With 8 days left before I leave the country I still haven't found
myself a new mountain bike (preferably used) to take back to China with
me.
Strange as it may seem to some, given how many wonderful things I have
had to write about my local bike shops I am deliberately making a point
of NOT patronizing them.
I already ran afoul of the bike shop wars once and I'm not going to do
that again. Because it isn't just about competition. It's about pride
and anger and I'm not sure which bike shop owner is being more petty
about it.
Some of the bikers have picked sides.
Most make an active point of ignoring the fight and equally patronizing
both shops within certain limitations of stock and price.
But I made a mistake. Well before I even knew that they were enemies
or even competition I became friends with people on both sides. Which
is cool. For the most part the employees and management are doing the
same thing the bikers are doing, ignoring the fight. It doesn't
involve them. It involves Laobanniang and Yongge.
But I became more than just friends. I became Laobanniang's adopted
foreign daughter. I started working as a translator for both sides.
And then after I was well and truly embroiled in the middle of the
whole thing I found out about The Fight.
They know I'm planning on getting a mountain bike.
When I was first asked if I was ever going to get a mountain bike I
said "when my road bike hits 10,000 km" ie never. I was over 12,000 km
when I went home for the summer. And, as the bike club's darling
foreign girl, most improved cyclist in the last calender year, new
member of the bike team, and all that everyone knew.
The big bike shop has promised me extensive discounts if I buy from
them. Well above and beyond my normal discounts which are already
pretty deep.
The little bike shop has promised to help me collect new and second
hand parts, to loan me the work stand and to offer guidance while I
build it myself.
And both owners have rather huffily said in a tone of voice that
indicated that they most certainly did care and most certainly would be
annoyed if I bought from The Enemy that I can shop wherever I want
because it's not like there is anything more than a casual relationship
between my status as customer, my status as employee, and my status as
friend.
So I've decided to get a bike in the US.
I'd rather buy from neither side than risk offending whichever side I
don't buy from.
Currently it looks like I'm going to be getting a nth-hand Cannondale
of unknown vintage with a scary spray can camoflauge job that has
already proven to be removeable with paint thinner and a rag. I wanted
a suspension fork which he only had on his [censored] bikes (yard sale
collector who likes fixing bikes and placing them in good homes, there
were over 70) but I found a secondhand Marzocchi fork for another $50
on craigslist and that'll bring the total to $225.
What do you all think?
-M