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Fun times with the LBSs

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Fun times with the LBSs

Old 01-05-22, 10:36 AM
  #26  
nomadmax 
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Originally Posted by Koyote
I read this whole story, hoping there was a point...
Many times, I don't even need to post because somebody has alread said what I was thinking.
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Old 01-05-22, 12:22 PM
  #27  
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Originally Posted by burnthesheep
I think the point was that the OP went out of their way to tell us a common boring story about finding any random part we need so they could interject the aspect about the interaction with the transgender person.
Bingo. Trojan horse.
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Old 01-05-22, 05:52 PM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by TiHabanero
This story demonstrates once again that people are not perfect. Why is that such a shock every time one encounters a less than perfect person??
People are not perfect, but when you run a business you should at least be professional. If a customer walked into my shop and asked for a single spoke which I had to cut and thread, I would do it politely, I am in business to do such things. If you can’t do the small things, you probably aren’t going to do very well with the larger things. I find that when I treat customers well even for nonsense items, they tend to either buy something else, or come back to my shop when they need something else. I have often gone into a shop just to look around, and have been treated so well by the shop owner that I buy something I didn’t even really need just to show my appreciation.
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Old 01-05-22, 06:50 PM
  #29  
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Originally Posted by nomadmax
Many times, I don't even need to post because somebody has alread said what I was thinking.
And that stops you? You must be new here.
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Old 01-05-22, 07:07 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by _ForceD_
...I paid for my spoke and got outta there... Luckily I found a longer nipple in the bottom of my toolbox so at least it was usable to get the wheel true...
OK... Ya went in looking for a spoke and you walked out with one... You did not have to order it and wait for delivery and it was not a purchase you had to finance...

Looks like despite the drama ya got a win... BRAVO!
\
As for the service of the shop... I am surprised they did not ask to see the old spoke for comparison. I would have...

"Lets see, you need a single 28cm J-bend spoke, and nipple"
"Sure, I've got that. But please bring the old one in so I can make sure."
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Old 01-05-22, 10:15 PM
  #31  
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If my OP was so inconsequential…why have so many of you felt the need to dignify it with a response?

Dan
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Old 01-05-22, 10:28 PM
  #32  
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!

Originally Posted by badger1
You must be new(ish) around here.
Funny! You don’t look new(ish)…an old punch line from a long time ago when things were, you know, funny…
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Old 01-05-22, 10:51 PM
  #33  
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Here's how you could have avoided all of the angst:
  1. Call a shop and ask if they sell spokes and/or custom cut and thread spokes to length.
  2. Put the old spoke in a bag and go to the shop that said yes.
  3. Tell them you need a spoke to replace the old one.
  4. Boom.
If they can't do the job then find another shop. Remember though, "bike mechanics" today and not the same as bike mechanics 30 years ago. I know, I know, all of the technology advances, etc., and not all mechanics are equal. Some are good. Today though, in general, they just replace parts, they don't actually repair parts. Change your expectations and do 99% of the work yourself.

I worked for years in shops when I was a teenager and early 20's. I learned from the very best. In my town there are probably 8 bike shops. Only one of them do I trust with my old Pinarello; however, no other person other than myself is allowed to go near that bike.


--

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Old 01-05-22, 10:57 PM
  #34  
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Originally Posted by drlogik
Here's how you could have avoided all of the angst:
  1. Call a shop and ask if they sell spokes and/or custom cut and thread spokes to length.
  2. Put the old spoke in a bag and go to the shop that said yes.
  3. Tell them you need a spoke to replace the old one.
  4. Boom.
If they can't do the job then find another shop. Remember though, "bike mechanics" today and not the same as bike mechanics 30 years ago. I know, I know, all of the technology advances, etc., and not all mechanics are equal. Some are good. Today though, in general, they just replace parts, they don't actually repair parts. Change your expectations and do 99% of the work yourself.

I worked for years in shops when I was a teenager and early 20's. I learned from the very best. In my town there are probably 8 bike shops. Only one of them do I trust with my old Pinarello; however, no other person other than myself is allowed to go near that bike.


--
Did all that.

Dan
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Old 01-06-22, 12:59 AM
  #35  
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Originally Posted by _ForceD_
If my OP was so inconsequential…why have so many of you felt the need to dignify it with a response?

Dan

Well here's the thing, Dan. On the Internet, when you post something in a pubic forum, you might generate responses. Some of those responses will express sympathy towards your plight, some won't, and some will critique the very premise of your thread and/or question your motives for posting it. It's all part of the fun.
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Old 01-06-22, 05:25 AM
  #36  
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"People are not perfect, but when you run a business you should at least be professional."

Completely missed the point. One cannot simply turn off their "human faults" and turn on their android self. Businesses are run by imperfect people, no matter if it is Patagonia or an LBS. They all have faulty people running them. One may anticipate a perfect experience, but it may not come true. I certainly did not have a perfect experience with Patagonia, but I also understood what I was dealing with, ie a human.
Practice forgiveness and understanding.
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Old 01-06-22, 07:57 AM
  #37  
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I think the O.P. has found himself a good snow bird bike shop. The people at the shop:

1. Listened to his request.
2. Tried to explain a better approach (i.e., bring the old spoke in).
3. Offered to, but did not insist on, changing the spoke at the shop.
4. Sold O.P. what he demanded.

