Thanks for reading the first newsletter of Bicycle Words. The goal here is to share knowledge and give insights into bicycle culture from the side of the bike shop that doesn’t generally get heard from as much as I like. Here we go!

Retail Sales

Working in a busy shop is a trip sometimes. People from all walks of life come in the front door looking for parts or bikes. Bike shops are retail environments so the goal is to sell and sell often. We all work hard at getting the customers what they need to make their bikes work as good as they can. Occasionally we get a bozo that wants to kick tires and tell us how awesome they are when it comes to bicycle history, but, their history begins and ends with a 1996 Nishiki “racing bike” they had decades ago. It is fairly difficult to sell a new bike to these dinosaurs since they paid a lot of money for their bike 30 years ago. Sadly, converting 30 year old dollars to today’s valuation is going to make them cry when they see the price tags of new bikes. Even though the cost of everything has risen people get hung up on prices from the past. In most cases we can do a nice tune up on older bikes and get them up and running again. The cost is less than a new bike and it keeps one more bike moving rather than tossing it in the trash or recycler.

Treat Your Bike Like You Care About It

When you spend your hard earned money on a the bicycle of your dreams, to help bring joy and the magical experiences that riding brings, we all hope you come back to the shop for regular maintenance or parts and supplies if you repairs yourself. A $600 bike can be a platform to a good experience in the same way that a $6,000 bike could for someone else. I’ve learned quickly that the price of a bike is not an indicator of how well the bike will be treated by the owner. It is shocking to see how high end bikes get hammered and ridden to the point of destruction and then get carted into the shop for major repairs. I look at these owners with a smile because they want their baby put back together so they can go rage again down some rock filled wheel destroying trails. Service is what keeps bike shops open and keeps the employees fed. So, keep riding folks!

American Beast

We follow the Grand Tours closely at the shop and the current leader of the Vuelta a Espana is an American named Sepp Kuss. Known as The Durango Kid, he is smashing the Vuelta hard and having a great ride. He is well-known for his domestique role on the Jumbo Visma team and due to his tenacious climbing ability he has taken the lead and has a solid support base around him. It’s going to be interesting to see if he can hang onto the red jersey.

Thanks for reading. Go ride your bike and check in next week for more thoughts on bikes.

Peace,
Paul