Is it me or my bike shop?

Now Ive been riding for a good few years and without boasting Im a good rider that likes the challenges that technical cross country trails bring along with riding the black runs at trail centres, I try to keep up with the men in my club and not get left behind. Im looking at getting a new bike and I have a serious budget approx £2000 for a hard tail 29er, I already have a Scott contessa genius full susser. The problem I have is that Im 5'6" and I sit in between a small and medium mens frame, despite my budget and good knowledge of the ins and outs of a bike and its spec, I find my local bike shops don't seem to take me serious, they either want to sell me an entry level 10 tonne machine or something Im just not suited to.
The bike shops seem to be plug the bike fitting service but when I don't fit a frame size they have in stock they seem reluctant to order me in a size that would fit to see if its correct, surely if Im spending serious £'s they would want to get it right??
The bike shops seem to be plug the bike fitting service but when I don't fit a frame size they have in stock they seem reluctant to order me in a size that would fit to see if its correct, surely if Im spending serious £'s they would want to get it right??
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Perhaps wait for one of the big shows to see a shed load of models in the same place then hassle the relevant dealers to get you in a frame that possibly suits?
LBS1 - one ladies hard tail - entry level
LBS2 - two ladies models - both entry level
LBS3 - several ladies models, but only suitable for riding around the town park !
Most bike shops won't hold the stock you're interested in - unless you find an outlet thats also a big online retailer then you're going to find the same problem wherever you go. I called in Wheelies (Swansea) at the weekend and they had a £1500 Spesh Myka in the shop, and a few other womens models at much lower prices -thats as much physical female stock i've seen anywhere.
The combo of ladies model, 29er and £2k price tag = few actual customers I'm afraid. Any retailer probably sell 20-30 mens equivalent models for every womens version
I have been fobbed off on more than one occasion - the last time by a member of staff telling me that a certain wheel rim would suffice for downhill MTBing when I knew damn well it wouldn't (they didn't have the stronger one in stock). I also particularly hate it when I ask a question but they reply to Chris, my other half, obviously assuming that it will be too complicated for my tiny brain to comprehend :evil:
Anyway, i'm going off on a tangent here.....
Riding a gorgeous ano orange Turner Burner!
Sponsor the CC2CC at http://www.justgiving.com/cc2cc
I agree many bike shops can be very patronizing and treat women like idiots.Its wrong for them to make assumptions because they dont know jack about you. You could be a mechanic or someone wanting to spend grands.
The best shop I've been to in terms of service, attitude and knowlegde is Bob Jacksons in Bramley Leeds.Unfortunatley they now just build frames as the shop has shut.
I know Evans will order in what you want for £40.00 and you can have a try and if you dont want it then get your money back. You could give this a shot,trying a few at once.
The only WDS, 29er at £2000 is the specialized fate, which I tried and didn't like, I personally feel specialised are over priced for their component level and its the specialized WSD that I had last time that fell to bits.
Anyone know when the shows are on??
Thanks (from a girl who can do more than ride in a straight line along a canal tow path)
If your spending 2k then you definatley need to have a ride on it !
I recently test rode about 4 bikes in total from Evans and I have to admit that they were really good ordering in one after another after another for me! There was a £50 deposit, which would have been returned if I hadn't bought from them (yeah, I know, I bought from Evans, but the bike was there and I wanted it...!). I think you can order in about 3 bikes at a time, although I don't know if you have to pay a deposit for each bike though. They say the test ride is only for 10 mins (although I did stretch it to 20 mins) and whilst it was long enough to know if a bike definately wasn't for me, it wasn't really long enough if I wasn't quite sure.
My budget was £1500 and I did manage to take the bike down a few steps I found, which gave me a bit of an idea, but I think if I'd not been so fed up with searching for months and also desperate for a bike, I wouldn't have bought after such a short ride! I understand why they do this (they told me they sell new bikes, not secondhand!), but when I buy my next bike I will make sure the timing is better and attend some demo days. Luckily I absolutely love my new bike!
Oh - and it's not you and it's deff not just biking where I find they talk to women like we don't know anything - try being a female drummer!!!
Evans are also very good in Reading. I ordered in a a Saffire FSR for Mrs I which we went to try at the weekend. The chaps there let her try out the bike, after explaining what sag was and setting it right (and quickly realised she knew what sag is and what she wanted it set to) and also having a good stab at setting the seat in the right position. They said she could have ordered in 2 bikes at a time but would have had to pay a deposit on each I believe. They even got the double blind bearings out of my Stumpjumper FSR swingarm for free while Mrs I did her test ride, which is a PITA if you dont have the right tools. This was all while they only had 3 of the 7 staff they were meant to have on that day so they were very busy. I do find it can be a bit hit and miss with whoever you get though, and we were lucky. Bit like Halfords in that respect, sometimes you get someone that doesnt know their censored from the elbow and sometimes you get someone really good.
2010 Specialized Tricross Sport (commuter)
2012 Boardman Road Team
My old LBS in Reading could be a bit that way, even if you went in with a specific item you needed, they often either tried to steer you in the direction of a lesser item or gave you a bit of old bs about some such or rather. I got to know the head mechanic and did a couple of days work for them and he was much better with me, a couple of his mechs were still dicks though and the front sales staff didnt change their attitudes much either.
The 2-3 bikes shops near me in BC are really good and have good ladies specific stock as well as great customer service - I think the lack of internet shopping options mean that the shops here still have to sell themselves and product to their customers.
The internet has literally ruined customer service in the UK! Burn it! I blame Wiggle.
The bike shops seem to be plug the bike fitting service but when I don't fit a frame size they have in stock they seem reluctant to order me in a size that would fit to see if its correct, surely if Im spending serious £'s they would want to get it right??[/quote]
£2k would buy you a hell of a good 2nd hand bike - why buy a new one ?
It take time to find a good LBS, but then more time to develop a relationship to where they work with you and not against you. After 10 years of using the same shop I get a standing 15% discount on everything and phone/calls emails on specials and close out gear.