LBS won't be getting my business again...
Discussion
I could be wrong. He might have had a perfectly valid point, but the way it was made means that I won't be returning to my (not quite closest) LBS.
I bought a Cube Ltd Race six months ago after a 15 year hiatus from two wheels. I went to my LBS, but they no longer stocked Cube, so I went to the nearest shop that did, having decided that was what I wanted. The sales process wasn't exactly a dream, but I was happy enough.
I've been slack over the winter, a for a whole bunch of reasons (excuses) I didn't go out cycling as planned. With summer on the horizon, and my waistline still a few inches over what it should be, I resolved to get out on the bike at least once or twice a week.
I gave the bike a quick check over last weekend, intending to ease myself back in to things. There was a problem though - the front brake pads were rubbing on the disc. Just a little, but I knew it needed sorting. I looked in the manual, and couldn't see and info on adjustments. I Googled the brakes (Formula RX) - no luck. Well, I was considering some cycling shoes, SPDs, Camelbak... I thought I'd pop down to the shop, ask their opinion and maybe treat myself to some new bits...
On arrival, I wander in and am greeted by the owner. I confess to my laziness over the last few months, and ask for advice on tweaking the front brake. His reply? 'I'm not going to tell you. I've built up (xx) years experience, and if I told you I'd be losing money. I can service the front brake for (a few) quid.' He went on to add 'There's also a risk that if I tell you how to do it, and you do it wrong, you could injure yourself and sue me'.
Granted the bloke has a business to run. However, after spending £1040 with him, am I unreasonable asking for a hint on sorting a minor teething issue?
I couldn't be bother to argue the toss, so I got the bike out of the car and left it with him. He said it would take an hour, then half an hour. I certainly had no intention of browsing, so I went for a walk. Half an hour later and a few quid lighter, I left - the problem seemed to be sorted.
I'd driven my bike to the shop and back (it's not that local), meaning the front wheel had to come off for the journey. I had my suspicions that front wheel position what critical to correct setup, but I was really suprised when on putting the wheel back on, the brake pads were massively out if line. No amount of fiddling seemed to sort it. Damn.
I'd been reluctant throughout to start fiddling myself, never having owned/adjusted disc brakes before, but 'needs must' I thought.
A good look at the set-up, five minutes with some allen keys and job done. Perfect. All it needed was adjustment of the mounting.
I feel a bit of a mug (and fully expect to get called that!) but I learnt a valuable lesson. Modern components aren't all that scary to adjust (not that I'd start mucking around with the forks, for example without a clear idea that I knew roughly what I was going to do), and a bit of common sense can sort out things someone wants to charge me good money for.
I won't name and shame, but I certainly won't be setting foot in a certain LBS ever again. For the sake of 'Just adjust the caliper on the mounting posts' The owner would have got repeat business and recommendations from me (I'd previously recommended him to my boss, who was after a new bike). Poor customer service, or fair play?
Edited for speeling
I bought a Cube Ltd Race six months ago after a 15 year hiatus from two wheels. I went to my LBS, but they no longer stocked Cube, so I went to the nearest shop that did, having decided that was what I wanted. The sales process wasn't exactly a dream, but I was happy enough.
I've been slack over the winter, a for a whole bunch of reasons (excuses) I didn't go out cycling as planned. With summer on the horizon, and my waistline still a few inches over what it should be, I resolved to get out on the bike at least once or twice a week.
I gave the bike a quick check over last weekend, intending to ease myself back in to things. There was a problem though - the front brake pads were rubbing on the disc. Just a little, but I knew it needed sorting. I looked in the manual, and couldn't see and info on adjustments. I Googled the brakes (Formula RX) - no luck. Well, I was considering some cycling shoes, SPDs, Camelbak... I thought I'd pop down to the shop, ask their opinion and maybe treat myself to some new bits...
