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The Bike Doctor (Vancouver) mini-rant



 
 
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  #1  
Old September 8th 04, 10:49 PM
Benjamin Lewis
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Default The Bike Doctor (Vancouver) mini-rant


The Bike Doctor in Vancouver is selling straight gauge DT spokes for $1.00
each, or 60 cents each if you buy a full set. Everywhere else I've looked
has them for 50 cents each regardless of how many you buy, including La
Bicicletta, the high-end road bikie store. What gives?

Strangely, I bought a full set from The Bike Doctor just last week, and the
mechanic there at the time only charged me 50 cents per spoke.

They also only stock spokes in 2mm increments, which although a common
practice, is pretty lame.

It wouldn't bother me so much if they didn't advertise "great prices" and
"great selection" on their web page.

--
Benjamin Lewis

I regret to say that we of the FBI are powerless to act in cases of
oral-genital intimacy, unless it has in some way obstructed interstate
commerce. -- J. Edgar Hoover
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  #2  
Old September 9th 04, 03:41 AM
Ryan Cousineau
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In article ,
Benjamin Lewis wrote:

The Bike Doctor in Vancouver is selling straight gauge DT spokes for $1.00
each, or 60 cents each if you buy a full set. Everywhere else I've looked
has them for 50 cents each regardless of how many you buy, including La
Bicicletta, the high-end road bikie store. What gives?


You fool! You're supposed to do what I do, and buy stuff from bike shops
as they close down. I now have a nice collection of 268 mm double-butted
spokes, waiting for a mountain bike wheel to fail.

Strangely, I bought a full set from The Bike Doctor just last week, and the
mechanic there at the time only charged me 50 cents per spoke.


Out of shame? Implicit price-matching?

They also only stock spokes in 2mm increments, which although a common
practice, is pretty lame.


It halves the considerable stocking requirements for spokes. I think 2mm
is sufficient accuracy for the vast majority of spoking jobs.

It wouldn't bother me so much if they didn't advertise "great prices" and
"great selection" on their web page.


Ah, the subjective adjective. Friend to advertisers everywhere.

I'm glad for the warning, but I don't think the Bike Doc deserves
derision for their prices. Pricing happens for all kinds of strange
reasons.

For someone like me who often does shop very aggressively on price, no
bike shop and few mail-order shops make the grade. Mountain Equipment
Co-Op (home of the $14 cycle computer), bereft of the obligation to turn
a profit, does pretty good and stocks great stuff. After that, if I
can't find it at a garage sale, I probably don't need it.

Well, I do try to support Sports Junkies regularly. They treat me well,
are very close by, and have very good hours for a bike shop.

Note that I say this as someone who has a substantial collection of bike
tools, and is not afraid to use them. The only thing I'm missing that
would likely drive me to a bike shop are facing tools and thread taps.

New low price,
--
Ryan Cousineau, http://www.wiredcola.com
Verus de parvis; verus de magnis.
  #3  
Old September 9th 04, 03:59 AM
Zoot Katz
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Wed, 08 Sep 2004 14:49:37 -0700, ,
Benjamin Lewis wrote:

The Bike Doctor in Vancouver is selling straight gauge DT spokes for $1.00
each, or 60 cents each if you buy a full set. Everywhere else I've looked
has them for 50 cents each regardless of how many you buy, including La
Bicicletta, the high-end road bikie store. What gives?

Strangely, I bought a full set from The Bike Doctor just last week, and the
mechanic there at the time only charged me 50 cents per spoke.

They also only stock spokes in 2mm increments, which although a common
practice, is pretty lame.

It wouldn't bother me so much if they didn't advertise "great prices" and
"great selection" on their web page.


Everyday?

Last week I bought 2 straight gauge DT at OCB! for 75 cents each -
self serve, plus tax. No discount. I wanted butted. They only had some
either too long or too short. Those would have also been 75 cents.

After reading this I went to Bike Doctor on Broadway. A guy I've never
seen before quoted $1.00 each but didn't have butted spokes of any
length. I checked a receipt from Bike Dr. on Commercial Drive in Feb.
2002. That says I paid sixty cents each for 80 straight gauge spokes
and another receipt from the same month for two spokes at a buck each.
I remember being shocked and making a mental note to not buy spokes
there.

La Bicicletta didn't have any long enough. They quoted $1.50 for
butted or $.50 straight gauge.

