View Poll Results: Bike Shop Decals… Remove or not remove?
Leave on forever
15
40.54%
Leave on for a long time
5
13.51%
Leave on for a short time
2
5.41%
Remove asap
15
40.54%
Voters: 37. You may not vote on this poll
Bike Shop Decals… Remove or not remove?
03-20-15, 08:21 AM
#1
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Bike Shop Decals… Remove or not remove?
Bike Shop Decals… Remove or not remove?
You bought a bike at a shop. When setting it up, they put their little sticker on it with their name, city, and phone number.
Do you remove it, or leave it on? Why?
You bought a bike at a shop. When setting it up, they put their little sticker on it with their name, city, and phone number.
Do you remove it, or leave it on? Why?
03-20-15, 08:38 AM
#2
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I would probably leave it on for as long as it didn't peel or look ugly, so I said a long time... Mostly because I buy only from shops that I like, so I don't mind the minimal advertising for their shop. I do tend to get rid of the yellow sticker to remind idiots to make sure their quick release is fastened properly since it is usually pretty ugly in the context of the overall look...
I see a shop sticker as a very minor issue compared to the obnoxious graphics that the manufacturers plaster on every tube on the frame... the handlebars, the wheels, the seat post, the tires etc... I remove any wheel stickers or any other removable advertisements that are larger than my taste allows. Those little bike shop stickers are small enough to not bother my sensibilities.
I see a shop sticker as a very minor issue compared to the obnoxious graphics that the manufacturers plaster on every tube on the frame... the handlebars, the wheels, the seat post, the tires etc... I remove any wheel stickers or any other removable advertisements that are larger than my taste allows. Those little bike shop stickers are small enough to not bother my sensibilities.
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03-20-15, 08:44 AM
#4
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I'd ask them how much they're willing to pay for that advertising space.
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03-20-15, 08:48 AM
#5
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I remove everything ASAP. I want it to look as if it just left the factory (as stock as possible)
03-20-15, 08:48 AM
#6
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I leave mine on forever as it gets me lifetime free adjustments on the bike. Otherwise, I might remove it.
03-20-15, 08:57 AM
#7
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I pretty much remove everything ASAP. I generally take a hair dryer to the ugly stickers on the rims too. Painted logos on components, like the stem, might get buffed off with polishing compound. Some of the factory folks have questionable taste.
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03-20-15, 09:20 AM
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The shop should track all of your purchases on their computer system, and at least here, the shops only care one brand, like one store has Trek, another Felt, and one has Specialized, etc. They know where you got it from.
03-20-15, 10:07 AM
#10
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I leave them on, and like it when I find a used bike that still has the original shop sticker. Kind of cool seeing where a used bike was purchased from and how far it came to be in your possession. I also only buy from shops I like. I have some decals of my now defunct shop I put on bikes I acquire with no stickers. It's just my way
03-20-15, 10:12 AM
#11
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For an average bike it lends character. Also what @Jarrett2 said about the shop marking bikes they sold for service agreements.
For a premium bike I think I'd take it off.
For a premium bike I think I'd take it off.
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03-20-15, 10:31 AM
#12
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I leave them on, and like it when I find a used bike that still has the original shop sticker. Kind of cool seeing where a used bike was purchased from and how far it came to be in your possession. I also only buy from shops I like. I have some decals of my now defunct shop I put on bikes I acquire with no stickers. It's just my way
03-20-15, 10:49 AM
#13
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While I was glad that my used Venge still had the original bikeshop stickers on it, so I could track down it's history if I ever needed to- I did remove them ASAP- they marred the looks of the bike.
03-20-15, 10:51 AM
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^ That's another side benefit. My girlfriend bought a used bike off CL and it happened to have the same LBS sticker on it that my bike does at the LBS where I bought it. They do adjustments on both bikes for free.
03-20-15, 02:44 PM
#15
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I removed all decals from my bikes, including the ones from the wheels.. Those which are difficult to remove I sprayed some flat black rattle can paint over them.
03-20-15, 09:46 PM
#16
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When I see an old or antique bike with a long defunct bike shop sticker on it, I think it's kind of cool, so I leave my bikes' alone.
