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

[spookyload]

I went with a friend to a local Cannondale dealer. He was dead set on getting a Lefty Mtn bike. I noticed that the Giants and Cannondales all had an odd assortment of component groups. They would have XT rear deraillleurs, with STX shifters, and a Deore front. Cannondale was the worst about it, but Giant too did this. Even their top end $7400 MSRP Scalpel 1 didn't have a full XTR group. I asked the salesman about this, and he quit stroking his goatee long enough to tell me that the bike companies do this to keep the cost down. Give me a break. The $10-$20 manufacturer price difference in a XTR front derailleur is really going to keep this bike below $7500? Why skimp on the cheapest component on the bike?

[drjones96]

I hate it when they mix the components too. I honestly don't get why you'd do this on a bike that's over $2000. If you're spending that much you care enough that the components match up. So stop d!ck!ng around and give us a matching set!

On the lower end bikes I get it....but the upper end? It just seems silly.

[mattr]

I asked the salesman about this, and he quit stroking his goatee long enough to tell me that the bike companies do this to keep the cost down. Give me a break. The $10-$20 manufacturer price difference in a XTR front derailleur is really going to keep this bike below $7500? Why skimp on the cheapest component on the bike?

Erm, when you are buying that sort of volume it really does make a difference to the bottom line. Its been going on as long as i've been cycling.

And it happens in any business of that type. A $0.50 saving on a car that costs $15000 to make ($7500 worth of parts) is almost enough to make the accountants cream their pants....... so 10 dollars, my god, i wouldn't want to be in the same building when they work that out!

[Raxel]

I bet mine is the best... one shop guy I know argues that sram powerdome cassette is "Very fragile" compared to DA and Record cassettes. He also said that he had seen a customer who ripped off the cassette teeth after one ride!

I told him that red cassette is steel so it actually lasts longer than ti cassettes, and he said sram is lying and red cassette is made of aluminum alloy.

[mattr]

I told him that red cassette is steel so it actually lasts longer than ti cassettes, and he said sram is lying and red cassette is made of aluminum alloy.

Take a magnet next time you go to the shop, tho i'm sure he'll tell you its a special magnet for aluminium...........

[spookyload]

Better yet, buy an old DA cassette and grind the teeth of one side as a joke. Take that in and show it to him.

[spookyload]

I was shopping for new squish forks in Albuquerque last year. I actually had a sales man tell me that on fox forks the compression dampening was just a gimick they put on to charge a couple hundred bucks more for. Just get the one with lock out and rebound dampening and I would be fine.

[lancejohnson]

I actually started working in bike shops when I was 14 and have been either in shops or around the industry for the majority of the 20 years since then. Still there is one guy that always spring to mind as the all time dimwit in bike shop experience. His name was Kevin and he was a mechanic at a shop where I did assemblies in college. He did repairs.

So a woman comes in with a Schwinn hybrid of some sort (actually a fairly nice one at that, considering) and complains about a rack rubbing on her back tire. Kevin looks at it, says he can fix it, can she come back at the end of the day, it'll probably be about $20. I happen to be on the floor getting bar tape for a bike when this all transpired, and think to myself, 'why doesn't he just unscrew the two bolts that hold the extension brackets on the rack now, and let her ride off?'

So I go back into my little assembly room and wrap my bars. Just as I'm finishing I poke my head out to see what the ungodly banging that's going on up front in the repair area is... Kevin had pulled the rack off the back of the bike, grabbed a hammer and a chisel, and we trying to remove the braze-ons for the rack.

Shop Manager Elton screams, "What the hell are you doing?"

"Her rack was dragging on the tire, so I have to move it."

"You've just completely voided this woman's warranty." (Elton had sold her the bike a couple months ago.)

"Why's that?"

"You're pounding on her seat stays with a chisel, do you really think Schwinn is going to warrantee that?"

"Why not, the rack eyelets are in the wrong place."

I'm actually about to piss myself at this point as Elton and Kevin are yelling back and forth - Kevin clearly making no sense by continuing his arguement. Elton is so furious that I think he's going to kill Kevin; so I decide to throw gas on the fire...

"You know Kevin, all you have to do is loosen these two bolts and slide the mounting brackets in a little bit and that'll pull the rack up off the tire."

Elton lost it, threw Kevin out of the shop (didn't fire him, Kevin was back a couple days later, but the chisels were all removed from the repair area, and he hid from Elton for a couple weeks).