The shop people cared enough to discuss his needs and how to meet those needs, and why alternatives (that the O.P. did not choose) were better. That O.P. mis-measured and refused to bring the old spoke in? Not the shop's fault.
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Old 01-06-22, 08:45 AM
  #38  
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Originally Posted by pdlamb

The shop people cared enough to discuss his needs and how to meet those needs, and why alternatives (that the O.P. did not choose) were better. That O.P. mis-measured and refused to bring the old spoke in? Not the shop's fault.
Wrong. I did take the old spoke. And she measured it and quoted the same length that I had measured. Then she cut it the wrong length. She held them together to compare the length. I couldn’t see the difference from across the room. Then she put the broken one in the trash. I didn’t realize it it was too short until I got back to the house.

Dan

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Old 01-06-22, 08:57 AM
  #39  
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Originally Posted by _ForceD_
Wrong. I did take the old spoke. And she measured it and quoted the same length that I had measured. Then she cut it the wrong length. She held them together to compare the length. I couldn’t see the difference from across the room. Then she put the broken one in the trash. I didn’t realize it it was too short until I got back to the house.

Dan

Dan
Just curious: how do you get an accurate measurement from a broken spoke?
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Old 01-06-22, 09:42 AM
  #40  
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C = \/A2 + B2 - 2AB cos θ
A and B are the known sides of a triangle. (Radius of rim and radius of hub spoke holes.)
θ is the angle between them.

Or, use a Park Tool SBC-1.

Dan
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Old 01-06-22, 09:52 AM
  #41  
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I have no doubt that bike shops are buried by DIY folks who get in over their heads. It's no wonder that sometimes they let their irritation predict the interaction with the next customer.

However: It's never a good business strategy to be gruff with a customer.
However (Part 2): I'd rather have a gruff competent mechanic than a happy friendly sort who doesn't know what he or she is doing.
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Old 01-06-22, 09:53 AM
  #42  
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Originally Posted by _ForceD_
Wrong. I did take the old spoke. And she measured it and quoted the same length that I had measured. Then she cut it the wrong length. She held them together to compare the length. I couldn’t see the difference from across the room. Then she put the broken one in the trash. I didn’t realize it it was too short until I got back to the house.

Dan

Dan
Objection, Your Honor! Arguing a fact not already in evidence!
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Old 01-06-22, 10:02 AM
  #43  
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Always ask for the old part back! Final comparison and can always be repurposed! Picks and definitely for cleaning out drains! Perfect length and just enough hook!
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Old 01-06-22, 10:33 AM
  #44  
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Originally Posted by Koyote
Just curious: how do you get an accurate measurement from a broken spoke?
Originally Posted by _ForceD_
C = \/A2 + B2 - 2AB cos θ
A and B are the known sides of a triangle. (Radius of rim and radius of hub spoke holes.)
θ is the angle between them.

Or, use a Park Tool SBC-1.

Dan
The Park tool only measures an intact spoke's length...And Trigonometry only works if you have the wheel.

You've not answered the question.
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Old 01-06-22, 10:37 AM
  #45  
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Reminds me of an incident in San Francisco.

My girlfriend absolutely loves the city, and knows every nook and cranny. I am not a city-slicker, so I was not so excited for the guided tour.

For weeks beforehand, she would wax poetic about this pastry shop in Little Italy, and their delicious wares. We get there after enjoying breakfast in the Castro, and it turns full "Soup Nazi". Poor thing was so excited, she couldn't make up her mind, and the guy behind the counter got super angry and rude. We both had a laugh later, but he was completely lame. Such is life!
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Old 01-06-22, 01:48 PM
  #46  
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Originally Posted by billnuke1
Funny! You don’t look new(ish)…an old punch line from a long time ago when things were, you know, funny…
Heh! Believe me, I'm old enough to remember -- and long for -- those days.
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Old 01-06-22, 03:27 PM
  #47  
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Originally Posted by _ForceD_
Yes. This is pretty much the point. I should have explained that in my OP. I haven’t gone into LBSs much in the past couple of decades. When I did…the staff was friendly. Twice in one day I seek the service of and LBS and they tried to make me feel guilty for doing my own work. Is that they way they’ve become?

Dan
THat's a south florida thing....just sayin'
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Old 01-06-22, 04:14 PM
  #48  
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Originally Posted by jaxgtr
THat's a south florida thing....just sayin'
SE Mich thing too.
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Old 01-06-22, 04:36 PM
  #49  
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Originally Posted by Koyote
I read this whole story, hoping there was a point...
I am one of those kinds of people who enjoy anecdotes from the every day life of my fellow cyclists.
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Old 01-08-22, 12:53 PM
  #50  
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I have a theory.

Both the OP and the shop measured the spoke correctly. Possibly every one of his spokes is a mm or two too short. It still came together fine when it was machine built but a less than ideal amount to get the threads started by hand, especially when the other spokes were already tensioned.
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