A Great LBS

Rex Kerr wrote:
SMS wrote:
I tried to find a bicycle that was sufficiently adjustable that it
wouldn't be outgrown so fast.

For adjustability I briefly considered a Dahon, or similar, folding
bike, but decided that my son would probably kill one. I was especially
drawn to the fact that I could sometimes "borrow it" when I traveled. :-)

You have to be a little careful in choosing folders because many don't
have adjustable height stems. My Dahon Speed TR has one, but the next
year they dropped the adjustable height stem. On the newest model they
have an adjustable reach stem, but not a sliding stem like on older models.

I think that some of the sliding bicycles allow riding in different lengths.

I think there were probably 500 different folding bicycles exhibited at
Taipei Cycle last week, with almost none of them being available in the
U.S.. Dahon, Brompton, and Birdy were the big names in folders at the
show, but some of the lesser-known brands had compelling features as well.

I just happened to be in a store that just happened to have a Jamis 12"
frame Ranger, their low end, non-suspension mountain bike. It was
exactly what I was looking for, and it was pretty cheap ($195 less a 20%
discount).

My thinking is that maybe bicycle stores could sell a lot of $150
"tween" bikes and get people out of Wal-Mart and Target. But few
potential customers are going to go through a lot of hassle and driving
around to buy a decent bicycle.

Bicycle shop marketing is almost an oxymoron. Very little good
advertising, no use of direct mail, failing to advertise in community
newspapers (i.e. weeklies). Some do bicycle club discounts, at least on
high margin clothing and accessories, and some give 10% discounts on
complete non-sale bicycles which is something.

SMS aka Steven M. Scharf wrote:
[...]
I tried to find a bicycle that was sufficiently adjustable that it
wouldn't be outgrown so fast. It was quite difficult. You need an
adjustable height stem (quill or a Speedlifter equivalent), and
adjustable reach stem, a seat post that's sufficiently adjustable, and a
frame that's not too large for a tween so both the standover height and
the reach are not too excessive. I found one bicycle that met the
requirements, once I changed the stem from a non-adjustable to an
adjustable.[...]

Look here for a bicycle that will fit a wide range of rider sizes:
http://www.easyracers.com/ez_1_sc.htm.

--
Tom Sherman - Holstein-Friesland Bovinia
The weather is here, wish you were beautiful