Friday, December 21, 2007

Department store bikes

Some time ago, due to a forgotten piece of equipment, I made a trip to a local bike shop I normally don’t visit.  I don’t go to many bike shops because I’m partial to Racer’s Cycle Service, where I’ve been a regular since the Clinton Administration. 



I like Racer’s shop because it feels right.  When I walk in the front door I’m greeted with the smell of grease, degreaser, Stan’s NoTubes and sometimes smelly dogs.  I like to think that smell is shop’s soul.



There is a shop down the street from my house that has an entirely different smell.  When I open the door there I’m confronted with the smell of new tires, new clothes, and (I suspect) commission-driven sales staff.  I don’t smell any soul at all. 



The local shop where I went to replace my forgotten equipment smelled like degreaser.  The man who helped me was wearing a shop apron, with actual bicycle grease on it.  The repair stands were in plain view, not hidden in the back like at my soulless neighborhood shop.  I could tell I had found a shop with soul. 



Until I walked out the door and saw this sign in the front window. 



Dept_store_bikes



I have worked at a bike shop.  I know how much of a hassle working on department store bikes can be.  I mean, they’re not meant to be repaired, their makers’ business models rely upon you buying one of their bikes, putting it in the garage and throwing it out when the tires go flat.  Often it’s cheaper to replace the whole bike than to pay for parts and labor on a repair—especially since they can be so difficult to repair.  So I understand why this shop might feel that working on department store bikes is not worth their time. 



It’s not just this shop either.  Check out this tirade about department store bikes.  He says a cheap bike has recently appeared at his office bike rack. I don’t care where a person buys their bike if they actually ride it to work. 



Same goes for the local bike shop that won’t work on department store bikes.  If the bike needs repair, it means that it’s probably getting ridden—and any bike that actually gets ridden deserves the all the care and service necessary to keep it safe, serviceable and fun.



In 2005 Bicycling Magazine published an article about one group of people that rides department store bikes.  It calls them the invisible riders because they “don’t ride for fun, fitness or camaraderie.  They ride to stay alive, earn money, and support their families.”  It is the best article Bicycling Magazine has ever published.  You can read it here



There are invisible riders everywhere.  The easiest way to spot them, aside from their department store bike, is that they’re likely riding on the wrong side of the road.  They’re riding to some of the most physically demanding, lowest paying, and spiritually demeaning jobs our society has created.  Ask any one of them and I’m sure he’ll tell you that he’d rather be driving a car, but he’ll also tell you that his bike is his ticket to freedom.  He rides to survive, to support himself and his family, and hopefully one day to bring financial security. 



It is the highest use of the bicycle.  And that bicycle deserves to be repaired. 



6 comments:

  1. Alright, come clean. What's the name of the offending shop? Email me if you don't want to publish it.

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  2. It is because they do generally not stock the parts, also they are usually 2 weeks out on repairs in the summer with 4 mechanics working, that being said, they help anyone they can regardless and when too busy, they send people right down the street to a shop that has the parts and can help them. The other sign says 'sorry, We are Riding' but they were there.

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  3. The locals have figured out that I work on bikes in my garage and they bring me their department store beauties in droves. At times, I actually enjoy workin on them - lots of WD-40, large crescent wrenches, bending brakes and derailers into alignment - those sorts of things. I chalk it up to community service.
    I wonder what my shop smells like to others. Acetylene with a hint of Phil Wood's Tenacious?

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  4. I actually asked about it once. They got tired of people chewing them out when they got the bill -- turns out no one likes a repair bill that costs more than the original bike.
    Having said that, I agree with your basic point -- all bikes should be ridden till they die, and even the cheap bikes can go a long ways when properly cared for.

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  5. Amen, brother. It's sad to see people who should know better limiting people's access to a good, clean form of transportation and fun. I've said it before when people say their bike is a piece, but they loving riding - two wheels good.

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  6. Ahem....ummmm...that looks like the sign at Revolution. It is partially a joke because so many of the bikes at that shop are in the $2,000-$5,000 range and partially it is true. Bob nailed it. Who wants a $90 XT cassette put on their Huffy? Here is the test Chad, walk in there with a dept store bike...my guess is you'll leave with a claim tag!

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