marvelousedd

Speaking from the "I know Smoke" corner.... He rips on everything, get over it. PS - That's me flippin' the bird from the ambulance.

A bit below the belt with the motto there gnarbar? I actually agree with both sides of this. The bike industry in general needs a bit of a shake up. Because of the big online stores people automatically expect discount for no reason at all in their LBS. I've worked for the same group of bike shops in the UK for over 10 years now and have witnessed a decline. The underlying truth is we have to make some exceptions in order to compete. I treat everyone who walks through my door with respect and dignity, unless they treat me like shit, or demand unreasonable discounts for no good reason. I'm in the bike business to make friends, and have done quite sucessfully. Funny though, when people start to get familiar in your shop how much you notice who your friends are, and who your "mates" are. In our place we don't expect tips, and generally refuse them unless the customer is genuinely that happy with what you've done for them. We are not for sale, we cannot be bought, bribed, or flattered into anything and our queues cannot be jumped. We make exceptions where we can for our oldest and most valued customers, if they've been there since day one I think that goes without saying. But to Joe Public who wants automatic discount on innertubes because Wankmycrank.com sells them for £1.20... May I direct you back out the door from whence you came...

I ask people if I can walk in their houses with muddy shoes on... 9 out of 10 people get the hint

This thread is pretty amusing, and oddly reminiscent of conversations we have at our little bike shop. Let me add that although not all bike mechanics are alcoholics, we are invariably a little eccentric and all have our quirks be they home baked cookies or regular alcohol. I like a beer as much as I like a cookie, but everything in it's place. I don't believe myself to have an addiction or unhealthy obsession with either - though from time to time have been known to take both to excess. The point I'm making is that bike mechanics are weird people, usually in a good, harmless way, even the biggoted miserable ones. Get over it, and feel free to continue the homosexuality/religion debate.