stop it!

[Topperharley]

Happened to me several times over the last few weeks, walk into a bike shop and....

shop - "hi mate, can i help you?"
me- "yeah, i'm looking at an all mountain/trail bike, already ride DH, want a bike a can ride up, sacrifice a little on the up to shred down. I've been looking at so and so brands that you have"
shop - "26 or 29"
me - "26"
shop - "why?" (no lie, 2 out of 3 shops exactly that response)
me - "because i like to ride my bike a certain way and 29" isn't that way"
shop - "have you ever ridden one?"'
me - "yes, around a car park, maybe in afew years i'll rethink, but now, i want 26" thankyou"
shop - "well ok, but all the guys here are on 29, they rip"

Hey, shops out there, stop trying to push 29er, 650's and penny farthings onto people who are not interested, if i was interested in 29er's, i would have said so!

 

[Three]

Seems that bike shop employees are the only ones that actually like 29ers haha.
Or maybe they over estimated their popularity and are trying to get rid of excess stock.

But that's what they always do, try to sell you something you didn't ask for.

 

[Chil]

That sort of lack of respect for the customers wishes/request pushes away sales in my opinion.

Some companies (giant and specialized that I've noticed) have alienated a vast quantity of loyal customers by not bringing certain 26" bikes into Australia and then try to force feed the other wheel sizes (29" being the one pushed the most at the moment) onto people, especially if they sell out of one type of 26" model they have, a friend was looking for a reign which they sold out of so they tried to sell him an trance 29" instead.

I'll decide when I feel its time to move to a new wheel size not the bike companies, why? Because It costs less for me to have my 3 bikes with the same sized tyres and wheels which are interchangeable should I need to swap them around.

Like yourself, I do not feel that they are for my style of riding, I trialled an 29" XC hardtail for a week and just felt no matter how much I changed the setup to suit me, it just wasn't working for me.

But when I do change to a different wheel size I will have a better understanding as to which size to go to for the type of riding I'll be doing in the future, mostly due to were the majority of the big companies go in terms of wheel size or maybe another wheel size will pop up in the future...

 

[Jaredp]

Be thankfull you don't live in Perth. I had a shop visibly scowl at me, like I was unentitled to have an opposing opinion.

 

[Alo661]

I feel like I'm the only left at my shop who rides their bike for enjoyment. Not for strava times.

 

[Knut]

This has always been in the industry. The 19 year old punk who is ok fast in his local club. Looks down on anyone who doesn't own Super Record/Di2/Red with Enve. He rides a 29er because he wss the first one to really embrace it. You're simply getting on his band wagon.

It's that arrogance that has helped in killing LBS's. if you get that garbage, find another store. there are good shops around and there are good staff. You just have to find them.

 

[bikesarefun]

I feel like I'm the only left at my shop who rides their bike for enjoyment. Not for strava times.

Strava and 29ers. F#cking the sport more and more each day.

 

[Urban DH]

holy shit how many times i've had that one pulled over on my when i was after some water!

 

[pharmaboy]

Strava and 29ers. F#cking the sport more and more each day.

LOl - hope you are taking the piss.

Retail generally in australia, is very poorly paid. As a result, there is little or no sales/service training. Failure to listen to customers, to endeavor to ascertain their needs and look for a product to match them is the outcome of that situation.

 

[shannon23455]

The main reason i bought my new ride off the shop that i did was the fact that 29" wasn't even mentioned in conversation about what bikes are out. I bout 650b simply because i liked the look and feel of it. Ridden a 29er camber and didn't care too much for it. Yes it was fast but it felt that i could be a little lazy in picking lines and not having to ride it over rough stuff. Each to there own I suppose, if people want 29 they'll already have a bike in mind.

 

[NUMBER5]

One of the reasons why I avoid LBS when ever possible,, and forced to learn to service pretty much every part myself.... The vast majority I've come across make the assumption, here's a customer, they know nothing, don't do research or check prices, how much can we do them for.............

 

[fatboyonabike]

i usually go in and ask for a schrader valve tube before i commit to spending big at a shop. if they fuck that up or dont know what im talking about, its time to walk away..
90% of sales people at bike shops are exactly that, sales people!..i will try to find the old boys that have been around forever, some that i have even raced against, that way you already have that trust built up
but yeah, 29'ers suck, and i cant even be bothered to talk to people about Strava!

 

[floody]

Could it be that you're asking them what AM bike they recommend and having ridden a selection of their product they feel the 29er works best?

Don't carry on like butthurt assclowns, exactly what the fuck is wrong with a salesperson trying to get you on their recommended product?

 

[willsy01]

Could it be that you're asking them what AM bike they recommend and having ridden a selection of their product they feel the 29er works best?

Don't carry on like butthurt assclowns, exactly what the fuck is wrong with a salesperson trying to get you on their recommended product?

What's wrong with it? Ignoring the couple of criteria that a customer has specified is the problem.

 

[MARKL]

I think a lot of it is how the message is delivered - "we have 'x' which is exactly what you are after, I also have 'y' which I think would be worth considering for the following..."

LOl - hope you are taking the piss.

No, I am fairly certain he was being serious.

 

[rider124]

At my work, we have been told to ask why no matter what option they choose, it makes it easier for us to find out more about the person, so we can find a bike to their liking a lot better. (i.e: to the OP. The OP wants a 26 inch bike, and he explains to me how he rides downhill as well, and wants to keep things similar to that for an easier crossover.) by just asking that, we have found out a valid reason why he would rather 26 over 29, and it gives us some sort of idea of his background in riding.

Yes, If people say i want a 26 inch wheel bike, i ask them have they ever ridden a 29er and most of the time the reply is no. That is why most of the time people ask why you want a 26 inch bike instead of a 29er, because the majority of people coming through my shop wanting a 26 inch bike, have never ridden a 29er and they usually end up with the 29er after test riding both.

 

[charlieking97]

They are just loosing sales by saying such things, customers might even loose their shit and just not come in anymore. In the already struggling retail scene, with all of this overseas competition, why would they not be trying to sell all they can. Quite simply there idiots

EDIT - on the 29er topic - 'oh yeah, they are so good, you can roll over rocks faster'. Just ride better on a normal sized bike?

 

[outtacontrol]

I think most of the guys who make the most noise about how shit 29ners are, are the ones that have never bothered to find one with the travel and geometry that best suits their riding style.

My guess is if they did, they wouldn't be making so much noise

I know, because I was one of them, but it only took one ride on a Bandit 29 to sell me on it. My other ride is a Rocky Mountain Slayer...

 

[pharmaboy]

They are just loosing sales by saying such things, customers might even loose their shit and just not come in anymore. In the already struggling retail scene, with all of this overseas competition, why would they not be trying to sell all they can. Quite simply there idiots

EDIT - on the 29er topic - 'oh yeah, they are so good, you can roll over rocks faster'. Just ride better on a normal sized bike?

happens in all sorts of retail. Before the internet, the consumer didnt know much about the product and relied on the shop to help them with decisions and educate them a little. These days, the customer often knows more, but the retail sales environment hasnt grown to cope with this.

What truly differentiates the average from the good, is the average has a bunch of opinions that they think are facts.

 

[charlieking97]

happens in all sorts of retail. Before the internet, the consumer didnt know much about the product and relied on the shop to help them with decisions and educate them a little. These days, the customer often knows more, but the retail sales environment hasnt grown to cope with this.

What truly differentiates the average from the good, is the average has a bunch of opinions that they think are facts.

youre spot on mate. I really think that is and will be a problem for a while - the opinions of both sales staff members, riders and what the manufacturers want to do