Local Bicycle Shop

Elmo · May 31, 2010

O.K. guys take it easy on me. I went to the lbs last week to buy a widget for my M.B.
and the owner stopped me and asked if I would work there for a week. Seems that he was between bike mechanics and had a serious pile of bikes waiting for repairs. Took me five days but I got it cleaned up. BTW I didn't get to work on the $4000.00 carbonfiber road bike.
Most of the guys that come in there know me and wanted to know about the MotorBicycle chained to a pole in front of the store, the chashier said probably 95 people went over and looked at it. One guy came in and asked if it was mine and then said "You are the smartazz that pulled up beside me going up a hill at 24mph, spoke and then rolled on the gas and pulled away. He was one of the diehard roadies like I used to be. .trk

deacon · Jun 1, 2010

At least you spoke to him..... You know we try to be nice, but they see us that way I'm sure. Those hills cant be fun for anyone, not even the most dedicated.

Last week my ebike had battery wiring problems about a mile from home. I was on the flattest part of my ride so I pedaled it some of the way home. I did have to drag it up one hill. I was thinking as I pedaled, with a lighter bike with gears I could just ride it. Maybe I don't really need all this hassle, then I got to the one small hill and quickly realized how much work it would be to ride the really big hills around my place. Not the take a deep breath and pedal your butt off ones, but the five block uphill grades we have around here. I would be back in the hospital again. I know younger tougher guys do it but they are dressed to bike not communte to work.

Buzzard · Jun 1, 2010

I rode my motorbike down to the local bike shop the other day to pick up a rear tail light parked by the bike rack by the front door with all the new shiny bikes all lined up in a neat row, went inside and made my purchase and looked around for a little while. When I came back out my bike was gone. MY Old heart hit bottom. I stood there looking around then I saw it, it was parked on the other side of the parking lot up against a dumpster. I thought the worst when I walked over but the engine was cold so no one had rode it. I guess they didnt' appreciate me parking with all the new fancy road bikes.

Save the earth its the only planet with chocolate.

deacon · Jun 1, 2010

Now that was rude. When I ride to the bike shop, I park right in front of the door. I usually in there no more than a couplle of minutes,.

GoFastBicycles · Jun 1, 2010

Buzzard said:
I rode my motorbike down to the local bike shop the other day to pick up a rear tail light parked by the bike rack by the front door with all the new shiny bikes all lined up in a neat row, went inside and made my purchase and looked around for a little while. When I came back out my bike was gone. MY Old heart hit bottom. I stood there looking around then I saw it, it was parked on the other side of the parking lot up against a dumpster. I thought the worst when I walked over but the engine was cold so no one had rode it. I guess they didnt' appreciate me parking with all the new fancy road bikes.

Save the earth its the only planet with chocolate.

Buzz ya kept your cool me I would have lost it on the SOB that moved my ride, Could you even imagine what they would have done to you if ya moved one of their bikes. Fools thats what they is.

Adam

Buzzard · Jun 1, 2010

IF I"d had my 4wd PU instead of the motorbike I would have done the Smokey & The Bandit thing and took out the whole damn row.
THE older you get I just let it roll off my shoulders.

Life isn't like a box of chocolates...
It's more like a jalapeno pepper...
What you do today, could burn your butt tomorrow....!

deacon · Jun 1, 2010

my wife says it's our testosterone level dropping lol.

Kevlarr · Jun 1, 2010

Last year when I took my bike up to the LBS everyone there kind of gave me the evil eye until shop owner came out and asked me to bring it inside so he could get a better look at it. We stood there with him (and a few of the ones that originally gave me the eye) asking me questions about it for a good half hour.

Found out there's a new bike shop a few miles away in the next town over and they're a Felt dealer. Gave 'em a call today to see if I could get some cream Thick Bricks directly from them and when I told the guy what they were for he was all kinds of interested.

bairdco · Jun 2, 2010

back in the old timey bmx days, i had my 600 dollar JMC flipped upside down outside of 7-11, 'cause that was the style back then, and i was getting a slurpee. one of my buddy's thought it would be funny to hide my bike behind the store.

so i go out, "ha ha, real funny" 'cause i knew he did it, and we go around the store and my bike's gone for reals.

some opportunist jumped on it and rode it away.

the happy ending part came about a week later, when me and my older brother and about 5 other people saw my bike parked out in front of the arcade. not only did the guy that stole it had to walk home, but he had trouble walking, too...

if someone at a bikeshop moved my bike, and adding insult to injury, leaned it up against a dumpster, i would declare war on that shop and every roadie in it. the streets would run red with roadie blood (and yellow and pink with ripped spandex.)

BarelyAWake · Jun 3, 2010

I'm so thankful that of the two bike shops around here, one is mildly disinterested (shop is lame anyway lol) and the other is so interested I hafta hide my own bike else I'd not get any shopping done heh

robin · Jun 3, 2010

The shop i go to is also spandex heaven but they used to sell motorcycles in the 80's--i have a registered motorcycle mechanic work on mine most of the time--they got out of motorcycles because they dont go thru parts as fast and we are a triathalete city--as we know you can buy lots of parts in a year if you ride these things hard.They also got out of cross country skies as they will last a lifetime.

