mattr wrote: ↑Fri Nov 23, 2018 8:54 am
RocketRacing wrote: ↑Fri Nov 23, 2018 2:53 am
A wise biking friend advised me to pick a lbs, and support them. If you support them, they support you. Everything i get is always discounted. Service is great.
In certain countries they'd be called an idiot. Over here it's the best way to make your money not go very far.
The advice comes from a friend who owns his own business, and who has far more money than I, and more than most people probably reading this. His busisness is in service. And he is probably where he is now because he knows the value of a smart employee. Those that are “valuable” get paid a lot and are treated very well, those that are not... are asked to move on.
I am a cheap as they come. I saved money when i built a good relationship with a good lbs. i did the math. Good service/knowledge is becoming rare. A wise man supports good service/knowledge when they find it.
Good prices are a dime a dozen. The smart man knows to value good service, and to guard it.
I like modern and vintage sports cars. I have a strong relationship with what are probably the two best mechanics for days (one for the old cars, one for the new). Anyone can buy a nice car, but expert HONEST EXPERT service/skill is rare. I race cars, they race cars. One even worked with trg porsche, and aston martin racing teams. They know their stuff, and we mesh because i respect them, listen, and learn. We are all enthusiests.
Like cars, I like my bikes custom racy, and a bit exotic. The lbs owners/employees that wrench on my bikes, all race bikes. One is the local cyclocross and xc champion. One was a past national road champion. They are also enthusiasts, not just salesman. Their good advice has saved me a lot of failures and money. The times i think i knew better, most often i was wrong, and i tell them when it happens.
I buy products like Darimo because they are small enough, and passionate enough to care to listen to my design requests... incorperating what they know will work, shooting down what will not work. They are enthusiasts, sharing a love of engineering as i do.
In cars and bikes, i reasearch, i question, i listen, and i learn. And i am learning from some of the best. The value on that is hard to price.
I befrended a university engineering proff who taught me the math to calculate engine combistion efficiency. He is an enthusiast, and we talk engine design over coffee. I befrended an ibm programmer who studied air/fuel models for porsche 911’s as a hobby, and made a custom intake/fuel system that he now sells. He is an enthusiast.
I learned from these guys... and worked with a man that built exhausts and mufflers his entire life. I studied the engine design of my 911, and designed the best performing muffler/headers i have seen to date. My cars engine makes more power on 91 octane fuel than any other similar engine to date. Strangers in the 911 world now call me for engine build advice.
People can buy ferraris, dogmas. I would rather find the people who engineer and build those products with love, and with their help, learn how to build something even faster. It is half the fun of the hobby.
Support a knowledgable enthusiast lbs, listen, and learn... it will save both money, and give you free knowledge/wisdom.