music) - leading to

a

Quoted message said:

lot of people to eventually think "f**k this for a game of soldiers" and

go

Quoted message said:

and buy their stuff on the internet instead.

Alex

--
Mr R@T / General Lighting
Ipswich, Suffolk, Untied Kingdom
http://www.partyvibe.com

--
Mr R@T / General Lighting
Ipswich, Suffolk, Untied Kingdom
http://www.partyvibe.com

"Rod King" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Whether they are good at serving cyclists retail needs is less relevant
than
the manner in which they sell equipment designed to increase prevailing
vehicle speeds above the legal limit which is to the absolute detriment of
vulnerable road users.

surely if a salesperson *can* actually be witnessed (or perhaps covertly
recorded) selling such a device in /this/ manner (i.e. to encourage a crime)
it would be possible to alert the press, the company's PR department or even
the authorities?

not altogether different (at least in ethical terms) than someone going to
Halfords and saying "This idiot in a nightclub looked at my missus. Could
you recommend a good claw hammer I could use to cave his skull in?"

However I have never seen or heard of a Halfords sales person selling the
speed camera detectors in such a manner - perhaps the ones I encounter are
smarter ones...

.. I did ask him

Quoted message said:

whether he had any touring bikes and he told me that generally he found
those intersted in tourers were penny pinchers and weren't worth bothering
with. So I left the shop, got back on my £2500 tourer and have never been
there again.

🙂

out of interest what tourer was this? Even a Dawes Super Galaxy isn't that
expensive surely? custom built frame/components?

Alecx

Alex said

Quoted message said:

out of interest what tourer was this? Even a Dawes Super Galaxy isn't

that

Quoted message said:

expensive surely? custom built frame/components?

Alecx

Ah but a Super Galaxy tourer only has two wheels, mine's a Windcheetah!!!

Also great for the odd time trial, HPVC race, Audax as well as being a super
tourer.

It also makes people smile :-)

Regards

Rod

Rod King said:

Halfords want to ride with the cyclists and hunt with the hounds. Its like
supping with the devil, they help you on one hand but the next motorist that
blasts past you going way above the speed limit may have got his radar and
speed camera detector from Halfords.

You make your own judgement on Halfords, but mine says "no way".

Can one buy a device which emits the radio signals these devices detect
and attach it to a bike? I can see that it could have many effects:
+ Make cars slow down around cyclists
+ Make the detectors quite unreliable
- Cause drivers to NOT slow down for cameras if they think it's just a
cyclist
- Get you in trouble with the old bill for broadcasting nuisance radio
signals

Would be fun though 🙂

peter

naked_draughtsman said:

I know a lot of people don't like Halfords, and every bike I've had off
them has required a fair bit of fiddling to get it working how I like
it but Loughborough Halfords get my vote for customer service and value
this time!

It's been many years scince I lived in Loughborough, but when I did
Halfords was in the high street just opposite a very good bike shop,
Beacon cycles. I wouldn't say Halfords was bad, but anything you could
get there you could also get across the road, with some very sound
advice to go with it.

"naked_draughtsman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

- Get you in trouble with the old bill for broadcasting nuisance radio
signals

the old bill don't have any jurisdiction over this - it would be Ofcom's
pigeon.

If you live in London or a major city, think how long it usually takes to
close down the pirate radio stations....

Even with todays more sophisticated DF kit, I would expect it is not
particularly easy to track an intermittent and *moving* radio signal. Not
that I am suggesting trying any of this though...

Alex
--
Mr R@T / General Lighting
Ipswich, Suffolk, Untied Kingdom
http://www.partyvibe.com

"Rod King" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

That's fine. It sound like the service was excellent.

However, the conversation with the next guy going into Halfords could have
gone something like this :-

Consumer : I've now got 8 points on my license from those ***** speed
cameras. As well as that the police keep setting up mobile radar traps.
Have you got any of those Road Angel things that let me know when to put
my
anchors on and warn me of either a speed camaera or modbile speed trap.

Assistant: Certainly sir. We have these excellent devices which are legal
for us to sell but we have to warn you are illegal to use. However, as you
go around breaking the law by speeding wherever you can get away with it I
am sure you are not going to be bothered by anything like that.

At which point the assistant would be Wrong. GPS Speed "detectors" are NOT
illegal to sell, own , fit, or use. Perhaps a piece of A4 paper laying on
the passenger seat, with a list of speed camera locations printed on it,
should also be illegal???

Certain laser gizmos ARE illegal - the ones that emit a confusing signal,
for a start. TPTB are trying to make laser *detectors* illegal to use - and
the laser detector element of a Road Angel is only a supplementary system to
the whole setup,. See http://www.road-angel-blackspot.co.uk/latest_news.php

HTH HAND DFO

===
IanH

Rod King came up with the following;:

Quoted message said:

Assistant: Certainly sir. We have these excellent devices which are legal
for us to sell but we have to warn you are illegal to use.

