Stuff they tell you in the LBS

[rogerzilla]

Today, I got, 'RaceBlades ruin your brakes'

There's some truth in that.  Bikes with mudguards get through pads and rims quicker because the dirty water gets recycled onto the rim.  A bike without mudguards puts half of it up your back instead.

[clarion]

I'm not sure it was a good argument for the Crud they were trying to sell me...

[Chris N]

The only LBS I trust not give shit advice is 120 miles from my house. 

I thought about asking him why - I'm sure the reply would have been dazzling - but I didn't have the time.

Lathe-turned spacers will be 'squarer' then cheap saw cut spacers. It's worth facing your ahead stems too, to make sure your headset lasts longer.

[Clandy]

I was told by 'staff' in two large chains that 'There's no such thing as a 20" inner with a Presta valve…', both said as I was standing there with Moulton and 20" presta valved inners...

[Deano]

I thought about asking him why - I'm sure the reply would have been dazzling - but I didn't have the time.

Lathe-turned spacers will be 'squarer' then cheap saw cut spacers. It's worth facing your ahead stems too, to make sure your headset lasts longer.

Point taken - but the ones they did flog me aren't that crap.  They're just not as boutique as the Hope ones, where I would have paid 4 times as much, and ended up with a handful of spacers which I neither wanted nor needed.

[Deano]

I've remembered another - when my sister was looking for a bike, we went into EBC in Byker, and she found a nice bike which she liked, but I suggested that the reach might have been a bit too much, so if they could fit a shorter stem, that would be better.

The spotty youth told me that adjustable stems only come in that size.

[Deano]

This minipump comfortably goes to 160 bar with just a few strokes!

!!!

I'm not sure I've ever achieved 80psi with a minipump. 160 bar would be 'interesting'...

160 bar! That's the sort of technology that would Make Britain Great again.

[hellymedic]

My mummy told me you have to hear a lot before your ears drop off...

[Rhys W]

Today, I got, 'RaceBlades ruin your brakes'

There's some truth in that.  Bikes with mudguards get through pads and rims quicker because the dirty water gets recycled onto the rim.  A bike without mudguards puts half of it up your back instead.

RaceBlades stop short of the brake. So all the dirty water gets sprayed up into the callipers, which may well shorten their useful life.

[Euan Uzami]

"SRAM mechs are definitely compatible with shimano shifters".

I was told some other bollocks recently as well and I can remember arguing quite vocally at the time but I can't remember what it was, it'll come to me soon ish....

[Regulator]

I'm missing out.  My local bike shops are, on the whole, very good.

And if Corridori were my LBS I'd be delighted.  Paul Smith is very good at stopping you spending money when you don;t need to.

[Hummers]

2006 and wishing to buy a custom handbuilt wheelset, I decided to give two of my LBSs a chance.

First LBS:

"Yeah, sorry we haven't got back to you but it's been manic here the last 2 weeks. So, that's two hand built wheels, one with a SUN (!) dynohub and the other with a 105 9 speed hub (so you'll have to upgrade your shifters too). That'll be £286 including VAT but as 
Open Pros don't come in 36 spokes, it'll be 32"

Second LBS:
"A dynohub!? Wow, how do they work then?"

After advice from someone on here, I bought that wheelset from Spa; SON/Ultegra on Chrina 36 hole rims £186 or there abouts.

I do use Cycle World when buying small components and clothing but never go in there unless I know what I want. 
 
H

[Woofage]

I'm missing out.  My local bike shops are, on the whole, very good.

I am lucky now to have 2. One is sh*t (see post above). The other, a recent addition, seems OK. I've had 3 jobs done by them so far (a rear hub overhaul, a fork crown removal and headset cup removal) with no problems .

[TimO]

... This minipump comfortably goes to 160 bar with just a few strokes!

Amazingly someone using my Lezyne minipump on a FNRttC got Simon's fairy visited wheel up to 150psi.  Having said that, he was a mad high-speed pumpist, and I could never achieve that.  I normally decided it's good enough at around 90psi (and these days use a CO₂ cartridge if possible).  It most certainly wasn't "a few strokes" !

