Reply With QuoteHave you looked in phone book for another bicycle repair shop? For one that is not a franchise. There is one in Hamburg, Eric's Cycle Works. Young guy owns the business and does the work himself. Great guy with fair prices
Well, it's springtime, and it occurs to me that I haven't had my bikes tuned up in a few years. Now I'm acceptably mechanically inclined, and I am trained as an engineer (well aeronautical, but you know...). But I can never seem to get the gears to work right. So I just load them on the rack and take them to the bike shop.
Usually I go to a shop in Ellicotville. But what with the price of gas these days, I thought I would save myself the drive and go to Bert's Bikes and Fitness in Amherst. Roll them on in and a fairly nice kid who works on bikes is writing up the repair tickets and I mention that the wife would like the handlebars an inch or two higher. Seeing as they are at the max adjustment, this will require a part for $15.00. Not a problem. He mentions that there will also be a $10.00 installation charge. No sweat, cheap at twice the price.
Along comes the manager.
He decides that this is no ordinary install. This will require a "touring conversion", handgrips, etc., etc., to the tune of, wait for it, $115.00. The entire time is is talking at me like I'm a drooling idiot that is trying to steal his money. I remember this feeling from when I was a teenager dealing with adults. Now that I'm nearly 50, I guess this is what I'll feel like when dealing with kids. I often hesitate when dealing with specialty repair places and the like because I hate the way I get treated. Like they are the unappreciated scholars and we the public are morons because we can't adjust derailer gears (or fix a furnace, whatever) in our sleep. I actually took the time to talk to this guy and explained that he wasn't doing a super job of customer service and if he was trying to make me feel like an *******, he succeeded. I got the impression that instead of being concerned, he was just a little pleased. It wasn't the actual price that got me, it was the obvious fact that it was a rip off (the mechanic didn't see the need for it), and the attitude the guy copped with me.
Well, I can't work on bicycles (I can land an airliner in a 40 mph crosswind thunderstorm, but who's counting), but I can predict the future. This place won't see any more of my money.
I made a lot of money and spent most of it on booze, fast cars and loose women. I blew the rest.
Have you looked in phone book for another bicycle repair shop? For one that is not a franchise. There is one in Hamburg, Eric's Cycle Works. Young guy owns the business and does the work himself. Great guy with fair prices
Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you can do. Attitude determines how well you can do it. - Lou Holtz
Hey, I'm glad you started this thread. I was thinking today, it's time to get my bike out.
But....
I'm getting older and my bike doesn't suit me anymore.
What I'm looking for is...
A bike that's comfortable and easy to ride. I had double carpal tunnel surgery, I have costal condritis (a permanent inflammation of the joints that hold the ribs to the breast bone), and real bad arthritis in my left shoulder from an injury long ago. It hurts to ride a bike with curled handle bars. So I'm looking for something with regular handle bars. Riding bent over is for those who are still flexible. I'm old and can't bend over to tie my shoes, so how does anyone expect me to bend over to ride a bike.
My back hurts so I don't want a mountain bike with knobby tires. All that bouncing hurts my joints.
I want to ride on the road and those damn thin tires on the racers are worthless cause they can't handle potholes or hitting the curb when you're trying to avoid getting hit by inconsiderate drivers.
I want to use it to go to the nearby stores to buy ciggys and liquor, so I'm looking for saddle bags (or whatever you call the baskets that hang over the rear tires) or some other kind of baskets.
Those real skinny seats with no padding... no way Jose. I don't want my nuts crushed. I'm looking for a nice, padded seat that's not going to agitate the hemrongs.
Okay, I'm being a bit silly here. But, what I really want is a comfortable old man's bike.
Any suggestions?
if you live near Tonawanda, let me turn you on to Dick's Bicycle Shop, 781 S. Niagara Street, 14159. www.dickbikeshop.com, while you there, take the bike path along Niawanda Park!Originally Posted by Northshore
They now have these "old fashioned" bikes available just about anywhere. My mom rides one and loves it. They come with the larger seat on them. You can get them with extra padding. They even sell them at Walmart !!
