[Closed] yesterday, I got annoyed with a LBS

You bought it at another shop, then brought it home.

Yep, that would be poor service.

smell_it - Member
You bought it at another shop, then brought it home.

Doh! Thats 2 out of 2 that I got wrong tonight!! 😳

tomorrow, I will study grammer, or whatever!!!!

Moral is you should have a spare one in your parts box?

It's ok,I get annoyed with customers most days.
It evens out.

Did he really say "sorry I'm too busy with important customers"

Or did he just say he was too busy "at the moment" or similar.

(he may have had customers in the shop looking at bikes and didn't want to lose a sale)

Grammar

Moral is you should have a spare one in your parts box?

Do people really have 'spare' chains?

pop down in a few days when I've had time to look

A few days to look ?!?!

Clearly, it is a particularly massive box ...

Try:

"if you pop down to Halfords and buy one (a spoke) then we will fit it.!

I give up them... 😕

On the flip side of that my local Indian would pop down to the garage on a fag run while you ate your meal. Now that's customer service.

Do people really have 'spare' chains?

Several.

They can be expensive if you pay RRP so I stock up when I see them half price.

Do people really have 'spare' chains?

Yes. Between the wife and I we have 5 bikes that take 9 speed chains. So I consider it prudent to keep a spare as that saves the "I need one NOW" problem that can spoil the chance of a ride. In the same way I keep spare brake pads and inner tubes.

"I new what I wanted" Know, i don't think you did:-)

6/10 for a above average rant about nothing.

Do people really have 'spare' chains?

to OP, it sounds like your LBS sucks somewhat, but they (like most small businesses) survive on repeat customers. They don't survive by you buying one chain per year. If they are busy you have to expect them to put their best customers first. Have you ever thought of becoming one of said "important customers" yourself so you can jump to the front of the queue?

I'm just coming to the end of the Chain Reaction Flood Sale chains I bought.

The last cassette is on a bike too 🙁

I change my drivetrain once every 12-18 months, just don't see the need to do change stuff any more than that

I'm just coming to the end of the Chain Reaction Flood Sale chains I bought.

I've still got one or two.

Good times eh? (apart from for poor CRC of course)

Have you ever thought of becoming one of said "important customers" yourself so you can jump to the front of the queue?

Sounds like a plan. How much would I have to spend monthly to join the VIPs?

Even if you're buying bits and bobs regularly, surely the point of not pissing you off is that when it comes to the bigger spend, they're in the running for that.

Sounds like a plan. How much would I have to spend monthly to join the VIPs?

I have spares of most consumables. I tend to buy chains 3 at a time as it is cheaper. I often have spare cassettes and rings as I will buy them when I have a £X off when you spend £y voucher. If you have the available cash then long term it works out cheaper to buy in larger numbers or when you can get them cheaper rather than when you desparately need them.

my lbs wanted 38 quid for a chain. Others on here boast how they get a discount at the same lbs. Suffice to say I don't use them.

last time I used any lbs was when I phoned them for a part,
"yes mate got one here" says he
so a 20min drive into town, paid for my parking and a few minutes walk later I arrive in the shop, me "hi, I phoned earlier about x part"
him "no mate we don't do them"

AAARRRRGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH F********G T!"£$%^&*()

They don't survive by you buying one chain per year. If they are busy you have to expect them to put their best customers first. Have you ever thought of becoming one of said "important customers" yourself so you can jump to the front of the queue?

Is this sort of customer service the reserve of the bike shop.? Nearly all the the shops I go into, especially the independents will bent over backwards to sell you £15 worth of stuff. The "LBS" shops round here seem to be in a different world. The bike shop I tend use if I am desperate is 20 miles away and there customer service is great. They have taken cleats off a shoe before because they didn't have any in stock. Even though they are fivers worth of derv away I would rather use them than the local ones.

3 chains - bulk buy discount - swap regularly, if you snafu a chain (as I have done more than once) and try put new chain on worn drivetrain, it goes into involuntary autochange mode. Keep a spare in the car incase of a snafu event horizon - so it doesn't necessarily ruin a days riding.

