Got my bicycle back from the shop and I'm a little grumbly

"Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo" (akioohtori)
06/17/2020 at 22:49 • Filed to: None

I want(ed) to write a long winded rant about bicycle people, making sweeping generalizations about a huge portion of the population as represented by a tiny minority of said population....

In fact I did.

But I didn’t post it.

Basically I feel non-specifically wronged and have no reason to feel that way which actually compounds the feeling.

Anyway. Turns out the bike shop just held on to my shit for a couple days but didn’t actually do anything with it because bike shop reasons.

And the tires they ordered and were going to put on weren’t the right size so their suggestion was to... go somewhere else?

At least they didn’t charge me for :looks at work order: storage?

But that isn’t really the issue, I guess. Not sure I can articulate what the issue is, but I think I’m done with bike shops for a while.

Funny enough this sort of thing is why I started wrenching on my cars. (Also because I am a cheap bastard.)

I guess I’m going to learn to do everything myself on a bike too! TO THE INTERNET!

DISCUSSION (27)

bob and john > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
06/17/2020 at 22:55

by bike to do you...motorcycle? or bicycle?

PowderHound > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
06/17/2020 at 22:57

Bikes really aren’t too difficult and it’s so nice to be able to turn a quick wrench rather than drop it off at a shop. Also, more tools! Enjoy the journey

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > bob and john
06/17/2020 at 23:00

WHY NOT BOTH! Oh wait that is my other bike. Err bicycle. I will edit for clarity haha.

CompactLuxuryFan > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
06/17/2020 at 23:01

Your gas powered... thing?

dumpsterfire! > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
06/17/2020 at 23:02

That is just plain shitty. Maybe they have their hands full of all those folks who bought $4000+ mountain bikes in the pandemic and need adjustments?

OPPOsaurus WRX > PowderHound
06/17/2020 at 23:03

I disagree. Dia ling in the rear derailleur requires magic

This is what we'll show whenever you publish anything on Kinja: > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
06/17/2020 at 23:03

Don't forgot to add the scathing review to... anywhere they're listed and allow reviews.

facw > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
06/17/2020 at 23:05

Most stuff is pretty easy to do yourself, though some of it does require specialized tools. Certainly putting on tires isn’t something you should need their help with.

PowderHound > OPPOsaurus WRX
06/17/2020 at 23:09

Just a touch of magic. My experience is get it to work ok and then fiddle with the barrel adjuster on your ride

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
06/17/2020 at 23:13

Everyone who owns a bicycle and is actually interested in said bicycle has already learnt this lesson and been annoyed by it. Thoroughly annoyed by it.

In general, bike shops do not like working on old clunkers and they immediately categorise owners of said clunkers a certain way that suggests that you have no idea, you are not worth my time and you will not make me money...which is stupid.

If you can use tools and follow a process (as you clearly can) then you can fix a bike.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
06/17/2020 at 23:21

I had a bike a few years ago and I took it to have the brakes upgraded, I live at the bottom of Mt. Tamalpais where mountain biking was invented so the bike shops have very hipster bike techs. I got a very strange vibe from them, if I asked a question they seemed annoyed and when I picked it up they just pointed at it and ignored me.

SmugAardvark > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
06/17/2020 at 23:36

When we brought my girl’s mountain bike down to the shop to get a bunch of work done (the thing sat for ten+ years and she didn’t trust me to tinker with it), they treated us like shit because her bike was nasty from its garage life, and mine is a beach cruiser.

They kept saying things like, “Don’t you want to get off that grandpa bike and get on a real machine?” Asshole, do you think I bought a beach cruiser to win the Tour de France? GTFOH.

And then they charged her $300 for what amounted to new tires and brake lines. Screw ‘em.

smobgirl > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
06/17/2020 at 23:37

Not gonna lie, I use REI as my bike shop specifically because of all this bullshit. Wah, killing small/local businesses, boohoo - don’t treat me like shit and I’ll be happy to pay you. The REI folks might be thinking horrible things about me and my crummy bikes but they’re required to be pleasant and helpful!

