Alex321
Veteran
- Location
- South Wales
It may be wrong, but you are right that it is conventional thinking.
I don't think adding recumbents to their range is going to make the difference between survival or otherwise for many bike shops.
Bike shops discouraging new cyclists ?
- Thread starter MidnightRider
- Start date
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It may be wrong, but you are right that it is conventional thinking.
I don't think adding recumbents to their range is going to make the difference between survival or otherwise for many bike shops.
Roadrat77
Active Member
- Location
- Birmingham
But then again the average non cyclist is not brain washed by the DF clique, since they dont know that much about bikes anyway. They are as likely to like a trike as a DF bike.
As for letting customers take a test ride, it probably would depend on if the shop knew the customer or not. If a stranger walked in, the shop would be smart if they had the customer leave his car keys and drivers license. OTOH there would be no problem if the test rider was a regular customer. Just another advantage with doing business with your local bike shop.
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
When I visited Spa Cycles they just gave me a bike and described a local route and sent me off. I did leave my wife behind as a hostage. She just sat in the corner drinking tea and doing the crossword.
Sounds like some of the women's clothes shop I'm taken to when my partners on a mega clothes shop mission. Some have a 'man corner'. Comfy sofa in the corner with mags to read and coffee.
Chislenko
Veteran
Yes, lots of shops had such an area back in the day. I suppose nowadays most shops use that space for more display purposes.
matticus
Guru
Alex321
Veteran
- Location
- South Wales
What is DF?
The average nion-cyclist thinks of a cycle as only the traditional upright two wheeled variety, and if going for their first bike, will take some persuading to go for anything else - particularly when anything else will be much more expensive than the entry level bike they are most commonly looking for.
a.twiddler
Veteran
DF = Diamond Frame. Wot the racers ride, so we must all ride the same design, based on the "Safety Bicycle" invented by Starley in the 1880s, with refinements. Not helped by the UCI stifling innovations in the 1930s (and ever since, it seems), and cyclists apparently being a pretty conservative lot anyway. We're not all hotshot racers, though there's nothing wrong with having a reasonably light and responsive bike for general use. I tend to look at it from the other end of the telescope, a bicycle being a mobility aid. I couldn't easily walk 50 miles, but with a bike, I can do it under my own power. Sort of seven league boots, making greater distances possible for the same effort. But it doesn't have to be a diamond frame bike. Different boots suit different people. Just saying, like.
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
a.twiddler
Veteran
Not strictly a diamond frame, though? Looks like a Ladies' frame with two downtubes for a low step over while wearing voluminous skirts. So either the redoubtable Margaret Rutherford is a) making a rebellious statement by riding a bike without a top tube or b) conforming to societal norms by riding a bike of a type that ladies were expected to ride. Not to downplay the massive impact that the bicycle in whatever form had in liberating women in the late 19th and early 20th century.
In 1983 I built up a diamond frame bike for the impending Mrs T, being at the time a club cyclist and deeply indoctrinated into the way a bike ought to be. Of course, it had a top tube. I presented it to her as a surprise but she was dubious, though tried it up the road anyway. It only took a few minutes before some young urchin called out to his mate, "Hey! She's riding a man's bike!" and that was it. "I'm not riding that", she said. I eventually found a nice Mixte frame and built up the parts on to that. She was a bit happier with that, as it looked "like a proper woman's bike". She was never as keen on cycling as I was, though, and I suppose that's always the way of it.
So, we are all slaves to our own perceptions and the expectations of others. We see ourselves in this way or that, and the things we fill our lives with reflect that, which extends to the sort of human powered vehicles we ride. Unlike cycle forum members most people don't think a lot about bikes, and just buy what fits, is cheap enough, a nice colour, and available at the time which generally means a mass produced diamond frame bike of some description. A proven design, and factories in the far East and elsewhere churn them out in their millions and so the cost remains affordable. It's only if the bug bites that people become motivated to join clubs and find out what else is available. Ironically, joining a club could easily narrow your horizons and limit what you will ride if you want to take up racing with the strict regulations involved if their focus is on that aspect of cycling. I was lucky that when I was at that stage the local club had a strong touring section but back then a touring bike looked like x. So you modified what you had if you couldn't stretch to a Dawes Galaxy or similar. This was before the mountain bike boom and the choices were quite limited. So my perception of myself at that time was as a cycle tourist, so I must ride a certain type of bike. Luckily, that certain type of bike was a good all rounder too.
