A close call

As a student, for the past few months I've been in and out of various part-time jobs, usually just as a lackey doing temporary/fill-in labouring work. Anyways, I'm always on the hunt for something more permanent. So, I applied for a job at a bicycle store, spoke to the owner, and came in for a full day try-out, where I spent Saturday fixing and selling bikes. The owner guy says he'll get back to me on Monday with an answer. Come Wednesday, I've heard nothing and been unable to contact the guy in any way. I figured he's decided it's a 'no', and would rather ignore me than give the courtesy of a quick phone call. Having been dicked about in a similar manner before, I was all set to leave a nasty message on his voice mail. I was actually getting quite excited about calling the guy a 'douchebag', as I've never called anyone a douchebag before. Just as I'm about to make the call, I check my email, and there's one from him, informing me that I have, in fact, got the job, and when can I start.

Good thing you didn't. Never, ever burn your bridges...

I wish I could get a job at a bike store...I've tried for years and never had any luck.

I delivered the grimy handshake in bicycle stores for ages. It was the perfect job for a musician/bicycle racer/barfly/dirtbag offering fairly flexible scheduling and a barely-subsistance income level.

Later as a service manager for a chain of well regarded local shops I was making enough to race motorcycles on the cheap. I left the pedal bike business to run the parts department at a large multi-line motorcycle dealer, where after 4 years I'd have taken virtually any job to get out. I lucked into a life-changing gig at an emerging biotech building prototype lab instruments, and have managed to leapfrog through a succession of jobs in various technical fields. Now I'm Senior Product Designer for a major solar energy services provider, still with an art degree, and succeeding on the basis of my smarts and wits - a lot of which were learned or honed in those many years at the bike shops.

If I were independantly wealthy one of my first acts would be to open a bike shop for me to work in. Not as owner or manager, but as the guy who works on the nicer bikes, talks to the more interesting customers, hangs at the back of the Sunday shop ride, and on the nicest evenings cheerfully knocks down the empty bike boxes behind the shop while having a beer.

Working in a bike shop can be the best job there is I think, Ask Orville or Wilbur Wright.

Were Wilbur and Orville good employees? I mean, they were working on side projects all the time! Good thing they owned the place.

LMAO, close call!

I went into the bicycle shop in Tucker once. Nothing but a bunch of elitist cycle pricks. I asked about upgrading my mountain bike. The counter guys actually laughed. All I wanted was some better brake pads and maybe a shocked front fork that would fit my frame tube diameter. Nope, wouldn't even look it up. I asked about one of the used bikes and the guys suggested maybe I try Walmart instead. I'll never step foot in a bicycle shop again. After that I proudly rode my plain, chain store bought mountain bike like a fiend and absolutely whipped the crap out of many guys on "real" mountain bikes. The best part was taking my "toy" mountain bike out of the trunk of my car and flipping down the kick stand while I put on my helmet. After that it was balls out trail riding. I had thought about buying a "real" bike but I don't think it would make me a better rider or happier. I got the parts I wanted (thank you Craigslist) and I'm going to keep riding my "toy" bike.

I'm glad you got the job and I'm 99% sure you're not like the guys in Tucker, but I still haven't gone back into another cycle shop since.

slefain wrote: I went into the bicycle shop in Tucker once. Nothing but a bunch of elitist cycle pricks. I asked about upgrading my mountain bike. The counter guys actually laughed. All I wanted was some better brake pads and maybe a shocked front fork that would fit my frame tube diameter. Nope, wouldn't even look it up. I asked about one of the used bikes and the guys suggested maybe I try Walmart instead. I'll never step foot in a bicycle shop again. After that I proudly rode my plain, chain store bought mountain bike like a fiend and absolutely whipped the crap out of many guys on "real" mountain bikes. The best part was taking my "toy" mountain bike out of the trunk of my car and flipping down the kick stand while I put on my helmet. After that it was balls out trail riding. I had thought about buying a "real" bike but I don't think it would make me a better rider or happier. I got the parts I wanted (thank you Craigslist) and I'm going to keep riding my "toy" bike. I'm glad you got the job and I'm 99% sure you're not like the guys in Tucker, but I still haven't gone back into another cycle shop since.

