Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Touring
Reload this Page >

Local bike shops that steal your parts..

Notices
Touring Have a dream to ride a bike across your state, across the country, or around the world? Self-contained or fully supported? Trade ideas, adventures, and more in our bicycle touring forum.

Local bike shops that steal your parts..

Old 11-01-22, 01:56 PM
  #1  
afrowheels
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
afrowheels's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2020
Posts: 120
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 66 Post(s)
Liked 23 Times in 11 Posts
Local bike shops that steal your parts..

Before I went on my first long tour I arranged with a local bike shop to sit in their workshop and watch the mechanics do their stuff, as a crude way of trying to learn a little. One day a customer came in unexpectedly to check on his bike and all hell broke loose because he found out they had switched one of his parts onto another bloke's bike. This week I became that customer: took my bike in for a service before heading off on a potential tour (https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/1...g-working.html) and today I noticed that one of my XT brake calipers had been switched for a no-name brand grey plastic piece of crap. Hard to put into words what this kind of thing makes you feel...switching a rear brake lever on a bike that you know is going to be doing heavily loaded touring in difficult conditions, just to make a little extra money by fitting out someone else's bike....

Since I've had two experiences of this now and I don't exactly deal with bike shops a lot, I am wondering how common it is.
afrowheels is offline  
Old 11-01-22, 02:08 PM
  #2  
Polaris OBark
ignominious poltroon
 
Polaris OBark's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2022
Posts: 3,927
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2185 Post(s)
Liked 3,337 Times in 1,742 Posts
I've never heard of this happening, but with humans, anything is possible.

I hope you made them replace it.

This is as good a reason as any to do your own wrenching.

BTW: How can a brake caliper be made of plastic?
Polaris OBark is offline  
Old 11-01-22, 02:52 PM
  #3  
Tourist in MSN
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Madison, WI
Posts: 11,112

Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.

Mentioned: 47 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3426 Post(s)
Liked 1,441 Times in 1,122 Posts
I have never heard of it happening in my community. Fortunately I live in a country and city where rule of law means something. I do not know where you are but if there is no govt consumer protection bureau that can be trusted where you are, that is unfortunate.
Tourist in MSN is offline  
Old 11-01-22, 02:54 PM
  #4  
McCycle
Newbie
 
Join Date: Oct 2022
Posts: 49
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 38 Post(s)
Liked 26 Times in 17 Posts
So far they've only stolen my money on parts that don't fit and tools that don't work.
McCycle is offline  
Likes For McCycle:
Old 11-01-22, 02:58 PM
  #5  
indyfabz
Senior Member
 
indyfabz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,058
Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18320 Post(s)
Liked 15,295 Times in 7,229 Posts
Originally Posted by Polaris OBark
BTW: How can a brake caliper be made of plastic?
One sentence reads caliper. Another reads lever. So I’m confused.

Pictures?
indyfabz is offline  
Likes For indyfabz:
Old 11-01-22, 03:00 PM
  #6  
indyfabz
Senior Member
 
indyfabz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,058
Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18320 Post(s)
Liked 15,295 Times in 7,229 Posts
Originally Posted by McCycle
So far they've only stolen my money on parts that don't fit and tools that don't work.
Sounds like you need to find a better source.
indyfabz is offline  
Old 11-01-22, 09:58 PM
  #7  
veganbikes
Clark W. Griswold
 
Join Date: Mar 2014
Location: ,location, location
Posts: 13,278

Bikes: Foundry Chilkoot Ti W/Ultegra Di2, Salsa Timberjack Ti, Cinelli Mash Work RandoCross Fun Time Machine, 1x9 XT Parts Hybrid, Co-Motion Cascadia, Specialized Langster, Phil Wood Apple VeloXS Frame (w/DA 7400), R+M Supercharger2 Rohloff, Habanero Ti 26

Mentioned: 54 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4252 Post(s)
Liked 3,866 Times in 2,579 Posts
It is not something shops I have worked at have done, certainly we have made errors and installed the wrong thing on someone else's bike due to looking the same or being mislabeled in the chain of events but we always make it right. We are humans and we do sometimes make mistakes but we don't intend to steal a customers parts we do sometimes toss worn out parts or forget to re-install a light or a seat bag or something like that, that the customer didn't take with them. However again we try and find it and get it back to them when they ask if we hadn't noticed after the bike was picked up.

I am sure there is unscrupulous person out there who might try something like that but has nothing to do with bike shops but just some humans as it could happen anywhere for any number of reasons. I would wonder where they got the extra time to be swapping parts and doing bleeds like that when it wasn't on the ticket? I wish I had that kind of life where I had loads of extra time in the day for silliness and could still get my job done without extra stress.