Buzzard · Jun 4, 2010

I rode with a spandex crowd a few years back. Bought a Titanium framed road bike ultra weight about 18lbs. Started working out, joined a gym to get in shape for some hard riding. I joined the club and really got involved. The club rides were about how fast you could get from point A to point B. Everybody was a Tour deFrance wannabe. We rode wheel to wheel at around 70-75 strokes a minute never looked up just ride like there was no tomorrow. At the club meetings at one of the local shops all the talk would be about the latest carbon fiber bikes, tubeless tires, and how many grams you could save on your next investment for your bike. Boy was I out of my league! Sold it all and bought a nice touring bike and a Bobs trailer. Went touring solo. Took rides covering anywhere from a couple hundred miles to over 1000. Camped out, stopped in small towns Ma&Pa diners, took showers at car washes, and met other people touring -- some of the nicest people you could meet. Just relaxed and set a pace that was comfortable for all day. Coming back from a long tour I met a couple guys riding Bentz they had small motors on them and I asked how this worked and they said when I get tired of pedaliing I fire up the motor. I began thinking these old legs are getting tired too, and I'm gonna check this out. This is how I got into motorbiking. So to me its just different strokes for different folks. I'm working to motorize another touring bike and see how it will work out.

Michigan Mike · Jun 6, 2010

Buzzard said:
I rode with a spandex crowd a few years back. Bought a Titanium framed road bike ultra weight about 18lbs. Started working out, joined a gym to get in shape for some hard riding. I joined the club and really got involved. The club rides were about how fast you could get from point A to point B. Everybody was a Tour deFrance wannabe. We rode wheel to wheel at around 70-75 strokes a minute never looked up just ride like there was no tomorrow. At the club meetings at one of the local shops all the talk would be about the latest carbon fiber bikes, tubeless tires, and how many grams you could save on your next investment for your bike. Boy was I out of my league! Sold it all and bought a nice touring bike and a Bobs trailer. Went touring solo. Took rides covering anywhere from a couple hundred miles to over 1000. Camped out, stopped in small towns Ma&Pa diners, took showers at car washes, and met other people touring -- some of the nicest people you could meet. Just relaxed and set a pace that was comfortable for all day. Coming back from a long tour I met a couple guys riding Bentz they had small motors on them and I asked how this worked and they said when I get tired of pedaliing I fire up the motor. I began thinking these old legs are getting tired too, and I'm gonna check this out. This is how I got into motorbiking. So to me its just different strokes for different folks. I'm working to motorize another touring bike and see how it will work out.

Buzzard,
Great story. I could pretty much relate the same history with fly fishing. Now I enjoy just taking it easy on the fish ... and me.

deacon · Jun 6, 2010

If I had the resources, I would love to ride from one campground to the next on a bike. Do twenty or thirty miles a day period. Just go for the fun of it all, no schedule, no agenda, just move every day. Well all the ones that weren't raining.

Every town no matter how small has a convenience store with mircrowave sandwiches these days. I have plenty of trailers.

If I had a big enough battery pack, I could go from one charger to another I suppose. Ride till I could find a place to recharge. I am trying to manage the battery consumption not just from the bigger pack but also maximum efficiency motor to pedal assist ratio.

paul · Feb 2, 2013

i was in bike shop today and heard these guys talking about some guy with big tires on a cruiser so i had to listen,. the one guy was saying "honest its an older guy with a bit of a beer gut and he was pedaling up the mountain on north shore road at 25mph because i clocked him with my car. his legs were just a spinning on that bike and it was a big heavy bike. i have never seen anything like it" i had to say something because when they said the bike had big creme color tires i knew they were talking about me. i just said "i seen him to its amazing". the owner of the shop knew they were talking about my electric bike and was chuckling behind the counter. stealth and electric bikes are a blast

azbill · Feb 3, 2013

@ Paul

Velodrome · Feb 7, 2013

OH! Thats a good one!

bigbutterbean · Feb 12, 2013

I have had the somewhat dubious pleasure of living near 5 different bike shops during my time as a motorbiker. The first one was ok, he didn't have anything against me as a motorbiker. He wouldn't let my bike in the shop because of the gas, and he wouldn't work on my motorbike because he said his insurance would not allow it. He was a nice enough guy, and was more than willing to order parts for me. The second was owned by a man who used to know my father. They treated me very well, and replaced a bottom bracket for me once. I wish I still lived near that one. The 3rd was not of much help to me. I bought tires there, but never anything else. They catered to the high end roadie and hipster crowds. The 4th and 5th, both of which I live near now, are different stories altogether. The one closest to my house caters to the high end crowd and the bmx racers. The owner does not like to help me very much. He once told me he didn't have a spoke wrench for 12g spokes when I went to have a wheel trued. The other one does not know that I am motorized, but they want $20 to true a wheel that is not even very out of true. They are nice people though, but I may drive a bit further for lower prices.

Goat Herder · Feb 12, 2013

20 dollars to re-true a wheel is pretty cheep. It is not to hard tho really to learn to re-true your wheels. I have worked on my own stuff for years. IMOE I can't stand to let anybody touch my bikes peddled or motored. The old adage want it done right? Do it your self!

bigbutterbean · Feb 12, 2013

Goat Herder said:
20 dollars to re-true a wheel is pretty cheep. It is not to hard tho really to learn to re-true your wheels. I have worked on my own stuff for years. IMOE I can't stand to let anybody touch my bikes peddled or motored. The old adage want it done right? Do it your self!

If I had a wheel to practice on I'd give it a go. I tried a little on the wheel I wanted done, wasn't doing so hot so I stopped.

Local Bicycle Shop

New Member

minor bike philosopher

Member

minor bike philosopher

New Member

Member

minor bike philosopher

New Member

a guy who makes cool bikes

New Member

Member

Member

New Member

minor bike philosopher

Well-Known Member

Active Member

Well-Known Member

Active Member

Gutter Rider

Active Member