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Taking your bike in the bike shop while shopping.

I have encountered twice the situation when bike shop owners asked me to leave my bike outside, reffering to other guys with much more expencive bikes leaving them outdoor. Is it even normal to say that my bike is too cheap to worry about (new alu bike from decathlon with shimano 105)? Sometimes I am wondering if bikeshops want to survive, here in Germany most of LBS work only until 18.00 and have a lunch break at the same time as all working people have breaks. How is it in the other places?

If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.

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21 comments

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audrey27 | 6 years ago
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Even though your  bicycle was cheap, it doens'nt mean you got nothing to worry about. Unless you got a lot of money to buy a new one instead. Maybe some shop owners just envy to your bicycle and told you to just leave your bike outside their shop.

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ChrisB200SX | 6 years ago
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My LBS would probably recommend I bring the bike in if I were to ever leave it outside... he's had an expensive bike (his stock) stolen from inside the shop when he left the front door open when we had a heatwave and he wanted ventilation while he worked.

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Canyon48 | 6 years ago
1 like

I wouldn't go into a bike shop that wouldn't let me bring my bike in, let alone give them my custom.

The LBS where I grew up was very small and packed with bikes, so I wouldn't take my bike in if I were going to be browsing for any amount of time obviously.

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DaSy | 6 years ago
2 likes

In my shop we used to pretty much insist on riders bringing their bikes in. Quite often people would be pretty laissez-faire about leaving them outside, but as we were all incredibly anal about our own bikes, we couldn't bear  to see a bike unattended outside our shop. I often brought them in myself.

I remember going to Zappi's cafe when it was in Jericho in Oxford, and attempting to leave my bike outside whilst I went in for an espresso (which I intended to drink outside with my bike!), Flavio came out from behind the counter, retrieved my bike, moved some chairs and found it a safe place near the counter!

If you want cyclists as your clientele, you need to understand firstly how easy a bike is to steal and secondly, how much we love our bikes and cater accordingly.

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wycombewheeler | 6 years ago
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My local Sainsbury's often has bikes behind the security guard at the entrance. Pretty reasonable compromise.

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Redvee | 6 years ago
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I did the Amazon locker thing a few weeks back and was expecting it to be near the front of the store, it wasn't so I asked a staff member where it was and was told at the back of the shop and carried on wheeling my bike through the shop. I did it again in the same shop when I had an urgent need of some lucozade and didn't have a lock with me as I leave my lock in work.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxdDlM2uYc0

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turboprannet replied to Redvee | 6 years ago
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Redvee wrote:

I did the Amazon locker thing a few weeks back and was expecting it to be near the front of the store, it wasn't so I asked a staff member where it was and was told at the back of the shop and carried on wheeling my bike through the shop. I did it again in the same shop when I had an urgent need of some lucozade and didn't have a lock with me as I leave my lock in work.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxdDlM2uYc0

 

Shirehampton Co-Op woooo. No-one told you to get out probably because they can't be bothered. If you left it outside without a lock though it'd be gone before you got to the newspapers.

I got thrown out of College Green Tesco when I barely had my front wheel in by some argumentative Scottish woman in a hi-vis shouting "health and safety! health and safety!" at me. Sainsbury's on the centre are pretty chill though.

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brooksby replied to turboprannet | 6 years ago
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turboprannet wrote:

Redvee wrote:

I did the Amazon locker thing a few weeks back and was expecting it to be near the front of the store, it wasn't so I asked a staff member where it was and was told at the back of the shop and carried on wheeling my bike through the shop. I did it again in the same shop when I had an urgent need of some lucozade and didn't have a lock with me as I leave my lock in work.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxdDlM2uYc0

 

Shirehampton Co-Op woooo. No-one told you to get out probably because they can't be bothered. If you left it outside without a lock though it'd be gone before you got to the newspapers.

I got thrown out of College Green Tesco when I barely had my front wheel in by some argumentative Scottish woman in a hi-vis shouting "health and safety! health and safety!" at me. Sainsbury's on the centre are pretty chill though.

That last bit is good to know, now that all of the convenient bike stands by that Sainsburys have been removed to make way for Metrobus.

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Canyon48 replied to brooksby | 6 years ago
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brooksby wrote:

turboprannet wrote:

Redvee wrote:

I did the Amazon locker thing a few weeks back and was expecting it to be near the front of the store, it wasn't so I asked a staff member where it was and was told at the back of the shop and carried on wheeling my bike through the shop. I did it again in the same shop when I had an urgent need of some lucozade and didn't have a lock with me as I leave my lock in work.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VxdDlM2uYc0

 

Shirehampton Co-Op woooo. No-one told you to get out probably because they can't be bothered. If you left it outside without a lock though it'd be gone before you got to the newspapers.

I got thrown out of College Green Tesco when I barely had my front wheel in by some argumentative Scottish woman in a hi-vis shouting "health and safety! health and safety!" at me. Sainsbury's on the centre are pretty chill though.

