A tale of two bike shops

[SAR_boats]

A tale of two bike shops (or, How not to keep a customer)

Once upon a time there was a mountain biker who was building up a singlespeed 29er. He searched around to find good prices on what he thought were the best components available. Being without a truing stand he went to a well recommended bike shop to get his wheels built. He provided all the parts needed to build the wheels, except for nipples and spokes, and dropped off everything to have his wheels built.

He also, since he was well and truly bitten by the upgrade bug, dropped off a second set of wheels to be built as commuter wheels for his 26er hardtail.
A few days later he received a call from the well respected bike shop, where they told him that the rear hoop for the 26er was beyond repair and couldn't be built. And they couldn't get a replacement wheel in the same color.

Being as how his 26er was his baby (he even named it after a famed 1967 Shelby GT500 or a 1973 Mustang Mach 1, depending on your point of view) he wanted the wheels to match, front and rear, so he decided to replace both front and rear. He asked if he could just get the original wheels trued and returned and get a new set built with the new hoops and hubs and was told by the well respected bike shop that the original wheels had already been disassembled and the front had already been built with the older rim.
He was also told that he would be charged for an additional wheel disassembly and an additional wheel build and the rims, since this particular shop doesn't ever give discounts on labor. By this time the mountain biker had visions of his bank account bleeding to death, but being a professional mechanic himself, he realized that the techs who were building the wheels had to make a living too, so he agreed to the extra charges.

Days passed and finally both wheels were done. When picked up he was given the 2 sets of wheels, and the frame that he had cranks installed on. He paid the bill (and thought of how his wife was going to kill him) loaded the car and returned home. Upon unloading everything he realized to his dismay that the shop had forgotten to return his original hubs, rims, cranks and bottom bracket, but he also realized that he wasn't dealing with car mechanics who by law have to return original parts to the owner, or get a signed waiver for said parts. So he figured "my bad, I assumed they would give them back" and called the shop. The shop searched for, and finally found the parts and set them aside for pick-up, and the protagonist of our story drove back to the shop and picked them up.

The rest of the build went smoothly and soon the 29er was ready for its maiden voyage. It was late in the day, so it would have to wait. For the next 2 days all he could think of was taking his new ride out for a spin. He didn't want to take it on dirt yet, as that is not the place to have components break, so he took his new ride on a nice leisurely 10mi run on the road. Since he was running new wheels, and riding one handed, curb hucks were not happening. At the end of the ride he noticed that the front tire had a wobble in it that wasn't there before. He figured that he just hadn't noticed it but after checking the rim, he realized the front wheel had a 1/2" wobble in it, and the rear wheel had a wobble too. Again, being a mechanic himself, he knew that, just like an engine, everything has to seat into it's place. He called the well respected bike shop and told them he had a wobble in the wheel and asked them if they could check it and re-tension the spokes. They said sure, bring them in. He then remembered that he shouldn't assume anything so he then asked "the re-tension is covered under the price of the original wheel build, right?" He was told that no, it would be $39. He talked to the head guy at the shop who told him "If you had bought the rims from us then we would cover it, but since you didn't you're responsible for payment" he told him that it was just a case of the spokes and nipples seating and should be covered under the original build. The reply was "I built that wheelset myself and the rims were not true to begin with. We will cover the rims you bought from us but since you brought the 29er wheels in, we can't cover them"

Again, being a former machinist and knowing that no matter what the tolerances of anything fabricated are; they are never perfect, including bicycle rims the main character thought "this is bull$hit". and took the wheels to another shop. Not only did the new shop cost $19 less, but they also stated that had he used them to build the wheels, that the first couple of re-tensions would be on the house, since that is part of building wheels.

The main character was happy because he found a new local bike shop, but sad because he had spent almost $1000 in parts and service over the last 2 weeks at the other one. His wheels were ready the same day and they were straight and true. He was informed that they may need another re-tension and to bring them back in for the re-tension, which would be free.

The End

In case you were wondering, the main character is yours truly.

The "New favorite bike shop" mentioned is Switchback Cyclery in Orange. Although since they are so close together I will probably switch off between Adrenaline Bikes and Switchback Cyclery. The only reason why I didn't go with Adrenaline is because it was uncertain whether or not the wheels would be done by Thursday

And if anyone from the "Well respected bike shop" is reading this (you know who you are): as 2 Wheel Lee says, "One lick from the lollipop of mediocrity and you suck forever" you lost a customer

[project_d]

That is a long, but well-worth-reading story. I'm glad to hear that you have found a shop that has made you happy, and a shop that seems to fit your needs. The only problem with your story is that everybody who reads this is going to want to know who the "well respected bike shop" is who ripped you off! I promise not to repeat the name if it's PM'd to me...just a thought.

[SAR_boats]

Originally Posted by project_d

That is a long, but well-worth-reading story. I'm glad to hear that you have found a shop that has made you happy, and a shop that seems to fit your needs. The only problem with your story is that everybody who reads this is going to want to know who the "well respected bike shop" is who ripped you off! I promise not to repeat the name if it's PM'd to me...just a thought.

I have no problem telling people who the shop is that screwed me but I have enough respect for them that I won't do it publicly.

[tkblazer]

i'm gonna guess its The ____ Bike Shop

[roadkillross]

well im sure eventually the world will get out, good to know that you are respectful, i could see that in you

[ghixon]

The glorious worlds of customer service and the almighty dollar collide again....

Glad to hear you finally got everything resolved and are back out on the trails. Gotta let us know how the 29er is riding.

