Awful bike shops...

chadders81

Went in to a bike shop in Birmingham today to get a spoke key.

Shop assistant: "We don't stock spoke keys."

Me (joking): "Oh - short of space."

SA (stoney-faced): "Just don't stock 'em mate."

Recently opened. I give them about three months.

kelsen

You sure he didn't mishear you and thought you said spokey dokeys?

pst88

Which shop might I ask? I don't know of a recently opened bike shop in Birmingham. Is it in the centre or more in the outskirts?

chadders81

I'll name it because it would be shame to tarnish the mostly good shops in the city.

Fort Dunlop Cycles at Fort Dunlop.

Owned by the same guy who runs the Specialized concept store up there.

Blue Meanie

Always been a fan of Spokeys, they work the corners not the flats, and berated shops for mainly selling Park Spoke Wrenchs, and now Park do a Spoke Wrench that works the corners!
Any competant/regular wheel builder/fettler will prefer a key that's diamond shaped and works the corners. The cut out bits on multi tools that claim to be spoke keys are a laugh, I'd rather ride home with a buckle than wreck nipples.

The Rookie

BM I think you missed the point, Spokey dokeys, the things kids have on their spokes that slide up and down, usually bright primary colours.

A bike shop not stocking a spoke key, I presume they don't stock any tools at all then!

Simon

SimonAH

There are some shocking shops out there - but made up for by the wonderful ones.

On the subject of spoke keys (true story) I was in the Bike Shed in Cardiff last year. Amongst a pile of other bits n'bobs I wanted a spoke key. They didn't have one (sold out) so the assistant went into the workshop, took one from there and gave it to me for free.

I like that shop

Gussio

To be fair, I know a very good bike shop where I tried to buy a spoke key but that wouldn't sell me one. They don't stock them because it is easier for them to true wheels which haven't had someone who doesn't know what they are doing fiddle around with the spokes

SimonAH

hmmmmmmm, OK. But as someone who does know how to build and true wheels I would find that very patronising and probably shop elsewhere.

Gussio

They aren't all bad, they have lent me a long-arm torque wrench and a headset press in the past

Park Tools spoke key works well and fits three different sizes of nipple. Available online, if not in your LBS....

Kieran_Burns

Blue Meanie wrote:

Always been a fan of Spokeys, they work the corners not the flats, and berated shops for mainly selling Park Spoke Wrenchs, and now Park do a Spoke Wrench that works the corners!
Any competant/regular wheel builder/fettler will prefer a key that's diamond shaped and works the corners. The cut out bits on multi tools that claim to be spoke keys are a laugh, I'd rather ride home with a buckle than wreck nipples.

Sorry - going to show my ignorance here... corners? flats? My spoke key (triangle shaped thingy) presses on the flat section of the spoke nipple perfectly well and I've trued wheels nicely using it.

bails87

I went into my LBS (Red Kite in Shirley) after a saddle, a Spesh Romin. There was only the mechanic in the shop and he was pottering about in the workshop area, but didn't seem particularly engrossed in anything. There was only one other person in the shop, it didn't look like he'd been hassling the mechanic or anything.

They only had the widest size saddle out on display, so I (very politely, "excuse me"s, "please"s and "thankyou"s) asked if they had any more sizes.

He very grumpily replied "Look mate, I'm the mechanic, I don't go up there [where the saddles are], I don't deal with that stuff, if you want one you're gonna have to come back later, alright.". Properly rude and aggressive :roll:

If he can't help then that's fair enough, but he doesn't have to speak to me like that. I can see why he's the mechanic though, it's probably best for everyone if he's not allowed near the customers!

CyclingBantam

There is a bike shop in Halifax (Cycle Gear) that is awful. I work in Halifax but only use it as an absolute emergency.
Had to go in a few months back and spent £30 on a chain after mine had snapped on the way to work.

