Does your LBS fit you on a bike? That is one of my first steps is to go to a bike store and see if I need to change anything before I get into riding as a daily thing.
At the right LBS, it is possible to establish a mutually beneficial relationship, but that isn't always the case with all LBS. As with any business, there are consumer friendly owners and workers, and then there are owners and workers that aren't so consumer friendly. My favorites store, Fair Wheel Bikes, was my LBS in Tucson. They were in the "über" category of knowledge and stock. Better yet, they stocked a large portion of slurp-worthy bike components rarely found in other stores. As a bonus, they operate online too. Best of all, they had no problem whatsoever with their customers buying stuff online from other sources. They showed the same high level of courtesy and skill, no matter whether you'd just dumped $10,000 there or you were bringing in your Bike Direct purchase to have set-up properly. That's the attitude all LBS should have. Unfortunately, some have the attitude that if you bring something in to be fixed or adjusted that was purchased elsewhere or online, you're not deserving of the same treatment that others get. Such stores that give you attitude for where you purchase your kit should be avoided at all cost and frankly should go out of business. If you need fit, you've no choice but to either go to an LBS or go to a bike fitting salon (there some believe it or not). You need to realize going in that a bike fit is not a "closed form solution". That is, there is no explicit formula that dictates correct results. You should consider a bike fit as a starting point, perhaps a good or excellent one. It's perfectly common to make small adjustments after a bike fit, and it's not uncommon for a bike fit to be completely wrong and need redone. If you are not comfortable with the people doing a fit, how those people do the fit, or anything else about the experience, consider going someplace else for a second opinion. We do it with docs, so there should be no hesitation about doing it with a bike fit if there's an issue. Also remember that bike fits tend to evolve over time. If you get injured or become sore, you may need to change your fit temporarily or permanently. As riders age, it's completely common for their bike fit to change. With all that in mind, the most important thing you can do going into a fit is to be completely honest with the fitter about your riding style and type, and what expectations you have. IMHO, Performance Bike is not at LBS. Their bike fits and their wrenching tends to be of the lowest quality. Stuff can be had cheap there, and certainly more than a few people recommend them (as you've already read). I find their stock to be lacking in variety.....and just lacking in general. Deals can be had, but I find that better deals can usually be found elsewhere. My one reason for visiting the Performance Bike store in Tucson was to get Michelin inner tubes on the occasions when I was running short of inner tubes and hadn't ordered online. No one else in Tucson stocked Michelin inner tubes. Note that Nashbar is the less expensive arm of Performance Bike.......it's kind of the discount store. Nashbar is different in that occasionally you can find some stuff in their catalog that is hard to find elsewhere. Lastly, while on the theme of less expensive online stores, you might consider Price Point. Their stock is a little bit different, but there can be excellent prices found.HatTrickhero11 said:
Thats what I feared. I don't want to pay more for something just to keep a friendship with someone alive. As someone as mentioned above, maybe I will get lucky and have a friendship even if I don't always buy from the LBS every time.
Performance is certainly a national chain store (today). The local one here has recently lured one of the better mechanics from a well known LBS. I think they offered him a better employee “package†(he's a manager there). That mechanic seems to think of “himself†as local.
How much does your Local shop charge for maintenance? I am beginning to think the small stuff I will just buy online, and maybe the larger stuff or the more costly items I will check out at my LBS. This way I have a opinion from someone who is in the business.
I like your thinking. Plus online I have the product brought to me and I don't have to go out of my way to a store to get it. I guess there are pros and cons to both.
I have tried pricepoint and had good luck with them. Their prices are quite reasonable as is their shipping time.
I think I paid around $60 for a basic tuneup. His rates always seem fair. I do agree with you and like to have someone that knows what he's doing look at my bike at least once a year. In my younger days I enjoyed taking things apart to see what made them work (and half the time break something), but there's no time now and I have too many other things to do.
I would have to agree. I have about three LBS around me, and only one has a website where I can look at what products they have, and what products I can order through them if they don't carry it in stock. The other two I have to go in person to see what products they have. I wish they had online catalog or something. It would make life a lot easier.
60 bucks isn't bad. Once a year sounds like a good plan. Keeps things up to date pretty well. I will have to check out what my shop will charge. What all did he do with your tune up?
