Originally Posted by
Chombi1
I recently dropped by American Cyclery in SF to pick up a few build items and I nmsaw a sign on their front counter that I never noticed bring there in my past visits
The sign says " We only fix and service bikes we sell.".....
I always though of AC as a good old bike shop that well supported the big cycling community in the bay area.
What's the heck is this limiting this services all about?? What if a cyclist that has a brand bike they do not sell, breaks down near their shop and needed help to get rolling on the road again?? Will they push him/her out of the shop and say "Tough luck buddy...go find another shop to get your bike fixed.".
The atmosphere in the shop which used to be so inviting seems to have changed too. You cannot just walk through the front door without being invited in by the salesperson behind the counter. A new sign by the front door says so....
I suspect thst this might be from them getting broken into recently and having a few bikes stolen, but I wish they did not have to change their attitude towards the customers as that scores a win for the bad guys that do the crimes on everyone.
Running a business is managing risk. They've decided that the policy does more good than harm to their business. If they find out that it does not, they are free to change it or modify it. I can think of the pros and cons myself (of having to work on bikes not sold by the shop) and don't think I'd have a blanket policy like this if I owned and ran a bike shop. However, I myself don't have the gumption to take on the risky proposition of opening a bike shop and having people pissed off for each and every slight this fickle cancel culture seems to enjoy, almost as a badge of courage.
Way back in the day, I frequently a little shop in Helotes, Texas. It was owned and run by one of the grumpiest, people I've ever met. A great mechanic who could fix just about anything, it's where I bought my first 3-4 bikes. However, he lost me as a customer when I would take in my bike for some routine maintenance and a week later, it was still waiting to be fixed. Meanwhile, he would shoot the **** with anyone and everybody that dropped by the shop, many bringing him POS bikes bought at department stores or Walmart that had issues that took time to fix, and my bike that I purchased from him, would sit while he f'd around being the nice guy and fix all the junk bikes that no other shop would fix. It got to the point that I said enough is enough, found a different shop, even though much further away, and started going there. As time went on, I started collecting tools and learning how to work on bikes and now I hardly ever step foot in a bike shop, certainly not for maintenance.