Those guys are dicks.

DILYSI Dave wrote:

slefain wrote: about shiny happy people in a bike shop.

Those guys are dicks.

... and not very smart ones either. The only people who spend money in a local bike shop are the ones that come through the door. To talk down to a guy who wants to give you his money is just stupid, stupid, stupid.

I went into a high end bike shop in Midtown Atlanta and got service with a smile, my weird questions about the alloy frames and such were answered and all I asked for was a tube for my garage sale unicycle. No I still havent learned to ride it very well. Any one have any suggestions?

Elitists in all fields forget that they need the Huffy/Mongoose/Wal-Mart bicycle to survive. The cheap throwaway stuff is what allows EVERYONE to try your sport. The people who enjoy the sport move on to better equipment an end up keeping your snooty bike shop alive.

I had a rather good experience with a local shop when I was riding my older and plainer bike and needed an adjustment i didnt have the tools for with me.

Now, the bike is a schwinn BMX that is older then I am and weighs half a ton, but they were really nice and appriciated the older plainer bike as being a rather nice older bike that I cared for. (even if for that visit I barely dropped a buck or 2)

I might need to go back by and pick up some tires for my Moab2 disc in a week or 2 now that I think about it (I need to get back to riding)

Yeah, never burn your bridges. I worked in a bike shop while in junior high and high school. We were a good, all-around shop--nice owner, good pro shop, pretty decent BMX selection, okay but not great neighborhood. We stocked a few decent frames and were an early Cannondale dealer. I could bike to work and got killer deals on parts.

At one point we bought out the inventor of a Schwinn dealership that had gone out of business. My boss gave me all of the old stuff that he figured wouldn't sell. Yeah, I still have it--tons of NOS prism stickers, unlaced hubs and a few other bits and pieces.

Awesome. I usually rely on my inner monologue. No one ever hears the dirty things I think. Unless you're some sort of mutant psychic.

porksboy wrote: I went into a high end bike shop in Midtown Atlanta and got service with a smile, my weird questions about the alloy frames and such were answered and all I asked for was a tube for my garage sale unicycle. No I still havent learned to ride it very well. Any one have any suggestions?

I usually put a small amount of air in the tube before I feed it into the tire. Then I can easily mount the whole tire and attempt to slip the tire on the rim. Watch for "eggs" that might develop on the tube.

Be sure that the tire stem is straight as you fill it with air and be sure to check the pressure with a good gauge.

working in an independently owned bike store was the best job I ever had. Cappy hours, horrible pay, and no bennys...but always being surrounded by other like minded enthusiasts, being a part of a network of local riders, and that employee discount made it so worth it...my (retail) $1100 BMX bike set me back all of $400 by using my shop discount, as well as discounts manufacturers give to the store employees that sell their product.

Youll never make a fortune (or maybe even your rent ) working at a bike shop, but it will be the best crappy job you ever had!!!

MrJoshua wrote: Elitists in all fields forget that they need the Huffy/Mongoose/Wal-Mart bicycle to survive. The cheap throwaway stuff is what allows EVERYONE to try your sport. The people who enjoy the sport move on to better equipment an end up keeping your snooty bike shop alive.

plus, without junkers, theres no high end. you need backmarkers no matter what sport youre in...without em the sport dies. Thats partly why I am not embarrassed to drive a slow, unsorted pig...someones got to do it

porksboy wrote: Any one have any suggestions?

When installing new brake cables, adjust the brakes a little on the tight side. Then, squeeze the lever, and intentionally bend the housing to get the cable to stretch. Then re-adjust. This will help avoid a long break in period.

