If Finish Line Lube is so obviously grossly overpriced, why is it sold in every LBS?

On Jan 24, 10:00*am, steven "the self-appointed expert" scharf
wrote:

snipped

Someone would have to be really stupid to
still be hot waxing.

Well, "someone"[1] would have to be really stupid to still be whining
about compact frame geometry, aluminum frames, threadless headsets,
etc., too, doncha think?

[1] Wait! That "someone" is Steven M. Scharf!

On Jan 24, 11:46 am, Ozark Bicycle
wrote:
On Jan 24, 10:00 am, steven "the self-appointed expert" scharf
The topic that will forever be renewed:
I figured that if a major chain saw manufacturer put its name on chain
lubricant, it must be as good as any. So, I bought aGALLON of Poulan
for less than U$8. That's 16 8oz bottles.

Seems too thick? Dilute with a little diesel oil, engineered to make
diesel pumps self-lubricating. It costs $1US/qt..

Want to extend this thread to Green? Consider that the quantity of
chain saw lubricant used in logging is so great as to have
environmental impact from the petrochemicals. So, that industry has
gone, or been forced to go to soybean based lubricants. And, so my
diesel oil should be biodiesel. The Poulan chain oil in the green
plastic bottles sold in the US, Whoever knows should post here.


wrote:

snipped

Someone would have to be really stupid to
still be hot waxing.

Well, "someone"[1] would have to be really stupid to still be whining
about compact frame geometry, aluminum frames, threadless headsets,
etc., too, doncha think?

[1] Wait! That "someone" is Steven M. Scharf!

On Jan 24, 11:59*am, "
wrote:
On Jan 24, 11:46 am, Ozark wrote:
On Jan 24, 10:00 am, steven "the self-appointed expert" scharf

The topic that will forever be renewed:
I figured that if a major chain saw manufacturer put its name on chain
lubricant, it must be as good as any. So, I bought aGALLON of Poulan
for less than U$8. That's 16 8oz bottles.

Seems too thick? Dilute with a little diesel oil, engineered to make
diesel pumps self-lubricating. It costs $1US/qt..

Or, mix one part chain oil with one part odorless mineral spirits. Buy
a "drip bottle" at a crafts/hobby dept, etc., for ~$0.50. Pour mixture
into bottle, apply to chain rollers, wipe, let set, wipe again. You
now have a well lubed chain and a lifetime supply of chain lube for
less than the cost of 2-3 4oz bottles of the latest/greatest/gee-whiz/
magic/ripoff chain lube.

Jay wrote:
Is this just a conspiracy to extract every possible dollar from cyclists?
If so, who are the conspirators? Are LBS prohibited from selling cheaper,
just as good, lubes?
Regular RBT contributors know I am commuting year round 20 miles daily in
Chicago. I recently bought a bottle of
http://www.finishlineusa.com/product...untry-lube.htm . It seems to
be an effective winter chain lube. I expect this bottle will easily last
until spring. So we are not talking about big bucks here.
People actually ask for it (and similar products ) by brand and 'latest
version'. Do you have any idea how many styles/labels of White Lightning
exist? I don't, but there sure are many.

A Muzi wrote:
If you ask for Product X, I'll hand you one from the display rack. If
you ask my advice, I'll gladly expound on lubrication. But I'm not
religious enough to pick a fight over lubricants. Or pseudo lubricants.

Jay wrote:
OK, I think I am beginning to see this from the LBS perspective. The
quickest and easiest thing to do is hand the customer a little bottle,
and say, 'this is what we use in the shop'. And after all, the LBS is
a for-profit business, not a free information service.

You may have mistaken my emphasis.
If you ask for a specific product I won't say you're wrong.
If you ask my opinion, we can discuss lubricants.
Yes, we do carry non-designer-package oils (Paneff!)
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

A Muzi wrote:

If you ask for Product X, I'll hand you one from the display rack. If
you ask my advice, I'll gladly expound on lubrication. But I'm not
religious enough to pick a fight over lubricants. Or pseudo lubricants.

Do you keep WD-40 on the shelf for those folks who ask for it by
name?

Chalo

A Muzi wrote:
If you ask for Product X, I'll hand you one from the display rack. If
you ask my advice, I'll gladly expound on lubrication. But I'm not
religious enough to pick a fight over lubricants. Or pseudo lubricants.

