LBS Policy against working on your own bike!
11-09-21, 08:11 AM
#101
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Not that I'm aware of. But if there is a resource for this, I'd love to know about it.
As I understand it, the first gen (non-etube) Di2 rear mech is just a servo motor and it's attendant gear drive bits. The brain is on a little board inside the front mech body. (The later gen 11-spd models may be the same, not sure.) If so, one would think that repairing the rear mech would not be a graduate-level undertaking. But it will be a long while before my list of projects gets short enough to research that one more myself.
As I understand it, the first gen (non-etube) Di2 rear mech is just a servo motor and it's attendant gear drive bits. The brain is on a little board inside the front mech body. (The later gen 11-spd models may be the same, not sure.) If so, one would think that repairing the rear mech would not be a graduate-level undertaking. But it will be a long while before my list of projects gets short enough to research that one more myself.
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11-09-21, 11:48 AM
#102
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Really? That hasn't been my experience with cables nor housing. The Shimano 4-piece brake cable kits I buy have maybe gone up in price $1 ($10 total shipped now), but consistently been available. Can't say the same for Rustines hoods, which ceased production altogether.
11-09-21, 04:01 PM
#103
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Yeah, I'm a Raleigh dealer as well. The product that was Raleigh branded has been shifted to Diamondback and iZip brands (which I am actually not having too much problem getting). Long story I won't get into, but it's a shame that the Raleigh brand lost out.
11-10-21, 09:38 AM
#104
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Let me preface this by saying I'm 62 years old. I have been working on bikes since the mechanics in the bike shop close to my house would let me hang out when I was 10 and hand them tools and be otherwise annoying. I live in a small East Texas town. Closest bike shop is an hour away. I go there if I am close and need something, otherwise I order parts online. I was in that town today so I stopped in because I needed some cable and housing. I walked in and asked for a mtb brake cable and a full length piece of housing. The guy was pretty condescending telling me every bike is different and he needs to know exactly how long to cut the housing. I told him it's for a rear disc brake and the housing is full length so to cut me 5 feet. That seemed to annoy him so I said just cut it the length of the cable (knowing full well that there would be some left over). He blew and shook his head in frustration and I turned and started looking at the bike tools (ironic) thinking he was getting the housing. I heard him talking on the phone and mentioning housing. A minute later he gets my attention and asks me if I was bringing the bike in for installation. I told him that I would be installing it myself. He then picked up the cable and told me that I cannot install it myself, they had to do the install per company policy. ??? I know this shop changed hands recently and like to give them business when I am in the area but this is the last time I will give them business. Anyone else ever seen anything this absurd from a bike shop? Sorry for the rant.
We have lost some very good bike shops in the Denver area one in particular that got fed up with the supply chain problems and decided that life was too short.
11-10-21, 11:17 AM
#105
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Really? That hasn't been my experience with cables nor housing. The Shimano 4-piece brake cable kits I buy have maybe gone up in price $1 ($10 total shipped now), but consistently been available. Can't say the same for Rustines hoods, which ceased production altogether.
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11-10-21, 11:49 AM
#106
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One of our lbs's here is open 3 days a week for a total of 8 hours. Been like that since covid hit. He says he's made more money in the past year by far, over the past 30 years. He no longer let's me true my wheels, and do other small repairs when I ride in. And he's even built 2 wheelsets for me. And he knows I worked in a bike shop for years. All about the revenue. He charges $100.00 per hour for work. I buy everything online now.
11-10-21, 05:54 PM
#108
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My two uncles were both pharmacists and naturally opened a drugstore together through the 60's and 70's. My fave part of the store was the vacuum tube tester where everyone brought their suspect TV tubes and bought replacements.
And yes, my father stuck a screwdriver somewhere it didn't belong into our Zenith and we had a lightning storm in our living room, for a millisecond. Good times.
And yes, my father stuck a screwdriver somewhere it didn't belong into our Zenith and we had a lightning storm in our living room, for a millisecond. Good times.
11-11-21, 03:40 AM
#109
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Bulk cable and housing is backordered right now on Nashbar/Performance (although only a week out if the website is accurate). And that's at retail. I'm sure the situation is pretty grim at QBP & other distributors.
11-11-21, 04:30 AM
#110
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Instead of reducing hours, my fav LBS just straight up closed for a week on 3 or 4 occasions in the last 18 months. IMO, they did it right. They put it out there on social media that they had a backlog of repairs and they weren't open for retail or in-take until they finished up the repairs.
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11-11-21, 01:30 PM
#111
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I can sympathize with a shop being reluctant to sell just parts. Basic consumables such as cables, tubes, tires, housing etc. are hard to come by. The wholesalers who supply our shop are cleaned out/backordered 90% of their catalogue entries - skimming the catalogues is like walking through a ghost town.
Almost as bad with the big Euro mail-order places.
Two of my local shops had to close their doors for weeks during the height of the summer rush, simply due to supply shortages. Try and find 26" tires? Ha.
We almost had a shop crisis due to an inability to source rim brake pads. 26" bike tubes: ditto.
Almost as bad with the big Euro mail-order places.
Two of my local shops had to close their doors for weeks during the height of the summer rush, simply due to supply shortages. Try and find 26" tires? Ha.
We almost had a shop crisis due to an inability to source rim brake pads. 26" bike tubes: ditto.
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11-11-21, 06:20 PM
#112
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Too much of this is driven by knee jerk folks who drug out bikes they haven't ridden in years.
Overwhelmed many of the shops demanding "I need my bike fixed right now" during the pandemic.
Then mostly abandoned them again creating a vacuum that won't subside anytime soon and leaves us in the lurch trying to carry on with C+V that the majority of shops want little to nothing to do with even if they are capable.
Alienating us will hurt them far more long term whether they can see it or not.
I call total BS, if I take the time and effort to come in to shop, I am a buyer however large or small the purchase, if they're door is open, they should be prepared to help me, period.
Overwhelmed many of the shops demanding "I need my bike fixed right now" during the pandemic.
Then mostly abandoned them again creating a vacuum that won't subside anytime soon and leaves us in the lurch trying to carry on with C+V that the majority of shops want little to nothing to do with even if they are capable.
Alienating us will hurt them far more long term whether they can see it or not.
I call total BS, if I take the time and effort to come in to shop, I am a buyer however large or small the purchase, if they're door is open, they should be prepared to help me, period.
11-21-21, 06:37 PM
#113
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If the guy had to make a phone call to the boss to sell cables, he's a total newbie. He may have just been watching the store as a friend to help out. Talk to the owner.
11-21-21, 11:47 PM
#114
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I recently had a shop decline selling me small parts because they wanted to keep them on hand for repairs. They said they were having trouble getting cables and housing and ferrules and such because of supply issues.