I am curious to hear what the shop has to say on it if what happened happened and hope they made it right again. Because you swapped caliper and lever I would wonder a bit.
veganbikes is offline  
Old 11-01-22, 10:11 PM
  #8  
saddlesores
Senior Member
 
saddlesores's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Thailand..........Nakhon Nowhere
Posts: 3,652

Bikes: inferior steel....and....noodly aluminium

Mentioned: 24 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1053 Post(s)
Liked 339 Times in 228 Posts
Originally Posted by indyfabz
One sentence reads caliper. Another reads lever. So I’m confused.

Pictures?
pictures of his surly in another thread here?
https://www.bikeforums.net/touring/1...ents-tour.html

i would assume he meant the levers, prolly switched with some tektros. not likely plasticy-gray long-arm b-brakes.

........although i kinda maybe sorta could be question the validity of this anecdote. i mean, c'mon man! they wanted to steal his brake levers, but only took one? as though a customer wouldn't notice mismatched brake levers?

poster says he personally witnessed two cases of this occurring, so it's apparently quite common at that particular shop. the whole crew and management would have to be involved............so odds they'd let him sit in the work area and watch............low..........and now planning to head off to souf' american tour with a not fully-functional bike?

i'm waiting to read that he's decided to skip the cooking gear and take an accordion instead.......
saddlesores is offline  
Likes For saddlesores:
Old 11-01-22, 10:12 PM
  #9  
Russ Roth
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2019
Location: South Shore of Long Island
Posts: 2,762

Bikes: 2010 Carrera Volans, 2015 C-Dale Trail 2sl, 2017 Raleigh Rush Hour, 2017 Blue Proseccio, 1992 Giant Perigee, 80s Gitane Rallye Tandem

Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1073 Post(s)
Liked 999 Times in 710 Posts
Was accused of it once or twice on stupid things, replaced a worn chain and cassette and then accused to stealing/keeping the old ones which "should have been too new to need replacing." Like I really needed some worn out, 8sp or 9sp low end parts when all my bikes at the time ran 10sp. Or keeping the plastic tryout pedals on a multi-thousand dollar road bike after the buyer picked out their actual pedals. Did have the pleasure once of pulling their well used saddle out of the garbage in front of them and handing it to them after they bought a new one to replace it but thought we were trying to steal the old one. Actual theft is something I've heard of but in 5 different shops I've worked in I've never seen actually happen. We were always able to buy parts at or below wholesale and don't need someone else's worn out stuff, as to swapping to another bike, customers understandably get pissy if used parts start showing up on their bike when we claimed to have replaced something making swiping from one to fix another silly.
Russ Roth is offline  
Old 11-02-22, 07:13 AM
  #10  
fishboat
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: SE Wisconsin
Posts: 1,890

Bikes: Lemond '01 Maillot Jaune, Lemond '02 Victoire, Lemond '03 Poprad, Lemond '03 Wayzata DB conv(Poprad), '79 AcerMex Windsor Carrera Professional(pur new), '88 GT Tequesta(pur new), '01 Bianchi Grizzly, 1993 Trek 970 DB conv, Trek 8900 DB conv

Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 751 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 799 Times in 467 Posts
Before seeming to cast a dark cloud of suspicion over our local bike shops, the OP should probably have mentioned he appears(from his statement in another thread) to be in Bogota, Colombia.
fishboat is online now  
Likes For fishboat:
Old 11-02-22, 07:50 AM
  #11  
timdow
Miles to Go
 
timdow's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: San Diego
Posts: 711

Bikes: 2022 Juiced Crosscurrent X, 2022 Fuji Touring, 1998 Schwinn Moab (drop bar conversion), 2010 LHT (Stolen)

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 151 Post(s)
Liked 145 Times in 95 Posts
What is common in the automotive repair industry, and is the law where I live is that repair shops must return your old parts. This could be requested when getting your bike worked on.

As far as swapping parts w/o owners knowledge, could happen but probably not in most of the developed world as the labor mostly outweighs the value of the used part.
timdow is offline  
Likes For timdow:
Old 11-02-22, 08:30 AM
  #12  
mtnbud
Senior Member
 
mtnbud's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Salem Oregon
Posts: 1,028

Bikes: 2019 Trek Stash 7, 1994 Specialized Epic 1986 Diamondback Ascent 1996 Klein Pulse Comp, 2006 Specialized Sequoia Elite

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 411 Post(s)
Liked 513 Times in 285 Posts
Originally Posted by timdow
What is common in the automotive repair industry, and is the law where I live is that repair shops must return your old parts. This could be requested when getting your bike worked on.

