service with a smile

There are a lot of bike shops out there.  Each has a different focus population.  Some cater mostly to high end roadies, others to the average family wanting hybrids, fewer hone in on us mountain bikers... but more, do a little of everything.  So, with so many shops, with an array of bikes and gear, how do you know which is the right shop for you??

Well, if you have a "brand" then that can narrow it down right there.  Not unlike car dealerships, bike shops are "dealers" of certain bike brands.  So, if you are a Trek guy, or a Niner girl, then that right there will narrow your shop search down as not everyone will carry these brands.  Sometimes proximity will be a limiting factor for you.  Maybe you are just looking for ease of accessibility, so the closest one will do.  After all, who really wants to drive far to a bike shop??  Well... I might.

For me, what it all comes down to is personalty and communication.  Would I love a shop that has EVERYTHING I could ever need/want right there available to me at a moments notice... well yeah.  Is that realistic, uh... probably not.  It's just not the nature of the business to be able to have everything available at all times, and that is ok.  It's more important that the guys/gals at the shop talk to me and understand what it is that I need/want.  That they talk to me about it (they might just know a little more about my bike than I do) and that they work with me to figure out how to get said item for me.  Really, customer service is what it all comes down these days with all the "super blowout deals" that are going on everyday with the online stores like Price Point.

In Boston I was a fan of International  Bicycle.  Not only did they take the time to talk to me about different bikes, and how each would fit the riding I was intending, but they didn't pressure me.  I ended up buying 4 bikes from them.  Got all my services done there.  They were great.  I could bring in my bike with a small issue, they would take a look and I was always confident that they would come back with an honest answer.  Many times they would handle it right there in front of me and charge me not a whole heck of a lot!  Confidence... it's important that you are confident in the skills and knowledge of your shop.  

Down here in Charlotte I've visited a number of shops for various things as I've been feeling them out to find "my" shop.  For most service needs I've been visiting Uptown Cycles.  The shop has a training center right inside, and the owners are some serious cyclists themselves - so that could be a bit intimidating to some.  But their service has been stellar.  Quick turnaround, great communication, and a general sense that they do care about you and your bike.  

Yesterday, I stopped in to pick up something at a new (to me) shop that is up by my new job.  I'd heard good things, but the shop just wasn't all that close to me, so I had never visited.  Yesterday I dropped by The Cycle Path to see about some spacers so I could get this chain line of mine in order.






I was greeted promptly by the mechanic and he grabbed me the spacers I needed.  He even threw in a lock ring "just in case" for free.  Now that is service!  Even though I have one, and was pretty sure it would do the trick, he gave me one for free so that there wouldn't be any issues.





When I got home, my lock ring worked (and was the same as the one he gave me) but it was nice to know he had my back.  Next time I'm in the shop, I'll be dropping off that lock ring - that's just good biking karma man.  I didn't take the time to look around the shop on this trip, but I will certainly take a little look around next time I'm in there... who knows, maybe I have a new shop?  At the very least, I can enjoy the view - they are a Niner dealer and have a couple Kermit Green Air9s in the window.

North Carolina on my mind.

As Michael shared last week, we headed to Charlotte, NC with our bikes to do a little reconnaissance. Charlotte is on our extremely short short list of possible places to relocate. When choosing a new place to live, we have certain non-negotiable requirements. Charlotte already fit the bill (according to our endless sessions of googlestorming) for many of our specifications therefore a visit was of the utmost importance in order to make a well-rounded decision.

Here's what we found out:

• Requirement 1 - Mountain Biking Culture: The first day we got to Charlotte we attended a race, which took place about 10 miles south of downtown. We expected there would be about 20 bikers participating in this Wednesday evening race. Truthfully, we figured we were probably wasting our time. We were wrong! After we took the turn to enter the park, we saw around 50 cars parked along the street with many more in the parking lot. There ended up being over 250 riders registered for the race! We found out that this series goes on every Wednesday for 16 weeks and rotates between three different trails around Charlotte. Michael found a place to camp out so he could take some pics, and the people passing by us were extremely friendly and welcoming. Requirement full-filled, check!!
• Requirement 2 - Neighborhoods: Naturally, even though we are about a year out from actually moving from Boston, we are curious when it comes to the types of neighborhoods around the city. Prior to our trip - and thanks again to our googlestorming skillz - I had a list of addresses ready to punch into the GPS for our house hunting adventure. Michael and I are hoping for a nice bungalow or craftsman with about a quarter acre or more of yard that's close to downtown. After five years in Southie, we've had our fill of street parking and concrete so really urban neighborhoods need not apply. We were delighted to find so many places with exactly the feel we wanted! Basically, every neighborhood on this list was awesome. Looks like the "not hipster but still highly interested in biking and craft beer" couple will have many options!
• Requirement 3 - An actual city: So we may be ready to get a house with a picket fence, doggy door and a yard providing a justifiable reason to purchase a lawnmower -- but we ain't quite suburbanites yet. Unfortunately, the southeast isn't really full of metropolitan areas. You pretty much have Atlanta and...well Atlanta to choose from. So we decided a small city could possibly work as long as it had the amenities we loved (A major airport hub, professional sports teams, a major university, concert venues, multiple cuisines with many restaurant options, great hospitals and a strong arts district) without the ones we're completely over (subways, traffic, Chinatown I work right here, water issues, non-stop concrete and rodents). Charlotte, albeit small, has a beautiful downtown area with all the things we need. Looks like we're on a roll!
  

Our next step is to visit again in the summer to see how well we stand up to the intense humidity we keep hearing about. I'm thinking that adventure will be sans Treks, since taking our bikes will require us driving again. Not enough time has passed since our 14 hour ride home last Saturday for me to get excited over another possible road trip.


-A

How I'll bike you.

Let me just put my cards on the table; mountain biking doesn’t sound fun. It never interested me. The main reason is probably not what you would assume. You might think my lack of interest stems from being a city girl. That would be a great guess, except I actually grew up in West Virginia and absolutely salivate at the chance to get some quality quiet time amongst the trees, fresh air, wildlife and dirt. Buildings make poor substitutes for trees, bus fumes don’t refresh my lungs, squirrels and rats barely qualify as wildlife and the dirt…well the amount of dirt is pretty much the same but there’s a huge difference between dirt and dirty.

So we’ve established that the great outdoors aren’t my deterrent. So maybe I’m a girly girl. Maybe I’m scared of getting hurt and even more terrified of damaging my new cycling attire that looks adorable on me? No (I mean, it does look adorable, but you can always buy more!). Being from West Virginia, I’ve done a lot of rafting, rock climbing, hiking, skiing and camping. I’ve dealt with the stiff muscles, gashes, broken ribs, poison ivy, black eyes and even a case of meningitis from a trip down the New River (gross). Any physical activity has its risks. Some carry larger risks than others, but it sure beats sitting on the couch and watching Teen Mom 2, so bring it on.

I’m not sure what your other assumptions would be, so I’m going to stop guessing because it makes me sound like a know-it-all. So here’s my reason: I hate cardio. I have no endurance. Running is horrendous. Jogging is ridiculous. I stick to yoga, hiking and playing with my dogs for all my exercise and that works for me.