I traded in my bike here for store credit, and subsequently used some of that credit towards a safety check on my new bike. The amount of store credit I received for bike #1 was great, exceeding what I thought I'd get, and the price of the safety check on bike #2 was very reasonable. Service at the register and on the floor was friendly, knowledgeable, and efficient. When I was trying out replacement bikes, the employee helping me knew right away which bikes to show me based on my height and intended use--he didn't try to sell me anything outside my parameters, and he actively tried to save me money. All in all, a really great experience.
With one exception. No, two.
Exception #1
When I brought in bike #2 (purchased elsewhere and assembled manually, in the end) for a safety check, I was helped by a person who vibed "why are you here? Why are you talking to me? Why don't you already know exactly what you want and what a safety check entails?" through the entire conversation.
Let's be clear. I like the New England dour, and I know the service industry is a grind, because I was there once too. So it wasn't that this person wasn't friendly enough for my taste. It's just that I don't know anything about bikes except that I can use them to get places. I don't know how to maintain them; up until recently I didn't even know what the proper seat height or frame size was for me. I am also not intimately acquainted with the discourse of Hampshire Bicycle such that I know what a "safety check" is and whether getting one is sufficient to correct any errors I might have made when assembling bike #2. I feel like ignorance in these matters, while not exactly admirable, is also not a crime. All I wanted was to ensure that, when I used my bike to get between my classroom, office, and apartment, it wouldn't fall apart under me on the Rail Trail.
I asked her to check the bike seat height for me. I mounted the bike and waited while she checked. "It should be a little higher," she said. "All right," I replied. "Can you adjust it when you do the safety check?" She consented.
When I picked up the bike, I asked if they'd found anything wrong with the bike. After a long pause she replied, "Well...everything's fine now." And that was it. "Wow, all I wanted to know was if there were shit parts I ought to replace for my own safety. Guess I'll find out empirically," I thought.
Well, for anyone who cares to know: the bike hasn't fallen apart under me yet. But I did fall off it four times during my first commute (and once dangerously into traffic) because it turned out that the seat height should NOT have been raised at all.
Exception #2
My friend, who bikes everywhere and unlike me knows about bikes, needed a replacement tube. He came to Hampshire Bicycle, gave the specific dimensions of his tires, and asked for the appropriately sized tube. Whoever helped him (I wasn't there) sold him a tube that would have fit a tire maybe 6 inches wider in diameter.
So in conclusion: there are 1-2 employees here who need to beef up their bicycle lore. 1 of them seemed not to like me. Everyone else (and the store itself) is great! read more