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
06/17/2020 at 23:45

I used to work in a shop and I always tried to treat customers well regardless of the bike they brought in. Now I only take my bike to certain people who I know personally. I won’t let jut anyone wrench on my bikes, they are my babies.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
06/18/2020 at 00:04

I tried to steer you away from the shop! It’s getting worse now that most of the young guys have never even seen bikes that old. Quill stem? What’s that? Down tube shifters? Maybe on the vintage bike that’s hanging on the wall.

Order what you need online. The only thing that you might need to go to the shop for is that spoke and that’s only because it should be easy for them to measure it and cut one to length for you.

Good luck!

Nom De Plume > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
06/18/2020 at 00:33

I missed sensitivity training day at bike school. So I’m going to reiterate one last time the only sane decision is to acquire something , and this is a very key word, SERVICEABLE! To get off the road to pain, hard feelings, and friction before it impacts you. To take intelligent action, not forge your way through blindly in anger. Show some sense, man. 80's steel, bearings, grease, easy and rewarding to work on at a bike co-op... with a diverse collection of shitty parts for small money. Make a comment about how good your Jag is running if you still need misfortune in your life. Then maybe come back to the Varsity when you know what you are doing and understand a little more.

Sincerely,

Someone who knows a thing or two about where to draw the line with POS old bikes.

Chariotoflove > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
06/18/2020 at 00:48

I believe in supporting my local bike shop, but only when they deserve that support. It’s pretty uncool to keep the bike and do nothing, unless they warned you about the wait. My bike shop did when I came by. The lockdown had lots of people finding more time to ride, leading to more people figuring to their bikes need a little work. Combined with being short handed from Carona, and waits got long. That said, the guy who worked on my wheel still found a way to squeeze me in.

I still taught myself how to fix my problem if it comes up again. I want to support my bike shop, but I don’t want to give them all my money if I can help it. So good on you, become a home mechanic. You tube turns out to be very helpful with this topic , I’ve found out!

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > CompactLuxuryFan
06/18/2020 at 01:03

Lol no we don’t speak of that . This is a different ill advised project bike.

PyramidHat > Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo
06/18/2020 at 06:15

Could it be the general attitude you encountered? I’ve said here before, good bike shops are gold and shitty ones suuuuck. The shitty ones can be cliquey and only cater to or accept those of the chosen demographic . I’ve heard of bike mechanics getting pissy for having to do certain jobs...well , yeah, fuckface, that’s what you’re there for: some days you have to adjust brakes, it’s not all exotic stuff.

PyramidHat > OPPOsaurus WRX
06/18/2020 at 06:16

Which is why I left indexed shifting and went back to friction.

BJ > OPPOsaurus WRX
06/18/2020 at 06:57

I got a new bike 2 years ago and the rear derailleur was great for the first month, and then it went goofy. Three trips to the bike shop, but it just won’t hold it s setup . I’m a a bit of a manic shifter, changing gears constantly, and it drives me nuts that 1-2-3-4 and 6-7 work fine, but 4-5-6 require fiddling all the time .

Do I expect too much from the equipment? D o I need to spend $$$ for a better derailleur that fits my needs ? Or is this the kind of thing that’s fixable?

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > BJ
06/18/2020 at 09:55

This was also my experience when I had trigger shifters. Amazing for the first hundred miles and then never again. Constant adjusting made some gears work great, but never all. Turned an otherwise fun experience into an exercise in frustration.

Akio Ohtori - RIP Oppo > PowderHound
06/18/2020 at 10:10

I am learning that. Especially this one seems to require a flat wrench, a very large crescent wrench, a cheater bar.... and not a lot else.

Highlander-Datsuns are Forever > smobgirl
06/18/2020 at 10:12

One of my friends went to work at an REI bike shop when Trek bought the shop he worked at and fired all the existing staff. He actually likes it a lot.

OPPOsaurus WRX > BJ
06/18/2020 at 11:01

my guess is you need to spend $$$. that seems to be the answ er to everything.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > PowderHound
06/18/2020 at 16:16

I understand perfectly how automatic transmissions work, but derailleurs are definitely magic.

AMGtech - now with more recalls! > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
06/18/2020 at 16:18

No. I love my bikes. But I don't work on them myself. I do enough wrenching M-F the way it is. Wrenching on my hobbies will make them feel like work. No thanks.