Halfrauds - reliable as ever!

[Danny]

Today I popped into the closing down sale of the ill-fated Cycle Republic shop set up by Halfords in York.

A young couple were just leaving with a mountain bike that they bought in the sale and which had presumably been set up by the store staff. The reappeared a few minutes later and the following dialogue ensued...

Couple: "There don't seem to be any pedals on this bike?"

Shop Assistant, looks puzzled: "Oh, I don't think you normally get pedals when you buy a new bike".

Couple: "But there were some attached to the bike when we originally bought it. What happened to them?"

Shop Assistant: "You'll have to ask the lad who set it up, but he's not here now".

Eventually the shop assistant agreed to look round for for the pedals but was not able to find them, and the couple went away without them. They did get 50% off the price of their bike so I guess they were not too unhappy.

 

[ComedyPilot]

I am amazed at the audacity (sp) of bike shops that sell MTB's to people who will never use them as intended, and the stupidity of people who shell out their cash to buy MTB's just because they see other people on them.

 

[Hover Fly]

A bit like 4x4s, kid trolleys with knobbly tyres, people who wear rugged boots and combat trousers to work in an office...

 

[Lisa21]

I am amazed at the audacity (sp) of bike shops that sell MTB's to people who will never use them as intended, and the stupidity of people who shell out their cash to buy MTB's just because they see other people on them.

Ha Ha, oh CP-you'd LOVE me.................I fell in love with, wanted, and had to have my bike-my mountain bike.........because it was RED

I have never had the remotest inclination to throw myself down mountains but that bike was mine

Since then,the roads most travelled by us would quite possibly severely traumatise,if not kill, a road bike, and we spend many happy miles together and are slowly venturing into "lets go to Betws Y Coed and skin ourselves on the forestry tracks" territory.

I have never had any interest whatsoever in drugs, have never smoked, and dont like alchohol. I have found my addiction and love it more every day. But this all began because I saw "the one"

And he was RED.

 

[xpc316e]

If we are going to police the sale of bikes only to appropriate owners, why can't we extend the idea to cars? If it were done properly, most of people we driving around in decent cars would be relegated to Reliant Robins. The sooner the revolution comes, the better.

 

[RedBike]

Ha Ha, oh CP-you'd LOVE me.................I fell in love with, wanted, and had to have my bike-my mountain bike.........because it was RED

I have never had the remotest inclination to throw myself down mountains but that bike was mine

Since then,the roads most travelled by us would quite possibly severely traumatise,if not kill, a road bike, and we spend many happy miles together and are slowly venturing into "lets go to Betws Y Coed and skin ourselves on the forestry tracks" territory.

I have never had any interest whatsoever in drugs, have never smoked, and dont like alchohol. I have found my addiction and love it more every day. But this all began because I saw "the one"

And he was RED.

Red bikes are offically the quickest.

 

[ComedyPilot]

It's nothing to do with policing people's choice of bikes, it's just wrong to sell someone an inappropriate bike for their need. Just as wrong as it is for POB's to buy into an image they will never fulfill.

All these people in town centres, that will NEVER see the forest tracks of Betws-Y-Coed, forlornly struggling with a knobbly-tired full sus MTB, when a road/hybrid would have been the more logical choice.

I like MTBing in Dalby forest, but only get there a few times a year. No justification for a Kona Coiler slowing me down on the high street then.

Then again, I can imagine how the conversation in the LBS goes:

Tired LBS worker, "Hello, can I help you?"
POB looking at full sus Orange or similar, "yeah, I was wanting one of these"
LBS, "So you do a bit of downhill then?"
POB, "No, there's a bloke on my estate has got one and it looks cool, so I thought I'd want to look a right prat too"
LBS, "Will you be using it for off-road riding and occasional green-laning?"
POB, "No, I might ride it once or twice, having been influenced by the current wave of publicity around cycling in Britain, but then I'll leave it to fester in the garage"
LBS (seeing sale and livelyhood at stake), "It looks like you found the right bike for you"

Now repeat in most LBS up an down the country.

Ah well, at least they're trying bikes. It's got to be a start.

 

[palinurus]

That's exactly how I bought my first bike when I started earning. Saw a bike in the shop window and thought, "I'm having that". It was a mountain bike of course, Muddy Fox courier comp. The bright green job.

Had it for ages, gave it away in 2000. Wish I'd kept it.

 

[ComedyPilot]

Looks out of place in that highstreet, sorry forest.

 

[purplepolly]

If we are going to police the sale of bikes only to appropriate owners, why can't we extend the idea to cars? If it were done properly, most of people we driving around in decent cars would be relegated to Reliant Robins. The sooner the revolution comes, the better.

I've never had any motor convictions or accidents, can I swap my micra for some idiots BMW? I promise to be nice to cyclists.

 

[Sittingduck]

I believe in love at first sight too
Remember this happened to me when I went with my Dad to a little bike shop to choose my BMX (circa 1985). Saw a purplish plum kind of BMX with blue pads and saddle... dunno why (as looking back, it was a totally ghastly looking contraption) but my heart was sat on that one! My old man actually tried to talk me round to choose what was actually a much nicer and better bike but I stuck to my guns and it was mine!

Anyway - might go to Halfords and try to blag a 50% discount on an MTB by removing the pedals in the car park and going back in 2 mins later to claim my discount

 

[Ben M]

Red bikes are offically the quickest.

Quoted for truth.

 

[Globalti]

My first adult bike was a Raleigh Maverick I saw in a bike shop in Harrogate and fell in love with; it was yellow and white with red graphics. I rode it the 7 miles home with almost flat tyres and nearly died. It was 6 months before I rode it again!

 

[RedBike]

My first bike was a MTB too and initially I only used to ride it on the roads. I didn't know any better!