On arrival, I wander in and am greeted by the owner. I confess to my laziness over the last few months, and ask for advice on tweaking the front brake. His reply? 'I'm not going to tell you. I've built up (xx) years experience, and if I told you I'd be losing money. I can service the front brake for (a few) quid.' He went on to add 'There's also a risk that if I tell you how to do it, and you do it wrong, you could injure yourself and sue me'.
Granted the bloke has a business to run. However, after spending £1040 with him, am I unreasonable asking for a hint on sorting a minor teething issue?
I couldn't be bother to argue the toss, so I got the bike out of the car and left it with him. He said it would take an hour, then half an hour. I certainly had no intention of browsing, so I went for a walk. Half an hour later and a few quid lighter, I left - the problem seemed to be sorted.
I'd driven my bike to the shop and back (it's not that local), meaning the front wheel had to come off for the journey. I had my suspicions that front wheel position what critical to correct setup, but I was really suprised when on putting the wheel back on, the brake pads were massively out if line. No amount of fiddling seemed to sort it. Damn.
I'd been reluctant throughout to start fiddling myself, never having owned/adjusted disc brakes before, but 'needs must' I thought.
A good look at the set-up, five minutes with some allen keys and job done. Perfect. All it needed was adjustment of the mounting.
I feel a bit of a mug (and fully expect to get called that!) but I learnt a valuable lesson. Modern components aren't all that scary to adjust (not that I'd start mucking around with the forks, for example without a clear idea that I knew roughly what I was going to do), and a bit of common sense can sort out things someone wants to charge me good money for.
I won't name and shame, but I certainly won't be setting foot in a certain LBS ever again. For the sake of 'Just adjust the caliper on the mounting posts' The owner would have got repeat business and recommendations from me (I'd previously recommended him to my boss, who was after a new bike). Poor customer service, or fair play?
Edited for speeling
Edited by JulianHJ on Thursday 19th May 13:23
JulianHJ said:
Well, I was considering some cycling shoes, SPDs, Camelbak... I thought I'd pop down to the shop, ask their opinion and maybe treat myself to some new bits...
On arrival, I wonder in and am greeted by the owner. I confess to my laziness over the last few months, and ask for advice on tweaking the front brake. His reply? 'I'm not going to tell you. I've built up (xx) years experience, and if I told you I'd be losing money. I can service the front brake for (a few) quid.' He went on to add 'There's also a risk that if I tell you how to do it, and you do it wrong, you could injure yourself and sue me'.
I think you should have bought the bits first and then started asking for advice, did you remind him where you bought the bike?On arrival, I wonder in and am greeted by the owner. I confess to my laziness over the last few months, and ask for advice on tweaking the front brake. His reply? 'I'm not going to tell you. I've built up (xx) years experience, and if I told you I'd be losing money. I can service the front brake for (a few) quid.' He went on to add 'There's also a risk that if I tell you how to do it, and you do it wrong, you could injure yourself and sue me'.
I bought a pair of Rockshox from my LBS, they were 'out the box' so they were keen to sell and gave me a good price, around £400 IIRC, however I was very peed off when they charged me £1.99 to fit a star nut in the top of the tube!
For this reason I avoid buying stuff from them now unless I'm desperate.
For this reason I avoid buying stuff from them now unless I'm desperate.
piss poor customer service i nmy opinion and sadly all too common. this is why i laugh when people say "always use your LBS rather than the internet/halfords"....
so many of them think that being a bike shop owner is some sort of coveted, mystical post that allows them to pick and choose which of their customers they fawn over and which they are compete w****rs to.
if you are part of their little clique riding club or have spent your mortgage there over twenty years you are generally accepted, everyone else wont get a look in, especially if you turn up with a "solicitors special" thats barely turned a wheel..
i liked the comment about suing him though, like if he did it and bodged it leading to a brake failure, you would in some way not be banging on his door with some form of legal notice?!?!
just go elsewhere, or spend £30 on "Zinn and the art of bicycle maintenance" and never worry about taking your who to use for servicing again....