I bet this is just what you need gshowell
Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what you can do. Attitude determines how well you can do it. - Lou Holtz
How about this one from Walmart? An adult tricycle. It's a perfect old man's bike. You'll be able to smoke your ciggy and drink your liquor on the drive home. Just watch for the cops.Originally posted by gshowell:
Okay, I'm being a bit silly here. But, what I really want is a comfortable old man's bike.
Any suggestions?
Georgia L Schlager
Last year I went to Bert's to buy a new mountain bike and wasn't impressed. Pricey, and the salesperson very pushy and not very knowledgeable. I ended up going to Handlebars on Englewood. I would highly recommend them. Very knowledgeable, very friendly, good prices, and they won't try to push you to buy something you don't want or can't really afford.
Kel
OK...let me be the 1st S.O.B. to post something negative here...but i am going to ask all of you bike people to please, please avoid the heavy traffic areas....nothing is worse than driving down the street at the legal pace when some middle aged fart on a bike comes along and thinks he or she has the right of way and is oblivious to the hazards involved....so people, bike all that you want, but be cognizant of the dangers and the hazards that you pose to others and stick to the bike paths, eh?
Have a good day!
"The horror........The horror..........."
OK...let me be the 1st S.O.B. to post something negative here...but i am going to ask all of you bike people to please, please avoid the heavy traffic areas....nothing is worse than driving down the street at the legal pace when some middle aged fart on a bike comes along and thinks he or she has the right of way and is oblivious to the hazards involved....so people, bike all that you want, but be cognizant of the dangers and the hazards that you pose to others and stick to the bike paths, eh?
Have a good day!
Sorry, no can do. I have ridden my bike back and forth to work for both the exercise and the cost savings. Good luck finding bike paths everywhere you want to go, and by law cyclists are not supposed to ride on the sidewalk but share the road with motorists.
We have every right to ride on the street, as long as we follow the rules of the road. As a motorist, you have to be cognizant of the dangers and hazards of the road, and that includes the cyclists you share it with.
That said, I do have issues with cyclists that ride like complete idiots, however. Riding opposing traffic, darting out into the middle of the street without warning, etc. I even see adults do this. I just want to strangle them because they give us all a bad name.
Kel
Well, I am not anti bike..I, myself would ride one but for my belief that there are too many cars on the road and the fact that I refuse to allow myself to be observed in that absurd position at my age....I just wish that bike riders would be a little more attentive out there
"The horror........The horror..........."
My mom had one just like that, only hers had an electric motor on it. Now I wish I would have kept it.How about this one from Walmart? An adult tricycle. It's a perfect old man's bike. You'll be able to smoke your ciggy and drink your liquor on the drive home. Just watch for the cops.
You can be as much of an S.O.B. as you want. I avoid heavy traffic like the plague. I want to live. I can be a sarcastic snit and complain about what a pain my current bike is, but I love riding it. But, NOT in heavy traffic.OK...let me be the 1st S.O.B. to post something negative here...but i am going to ask all of you bike people to please, please avoid the heavy traffic areas....nothing is worse than driving down the street at the legal pace when some middle aged fart on a bike comes along and thinks he or she has the right of way and is oblivious to the hazards involved....so people, bike all that you want, but be cognizant of the dangers and the hazards that you pose to others and stick to the bike paths, eh?
Have a good day!
So I went to pick my bikes up today.
I don't know exactly what a tune up at Berts Bikes and Fitness entails, but it seems that putting air in the tires would be on the list. They roll them out and both of them have no air in the tires (which is pretty much the way I brought them in.). The brakes were adjusted, but as far as I can tell, nothing else was done. The crappy shifting that was present before I brought them for service is still there, and they certainly didn't go broke on lube.
Initial impressions count for a lot, and in this case it was spot on.
I made a lot of money and spent most of it on booze, fast cars and loose women. I blew the rest.
That sucks... That's my impression of them as well.
Handlebars. Great place.
I also had a bad experience at a Bert's shop. The sales people act like you are an inconveniece to them. If I'm going to shell out $300-$400 dollars I expect to have at least a minimum level of attention and consideration. I eventually just walked out (they didn't even notice I left, I'm sure)
I'll check out Handlebars... never heard of it before today.
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