Bike Shop Pinball
Just a quick post to express some anguish over local bike shops ...
My bike has been in the shop a lot lately and it's getting old. The worst part is that no matter what shop I take it to I feel like I have maybe a 50% chance that the bike is going to be returned in good shape.
So I figured I'd do a quick run-down of the local shops I've been to and the problems I've had.
Two Wheels One Planet:
I took my old Trek hardtail there once and that was enough. I think I took it in for some drive train work and it came back in _worse_ shape compared to when I took it in. The shifting was horrible when I got it back and it convinced me to NEVER take ANYTHING to that shop again.
I just remember dropping the bike off and the mechanic in the back was some old Mexican guy that looked like he just crossed over from Tijuana. I remember thinking, "_He_ is the main guy? He looks like a coffee farmer, not a bike mechanic!"
RYAN SHOP RANK: [ 1/10 - I feel bad giving them a zero. ]
The Path:
I've only had one bike experience at The Path. I bought my singlespeed there and while they did a good job with the new chain and new free-wheel, it was a little concerning that when I picked it up, the stem was loose and the handlebars were far from perpendicular to the wheel.
It took them 15 minutes to fix it for me.
I'm constantly in awe at how bike shops can give me a bike that is so obviously not ready to go. This seems to happen over and over and over.
RYAN SHOP RANK: [ 7/10 - Service ain't the best in the store, but they kept in touch on the phone and know their stuff. ]
Rock and Road (Mission Viejo):
This is the place I've been to the most. It's funny considering how much time I spend in that store that I still feel like I'm giving them a hard time. The other day I ended up standing by the service area waiting for help for maybe 15 minutes before I had to go approach someone.
It's really annoying to see 6-8 people mill around aimlessly ignoring you. Why should I have to approach _anyone_ when I'm the only guy in the store?! Whatever.
The real meat is the bike work. I'm willing to put up with mediocre service (they are always mediocre at best) if the bike comes back good. Heck, I'm even willing to pay more, if the bike would just come back _good_.
Most recently I dropped off the bike on a Saturday and got it back a week later. The reason? They put my bike in a closet and forgot about it. Then when I come to pick it up they roll out someone else's bike. Oops!
Mistakes happen, but they seem to happen more often at Rock and Road. The thing that bothers me the most about this shop is the lack of communication. If they say they're going to call you, chances are they aren't. Especially when ordering a part. I'm still waiting for a call about my new clips for my shoes. Hahaha. It's been 6 months now? Haha.
Overall my experience has been positive concerning the condition of the bike after a repair. I need to start requesting mechanics in the same way that guys request a barber when getting a haircut.
RYAN SHOP RANK: [ 6/10 - I'm tired of the one guy that gives me dirty looks when I come in. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! Also please listen to me when I talk about repairs I want and then do them. Don't listen and then scribble nonsense no one can read later. ]
The Bike Company:
This is starting to become my favorite shop. They screwed up once recently on me, but overall it's been good. It's such a small shop that every time I go in I'm usually the only guy there. The big problem though is the "outsider" feeling and the fact that if there is someone else in the shop, it takes _forever_ for someone to help me.
Having said all that, the last 3-4 times I've dropped off my bike, it's come back in great shape. I still have the problem of a mechanic writing down gibberish, but whatever. I mean how hard is it to listen to me and then write down intelligent notes that someone else can act on?
I can just imagine a mechanic getting the slip for my bike and reading this:
"AKSJDKS BRAKES JAHH"
I mean what does he think when he sees that? "I'll just mess with the brakes I guess"
RYAN SHOP RANK: [8/10 - I'm a little pissed I asked them to look at my drive train and they did nothing, but otherwise they've been a lot better than the other shops.]
Overall my two biggest complaints are quality control and service in general. I can put up with being talked down to. I can put up with arrogance. I can't put up with not being talked to at all. Lots of shops suffer from this.
Quality control is the other issue. I mean how hard is it to _ride_ my bike before giving it back to me? Or having a peer review to make sure the guy did the right work on my bike?
I guess the lesson here is to learn how to do the work myself so I don't have to depend on other people to keep my bike running well.
Ugh.