I actually just about died that evening trying not to burst out laughing while Elton was trying to explain things to the woman when she came back to pick up her bike. Well, she got a new frame out of the deal and a small trove of accessories when I rebuilt her bike for her...

It's just one of those classic moments that I'll never forget. Sure, a guy is pretty foolish if he pounds a starnut into a carbon fork steerer, but to take a hammer and chisel to some braze ons...

[dawgcatching3]

I was shopping for new squish forks in Albuquerque last year. I actually had a sales man tell me that on fox forks the compression dampening was just a gimick they put on to charge a couple hundred bucks more for. Just get the one with lock out and rebound dampening and I would be fine.

ha, that used to be more or less true! The compression damping did nearly nothing, or should I say, had virtually no effect on the ride quality. It is better these days, but I usually recommend people just get their fork PUSH'd and get a real compression damping upgrade. The RL versions that he was recommending are not typically available as an aftermarket product, so I don't know what he was going to sell you...

[dawgcatching3]

"That as the bikes go up in price our margin actually decreases"

From a chap over the phone who I was haggling over in relation to a Look frame.


Not sure if this is universally true, but a couple of my mates who work at bike stores said it's a load of crap.

Often true for the more "premium" companies, especially frame only. I would rather sell a Felt at MSRP than a Colnago, as I would make 10-12 points more on the Felt. The bigger manufacturers usually have superior margins: the small builders can have thin margins, 30% or less is very typical unless you sell tons of product, and since the small builders have the most expensive products, it is assumed by many that the margin decreases on higher-end product. Not technically true, but in many cases might as well be. Unfortunately, although custom builds can be very rewarding worthwhile, they can take loads of time when assembling a bike from scratch and consulting with the customer with regards to component and frame choices. It is usually more profitable (and easier) to just sell a high-end bike off the rack.

[spookyload]

I was shopping for new squish forks in Albuquerque last year. I actually had a sales man tell me that on fox forks the compression dampening was just a gimick they put on to charge a couple hundred bucks more for. Just get the one with lock out and rebound dampening and I would be fine.

ha, that used to be more or less true! The compression damping did nearly nothing, or should I say, had virtually no effect on the ride quality. It is better these days, but I usually recommend people just get their fork PUSH'd and get a real compression damping upgrade. The RL versions that he was recommending are not typically available as an aftermarket product, so I don't know what he was going to sell you...

I was actually riding a RL fork, and it did in fact get sent to PUSH for the RLC upgrade in the end. I knew what I had in my current fork, and when PUSH said they could upgrade mine...I was sold. $300 compared to $750. Great service at that company BTW. He was actually trying to sell me an OEM fork a customer had replaced on a new bike. While I appreciate him trying to save money for other customers, I am pretty sure Fox wouldn't like a shop selling an OEM fork at retail pricing.

[Tinea Pedis]

The guys who built my 595 up really are a couple of great chaps. But bugger me if they don't think Trek are the best thing since sliced bread.

Anyway....take the 595 back in as it's skipping when in the middle of the cassette and the drive train is also quite noisy at that part of the cassette too. Anyway, one of them came out with "hate to say this, but it would never have happened on a Trek".



I just laughed - as for all I know he could be right. Although never have seen Campag on a Trek...

Did think it was a little silly (as I really don't think it's a cable issue, so therefore nothing a different frame would have changed).

[HammerTime2]

Although never have seen Campag on a Trek...

In 1983, Trek's second to top end racing bike, the Trek 970, was equipped with full Campagnolo Super Record, other than the Record BB and Campagnolo Super Leggero pedals (i.e., basically Super Record reduced, which is Super Record except for steel BB and pedals axles instead of titanium on Super Record) - even had Campy drop outs on the Columbus SL (52 to 58) or SP (60 to 64) frame. This listed for a little under $1400 (USD) at the time. The Trek 170 was even higher end, and had a Reynolds 753 frame, and was equipped similarly to the 970, but had the Super Record BB, and a Campy titanium/aluminum 12-20 6 speed freewheel.

[Tinea Pedis]

There you go. Wonder why they stopped using it...margins?

Honestly, I think if I ever got a Trek I would pop Campag on it simply for sh!ts and giggles But can't see me being in danger of that any time soon...

[stella-azzurra]

Maybe it would be better if you learned how to adjust stuff on the bike then you would not have to deal with the monkeys at the LBS.