The stupidest thing you've heard at a bike shop...

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critracer26
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Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2006 11:23 pm
Location: New York, NY

by critracer26

synchronicity wrote:No doubt the entire 20+ satchels were 36 bucks. Muppet. :lol:


i kept telling the kid that, over and over. He just kept showing me the single pack and saying $36.00. i wanted to jump over the counter and smack him.

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beatnik
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by beatnik

Leviathan wrote:
santabarbara wrote:
But who's dummer, the rep or the customer?

Oh wait, I know the answer to this one...

Into my LBS walks Toni Colom, local pro who rode for Astana - decked from head to foot in Astana gear, Trek in Astana colours, etc, go figure.

British customer standing next to me says in a voice way too loud "Why do these people insist on dressing themselves in Replica kit, dont they know how stupid they look"...


:lol:
Biomechanical spreadsheet. Sizing&Fitting.

http://weightweenies.starbike.com/forum ... 8e319d185b

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MrCurrieinahurry
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by MrCurrieinahurry

thats classic!! he must have pissed himself!!
tikka
Formerly known as Curryinahurry

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Tapeworm
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Joined: Thu May 03, 2007 10:39 am

by Tapeworm

Walks into a shop looking for a cheap hack/winter bike...

Sales Guy: Hi can I help you?
Me: Yeah, looking for a cheap alloy bike, but I don't want a compact crankset (very flat where I live), and a 11-23 cassette.
Sales Guy: Oooh you might be out of luck. All of our bikes are compact.
Me: Pardon?
Sales Guy: Yeah, it's the current trend with bikes these days, all compact.
Me: What about that one (points to a Dura Ace equipped model) that looks like a 53/39?
Sales Guy: Yeah, still a compact though.
Me: But... its not.
Sales Guy: (irate now) yeah it is! See how the top tube isn't level with the ground...


What the emoticon for "Muppet"?

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Starter
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by Starter

I had taken delivery of a brand new Alpha Q CS-20 fork late afternoon, the day before a race. Figured if I glued the insert in early evening, it would be ready to ride the next morning. I didn't have a cutting guide, and the cut needed to be perfect for the insert to be flush, so I took it to a local shop to cut... by now it was after seven, and the shops I usually go to were all closed- basically this was the only thing open.

Now let me be clear- I'm the idiot here. The moment the shop wrench said "this is a big job, can you pick it up tomorrow?" I know I should have run screaming. Instead, I explained the situation, how I wouldn't have time to glue the insert if I picked it up the next day. He told me to come back in an hour.

Came back in an hour, and the wrench looked very pleased with himself. He told me that not only did the "job go well", but that I could ride the fork tonight if I wanted to... my heart began to beat fast... sure enough, he went back to the service desk, retrieved my fork, and proudly showed me how he'd hammered a regular starnut into the steerer... effectively destroying the fork. Deep gouges... It was horrible.

sawyer
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Location: Natovi Landing

by sawyer

beatnik wrote:
Leviathan wrote:
santabarbara wrote:
But who's dummer, the rep or the customer?

Oh wait, I know the answer to this one...

Into my LBS walks Toni Colom, local pro who rode for Astana - decked from head to foot in Astana gear, Trek in Astana colours, etc, go figure.

British customer standing next to me says in a voice way too loud "Why do these people insist on dressing themselves in Replica kit, dont they know how stupid they look"...


:lol:


That's very funny. Toni should have asked the guy to come for a ride to see how stupid he looked.

If you want nonsense, then head for Evans branches in London. Now, many of their staff and nice guys and clearly love cycling, but usually very MTB orientated and ignorant of road gear. I might spend a day going round compiling some absolute tosh and post it here. I've heard some in the past for sure.

One of the things I've heard which annoys me is telling a customer there is a big difference between say, an Ultegra group and a 105 group, that justifies a (say) £300 different in price. Someone saying that either is (a) lying or (b) ignorant. Either way, they're ripping the customer off.

Exar
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by Exar

critracer26 wrote:
synchronicity wrote:No doubt the entire 20+ satchels were 36 bucks. Muppet. :lol:


i kept telling the kid that, over and over. He just kept showing me the single pack and saying $36.00. i wanted to jump over the counter and smack him.


Funny enough, a bike shop around here had gel packs with a box that said 'E 1.20', I bought four boxes (of 10 gel packs each) before one of the employees finally found out that the E1.20 should be per single pack, not per box...
Chains to the right!