My bike has been in the shop a lot lately and it's getting old. The worst part is that no matter what shop I take it to I feel like I have maybe a 50% chance that the bike is going to be returned in good shape.
So I figured I'd do a quick run-down of the local shops I've been to and the problems I've had.
Two Wheels One Planet:
I took my old Trek hardtail there once and that was enough. I think I took it in for some drive train work and it came back in _worse_ shape compared to when I took it in. The shifting was horrible when I got it back and it convinced me to NEVER take ANYTHING to that shop again.
I just remember dropping the bike off and the mechanic in the back was some old Mexican guy that looked like he just crossed over from Tijuana. I remember thinking, "_He_ is the main guy? He looks like a coffee farmer, not a bike mechanic!"
RYAN SHOP RANK: [ 1/10 - I feel bad giving them a zero. ]
The Path:
I've only had one bike experience at The Path. I bought my singlespeed there and while they did a good job with the new chain and new free-wheel, it was a little concerning that when I picked it up, the stem was loose and the handlebars were far from perpendicular to the wheel.
It took them 15 minutes to fix it for me.
I'm constantly in awe at how bike shops can give me a bike that is so obviously not ready to go. This seems to happen over and over and over.
RYAN SHOP RANK: [ 7/10 - Service ain't the best in the store, but they kept in touch on the phone and know their stuff. ]
Rock and Road (Mission Viejo):
This is the place I've been to the most. It's funny considering how much time I spend in that store that I still feel like I'm giving them a hard time. The other day I ended up standing by the service area waiting for help for maybe 15 minutes before I had to go approach someone.
It's really annoying to see 6-8 people mill around aimlessly ignoring you. Why should I have to approach _anyone_ when I'm the only guy in the store?! Whatever.
The real meat is the bike work. I'm willing to put up with mediocre service (they are always mediocre at best) if the bike comes back good. Heck, I'm even willing to pay more, if the bike would just come back _good_.
Most recently I dropped off the bike on a Saturday and got it back a week later. The reason? They put my bike in a closet and forgot about it. Then when I come to pick it up they roll out someone else's bike. Oops!
Mistakes happen, but they seem to happen more often at Rock and Road. The thing that bothers me the most about this shop is the lack of communication. If they say they're going to call you, chances are they aren't. Especially when ordering a part. I'm still waiting for a call about my new clips for my shoes. Hahaha. It's been 6 months now? Haha.
Overall my experience has been positive concerning the condition of the bike after a repair. I need to start requesting mechanics in the same way that guys request a barber when getting a haircut.
RYAN SHOP RANK: [ 6/10 - I'm tired of the one guy that gives me dirty looks when I come in. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! Also please listen to me when I talk about repairs I want and then do them. Don't listen and then scribble nonsense no one can read later. ]
The Bike Company:
This is starting to become my favorite shop. They screwed up once recently on me, but overall it's been good. It's such a small shop that every time I go in I'm usually the only guy there. The big problem though is the "outsider" feeling and the fact that if there is someone else in the shop, it takes _forever_ for someone to help me.
Having said all that, the last 3-4 times I've dropped off my bike, it's come back in great shape. I still have the problem of a mechanic writing down gibberish, but whatever. I mean how hard is it to listen to me and then write down intelligent notes that someone else can act on?
I can just imagine a mechanic getting the slip for my bike and reading this:
"AKSJDKS BRAKES JAHH"
I mean what does he think when he sees that? "I'll just mess with the brakes I guess"
RYAN SHOP RANK: [8/10 - I'm a little pissed I asked them to look at my drive train and they did nothing, but otherwise they've been a lot better than the other shops.]
Overall my two biggest complaints are quality control and service in general. I can put up with being talked down to. I can put up with arrogance. I can't put up with not being talked to at all. Lots of shops suffer from this.
Quality control is the other issue. I mean how hard is it to _ride_ my bike before giving it back to me? Or having a peer review to make sure the guy did the right work on my bike?
I guess the lesson here is to learn how to do the work myself so I don't have to depend on other people to keep my bike running well.
Ugh.
posted by prevents email spam at
1:33 PM
2 Comments:
Jax Irvine - 0/10
Well written article.
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