Bicycle shops are places we go to frequently to buy new components, make repairs, or simply to socialize, but we must avoid going to “Trollear”.
People who work in a bicycle shop, both mechanics and shop assistants, sometimes have to face attitudes that are close to “trolling” on the part of some cycling customers. We must remember that after all these establishments are a way of making a living and they are there to sell and offer us services.
- Pay in spices and beers
Everyone likes beer or a good tapa but trying to pay them a repair by inviting them to the bar is something that should not be done. People who work in a bike shop have to pay their bills and will not pay them with beers. Another type of “Troll” is one that tries to pay for part of a new bicycle or component by giving another “object” such as a console. Normally, a bicycle shop is not a medieval market where they accept barters and you must remember that after all the shops are a business to earn money.
2. Borrow tool from the bicycle shop.
If you need to breathe air into your wheel, they may even have a pump near the door so you can inflate the wheel, but do not ask them to leave you a crank puller or other type of tool to repair your bike, they have a workshop and have paid for those tools to be used in it. Buy your own tool for basic repairs and go to the bicycle shop when you need more complex repairs.
3. Believe that you know more than the mechanic from bicycle shop.
If you have taken your bike to be fixed it is for something, do not be correcting the mechanic all the time saying how to do it. That it does not do it exactly like the video tutorial you have seen on YouTube does not mean that it does not solve the problem for you. They deal with dozens of breakdowns every day and know what they are doing. Go have a coffee while they do their work, it will be good for you and they can work in peace.
4. Wanting your bike repaired for today.
The bicycle shop has a lot of work and they repair the bikes in order of arrival list, think that maybe your bike will be there for a few days until its turn. You cannot skip the entire queue, the bikes in front of you may be in the same rush as you to finish them. Be proactive, good maintenance will prevent you from having a serious incident that leaves you without going out for a weekend.
5. Leave the bike dirty at the bicycle shop
The bicycle in the bicycle shop must always be left clean so that it can be worked on without problems, if you leave it dirty they may have to wash it and that will be a cost that will be reflected in the final invoice. Get in the habit of giving her a wash before taking her to see the mechanic.
6. Bargain
You are not in a market where you have to haggle over the price of things, if the piece or bicycle you are buying has a discount, the shopkeeper himself will tell you. The bicycles are marked with prices set by the dealer, the bicycle shop can give you free reviews or maybe a repair kit in your purchase, but they will not put money out of their pocket so that you can take the cheapest bicycle.
7. Do you look at me, is it just a moment?
Does the change skip a bit for me, can you regulate it? It’s just a moment that I have clicked, you change the camera quickly and that’s it. These basic and simple repairs are the excuses that many use to skip the repair queue, to put more pressure they usually wear cyclists after riding a bike. If a mechanic falls into the trap of sneaking in and loading the bike onto the colt, the rider starts telling him an incredible list of problems with his bike.
8. Online sale
Going to a store to ask about a piece or bike that you are planning to buy online or to try on sizes so as not to make mistakes in your online purchase is something that is spreading a lot and that is turning physical stores into a kind of Showrooms.
9. Ask them to be your Sponsor
This is not how sponsors work, normally it is the brands or the stores that look at the pilot and not the other way around. Insisting that they give you equipment or that they give you a kit from the store is not a good way to get support. Just reap successes and create a good sports resume that you can present to potential sponsors.
Here is another article on this blog that might interests you:
The 3 Types of Bicycle Carrier to choose