[TURNERob]

I think it is pretty obvious who the other shop is. Sorry you had problems with them. I just used them for the 1st time recently to rebuild one of my I-9 wheels and it came out perfect, they were very professional.

[Kid A]

ouch - am sure i know who they are as well and if right feel bad as I think i introduced them to you glad i at least bought lunch that day

maybe they are growing a bit too fast? Overall while not perfect (nor do i belive other LBS's are or any business) i am pretty happy with my experiences there (enuff to have sticker on my rig).

[SAR_boats]

Originally Posted by TURNERob

I think it is pretty obvious who the other shop is. Sorry you had problems with them. I just used them for the 1st time recently to rebuild one of my I-9 wheels and it came out perfect, they were very professional.

I guess if everyone had problems with them they wouldn't be in business. For their part, they were professional about the transactions (i.e. the conversations never got out of hand) , but perhaps too corporate and more concerned about cash than service.

[dstepper]

In my experience sometimes trying to save money (re-using parts) does not always save money. I don't blame them for not standing behind parts that are not new, they did not sell you...they have no idea of the punishment those rims and hubs have been thru. It is also my experience that bike shops treat me much better when I buy bikes from them.

Dean

[SAR_boats]

Originally Posted by Kid A

ouch - am sure i know who they are as well and if right feel bad as I think i introduced them to you glad i at least bought lunch that day

maybe they are growing a bit too fast?

Don't feel bad that you introduced me to them. You acted in good faith and I can't hold that against you.

Maybe they are growing too fast, maybe they are feeling the sting of the economic slow-down, maybe the individuals I spoke with were having a bad day. But I do know that milking a guy for an extra 40 bones isn't the way to build customer loyalty, especially when there are competing shops within a 10mi radius

[mechmann]

great example for why i build all my own wheels

actually, i do all the work on my own bikes. the only tool i don't have is a headset press and my LBS lets me borrow one whenever I need it.

i do rely on others to do fork and shock rebuilds. that is something that i should rectify, just haven't gotten around to that.

[Pho'dUp]

Wow. Quite the story. But I'm a little confused though, were the all rims (26" and 29") brand new and never built?

[SAR_boats]

Originally Posted by dstepper

In my experience sometimes trying to save money (re-using parts) does not always save money. I don't blame them for not standing behind parts that are not new, they did not sell you...they have no idea of the punishment those rims and hubs have been thru. It is also my experience that bike shops treat me much better when I buy bikes from them.

Dean

I see your point, and the bike shop that I bought 2 of my bikes from treated me very well until they went out of business.
However, just because I haven't bought a bike there does not mean I have to put up with sub-standard service. It is their priviledge to have me as a customer, not the other way around.
If they weren't going to stand behind the wheels, why did they build them? If the rims were shot (which the 29ers aren't, still not sure about the 26ers) why didn't they tell me (preferably before they tore them apart)?

By the way, the hubs were brand new.

Originally Posted by Pho'dUp

Wow. Quite the story. But I'm a little confused though, were the all rims (26" and 29") brand new and never built?

No. The 29er rims were used, with new hubs provided for them.
The 26" rims were used except for the front hub.

Originally Posted by mechmann

great example for why i build all my own wheels

actually, i do all the work on my own bikes. the only tool i don't have is a headset press and my LBS lets me borrow one whenever I need it.

i do rely on others to do fork and shock rebuilds. that is something that i should rectify, just haven't gotten around to that.

I would (and used to) but I have a hard enough time just doing the routine maintenence and parts swaps. I'm sure lacing up a wheel one-handed is no fun.

[allison]

Originally Posted by tkblazer

i'm gonna guess its The ____ Bike Shop

I don't live in OC and don't know anyone personally in the story, but after the first few lines I could tell that much...

BTW, stuff like this is the reason hubby bought himself a truing stand and builds our wheels himself. He's built at least 5 sets of wheels so far, so it's probably been worth the price.

[2wheel_lee]

I'm also sorry to hear about your frustrations. From what you said, I guess you're an auto mechanic...where? (PM me)

It sounds like they should have been upfront on what their wheel builds include or don't include. They should have been clear what their liabilities were when you brought in the components, so you could have made an educated decision on what to do.

I went down a similar path for a set of wheels. Although that was my third set of wheels from them, the person I dealt with this time didn't explain anything, and he didn't know that I knw what it included. He also wrote down black spokes on the workorder instead of the silver I requested. I kept the black, anyway.

I also agree about doing as much work you can yourself. Although The Path has built a few sets of wheels for me, I generally build my own wheels. I once had a set built at Adrenaline, but since I guess the person who built them is probably (hopefully) no longer there, I won't go into that story.

I'm glad that you have a good shop who will take care of you. I've heard many positive comments about Switchback and its staff, including from many members on this board. There's no need to ever look back on the path you traveled.

[ODB]

Originally Posted by Kid A

maybe they are growing a bit too fast? Overall while not perfect pretty happy with my experiences there.

Yes and yes. I've had some, well, interesting interactions with the shop in question (the same person blew a frame sale and budget-SS sale to me on separate occasions; other LBSes got those pieces of business instead), but the positive experiences have far outweighed the negative, and I still buy lots of parts and get nearly all my wrenching done there.

[OMR]

Sherry & Tim at Switchback are special people. Chris, not only do they take care of customers but they put a lot of long hours into making sure the local biking events, such as the Vision Quest, Toad and the Traverse are run properly and have plenty of swag for raffles. Yes, they are in business; but, they are truley givers. FYI: Sherry is the reason that monies from these events are now going to local charities. They have my respect only only as a local bike shop but as people who really care about their customers. Glad you found them!

OMR