Mighty Rider quoted 60 cents for straight gauge and 75 for butted. He
didn't have butted spokes long enough. He has 310 mm long butted
blanks for fifty cents. Cambie or Simon's cut spokes for $1.00 each.
--
zk
  #4  
Old September 9th 04, 04:43 AM
Dave Mayer
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Default

"Zoot Katz" wrote in message

Last week I bought 2 straight gauge DT at OCB! for 75 cents each -
self serve, plus tax. No discount. I wanted butted. They only had some
either too long or too short. Those would have also been 75 cents.

75 cents for a spoke? Yikes. I'm with Ryan. I've built up an impressive
collection of spokes from closeouts, buying leftovers from shops and
scavanging from wrecked wheels. At this point I've got enough spokes so
that I'd only pay for very high end stuff, like DT Revolutions.

For anything new or good, I find OCB's little recyling depot too expensive.
For example, a mediocre used Campy C-Reord rear freewheel hub showed up.
For what they wanted for it, I was able to buy the same hub new on Ebay and
have it shipped here from the Netherlands. Sad actually.... Obviously I
have found better deals at yard sales.

They explained their pricing policy to me in that their used stuff is
ticketed at 1/2 of Canadian retail. I didn't respond, but the bottom line
is that any fool with a credit card can mail order new stuff for 1/2 of
Canadian retail...





  #5  
Old September 9th 04, 05:55 AM
Zoot Katz
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Default

Thu, 09 Sep 2004 03:43:09 GMT, hjQ%c.363200$gE.332811@pd7tw3no,
"Dave Mayer" wrote:

"Zoot Katz" wrote in message

Last week I bought 2 straight gauge DT at OCB! for 75 cents each -
self serve, plus tax. No discount. I wanted butted. They only had some
either too long or too short. Those would have also been 75 cents.

75 cents for a spoke? Yikes. I'm with Ryan. I've built up an impressive
collection of spokes from closeouts, buying leftovers from shops and
scavanging from wrecked wheels.


Me too but I didn't have any that length. Twenty minutes later, I did.

Cambie is the LBS closest to my home but OCB! is closest to my heart.
--
zk
  #6  
Old September 10th 04, 12:57 AM
Benjamin Lewis
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Default

Ryan Cousineau wrote:
Benjamin Lewis wrote:

Strangely, I bought a full set from The Bike Doctor just last week, and
the mechanic there at the time only charged me 50 cents per spoke.


Out of shame? Implicit price-matching?


I don't know. Perhaps the cashier/mechanic was confused and I benefited
from her error. I'm almost glad that they tried to charge me more the
second time, however, because that prompted me to go over to La Bicicletta
where they had the 293mm lengths I wanted. (Eight of the 294mm spokes I
got from them also turned out to be 293mm due to some bin mixing, and I had
to go back again today, but that's another story. Anyway, they replaced
them apologetically.)

They also only stock spokes in 2mm increments, which although a common
practice, is pretty lame.


It halves the considerable stocking requirements for spokes. I think 2mm
is sufficient accuracy for the vast majority of spoking jobs.


Piffle.

"No, spokes come in 1mm lengths from low 200s thru 310 or so. Places that
stock or can get only even sizes are bein lazy...."
--- Peter Chisolm, Vecchio's Bicicletteria, 2004-04-24 05:58:55 PST

:P

That's 110 boxes of spokes, perhaps a few more for popular sizes. Is that
really a "considerable stocking requirement"?

It wouldn't bother me so much if they didn't advertise "great prices"
and "great selection" on their web page.


Ah, the subjective adjective. Friend to advertisers everywhere.

I'm glad for the warning, but I don't think the Bike Doc deserves
derision for their prices. Pricing happens for all kinds of strange
reasons.


I had the impression looking around that a lot of their other prices were
fairly high as well, but perhaps that's because I buy a lot of those things
at MEC.

Can I deride them because all the mechanics there that I talked to thought
nickel-plated brass spoke nipples were made of steel?

They are one of the few bike stores in Vancouver that have Brooks saddles,
which is a point in their favour for me. (I think Reckless does as well).

Well, I do try to support Sports Junkies regularly. They treat me well,
are very close by, and have very good hours for a bike shop.

Note that I say this as someone who has a substantial collection of bike
tools, and is not afraid to use them. The only thing I'm missing that
would likely drive me to a bike shop are facing tools and thread taps.


I actually would like to have an M5 tap. I've looked for one a couple
times. A guy at Rona suggested Sears, but I have yet to look there.