Also, when adjusting any part with bearings that has an adjusting nut/race and a lock nut, tighten the adjusting nut about a 1/4 turn too far in so rotating the part feels just a little tight. Hand tighten the lock nut, then back the adjusting nut up into the lock nut. This ensures perfect bearing adjustment and keeps the lock nut tight.

Hey...you asked for suggestions...I got tons more where that came from.

porksboy wrote: No I still havent learned to ride it very well. Any one have any suggestions?

Get a front wheel, or a back wheel depending on how you look at it

DILYSI Dave wrote:

slefain wrote: I went into the bicycle shop in Tucker once. Nothing but a bunch of elitist cycle pricks. I asked about upgrading my mountain bike. The counter guys actually laughed. All I wanted was some better brake pads and maybe a shocked front fork that would fit my frame tube diameter. Nope, wouldn't even look it up. I asked about one of the used bikes and the guys suggested maybe I try Walmart instead. I'll never step foot in a bicycle shop again. After that I proudly rode my plain, chain store bought mountain bike like a fiend and absolutely whipped the crap out of many guys on "real" mountain bikes. The best part was taking my "toy" mountain bike out of the trunk of my car and flipping down the kick stand while I put on my helmet. After that it was balls out trail riding. I had thought about buying a "real" bike but I don't think it would make me a better rider or happier. I got the parts I wanted (thank you Craigslist) and I'm going to keep riding my "toy" bike. I'm glad you got the job and I'm 99% sure you're not like the guys in Tucker, but I still haven't gone back into another cycle shop since.

Those guys are dicks.

And then some.

Perhaps we are lucky that our local bike shop is 100% opposite of that. Bring in your obvious POS that you picked up for $5 or less at a police auction, and they will help you find the cheapest parts to get back on the road, safely. I saw it happen. It was a frame with a very rusty chain, carrying in two rusty wheels- they tubed the wheels, got the guy some new brake cables, and suggested a cheap place to get other hardware.

They have all ranges of bikes, but are more interested in making sure that the customes are on the road with ANYTHING than nothing. They rebuilt my wife's cheapo Giant when she ran into a truck that pulled out in front of her- with a fork that they had lying around instead of a new one.

That shop rocks (if anyone cares http://a2cyclery.com/).

Hopefully, this place you work at is like that. Oh, and never, ever burn bridges. Ever.

Eric

I've been the Service Manager/Head Mechanic at a bike shop for the past 8 years. You'll have fun.

In fact, I'm supposed to be fixing some Huffies right now! Instead I'm hanging out on my favourite message board.

Carson wrote: I'm supposed to be fixing some Huffies right now!

technically you dont change the suffix on words that end with Y to IES when pluralizing a name. The technically correct way to spell that is "HUFFY'S"...and in science-speak its "HUFFI"... yet, I digress, at least you are doing gods work turning wrenches on biologically powered transportation interface devices. For that, you are commended sir!

Carson wrote: In fact, I'm supposed to be fixing some Huffies right now!

I think the correct term is "Huffaluffagusses", ya know, like hippopotamusses

Maybe it's an industriy thing, but when I say Huffies I don't mean the Huffy brand, all bikes are known as Huffies, spelled that way. Maybe not grammatically correct, but we're a bike shop!

All bikes are Huffies, just like derailluers are gorillas, ball bearings are barbarians, and, this is a new one I owe one of my customers, limit screws are lemon nuts.

As in: Adjust the lemon nuts on the gorillas of that huffy, then tighten the cones to keep the barbarians in the hubs or else the gorillas and barbarians will go at it.

Just a small update. Turns out working in a bike shop is, indeed, cool. The employee discount is awesome, too - so substantial, that I'm already thinking about a new hardtail.

Also, I found an old shirt in the clothing rack, signed by Mat Hoffman. I hid it at the back, then bought it for 10 bucks before I left for the day. And now it's on ebay.