That last bit is good to know, now that all of the convenient bike stands by that Sainsburys have been removed to make way for Metrobus.

Ha, just thought that!

I've also been welcomed at co-op when I've had my bike and really needed a drink. The local PO was in co-op as well so I'd take my bike in if I went to the post office. That was up in Fishponds, I was a regular and the security guard knew me and would look after my bike  10

That whole metrobus is essentially a very big cycle path that doesn't really go anywhere (seeing as they aren't running buses on it for a while).

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Leeroy_Silk | 6 years ago
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My LBS has a secure area where customers can leave their bikes whilst they shop in the shop or even elsewhere in the city centre. I'll quite often leave a bike with them whilst I wander around the city. Cheers Bicicielo in B'ham centre. 

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wycombewheeler | 6 years ago
2 likes

On Saturday I was locking my bike up outside a bike shop in Koblenz when the staff member signalled for me to bring it in, without knowing what I was after. He then helped me fitting the lights I was buying. (Didn't need help but it did half the time). As well as dealing with me entirely in English.

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kompot replied to wycombewheeler | 6 years ago
2 likes

wycombewheeler wrote:

On Saturday I was locking my bike up outside a bike shop in Koblenz when the staff member signalled for me to bring it in, without knowing what I was after. He then helped me fitting the lights I was buying. (Didn't need help but it did half the time). As well as dealing with me entirely in English.

I wish shops in Heidelberg would be the same friendly!

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Martyn_K | 6 years ago
4 likes

LBS near me has customer use d-locks hanging by the door. Grab one and lock your bike up outside. If one of the staff is nearby when you roll up they will quite often bring a lock out for you. 

 

As already noted. Don't give that particular LBS your business.

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kompot replied to Martyn_K | 6 years ago
3 likes

Martyn_K wrote:

LBS near me has customer use d-locks hanging by the door. Grab one and lock your bike up outside. If one of the staff is nearby when you roll up they will quite often bring a lock out for you. 

 

As already noted. Don't give that particular LBS your business.

Wow, that's a decent service!

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LastBoyScout | 6 years ago
2 likes

For me, it depends on the shop, what I want and how long I'll be.

Sometimes I'll take the bike in, other times I'll lock it outside. I'd consider it courteous to at least ask if you can bring it in first - some shops have limited space inside and they won't want your bike falling over and damaging their stock or another customer.

Can't actually think of a shop locally to me that's objected to me bringing a bike in, but I'd respect it if they did. I've acually been pleasantly surprised by a couple of high-street shops that have let me bring it in briefly while I've collected an order.

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StraelGuy | 6 years ago
1 like

Then I strongly suggest you don't give them any of your custom.

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dottigirl | 6 years ago
1 like

I would walk out of any LBS* if they asked me to leave my bike outside, especially if they asked me to do it before I'd even mentioned why I was in there.

That's even in so-called 'safe' places. Not catering for your clientele who are on bikes and probably without locks is unexcusable. 

On a slightly different note, I use my bike as a mobility aid - I lean on it to walk - and I've been pleasantly surprised by the amount of shops who've let me bring it in so I could have a wander around.

 

*unless I totally, utterly desperately needed something in the next 24 hours, and was over twenty miles from another LBS, and couldn't borrow it from a friend.

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StraelGuy | 6 years ago
2 likes

Then I strongly suggest you don't give them any of your custom.

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kompot | 6 years ago
4 likes

Funny enough last week owner of jewlery shop asked me to bring bike inside of a shop in order to be safe, but bikeshop kicked me with my bike out before i have anounced what do I want from them.

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Shades | 6 years ago
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If it was a quick visit, I wanted to check something fitted on the bike, or it was a mechanical problem, I would definitely take the bike into the shop and would question their commitment as a LBS if I was asked to remove the bike from the shop.  If I was browsing then I might lock it up outside, but then I could well be doing other shopping so it wouldn't be an issue for me keeping it outside.

Maintenance/repairs (that I can't do myself) is where I'm heavily reliant on a LBS.  Because the high street LBS hours are hopeless when you work full time, I use a small repairs/maintenance only place that allows me to drop-off/pick-up at (almost) any pre-arranged time.  All high street shops are up against internet shopping and LBSs are no exception.  You need a 'unique selling point' that the internet can't provide to survive.  We're all aware of the mantra of supporting the LBS, but when spares are half the price on the web it's hard to justify, especially for people on a budget.  For me, an LBS is for maintenance/repairs and where I want to see/handle clothes, spares, accessories etc before I buy.

On a lighter note, I took a folder into an art gallery once; owner wasn't happy about it but he wasn't going to kick me out.  Bought my Mum a birthday present so he chose the best option!

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alansmurphy replied to Shades | 6 years ago
4 likes
Shades wrote:

On a lighter note, I took a folder into an art gallery once; owner wasn't happy about it but he wasn't going to kick me out.  Bought my Mum a birthday present so he chose the best option!

I keep all my best watercolours in a nice leather folder, my local gallery insists that I bring it in and encourage best cravat and cane...

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