This is fairly long. It's also fairly bike-centric (I originally wrote it to post on a cycling forum). I think it's a great example of service that you just don't find at very many places, though.
Anyway, here's the story:
I'm looking to buy my first road bike, so I rode over to my local bike store on my MTB. I walked in and started talking to one of the staff there, and mentioned that I was looking to get a road bike. I told him I wasn't going to be buying today, but I wanted to see what was available and see if I could decide how much money I should be saving up.
He asked if I'd done much riding on a road bike before, I said no and told him this would be my first road bike, and that my I wanted to use it primarilry to commute to work (20 miles each way). He recommended I get something fairly inexpensive, as I won't be racing it, but that I get a carbon fiber fork and seatpost for comfort. It was cool that he didn't try to upsell me to more expensive bikes, he was saying the bikes they were selling for $600-800 would be fine for what I wanted to do as a beginner.
Anyway, he estimated a frame size for me just by looking at me, said he'd try 56cm. He found a 56cm Specialized Allez bike, and then he measured my inseam to adjust saddle height, put the bike on thier trainer and had me spin a bit to check the fit of the bike. He didn't like the way the 56 fit, thought it was a bit too big, and went and found a 54. He adjusted the saddle height again and had me try the new bike on the trainer again. He thoguht the seat was sitting a bit too far back, so he got out a plumb-bob to adjust the forward-back position of the seat to fit better. He also talked about how I might need a little bit shorter stem. He talked a lot about how fit was more important on a road bike than an MTB because you don't move around on the bike as much. He also said thier shop basically does lifetime fitting for free, so if the initial adjustments when I first buy the bike aren't perfect, I can bring it back and they'll adjust it until it's right.
After he adjusted the 54cm he asked me if I wanted to test ride it, so I took the bike out for about 3 or 4 miles on the road. Wow! So much faster than my MTB. (http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=9357]This is the exact bike I rode, in black[/URL]).
When I brought the bike back, he asked how I liked it, and said that he wasn't sure exactly when I wanted to buy, but said that it'd probably be best if I waited a few weeks, since they're still getting a bunch of new '05 bikes in, and I should try out the new ones before I decide what to buy.
He went through all this trouble, adjusting two bikes to fit me, even AFTER I told him I wasn't buying anything today.
As far as I'm concerned, they provided awesome service, and I'll definitely be going back in a few weeks to buy a bike from them. BTW, I really liked the Allez, and they're selling it for $800 - $100 less than Specialized lists it for.
Anyway, here's the story:
I'm looking to buy my first road bike, so I rode over to my local bike store on my MTB. I walked in and started talking to one of the staff there, and mentioned that I was looking to get a road bike. I told him I wasn't going to be buying today, but I wanted to see what was available and see if I could decide how much money I should be saving up.
He asked if I'd done much riding on a road bike before, I said no and told him this would be my first road bike, and that my I wanted to use it primarilry to commute to work (20 miles each way). He recommended I get something fairly inexpensive, as I won't be racing it, but that I get a carbon fiber fork and seatpost for comfort. It was cool that he didn't try to upsell me to more expensive bikes, he was saying the bikes they were selling for $600-800 would be fine for what I wanted to do as a beginner.
Anyway, he estimated a frame size for me just by looking at me, said he'd try 56cm. He found a 56cm Specialized Allez bike, and then he measured my inseam to adjust saddle height, put the bike on thier trainer and had me spin a bit to check the fit of the bike. He didn't like the way the 56 fit, thought it was a bit too big, and went and found a 54. He adjusted the saddle height again and had me try the new bike on the trainer again. He thoguht the seat was sitting a bit too far back, so he got out a plumb-bob to adjust the forward-back position of the seat to fit better. He also talked about how I might need a little bit shorter stem. He talked a lot about how fit was more important on a road bike than an MTB because you don't move around on the bike as much. He also said thier shop basically does lifetime fitting for free, so if the initial adjustments when I first buy the bike aren't perfect, I can bring it back and they'll adjust it until it's right.
After he adjusted the 54cm he asked me if I wanted to test ride it, so I took the bike out for about 3 or 4 miles on the road. Wow! So much faster than my MTB. (http://www.specialized.com/SBCBkModel.jsp?spid=9357]This is the exact bike I rode, in black[/URL]).
When I brought the bike back, he asked how I liked it, and said that he wasn't sure exactly when I wanted to buy, but said that it'd probably be best if I waited a few weeks, since they're still getting a bunch of new '05 bikes in, and I should try out the new ones before I decide what to buy.
He went through all this trouble, adjusting two bikes to fit me, even AFTER I told him I wasn't buying anything today.
As far as I'm concerned, they provided awesome service, and I'll definitely be going back in a few weeks to buy a bike from them. BTW, I really liked the Allez, and they're selling it for $800 - $100 less than Specialized lists it for.
Facebook
Twitter