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03-21-15, 08:47 PM
#17
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Being a C & V type I leave them. Some day it'll be a piece of history. I have a couple bikes with now defunct shop stickers on them.
03-21-15, 10:20 PM
#18
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On one hand I like the clean look of no decals, on the other I like the history and nostalgia of them.
I bought a new bike at the beginning of January this year. The shop really took care of me and swapped out my stem and chainring free of charge. This encouraged me to leave their decal on, if only for a while. Now I'm thinking I'll just leave it on for good. It's pretty small and not really hurting anyone.
I bought a new bike at the beginning of January this year. The shop really took care of me and swapped out my stem and chainring free of charge. This encouraged me to leave their decal on, if only for a while. Now I'm thinking I'll just leave it on for good. It's pretty small and not really hurting anyone.
03-23-15, 10:55 AM
#19
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I leave 'em on "forever". In my experience they're small and unobtrusive, i.e. you'd have to look sharp to even notice them, so they're not really detracting from the look of the bike IMO.
So the folks who are removing the decals from their bikes, do you peal off the dealership decals from your car, too?
So the folks who are removing the decals from their bikes, do you peal off the dealership decals from your car, too?
03-23-15, 11:18 AM
#20
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If I bought it there, I figure at the very least it might get me bumped up in line (I've had people at other specialty - non-bike - shops tell me it will for them). If I didn't buy it from a shop (and especially if I'm no longer around that original shop), I'd take it off. So I split the difference and said leave it a long time.
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03-23-15, 11:21 AM
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I've started to, but then stopped because it looked like it wouldn't come off cleanly. I keep meaning to remove the thing they put around the license plate because it's only screwed in on top and clatters every time I shut the trunk, but am lazy and haven't gotten to that yet.
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03-23-15, 12:26 PM
#22
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It was actually a Sticker , not a Decal. Water slide decal - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Decalcomania - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Decalcomania - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
03-23-15, 01:09 PM
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I know a guy who was buying a new car, and told the stealership that they'd have to remove their dealer emblem before he'd take delivery. They didn't want to do it. He told 'em "You deon't do it, I'm not buying the car". They did it. I'd be the same way. I only buy used vehicles- and luckily, none of my current ones have dealer emblems. I don't know if they still use 'em these days, but in the past, some dealers would glue on actual emblems which you couldn't remove without damaging the paint! (Hence my friend's demand that the stealership remove the emblem [and fix any paint damge] before he'd buy the car).
03-23-15, 03:17 PM
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I leave them on, and like it when I find a used bike that still has the original shop sticker. Kind of cool seeing where a used bike was purchased from and how far it came to be in your possession. I also only buy from shops I like. I have some decals of my now defunct shop I put on bikes I acquire with no stickers. It's just my way
Back in 2007 I bought a Giant Sedona from a Salvation Army thrift store. It had a shop sticker on it. IIRC, it was from either New Jersey or New York. I was living in south suburban Chicago at the time.
Interesting story about that bike. It had no price on it yet, so the lady on the floor had to ask a manager for a price. Manager looks at me and says, "would $25 be too much?" Needless to say, I snatched it up in a heartbeat. It was in great shape for a used bike.
As to the original question.....I leave stickers on for a while, and then remove them. How long is "a while?" Depends on the sticker(s).
Last edited by Cyclist0084; 03-23-15 at 03:20 PM.
03-23-15, 03:25 PM
#25
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When pricing my new road bike I was at one shop that had a Trek Emonda SLR 9 in satin black on display. This is a $9000 bike and on the seat tube was a shop sticker that was on crooked.
Needless to say I bought my Emonda SLR at a different shop and they did not put a sticker on it.
Yesterday I picked up a second bike, a trail bike, and when I got it home i removed the factory warning stickers on the down tube, left shock and top tube.
It just takes a little heat from a hear *** to soften the glue and off they come. Then a few wipes with some WD-40 and its like they were never there.
Needless to say I bought my Emonda SLR at a different shop and they did not put a sticker on it.
Yesterday I picked up a second bike, a trail bike, and when I got it home i removed the factory warning stickers on the down tube, left shock and top tube.
It just takes a little heat from a hear *** to soften the glue and off they come. Then a few wipes with some WD-40 and its like they were never there.