I can't remember an LBS saying anything quite as ludicrous as people have listed, but I hardly ever use one these days, I buy most of my stuff online, and assemble it myself.  I only use my LBS (Evans!) when I need something in an emergency.  I know that's a little immoral, since there's an argument that say the LBS won't be there when I need it, but I don't think any argument involving morals applies to Evans.

[MSeries]

This minipump comfortably goes to 160 bar with just a few strokes!

!!!

I'm not sure I've ever achieved 80psi with a minipump. 160 bar would be 'interesting'...

160 bar! That's the sort of technology that would Make Britain Great again.

The tube and tyre would be very heavy i think and probably not do a great deal to make the ride more comfortable than a solid wheel & tyre (such as a cartwheel)

[oncemore]

"Less than £x really isn't worth spending, TBH"

Where x = 10% more than the figure you gave when asked "how much do you want to spend (on a bike, a chainset, an inner tube.......)?"

Most amusing when in response to "a bike for about 500 quid" situation.

[Steve Kish]

You can't service SPD pedals.  You have to just throw them away and buy another pair.

'I can't be fussed with the problems you're having with a £300 pair of wheels as I'm selling bikes worth thousands and can't afford to have my staff talking to you for 15 minutes trying to help you' ...... this one was from the owner of an LBS that I certainly wouldn't use again!

[jogler]

'I can't be fussed with the problems you're having with a £300 pair of wheels as I'm selling bikes worth thousands and can't afford to have my staff talking to you for 15 minutes trying to help you' ...... this one was from the owner of an LBS that I certainly wouldn't use again!

such a retailer is hardly deserving of customers.I would not want to favour such a bigot with my custom.
Care to name & shame?

[TimO]

You can't service SPD pedals.  You have to just throw them away and buy another pair.

That's clearly nonsense, although with £20 M520s it's arguably not worth servicing them, since the tools and bearings are a significant chunk of the cost of a new set of pedals.

(...and with a new set of M520s you also get a new set of cleats, which alone would cost more than half the cost of the pedals!)

"Not worth servicing" is not the same as "you can't service them" however, and of course some SPDs cost a lot more than a set of M520s.

[Zoidburg]

Bar tape costs £17 because it is "special" and "costs have gone up with the recession don't you know".

I will have the £6 bog standard stuff behind you on the shelf instead thanks.

[Deano]

This minipump comfortably goes to 160 bar with just a few strokes!

!!!

I'm not sure I've ever achieved 80psi with a minipump. 160 bar would be 'interesting'...

160 bar! That's the sort of technology that would Make Britain Great again.

The tube and tyre would be very heavy i think and probably not do a great deal to make the ride more comfortable than a solid wheel & tyre (such as a cartwheel)

OK - you build it and I'll ride it we'll find someone mad enough to ride it.  I'm not sure I'd trust the rims to stand up to the pressure.

[Steve Kish]

Care to name & shame?

Normally, I'd do this and even post them on Google Map, but in this instance, I'll decline for two reasons:-

1.  I did get a full refund.

2.  I remember the owner as a fellow time triallist in the 1980s and despite my opinion of him as a retailer (and indeed, his voiced opinion of me as a customer), I wouldn't want his business to suffer from my presence there - he has been good to me in the past and whilst I won't go there again, I'm content to consider this as a 'one-off'.

What I will say is that the name of his shop certainly didn't reflect his attitude in this instance.

Nuff said!!

.........................................

One of the reasons (apart from the obvious one) that I buy from Lidl and Aldi is that the assistants there don't have a clue as to the suitability or performance of their cycling items, so it's 100% down to the buyer to know this before they shell out.

[gordon taylor]

I think a thread by cycle retailers entitled "Stuff they ask you" might be funny too.

[Ray 6701]

Wanting one quickly & working in Mordor.

Me: Do you have a bracket for a Garmin eTrex.
Bike shop boy: You can't use one of those on a bike  

It was Evans in Birmingham though!

Birmingham city cycles have been very good as have Sheffield cycles in Burton on Trent  

[MSeries]

One of the reasons (apart from the obvious one) that I buy from Lidl and Aldi is that the assistants there don't have a clue as to the suitability or performance of their cycling items, so it's 100% down to the buyer to know this before they shell out.

That's the opinion I have of most workers in bike shops and this thread seems to be endorsing it.