Me - "Please could I get you to fit it for me?"
Them - No
Me - Erm, ok. Please could I borrow a chain tool so I can fit it?
Them - No, we don't lend equipment.
Me - Surely you can let me use one, I am unable to get home if you don't and I have just spent £30 in the store.
Them - (after much uming and Ahing) Ok, you can borrow it this time.

Don't worry, I won't be back again...

pastey_boy

so your basically saying that any bike shop that doesnt stock spoke keys is a terrible shop ????? as a new shop they are probably finding lots of items they have not got yet. opening any new business is hard and not everyone has the resources to buy everything in one go, a good business will grow and by asking customers what they want will enable the shop to cater for everyone eventually, very very sad that your slagging off a new shop just because they didnt have what you wanted. you come across as an utter fool and the shop will be better off without you as a customer.

samivel

pastey_boy wrote:

so your basically saying that any bike shop that doesnt stock spoke keys is a terrible shop ????? as a new shop they are probably finding lots of items they have not got yet. opening any new business is hard and not everyone has the resources to buy everything in one go, a good business will grow and by asking customers what they want will enable the shop to cater for everyone eventually, very very sad that your slagging off a new shop just because they didnt have what you wanted. you come across as an utter fool and the shop will be better off without you as a customer.

I see your point but if you read the initial post it I believe the criticism is against the shop assistant. If the assistant had explained that they had recently opened and taken a note to advise the shop manager that they need spoke keys it would have been a more positive experience.

snooks

Me: Have you got any thread lock?
SA: The Loctite stuff?
Me: Yep that's it
SA: No....[after a pause] But you're the 5th person to ask for some today. May be we should start stocking it?
Me: You think so? :roll: [walks out]


Thread lock seems to be a bit illusive in London town

tgotb

snooks wrote:

Thread lock seems to be a bit illusive in London town

Is there a Screwfix anywhere near where you live? They'll have some...

pastey_boy

samivel wrote:

pastey_boy wrote:

so your basically saying that any bike shop that doesnt stock spoke keys is a terrible shop ????? as a new shop they are probably finding lots of items they have not got yet. opening any new business is hard and not everyone has the resources to buy everything in one go, a good business will grow and by asking customers what they want will enable the shop to cater for everyone eventually, very very sad that your slagging off a new shop just because they didnt have what you wanted. you come across as an utter fool and the shop will be better off without you as a customer.

I see your point but if you read the initial post it I believe the criticism is against the shop assistant. If the assistant had explained that they had recently opened and taken a note to advise the shop manager that they need spoke keys it would have been a more positive experience.

the criticism is levelled at the shop as he gives them 3 months before they fail and then he names them. there are some very bad shops out there, some are huge well stocked concerns others are smaller and dont seem to be trying, but in this day and age of more and more lbs's going under and giving way to the likes of the supermarkets and the large chains that care only about profit and not the customer we should all be encouraging the smaller shops instead of publicly slating them before they have had a chance to succeed.

samivel

I agree that all shops should have the chance to succeed. This however, is ultimately up to how hard they work. The attitude of the shop assistant from the text that was supplied was simply not good enough.

Jay dubbleU

snooks wrote:

Me: Have you got any thread lock?
SA: The Loctite stuff?
Me: Yep that's it
SA: No....[after a pause] But you're the 5th person to ask for some today. May be we should start stocking it?
Me: You think so? :roll: [walks out]


Thread lock seems to be a bit illusive in London town

Been trying to get some here today to fit new pedals - been to two LBSs and Halfords none of whom stock it

DonDaddyD

MMmmmm

Perhaps they were out of stock that day.

Or the immediate target market are less likely to order items like that, so they stock their shop accordingly....

Just saying.

Usually I will only say a shop is rubbish if the service is consistently bad (you know who you are!), they charge rip-off prices (compared to other bike shops in the area), give bad advice or do a hatchet repair job (as has been documented: I don't mind paying a little more for a good job).

Low or no stock.... not so much.

Gussio

Jay dubbleU wrote:

Been trying to get some here today to fit new pedals - been to two LBSs and Halfords none of whom stock it

I opt for a dab of grease on pedal threads - want to be able to get them off in the future.