so many of them think that being a bike shop owner is some sort of coveted, mystical post that allows them to pick and choose which of their customers they fawn over and which they are compete w****rs to.
if you are part of their little clique riding club or have spent your mortgage there over twenty years you are generally accepted, everyone else wont get a look in, especially if you turn up with a "solicitors special" thats barely turned a wheel..
i liked the comment about suing him though, like if he did it and bodged it leading to a brake failure, you would in some way not be banging on his door with some form of legal notice?!?!
just go elsewhere, or spend £30 on "Zinn and the art of bicycle maintenance" and never worry about taking your who to use for servicing again....
The LBS you wondered into, they were the ones that sold you the bike, rather than your usual place that stopped selling them?
If they sold you the bike, then advising how to centre a caliper should really be a bit of friendly advise really, it's a simple little thing (as you found yourself) my LBS would have probably done if for me for the sake of a little after-sales care.
However if it was the 'other' shop, I don't blame them for asking you to pay for the service. LBS's are really getting beaten up by online in these 'difficult times'. It's hard for a business with a shop to run, staff to pay etc to compete with internet retailers with much smaller costs, they have to sell themselves on the customer service and after-sales aspect so to ask them to give this service away for free after you've bought elsewhere (online or elsewhere) is never going to work.
into, they were the ones that sold you the bike, rather than your usual place that stopped selling them?If they sold you the bike, then advising how to centre a caliper should really be a bit of friendly advise really, it's a simple little thing (as you found yourself) my LBS would have probably done if for me for the sake of a little after-sales care.
However if it was the 'other' shop, I don't blame them for asking you to pay for the service. LBS's are really getting beaten up by online in these 'difficult times'. It's hard for a business with a shop to run, staff to pay etc to compete with internet retailers with much smaller costs, they have to sell themselves on the customer service and after-sales aspect so to ask them to give this service away for free after you've bought elsewhere (online or elsewhere) is never going to work.
Hackney said:
Your mistake was to "wonder in", you should have wandered.
Great thread contribution 
The bike shop owner sounds like an arse, however if it wasn't covered in the warranty you must surely expect to pay for a service. The key is to learn to work on your bike yourself.
To stop the brakes rubbing wind out any lever or contact adjustment and check the disk is striaght. Remove wheel and remove pads from caliper, using a screwdriver (flat head) push the piston back into the caliper (both sides if dual piston). Replace pads, wheel and tighten QR, loosen the bolts holding the caliper to the brake adapter, pull the brake and hold it, tighten bolts on the caliper, release brake.
EDIT just read you sorted the rubbing
pablo said:
just go elsewhere, or spend £30 on "Zinn and the art of bicycle maintenance" and never worry about taking your who to use for servicing again....
Is it really worth £30 for a book on bicycle maintenance? And does this particular book cover coaster brakes (assuming you've got a copy), because there's a tweeting noise from the rear hub of my daughter's new (s/h) bike and no amount of oil poured into the crevices seems to have fixed it.oldcynic said:
pablo said:
just go elsewhere, or spend £30 on "Zinn and the art of bicycle maintenance" and never worry about taking your who to use for servicing again....
Is it really worth £30 for a book on bicycle maintenance? And does this particular book cover coaster brakes (assuming you've got a copy), because there's a tweeting noise from the rear hub of my daughter's new (s/h) bike and no amount of oil poured into the crevices seems to have fixed it.http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zinn-Art-Road-Bike-Mainten...
although its very well written, has clear and useful pictures/diagrams, unfortunately it does not cover the rear hub braking mechanisms of childrens bicycles.
Amazing that nothing ever changes. In the mid 90's I started a little business selling bike accessories by mail order, so got a good look inside the industry. This was just in the pre-dawn of the internet, and much was made in the trsde press at the time of the poor levels of services in bike shops. Doesn't sound like anything is any different now. I should have kept on with it; might have out wiggled Wiggle by now 
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