As far as swapping parts w/o owners knowledge, could happen but probably not in most of the developed world as the labor mostly outweighs the value of the used part.
That is what the bike shops do here. The shops used to ask if we wanted them to recycle our used parts, but now they give us back our old parts.
mtnbud is offline  
Old 11-02-22, 11:27 AM
  #13  
McCycle
Newbie
 
Join Date: Oct 2022
Posts: 49
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 38 Post(s)
Liked 26 Times in 17 Posts
Great place for an unscrupulous person to fix bevies of old bike correctly, by "rebuilding" customer's bikes.

While Bogota seems a far more dangerous place, I did end up at a North Idaho biker "Pig Roast" complete with "wet T shirt contest", riding this '56 Harley Panhead I'd restored, a long ways from the Schwinns I started on back in the 70's... A '56 Panhead that had been nearly a chopper that I restored back to as original as it could be, good enough for a trucked invite to be in a Xmas show at the Harley Dealership that winter, after 5 years of restoration, in the living room, being single has certain advantages...

So when I pulled into the lot, I didn't want to park with all the "ugly" new bikes, so I gravitated to the back of the lot and parked to a bike a lot like mine, but with Shovel top end.

In the middle of the pig roast and wet T shirts and beer I notice this dude loitering by my bike, so I head to the parking lot.

Uncomfortable.

Dude has his tools out next to my bike, pretending to be checking some valves but he's removing his footboards is what he's doing, he wants to swap his Chaiwan repops for my 50's originals.

So I hang out, because reparking would have been an affront, and I really just needed to to just get the fk outa Dodge with my bike and my life, so as soon as he stopped playing with his bike I split.

The moral to this story is if you own/ride a neat old bike, don't leave it next another bike like it that could use better parts.

Last edited by McCycle; 11-02-22 at 02:25 PM.
McCycle is offline  
Likes For McCycle:
Old 11-02-22, 01:33 PM
  #14  
indyfabz
Senior Member
 
indyfabz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,058
Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18320 Post(s)
Liked 15,295 Times in 7,229 Posts
^^Cool story, bro, but nor relevant.^^
indyfabz is offline  
Likes For indyfabz:
Old 11-02-22, 01:59 PM
  #15  
McCycle
Newbie
 
Join Date: Oct 2022
Posts: 49
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 38 Post(s)
Liked 26 Times in 17 Posts
Highly relevant, as it relates to someone willing to steal/swap out your bikes parts for theirs in broad daylight.
McCycle is offline  
Likes For McCycle:
Old 11-02-22, 02:17 PM
  #16  
SpedFast
Just Pedaling
 
SpedFast's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2021
Location: US West Coast
Posts: 958

Bikes: YEP!

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 313 Post(s)
Liked 491 Times in 325 Posts
Originally Posted by McCycle
Great place for an unscrupulous person to fix bevies of old bike correctly, by "rebuilding" customer's bikes.

While Bogota seems a far more dangerous place, I did end up at a North Idaho biker "Pig Roast" complete with "wet T shirt contest", riding this '56 Harley Panhead I'd restored, a long ways from the Schwinns I started on back in the 70's... A '56 Panhead that had been nearly a chopper that I restored back to as original as it could be, good enough for a trucked invite to be in a Xmas show at the Harley Dealership that winter, after 5 years of restoration, in the living room, being single has certain advantages...

So when I pulled into the lot, I didn't want to park with all the "ugly" new bikes, so I gravitated to the back of the lot and parked to a bike a lot like mine, but with Shovel top end.

In the middle of the pig roast and wet T shirts and beer I notice this dude loitering by my bike, so I head to the parking lot.

Uncomfortable.

Dude has his tools out next to my bike, pretending to be checking some valves but he's removing his footboards is what he's doing, he wants to swap his Chaiwan repops for my 50's originals.

So I hang out, because reparking would have been an affront, and I really just needed to to just get the fk outa Dodge with my bike and my life, so as soon as he stopped playing with his bike I split.

The moral to this story is if you a neat old bike, don't leave it next another bike like it that could use better parts.
Been there.
SpedFast is offline  
Likes For SpedFast:
Old 11-02-22, 02:19 PM
  #17  
fishboat
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: SE Wisconsin
Posts: 1,890

Bikes: Lemond '01 Maillot Jaune, Lemond '02 Victoire, Lemond '03 Poprad, Lemond '03 Wayzata DB conv(Poprad), '79 AcerMex Windsor Carrera Professional(pur new), '88 GT Tequesta(pur new), '01 Bianchi Grizzly, 1993 Trek 970 DB conv, Trek 8900 DB conv

Mentioned: 12 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 751 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 799 Times in 467 Posts
Originally Posted by McCycle
Highly relevant, as it relates to someone willing to steal/swap out your bikes parts for theirs in broad daylight.
News flash..this isn't a motorcycle forum.