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tymon_tm
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by tymon_tm

this one's still warm:

i put a new DA10 chain after sunday ride, but forgot to get a new wippermann connex quick link, so i put an old one. went riding today, and after some spining felt like this isn't working too good. i was just getting through some small city, and figured i'd give the local lbs a shot.

i enter the shop: some sales guy behind the 'counter', the owner (former pro, currently 'owning' kinda late junior team) talking to his rider

me: hi, is there any chance you've got a wippermann chain link for DA10?
sales guy: uhmm, what?
me: the link by wippermann for shimano dura-ace 10speed chain? (full names)
sg: well, we don't have any DA chains currently...
me: ..but i just want a chain link
sg:..oh, let me see (dives beneath the counter).. yeah i've got some ultegra chain, oh, there are pins inside, but...
me: i don't wan't a pin..
sg: wait..i can't sell you the pins alone... hey boss!?
owner: yup?
sg: this mr. here want's a link or something for his chain..
owner: oh no, we don't sell the pins alone..
me: i'm talking chain link (i grab this cyclists' bike and show the gold sram chain link), see? but i need a 10speed, not 9 or anything else..
owner: but such links don't exist!
me: (@#^%@!) no problem, if you don't have it, it's OK
owner: (turns to the cyclist) have you heard of such links?
me: no it's really fine, thank you
(cyclist nods his head)
owner: nah, there aren't such links, you were mistold by someone, blah blah, blah...
me: (leaving) OK, sure, thanks
owner: (walking me to the bike outside) but maybe we could fit a 9speed link, we have them..
me: (i sit on my bike and clip the pedals on) thanks a lot!
owner: (shouting as i take off) hey, isn't your seat to high!?

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Danton
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by Danton

We could all find examples of staff in any business getting things wrong.

The thing to really think about is that you know you're hearing rubbish from shop staff because you know a lot about your cycling. But say you walked into a shop selling things you didn't know much about, would you leave the shop with their advice? Many of you might be walking around with bottle of wine, driving in a bad car or carrying a bad investment because you fell for the sales bull :wink:

mattr
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Location: The Grim North.

by mattr

Danton wrote:We could all find examples of staff in any business getting things wrong.

The thing to really think about is that you know you're hearing rubbish from shop staff because you know a lot about your cycling. But say you walked into a shop selling things you didn't know much about, would you leave the shop with their advice? Many of you might be walking around with bottle of wine, driving in a bad car or carrying a bad investment because you fell for the sales bull :wink:


s'called research........ people who don't do it before doing major bits of shopping, *probably* deserve it.....

(and salesmen are like politicans and estate agents, you can tell when they lie, their lips move..)

kingtom
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by kingtom

the bike-shop here near my office has a new owner. this one don't really know something about bikes or bikestuff. :roll: i'm wondering how he will do that. for sure, i don't any clients there... doesn't matter what time i'm looking into the shop. but.... doesn't matter.

once i was there, i hoped he could quickly tight my crankset. :roll: but i lost my hope as quick as he asked the first question: what you have there? X1?

- X1? what X1? what you mean with X1?

- Yes X1 or?

- What?

- X1? SRAM?

- aaaaaah.... you mean X0.

- aaa.... yes.

and he turn a round in his workshop and take a look to all tools searching one who match at the crankset...

ou my dear. i think i will never bring me bike in this shop again. i give him a year, till he has to close the shop. :lol:

mattr
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Location: The Grim North.

by mattr

just to add to this thread, one of our three lbss (the one that was recommended to me) recommends cleaning of chain and driveline components, when in situ, by use of a karcher pressure washer, to the degree that he won't stock (or order in) chain cleaning solution, of any description.

When quizzed further about high pressure water defeating the seals on hubs, bottom brackets, pedals, his response was 'ah, no problems, all bearings like that are totally sealed these days.'

:?

Haven't been in since.

XCProMD
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by XCProMD

Seller: "Campagnolo? That doesn't exist anymore. My father rode Campagnolo, but 20 years ago they closed the factory, so everybody began to import that Shimano stuff from Japan"

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Gazelleer
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by Gazelleer

mattr wrote:just to add to this thread, one of our three lbss (the one that was recommended to me) recommends cleaning of chain and driveline components, when in situ, by use of a karcher pressure washer, to the degree that he won't stock (or order in) chain cleaning solution, of any description.

When quizzed further about high pressure water defeating the seals on hubs, bottom brackets, pedals, his response was 'ah, no problems, all bearings like that are totally sealed these days.'


Which is basically true, just don't spray straight onto the bearings and you'll be fine with a pressure cleaner.

mattr
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Location: The Grim North.

by mattr

jvs wrote:
mattr wrote:just to add to this thread, one of our three lbss (the one that was recommended to me) recommends cleaning of chain and driveline components, when in situ, by use of a karcher pressure washer, to the degree that he won't stock (or order in) chain cleaning solution, of any description.

When quizzed further about high pressure water defeating the seals on hubs, bottom brackets, pedals, his response was 'ah, no problems, all bearings like that are totally sealed these days.'


Which is basically true, just don't spray straight onto the bearings and you'll be fine with a pressure cleaner.


you ever tried cleaning a cassette without spraying high pressure water at the bearings? :roll:

Oh, and it will drive the cack on the outside of the chain, into the rollers, which isn't good....

by Weenie


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