LOL, I think you need to get your facts right before professing to know wtf
you're on about.

A bit like top-posters ...

--
Paul ...
(8(|) Homer Rules ..... Doh !!!

ian henden said:

At which point the assistant would be Wrong. GPS Speed "detectors" are NOT
illegal to sell, own , fit, or use. Perhaps a piece of A4 paper laying on
the passenger seat, with a list of speed camera locations printed on it,
should also be illegal???

And lock up the local paper as well for printing a list of speed camera
locations, and the TCSP for placing the advert..

Personally I'd be a lot happier if these devices were set to remind you
when you were above the speed limit irrespective of the positions of
cameras.

...d

Ian

I was referring to the laser detectors being illegal to use. I am aware that
GPS detectors are a perfectly legal device used to warn drivers where speed
cameras are located.

I am sure that the drivers who buy these are so safety concious that they
spend lots of money just to confirm that they are obeying the limits in any
locations where such cameras exist.

This is a very laudable action on their behalf. However, I cannot understand
why these devices do not alert drivers to situation in which they are
travelling faster than the speed limit. I am sure that such safety concious
drivers would really welcome such a feature. Funny that this does not seem
to have added yet!!!!

Of course the law is riddled with anomolies. It appears that the police
won't even enforce 20 mph speed limits at the moment because of technical
difficulties!!!

Such is life. Still I prefer to buy my bicycle bits from someone whose idea
of speeding is a sub 30 minute 10miler.

Best regards

Rod

For myslef to d
"ian henden" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

"Rod King" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

That's fine. It sound like the service was excellent.

However, the conversation with the next guy going into Halfords could

have

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

gone something like this :-

Consumer : I've now got 8 points on my license from those ***** speed
cameras. As well as that the police keep setting up mobile radar traps.
Have you got any of those Road Angel things that let me know when to put
my
anchors on and warn me of either a speed camaera or modbile speed trap.

Assistant: Certainly sir. We have these excellent devices which are

legal

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

for us to sell but we have to warn you are illegal to use. However, as

you

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

go around breaking the law by speeding wherever you can get away with it

I

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

am sure you are not going to be bothered by anything like that.

At which point the assistant would be Wrong. GPS Speed "detectors" are

NOT

Quoted message said:

illegal to sell, own , fit, or use. Perhaps a piece of A4 paper laying

on

Quoted message said:

the passenger seat, with a list of speed camera locations printed on it,
should also be illegal???

Certain laser gizmos ARE illegal - the ones that emit a confusing signal,
for a start. TPTB are trying to make laser *detectors* illegal to use -

and

Quoted message said:

the laser detector element of a Road Angel is only a supplementary system

to

Quoted message said:

the whole setup,. See

http://www.road-angel-blackspot.co.uk/latest_news.php

Quoted message said:

HTH HAND DFO

===
IanH

Hi Paul

"Paul - [censored]" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

wtf you're on about.

A bit like top-posters ...

--
Paul ...
(8(|) Homer Rules ..... Doh !!!

I wasn't professing to know anything, just making an observation on the
curious logic of buying bicycle components from someone who encourages
vehicle speeding.

Be Happy

Rod

David Martin said:

ian henden said:

At which point the assistant would be Wrong. GPS Speed "detectors" are NOT
illegal to sell, own , fit, or use. Perhaps a piece of A4 paper laying on
the passenger seat, with a list of speed camera locations printed on it,
should also be illegal???

And lock up the local paper as well for printing a list of speed camera
locations, and the TCSP for placing the advert..

Personally I'd be a lot happier if these devices were set to remind you
when you were above the speed limit irrespective of the positions of
cameras.

One would think that a continually updated display just a foot or so in front of
every drivers' eyes, coupled with big bold numbers along the roadside might do
the trick.

But for some reason it doesn't :-(

John B

John B said:

David Martin said:

ian henden said:

At which point the assistant would be Wrong. GPS Speed "detectors"
are NOT illegal to sell, own , fit, or use. Perhaps a piece of A4
paper laying on the passenger seat, with a list of speed camera
locations printed on it, should also be illegal???

And lock up the local paper as well for printing a list of speed
camera locations, and the TCSP for placing the advert..

Personally I'd be a lot happier if these devices were set to remind
you when you were above the speed limit irrespective of the
positions of cameras.

One would think that a continually updated display just a foot or so
in front of every drivers' eyes, coupled with big bold numbers along
the roadside might do the trick.

But for some reason it doesn't :-(

Works for me.
--
Ambrose