Since then I've learned to enjoy mountain bikes, small wheelers, folders and all sorts of bikes but the biggest revelation was when I took up recumbents. Like upright bikes. recumbents can be tourers, dedicated fast bikes, or something in between, though I seem to gravitate towards recumbents that could tour. In all this, bike dealers have only played a small part as most of my bikes have been privately bought. Recumbent dealers are certainly thin on the ground, and I certainly couldn't stretch to a new one. So perhaps I'm single handedly bringing the nation's bike dealerships to their knees. The thing is, I know what I want. When you are starting out, getting good advice about a bike to suit what you want to do with it is still as difficult as ever, unless you are very lucky.
Dogtrousers
Kilometre nibbler
This is very true and it's something I was thinking about the other week. Prepare for off topic excursion.
What's so great about drop handlebars?
Now, I first started riding a "racer" with drops because all my mates had them. We weren't even emulating famous racers because, frankly, we hadn't heard of any. Maybe we'd heard tell that there was a French bloke with an unspellable name ending in X (yes I know he's Belgian, but we didn't). Bike racing back then was a complete unknown apart from the fact that it was something they did in France, like eating snails. But all the same we all rode "racers". It was just what you did.
Since then I've never regularly ridden a bike (Brompton aside) that doesn't have drops. And because I'm very used to them and happy enough with them I'm not going to go to the trouble and expense of trying something else that I may not like. If it ain't broke ...
But if I'd never heard of drop handlebars, would I come up with that design? Would I heck. Who in their right mind would devise brake levers like that? They're nuts.
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matticus
Guru
Asterix?? I reckon Obelix would be faster - in a flat TT, maybe not on long clmbs ...
Time Waster
Veteran
Recumbents to sell to non cyclists? Now that is funny. Aren't new recumbent heading towards £2k plus these days and trikes even more?
Imagine you're a non cyclist but you and your wife are thinking of an activity to keep fit along with the rest of their time starved free time activities. They think walking but then someone suggests cycling to see more of the countryside. What a great idea but will you like it?
A visit to a local bike shop and the assistant suggests a recumbent as perfect for your needs. While waiting for help you'd had plenty of time to browse and had already seen the price tag on recumbent. Also seen the expensive bikes on prominent display, costing £1500 plus. Eventually the racing snake shop assistant leaves his club chaingang mate by the counter and comes over to listen a little to what you want to do and cuts you up to tell you a £3k recumbent each is what you need.
Just how quick will those potential be cyclists leave to head to Halfords for cheap Carrera hybrid for £249? Probably quicker than the speed they'd ride a bike once they have it!
Recumbents and trikes plus any bike £1k plus is not really a beginners bike. They're for keen leisure cyclists upwards. Recumbent bikes and trikes will need to become mainstream before they get cheap enough for new cyclists in all but the rare, money no object newbie. They'll never become mainstream enough to be cheap and they'll never become cheap enough until they're mainstream.
BTW as a long time cyclist I had a recumbent bike itch. I scratched it for £500 secondhand. It's in the garage gathering dust on flat tyres. I loved riding it but there's too much about it that makes it impractical for my various needs. As I'm not touring with a heavy load these days it's one biggest advantage to be isn't there right now.
Imho bike shops need to cater for more expensive but they need to treat cheaper end with as much respect. The people I know from my old work who used to consider bikes they see £149 bikes as being a good one! You'd need a zero on your right end of that in many bike shops these days.
Imagine you're a non cyclist but you and your wife are thinking of an activity to keep fit along with the rest of their time starved free time activities. They think walking but then someone suggests cycling to see more of the countryside. What a great idea but will you like it?
A visit to a local bike shop and the assistant suggests a recumbent as perfect for your needs. While waiting for help you'd had plenty of time to browse and had already seen the price tag on recumbent. Also seen the expensive bikes on prominent display, costing £1500 plus. Eventually the racing snake shop assistant leaves his club chaingang mate by the counter and comes over to listen a little to what you want to do and cuts you up to tell you a £3k recumbent each is what you need.
Just how quick will those potential be cyclists leave to head to Halfords for cheap Carrera hybrid for £249? Probably quicker than the speed they'd ride a bike once they have it!
Recumbents and trikes plus any bike £1k plus is not really a beginners bike. They're for keen leisure cyclists upwards. Recumbent bikes and trikes will need to become mainstream before they get cheap enough for new cyclists in all but the rare, money no object newbie. They'll never become mainstream enough to be cheap and they'll never become cheap enough until they're mainstream.
BTW as a long time cyclist I had a recumbent bike itch. I scratched it for £500 secondhand. It's in the garage gathering dust on flat tyres. I loved riding it but there's too much about it that makes it impractical for my various needs. As I'm not touring with a heavy load these days it's one biggest advantage to be isn't there right now.
Imho bike shops need to cater for more expensive but they need to treat cheaper end with as much respect. The people I know from my old work who used to consider bikes they see £149 bikes as being a good one! You'd need a zero on your right end of that in many bike shops these days.