Too old for this

My lbs in Rugeley have always been good, went in yesterday to get some road tyres for the MTB to be told that if I had any trouble fitting them because they are very tight to get over the rim, bring the wheels down & we'll put them on for free.
They will be seeing me in there again 8) 8)

veronese68

I wouldn't use Loctite on pedals either. The opposite threads are meant to stop them coming undone. A dab of grease is helpful to stop corrosion. Fortunately we stock Loctite here, but we do parts for old sportscars. Most motor factors should stock it.
Come to that we also stock spoke keys. Not much good for a bicycle though.

Kieran_Burns

Too old for this wrote:

My lbs in Rugeley have always been good, went in yesterday to get some road tyres for the MTB to be told that if I had any trouble fitting them because they are very tight to get over the rim, bring the wheels down & we'll put them on for free.
They will be seeing me in there again 8) 8)

Rugeley?

Woohoo! Been through there LOADS of times when I was a student at Stafford - usually coming off the Chase down that insane hill I could regularly hit 50 on

(also the location of my most embarrassing / funny / memorable overtake :oops: )

Sorry - please go back to the topic in hand :P

flicksta

Ride bike to a reasonably LBS for wheel rebuild.

Remove wheel, bike in car which wife has brought to shop to rendezvous.

Collect rebuilt wheel couple of days later, which now has no skewer.

Ask re location of skewer.

"You didn't bring it in here with a skewer".

"I did. I parked outside, took the wheel off, brought it in after putting the bike in the boot. I would have to have twirled the nut off and removed the skewer to supply it with no skewer"

"It had no skewer"

"How do you know, I didn't even it give it to you"

"Because it doesn't have a skewer in now"

"That doesn't follow. You probably just took the skewer out to make it easier to thread the spokes"

Eventually, crappy replacement skewer is begrudgingly passed over.

Confusedboy

I second the endorsment of Bike Shed in Cardiff; a genuinely good shop. Sadly, I rarely go there now as I have moved to the other side of town, but my new LBS, Reg Braddick, a well established outfit, are also very good. I would rather name the good shops than criticise the bad ones.

CiB

Two pages of Awful Bike Shops, and no-one's mentioned Evans yet? I nominate Evans, specifically the one nearest to me. Awful place, awful staff most of em too.

I was there at dinnertime trying to get in to make a fuss about nothing of any consequence again and they locked the door on me, left me knock knock knocking on Evan's door, they did.

On the occasion of Bob Dylan's 70th birthday. Personally I'd nominate Joey as his best but not many have heard of it and the joke doesn't work either.

Gussio

CiB wrote:

Two pages of Awful Bike Shops, and no-one's mentioned Evans yet? I nominate Evans, specifically the one nearest to me. Awful place, awful staff most of em too.

I was there at dinnertime trying to get in to make a fuss about nothing of any consequence again and they locked the door on me, left me knock knock knocking on Evan's door, they did.

On the occasion of Bob Dylan's 70th birthday. Personally I'd nominate Joey as his best but not many have heard of it and the joke doesn't work either.

Desire is a great, great album and I love Scarlet Rivera's violin playing in the background.

desweller

Veronese68 wrote:

I wouldn't use Loctite on pedals either. The opposite threads are meant to stop them coming undone.

It's actually quite good as an anti-seize compound.

snooks

Jay dubbleU wrote:

snooks wrote:

Me: Have you got any thread lock?
SA: The Loctite stuff?
Me: Yep that's it
SA: No....[after a pause] But you're the 5th person to ask for some today. May be we should start stocking it?
Me: You think so? :roll: [walks out]


Thread lock seems to be a bit illusive in London town

Been trying to get some here today to fit new pedals - been to two LBSs and Halfords none of whom stock it

Glad I'm not the only person hunting hunting for thread lock.

I'm after it for my shiny new crankset....Wondering whether to risk it just to get out on the new build...hmmmm :roll: