First things first: I am not a cycling nut - I just like riding my bike. i was in the area, so i went into peddlers shop. what i found was an attractive mountain/ road bike store, with an elitist employee who treated me in a demeaning fashion. suffice to say, i won't be returning.
ultimately, if your the type of enthusiast that looks down your nose at pleasure riders as you zipp past them in your skin tight spandex uniform, this might be the store for you. otherwise, i'd go somewhere else.
the details:
With the weather breaking, i thought i might try bike commuting a couple days a week again this year. hell - the i live near the speed line, and the gas prices make it even more cost effective than in the past. so i figured i'd pop my head in the store and see if there were any accessories or goodies to get the season rolling with. i ride a mountain/ road hybrid: cross bars and gears like a mountain bike, 700cc rims and semi slick tires akin to a road bike. i go to bike shops to see the unique goodies that make biking more enjoyable and to see what other kind of bikes are out there.
so even though i wasn't in the market for a bike, i started by browsing the bikes. peddler's shop is no place to look for a beach cruiser or a bmx: their stock is almost entirely mountain bikes, road bikes, and hybrids. for greater variety, try erlton in cherry hill on route 70 (my favorite bike shop) or rico's cyclery on the white horse pike in somerdale. i saw alot of Trek bikes, and I recall seeing a fuji. The cheapest bike I observed was $250 - although most were priced much higher.
thier accessories and spread over a series of pogadas. the items matched their bike stock - so do't go there looking for the wide fanny seat.
near the registers there congregated two groups of customers. both were yuppie couples that had unatended hyperactive children with them. at least one of them was there for some type of service.
the kids had to find the store confusing. its a bike shop, and most kids see bicycles as something fun. but the great bulk of the bikes and accessories in this store arn't for kids.
At any rate, I came across a rack of lubricants and decided it might be a good idea to pick some up to keep the season running smoothly. as i noted, i am not enthusiast, so the options were a little bewildering. there was one type of grease that said it attracted dirt and had the be cleaned every week, and another type that said it was self cleaning but that you had to clean off the gears before you put it on.
i approached the register with a small bottle of the first kind, and i asked a big galoot working behind the counter whether this was good grease for a chain. he told me that grease was for cables not for gears and chains. this contradicted what the bottle said, but i gave him the benefit of the doubt. so i asked him what he would recommend.
he went to the rack and handed me top shelf self cleaning grease, telling me thats what they use. so i asked about the pre-application cleaning - what kind of cleaning is required? a simple wipe down with a rag or something more involved?
he then handed me a aerosol can as if he was adding something to my cart that i would just automatically buy. whatever was in that can would solve my silly little problem. the entire exchange was presumptuous and condescending.
i told him i'd just stick with the grease. more bad attitude - like suit yourself novice. i tried to ask him about the cleaning procedure again, and he dismissed the question - not even making eye contact.
i handed him a $20.00 bill for a $10.00 bottle of grease, and when he handed me my change he said "here you go boss"
boss? boss is the term meat heads use to call you a douchebag when he circumstances don't allow them to act like bullies. typically, the person using the term 'boss' is seen by the majority of people as a huge douchebag himself - although this reality escapes him. i've been called boss by people my age pumping gas, delivering pizza, changing oil at pep boys, and - now - working the register at a bike shop. i've never been called 'boss' by anyone my age who went or is going to law school, medical school, etc. then again, i didn't come across many biffs in law school . . . .
so i turn to leave, and he shouts - what about your receipt, don't you think you'll need that? again, very condescending. so i took it and got the hell out of there. read more