Tunnel Talk #38
Any person who’s worked the front of house in a bike shop will tell you that, in the shop and outside of it, sometimes they feel like they’re representing themselves, and sometimes they feel like they’re representing the shop, and sometimes they’re positive they’re being called on as a surrogate for the entire bike industry. And, okay, maybe that’s true of other forward-facing gigs, but it does feel like riding mountain bicycles, bicycles in general even, instills a deeper passion in a larger percentage of its user group. Right?
Personally, I’ve been held to task for the transition from 8-to-9-speeds, 31.8 bars, 29″ wheels, Boost spacing, 35mm bars, Super Boost spacing, disc brake standards {including stupid flat mount}, 27″ wheels, a shortage of anodized purple component options, a plethora of anodized purple component options, XD-drivers, Trunnion Mount, 12-speed, fork offsets, DUB bottom brackets, MicroSpline drivers, ZS56/ZS66 headtubes, PM-203 native forks, and all sorts of e-bike related issues. That’s just off the top of my head.
{The Clairebarian mechanics circa 2018}
Yeah, so. In the moment I’m bristling. A friend’s friend is on fire and burning into the secondary stage of an impassioned rant about their regular “local bike shop trying to rip [them] off” and I’ve moved past the point of active listening to listening for the sole purpose of responding. You see, the shop “refused” to work on his bike for multiple safety reasons including the questionable condition his carbon handlebar, and a rear brake featuring both seized caliper pistons and a lever that could be pulled through it’s initial hydraulic resistance straight to the bar. Oh, plus, micro-cracks forming in the webbing of his drive side crank arm, and a loudly crick-creak-crack-popping steerer tube. Short of agreeing to rectify all of these issues the jerks were not willing to perform any* maintenance on the bicycle. “They should just have a waiver I sign!”
Now it’s true that different shops have different levels of risk tolerance, and, of course, folks working on their own bikes can, knowingly or ignorantly, choose their own adventure. But there’s no jackassery and nothing nefarious going on here on the part of the business. Whether it’s selling bikes or servicing them, the goal of every shop I’ve ever worked in, including, once upon a time, the shop being raked over the coals here, is that your experience is such that you come back again. Buy another trail bike. And another trail bike. Buy a commuter bike. Buy a gravel bike. Buy a park bike. Buy a new bike for your future spouse. Buy your kids’ first bike, second bike, third bike, fourth bike, fifth, sixth, seventh bike. Buy bikes for your grandkids. And along the way have them all serviced. Buy some gear! Helmets, gloves, shoes, packs, oh my! Yep, the business model is just that simple.
You love bikes, you buy bikes, you have the bikes serviced and upgraded, and you buy gear for riding the bikes. Maybe you refer some friends?! Plus the more you ride those bikes the more you need to do all the above, so they’re probably trying to stoke you up on riding every time you visit? Been riding lately? You should go riding! Check out this trail. Check out this route. Cheque [sic] out these fresh pedals!
*{They did write up a quote for all the work, and charged nothing for their time doing so. Imagine!?}
{The Clairebarian mechanics circa 2017}
Finally the wick’s burning a bit low, and the brightness and heat are more comfortable and I ask the question – has your shop ever phoned you? Sure, to let me know that my bike’s ready for pick-up or that something I ordered has arrived. Huh, have they ever e-mailed you? Sure, for the same reasons and there’s the odd e-mail about new bikes or gear that’s arrived or promotions they’re doing. Huh, have they ever sent you anything in the mail? Actually, when I bought my road bike a number of years ago they mailed me a post card with a hand written thank you. I wonder why they don’t do that anymore?
And there’s the crux of it. Every bike shop I’ve worked in, for, with, contacts customers about their existing business relationship. When’s the last time your local shop tried to sell you a streaming membership? Never. When’s the last time they harvested your purchase history to sell it to other businesses? Never. When have they tried to sell you anything that wasn’t related to the goods and services they provide? Never. Sounds straight up to me.
It seems that most every other place I buy anything is trying to sell me something other than the goods and services I’m seeking for them to supply. Isn’t it nice that my local bike shop isn’t trying to grab an extra slice by contacting me about buying this car, that condo, some insurance, or whatever? Yes, yes it is nice. It’s also nice that they aren’t in the business of piecemealing a quick buck and sending riders, sort of, rolling out the door. The folks working in that shop ride the same trails, and roads, we do and said routes, and roots, are injurious enough on a properly working bicycle with the right gear.
The goal is that we come back. Again and again. For bike related sh*t, not a Disney+ subscription… apparently, that’s what my bank is for?!
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