Chalo wrote:
Do you keep WD-40 on the shelf for those folks who ask for it by
name?

Nope.
We suggest the hardware store 2 blocks over. And I assure you there are
guys who insist on WD40, no substitute, and cannot be dissuaded.

I do carry TriFlow (formerly TriFlon) which is just as awful. Every
bottle goes out under duress, "Next to that, at the same price, you can
get twice as large a bottle of real chain oil with applicator". Some
listen, some don't.
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

Jay wrote:
OK, I think I am beginning to see this from the LBS perspective. The
quickest and easiest thing to do is hand the customer a little bottle,
and say, 'this is what we use in the shop'. And after all, the LBS is
a for-profit business, not a free information service.

You may have mistaken my emphasis.
If you ask for a specific product I won't say you're wrong.
If you ask my opinion, we can discuss lubricants.
Yes, we do carry non-designer-package oils (Paneff!)
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

I did not mean to imply that you (personally) would give bad advice, just to
make a sale. My earlier reply was carelessly phrased.

IMO, the burden is *always* on the customer, to make a smart buying
decision. Everything else is just sales talk.

J.

Jay wrote:
OK, I think I am beginning to see this from the LBS perspective. The
quickest and easiest thing to do is hand the customer a little bottle,
and say, 'this is what we use in the shop'. And after all, the LBS is
a for-profit business, not a free information service.

am:
You may have mistaken my emphasis.
If you ask for a specific product I won't say you're wrong.
If you ask my opinion, we can discuss lubricants.
Yes, we do carry non-designer-package oils (Panef!)

Jay wrote:
I did not mean to imply that you (personally) would give bad advice, just to
make a sale. My earlier reply was carelessly phrased.
IMO, the burden is *always* on the customer, to make a smart buying
decision. Everything else is just sales talk.

I wasn't able to get a link to Panef:
http://www.panef.com/

but my search did turn up an interesting page of pane foccacia !:
http://www.comune.olmedo.ss.it/pane.html

Panef is an oil-packaging house in Milwaukee, just no-nonsense oil, no
frills, no hype:
http://www.yellowjersey.org/PANEFOIL.JPG
--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

A Muzi wrote:
Jay wrote:
Is this just a conspiracy to extract every possible dollar from
cyclists?
If so, who are the conspirators? Are LBS prohibited from selling
cheaper,
just as good, lubes?
Regular RBT contributors know I am commuting year round 20 miles
daily in
Chicago. I recently bought a bottle of
http://www.finishlineusa.com/product...untry-lube.htm . It
seems to
be an effective winter chain lube. I expect this bottle will easily
last
until spring. So we are not talking about big bucks here.
People actually ask for it (and similar products ) by brand and 'latest
version'. Do you have any idea how many styles/labels of White Lightning
exist? I don't, but there sure are many.

A Muzi wrote:
If you ask for Product X, I'll hand you one from the display rack. If
you ask my advice, I'll gladly expound on lubrication. But I'm not
religious enough to pick a fight over lubricants. Or pseudo lubricants.

Jay wrote:
OK, I think I am beginning to see this from the LBS perspective. The
quickest and easiest thing to do is hand the customer a little bottle,
and say, 'this is what we use in the shop'. And after all, the LBS is
a for-profit business, not a free information service.

You may have mistaken my emphasis.
If you ask for a specific product I won't say you're wrong.
If you ask my opinion, we can discuss lubricants.
Yes, we do carry non-designer-package oils (Paneff!)

Many stores (not bicycle shops) that push higher margin, lower quality,
products have resulted in a lot of very wary consumers. You have the
right approach. You can't spend much time discussing the merits of a
product that's netting you $5 in profit.

Maybe print up some one page sheets that explain the differences in
chain lubes that you sell, kind of like what REI does for many different
product categories, and that also explains that WD-40 is not a lubricant!

Luke aka Lucas Iragusa wrote:
...
I'd like to know why that gastronomical obscenity, The Big Mac, is sold
in every McDonalds. A greater conspiracy by far!

There is enough grease in a Big Mac to lubricate a bicycle chain.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
"And never forget, life ultimately makes failures of all people."
- A. Derleth