Obnoxious cycle shop owners.

[subaqua]

Halfords are the number 1 bike retailer in the UK and have been for some years. They must be doing something right, so let's take a look at it.

Their target market is not cyclechat posters. Let them go to the specialist LBS. Their market is parents buying bikes for their kids AND people who feel entirely uncomfortable with the idea of setting foot in a LBS. There are loads of these people.

So why don't they want to set foot in a LBS? Well part of it is down to the whole "retail experience". They want something like going to Tesco. Nice layout, good lighting, reasonable (in their view) range of product, no personal relationship with the staff. No grumpy old guy who used to race 30 years ago looking down his nose at them. LBS are just too intimidating for someone who just wants to buy a bike.

Sure, maybe they would be ultimately better off going to a LBS to buy their bike but the problem is the LBS, not Halfords

I wasn't a cyclechatter when i had my 1st bike bought for me. bought from an LBS with a grumpy guy behind the counter. (TBF the internet wasn't available then) neither was I a cyclechatter when i got re bitten by the bug 10 or so yrs after learning to drive, went to a LBS no longer there ( Daycocks on Leytonstone High road) and a further 10 yrs on from that when i got properly back into cycling i looked at halfrauds and didn't like the attitude of the staff there trying to sell me something i didn't want. I went to a "supermarket" but a chain with a good pedigree in bikes - Decathlon. where the spotty yoof was enthusiatic about bikes and asked decent questions then made a good recommendation. which I ignored and bought the next model up. maybe that was hios sales plan , who knows but it was the 1st of several bikes for ME that i have bought from there.

maybe because i have a bit of prior knowledge and know when a bike is badly built , but wifey was clueless about halfords and she didn't like the place.

 

[RWright]

I went in a Specialized dealer in a larger town, my town only has one small shop. I had just stopped in to look around. It was very slow but no salesperson was up front when I went in. A guy wearing a shop shirt walked up and we briefly started talking and I told him I was just looking around. We just briefly chatted for a second and I spotted a Venge. I am sure most of you know them and would have know them by sight, but I knew of them but hadn't really paid much attention to them in photos I had seen. The flat black one that I saw immediately got my attention. They are a very striking bike to see in person, at least to me it was.

I said what is that? His reply was "a bicycle". I sold Motorcycles for quite a while and his statement was a painful reminder to me why we always tried to keep the grease monkeys at the back in the shop and not on the showroom floor. I have seen them do much more harm than good. I am not saying all of them are, but I will say that GOOD sales people make a huge difference.

After that little encounter I quickly brushed that guy off and continued to look around. The next guy was a good salesperson. He knew I was just kicking tires but he engaged me in some interesting conversation about new bikes and equipment. He is a mountain endurance rider probably not even 30 years old and I am a middle age overweight fitness road rider. He was a soft spoken, polite, informed, nice person that took time to listen as well. A crucial quality for a good sales person IMHO.

He made my trip to the store seem worthwhile even not buying anything. I have not really looked at DI2 very closely because of the cost vs. my skill level scenario. This guy sold me on it. I do feel like there could well be a UI2 somewhere in my future. I thought it was great. I didn't ride it but we did play around with it on the floor. I was really impressed. I didn't realize when they say push button they mean it. I though there would be some mechanical motion in there for some reason, the sales guy said a lot of people do. If I were a woman with small hands it would be top of the must have list. Even being a man with hands large enough to palm a basketball, I still want one. My sales guy this day was a credit to the industry, even if he didn't sell me anything.

 

[Pumpkin the robot]

Finches in Reigate...Attentive, Honest, Knowledgeable and give a good discount

I always used Pratts in Salfords, which, sadly, I recently found out is no longer there. The bikes in there never seemed to change, but his knowledge of bikes and mechanics was excellent.

 

[Rupie]

I have cycled almost 100,000 miles in the last 10 years and tried out dozens of different saddles and positions. When it comes to them I know what suits me best, with that in mind I went into a lbs in Evesham because I wanted to see and buy a SMP (the one Mark Beaumont used) and this shop were listed as dealers. He obviously hadn't heard of the saddle and without asking a single question proceeded to lecture me saying; if I was having problems I had the wrong type of saddle and my postition was wrong.

My problem with this was I had never been in the shop previously or met the man, and due to my wife shopping nearby, I was in the car so he had never seen my bikes.

I've been into the shop I think you are talking about. Sometimes he can be completly the opposite and so helpfull and full of advice, you struggle to get out. I clearly depends on the day.