I am sure we as cyclist have heard that phrase a million times..keep the money in your community..support the local bike shop...and I agree...to a point...with the invent of internet shopping years ago businesses sprang up and some have thrived by offering us cyclist parts and gear at unbeatable prices...Jenson USA and PricePoint along with Nashbar and Performance Bikes to name just a few..seldom can the local shop match the prices these companies offer...and yes I still order stuff on line...especially when I know it is not common to find at the shop or the shop says they can not get that part or not a dealer for that company..or if I find a closeout deal that is killer...
So when do I use the shop...when buying a bike..of all the bikes I have owned I have bought all but 2 at the local bike shop.....when I need something right now to fix a mechanical..I do my best to keep the coin in the shop..several reasons...a bike shop is like the mall for us biker types...we go in just to look at stuff over and over...we know the people that work there...we hang out and talk bikes..gear..and other stuff..most shops now have gotten huge...tons of stuff and tones of gear..kind of hard to hang out and talk shop...the days of the little shop are going by the wayside...we still have one of those here in the area...Bicycle Center Of Fort Worth..it is a cool place to hang out and talk bikes..the owner (Rocky) is a great guy and knows bikes..it is competing with the bigger shops and yeah he may have to order stuff for you if he does not have it in the shop..no biggie..he usually gets it fast...but the main reason I rediscovered this shop was customer service...and knowledge..the dude can flat out work on bikes and work on them right...he did my latest build and was as stoked about it as I was..the attention to detail and final build was above my expectations..I hung out and watched him work on the bike some..was cool to sit there and see it come together..and though some of the parts I gave him to use where used the bike looked brand new when he finished..he took time to clean the used parts before assembly...he could have placed it on the floor and you would have thought the entire bike was brand new..and it was pretty much..but even the used cantis we used looked new...he takes pride in his work and it shows..so as an appreciative customer I feel I should give a shout out to this shop...if you live in the Fort Worth area do yourself a favor and check it out..Rocky built a mountain bike up for me years ago..frame up...the thing is still rocking and is still as solid as when he built it..if you do it right and ask the right questions you will be surprised that building your own bike with the parts you want and built right here can be rewarding and cost wise can be a great alternative to buying a bike and then realizing you should have got this or that on it and the upgrading starts...
And for those of you that read this..before you buy a bike at Wal-Mart or Target check out a bike shop..they have entry level bikes for kids, adults, that are affordable and are of better quality..plus you support the local economy and develop a relationship with the shop...experience the entire cycling experience..ride..talk...dream..bikes...the best place to do that is at the bike shop.
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