Bikers here wear spandex...as outerwear..in public..and like it.
fishboat is online now  
Likes For fishboat:
Old 11-02-22, 02:26 PM
  #18  
McCycle
Newbie
 
Join Date: Oct 2022
Posts: 49
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 38 Post(s)
Liked 26 Times in 17 Posts
Originally Posted by fishboat
News flash..this isn't a motorcycle forum.
Bicycles could be seen as a gateway drug to motorcycle ownership, as well as ideal modes of transportation for suspicious people with probably suspended driver's licenses or even worse too poor to own a car ;[]

Last edited by McCycle; 11-02-22 at 02:41 PM.
McCycle is offline  
Old 11-02-22, 03:04 PM
  #19  
mstateglfr 
Sunshine
 
mstateglfr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 16,538

Bikes: '18 class built steel roadbike, '19 Fairlight Secan, '88 Schwinn Premis , Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross V4, '89 Novara Trionfo

Mentioned: 123 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10902 Post(s)
Liked 7,391 Times in 4,148 Posts
Originally Posted by McCycle
Bicycles could be seen as a gateway drug to motorcycle ownership, as well as ideal modes of transportation for suspicious people with probably suspended driver's licenses or even worse too poor to own a car ;
Bicycles are a gateway drug to motorcycles? Well thats a first.
mstateglfr is offline  
Likes For mstateglfr:
Old 11-02-22, 03:21 PM
  #20  
indyfabz
Senior Member
 
indyfabz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,058
Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18320 Post(s)
Liked 15,295 Times in 7,229 Posts
Originally Posted by McCycle
Highly relevant, as it relates to someone willing to steal/swap out your bikes parts for theirs in broad daylight.
The alleged incident occurred in a LBS. Not the same. Not to mention the other dissimilarities.

Iggy list update in 5, 4, 3…
indyfabz is offline  
Likes For indyfabz:
Old 11-02-22, 03:26 PM
  #21  
indyfabz
Senior Member
 
indyfabz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Posts: 39,058
Mentioned: 210 Post(s)
Tagged: 1 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18320 Post(s)
Liked 15,295 Times in 7,229 Posts
Originally Posted by mstateglfr
Bicycles are a gateway drug to motorcycles? Well thats a first.
That post is a brain on drugs. Any questions?
indyfabz is offline  
Old 11-02-22, 03:37 PM
  #22  
McCycle
Newbie
 
Join Date: Oct 2022
Posts: 49
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 38 Post(s)
Liked 26 Times in 17 Posts
Originally Posted by indyfabz
The alleged incident occurred in a LBS. Not the same. Not to mention the other dissimilarities.

Iggy list update in 5, 4, 3…

As previously mentioned, humans were involved, so anthropologically speaking it's more the same than not. There are people out there who covet your bike's part, in or out of a bike shop.
McCycle is offline  
Old 11-02-22, 05:20 PM
  #23  
Polaris OBark
ignominious poltroon
 
Polaris OBark's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2022
Posts: 3,927
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2185 Post(s)
Liked 3,337 Times in 1,742 Posts
Originally Posted by McCycle
Bicycles could be seen as a gateway drug to motorcycle ownership, as well as ideal modes of transportation for suspicious people with probably suspended driver's licenses or even worse too poor to own a car ;
Those are called e-bikes.
Polaris OBark is offline  
Old 11-02-22, 06:12 PM
  #24  
jon c. 
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 4,812
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1591 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1,015 Times in 570 Posts
I was on a road bike before I had a motorcycle. Seemed like a natural transition at the time.

Not having ridden either in years, about a decade ago I was thinking about getting a motorcycle. And ended up getting a road bike instead. I joked that it satisfied the desire.
jon c. is offline  
Likes For jon c.:
Old 11-02-22, 07:44 PM
  #25  
saddlesores
Senior Member
 
saddlesores's Avatar
 
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Thailand..........Nakhon Nowhere
Posts: 3,652

Bikes: inferior steel....and....noodly aluminium

Mentioned: 24 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1053 Post(s)
Liked 339 Times in 228 Posts
Originally Posted by fishboat
News flash..this isn't a motorcycle forum.

Bikers here wear spandex...as outerwear..in public..and like it.
spandex ---- leather chaps....................same-same but different!
saddlesores is offline  
Likes For saddlesores:

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.