I think more so than regionally, attitudes are based on the employees relationship with the sport. As you pointed out, a guy in a store who is stoked about the sport is more pleasant to interact with and more in touch than a guy who doesn't live the lifestyle. A lot of shops have smelled the cash in triathlons now and are starting to try to jump on the bandwagon. They get disgruntled when they floor $20K worth of tri bikes to "ride the wave of popularity" then can't walk the walk. You never see those guys at 7:00a.m. on Sunday. They're in bed. The real tri guys are where they belong: at the local race, turning a wrench, signing people up, doing body marking and putting their stuff on at the last second so they can catch their own wave start. People in bike shops who live the sport, love the sport. I guarantee you- we're not here for the money.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

       There are good shops and bad ones everywhere. Try Cycles Plus in Huntington. They know their stuff and will talk your ear off if that's what you like. They do great work and know the ins and outs of high performance bicycles. Good Luck

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

Thanks... do you have any contact info for them?

Cycles Plus, 414 New York Ave, Huntington, NY, 11743, 631-271-8240. I was new over here last winter. I brought my Habanero frame and Zipp wheels to another shop, where they were supposed to know what they were doing, to built up and they did a lousey job. Someone recommended Cycles Plus, they tuned everything and the bike became the great ride I thought it would be.

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''Sweeney - you can both crush your AG *and* cruise in dead last!! 😂 '' Murphy's Law

TAKU,
I will have to agree with Tom on this topic. Since we are both shop owners, I strongly concur with his point about shops "riding the wave." We have been in business for 26 years and have a local triathlon that is 25 years old. Two Wheeler Dealer is the only sponsor that has been on the t-shirt for every race. We do go to the races, we do turn wrenches, and we try to get every employee to race.
It is amazing to see the excitement generated in a bike shop employee after they do their first race. They come in the next week a "professional bikeshop employee" stoked and ready to sell and educate.
We sell "tribikes" to a lot of newbies. The educational process in selling someone the right bike requires patience and expertise. You can not sell a person a tribike if all you do is race or ride mountain bikes.
Well, we have people lined up at the front door. So good luck all and please be kind to your LBS. If not call Tom or myself and I am sure you will be happy.

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"Nothing in life ever just happens. Calculated progression insures your strength."
Shawn Spencer
Bike Cycles
Wilmington, NC
http://www.bikecycleshop.com

I would have to concur that there are regional differences. I am originally from the east coast, and most shops (including my sponsor's) have seemed a bit more interested in selling than they have been in fitting or helping you out. (In westchester county, I was unable to find a shop that went beyond the "standover height fit test". As a result, I had a crappy fit for a long time).

And as far as race support goes, it is near impossible to get shop support. A big race for my team was in northern new jersey...about 5 miles from our sponsor's shop. more than 3/4ths of our team races in it, and the RD was also a long time teammmate. No one, not even our sponsor shop, was willing to come and do bike support for the race. For crying out loud, between us we had spent thousands...and I mean THOUSANDS of dollars at his shop. Almost all of us bought our bikes there...nice ones: Guru's, Litespeeds, etc with Zipp wheels. As luck would have it, my seatpost collar broke on the morning of the race. I ended up racing in low rider position. I know I should have had a spare (I did for everything else), but you see my point... It was a $5 dollar part that would have made me a customer for life. I now go to another shop, even though I don't get the 10% discount, because they have always been willing to help out with the little stuff.

Contrast: I lived in the midwest for a while. In chicago, for example, the rule has been very helpful shop owners/employees. I think people here are more likely to be living the lifestyle. And even if theyaren't, I beleive people just tend to be more friendly and courteous out here. When I got a new road bike, the shop spent a solid hour and change getting me as close to right as was possible. When I put aerobars on it (because I could not yet afford a tri bike) they were happy to spend another hour fitting me out. And this wasn't even a tri-specialty shop...it was a roadie/mtn bike shop with a few tri bikes on the floor. I have also seen a lot more race support out here.

I am an east coaster at heart...but I have been tempted to become a permanent midwesterner because of my experiences in missouri/chicago. People still remember what it is like to be friendly.

Philbert

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Dr. Philip Skiba
Scientific Training for Endurance Athletes now available on Amazon!

Here in Vancouver I have found there to be not only huge differences from shop to shop, but also within the same shop depending on staff, and also from the same staff depending on the day of the week. I guess we must be a moody, caffeine-regulated bunch here in Lotusland.

The only truly consistent player has been a shop called Campione, but they are really much more focused on the roadie scene. If anyone has any strong recommendations for the Vancouver area I would love to hear about it.

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TonyG

What is Enoch Root?