When I raced XC I had a collection of chains and casettes with varying amounts of wear, for how important the race was, the conditions.

I even had a "lucky chain".

I had a collection of chains and casettes with varying amounts of wear, for how important the race was, the conditions.

+1, I like the new bike feeling so tend to change them whenever they come up cheep on CRC, the old ones used to go back on for the winter, but since going SS over the winters I've not used them (and the 'summer' kit lasts ages!

[i]I change my drivetrain once every 12-18 months, just don't see the need to do change stuff any more than that [/i]

You need to get out and ride more mate.

I think once to twice a week is enough 🙄

(I do keep my bike immaculate however)

We had a customer in yesterday, who had just bought a new cassette on line so now needed a chain to go with it, we had three 9 speed varieties in stock, he chose the one he wanted and bought it, we had a chat for a minute or two and he left, it was all very normal 🙂

3 chains - bulk buy discount - swap regularly, if you snafu a chain

Snafu's not really the right acronym there, if you want to use some pseudo-rude acronym then fubar would be better.

If you have a chain tool breaking a chain needn't ruin a ride anyway. And how often do you break a chain at the car? Having one there is fairly pointless 😕

I try and change chains reasonably regularly now cassettes are so expensive. In fact this thread reminded me I ought to do it soonish, so I've bought a (probably fake) X10SL from Taiwan for £23. Bargain.

I think once to twice a week is enough

(I do keep my bike immaculate however)

I keep mine very clean, and ride it once a week at the very most, it's still utterly shagged after a year if I don't change anything!

I keep mine very clean, and ride it once a week at the very most, it's still utterly shagged after a year if I don't change anything!

and?

You're saying that yours lasts 12-18 months and you see no reason to change more often than that. I'm giving you an example of why you would, and that is that it's utterly ****ed in less time. I've always snapped a chain before 18 months anyway, and then your hand's forced.

you're implying by what you said that it wasn't possible for me to have mine last that long. My point was that if people kept their drivetrains cleaner they would last longer, so many times I've went out on rides and peoples bikes are filthy, then they tell me that they go through three chains a year 🙄

Right, and I'm telling you that it's not always that way, mine's always very clean. There are other factors.

I'm telling you

Oh, that's alright then, I'll listen now

I am with him tbh I change the chain at the .75 wear - depends when this is reached whihc varies for lots of reasons

I have not changed anything else for 3 ish years

I change rings because i get chain suck I change cassettes because people tell me I should

I ride 3 times a week but i do have 4 bike

I had a 7 speed chain so stretched I could n o longer measure it with my tool and I put on a brand new 9 speed crankset and it rode fine and did not skip

TBJ i think there is loads of BS written about this to get us to buy parts we dont really need
My road bike has done tens of thousands of miles on one chain and is still not stretched - no really it has not I cannot believe it either tbh

My bikles are clean ish but nothing major - i lube chains but rarely clean them

Oh, that's alright then, I'll listen now

Golly, you're a facetious little chap aren't you?

You posed a black and white scenario, I've countered that. It's your experience vs mine.

brought it from where

you mean you bought it?

Keep up - that was the first response to that post!

It always amazes me how poor some (most) sales staff handle customers at LBS.

Is that because they are paid poorly so dont care, or because high staff turnover means there is no chance of training, or the management dont care or the staff have never been a customer ?

No wonder mail order from CRC/Wiggle works.

As for spares Ive two of all drive train / consumables. When one needs replacing I just order from CRC to top up the box of spares, no chance of missing a ride.

Had my P7 for 3 years now, ridden almost daily (commute and leisure), never checked chain or cassetee as all running perfectly......am I doing something wrong, what is this talk of changing chains???!

lipseal - Member
Moral is you should have a spare one in your parts box?

Oh, aye. A spare chain in a box. And a spare derailleur. Maybe some spare wheels. And then you see a cheap frame. And your mate is selling his old forks.

That's what got me into this mess.

Bu tonce you've got two bikes, your chains will last twice as long - so it makes sense!

Do people really have 'spare' chains?

Yes. 😳