--
Benjamin Lewis

I regret to say that we of the FBI are powerless to act in cases of
oral-genital intimacy, unless it has in some way obstructed interstate
commerce. -- J. Edgar Hoover
  #7  
Old September 10th 04, 03:24 AM
Ryan Cousineau
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Posts: n/a
Default

In article ,
Benjamin Lewis wrote:

Ryan Cousineau wrote:
Benjamin Lewis wrote:

Strangely, I bought a full set from The Bike Doctor just last week, and
the mechanic there at the time only charged me 50 cents per spoke.


Out of shame? Implicit price-matching?


I don't know. Perhaps the cashier/mechanic was confused and I benefited
from her error. I'm almost glad that they tried to charge me more the
second time, however, because that prompted me to go over to La Bicicletta
where they had the 293mm lengths I wanted. (Eight of the 294mm spokes I
got from them also turned out to be 293mm due to some bin mixing, and I had
to go back again today, but that's another story. Anyway, they replaced
them apologetically.)

They also only stock spokes in 2mm increments, which although a common
practice, is pretty lame.


It halves the considerable stocking requirements for spokes. I think 2mm
is sufficient accuracy for the vast majority of spoking jobs.


Piffle.

"No, spokes come in 1mm lengths from low 200s thru 310 or so. Places that
stock or can get only even sizes are bein lazy...."
--- Peter Chisolm, Vecchio's Bicicletteria, 2004-04-24 05:58:55 PST

:P

That's 110 boxes of spokes, perhaps a few more for popular sizes. Is that
really a "considerable stocking requirement"?


Unless my guesses are incorrect, that amounts to an $1100 inventory at
wholesale prices. Whether that is a lot or not depends entirely on how
fast one turns over the spoke stock. Except for shops that routinely
build their own wheels, I'd say the answer is "not very often."

Note that the Bike Doc, while quite a competent shop, probably doesn't
build a lot of wheels (at least compared to, say, La Bicicletta) because
it specializes in commuters and other urban types. I happen to know that
they can get in a serviceable 27" pre-built wheel for about $40, because
that's what they did for me. At that price, you have to have a pretty
good reason to buy spokes, hubs, and rims separately (mine is that I'm
really really cheap, but we already went over that). I doubt most
commuters have a good reason to do so, compared to buying the pre-built
wheel.

Heck, even if you wanted a "better" wheel, the best price-performance
would probably be to start with a cheap prebuilt wheel and ask the shop
to tension and true it.

It wouldn't bother me so much if they didn't advertise "great prices"
and "great selection" on their web page.


Ah, the subjective adjective. Friend to advertisers everywhere.

I'm glad for the warning, but I don't think the Bike Doc deserves
derision for their prices. Pricing happens for all kinds of strange
reasons.


I had the impression looking around that a lot of their other prices were
fairly high as well, but perhaps that's because I buy a lot of those things
at MEC.


Precisely. MEC is really cheap on most of the stuff they carry. There is
a reason everybody in town owns a red Beto pump bought at MEC: because
compararable pumps start at twice the price ($25 for the Beto; $50+ for
a Joe Blow or Park). I believe MEC makes a deliberate decision to _not_
carry whole bicycles out of a desire to not become an all-consuming
vortex of bike gear, which they could probably do on a whim.

BTW, the Fall Gear Swap is coming up. If you can stand in line for 3+
hours, the world is yours for a song.

Can I deride them because all the mechanics there that I talked to thought
nickel-plated brass spoke nipples were made of steel?


Yes.

They are one of the few bike stores in Vancouver that have Brooks saddles,
which is a point in their favour for me. (I think Reckless does as well).

Well, I do try to support Sports Junkies regularly. They treat me well,
are very close by, and have very good hours for a bike shop.

Note that I say this as someone who has a substantial collection of bike
tools, and is not afraid to use them. The only thing I'm missing that
would likely drive me to a bike shop are facing tools and thread taps.


I actually would like to have an M5 tap. I've looked for one a couple
times. A guy at Rona suggested Sears, but I have yet to look there.


Sears probably, but I happen to have a catalog for "The Unique World of
Princess Auto" (which really is the slogan they use). This excellent
business (location within riding distance of the Sapperton and Braid
Skytrain stations) lists a metric tap and die set which includes M5 taps
and dies for $35. The smaller $20 set doesn't go down to M5.

Princess Auto is a tool-nerd's paradise, and the Coquitlam location is
in close proximity to KMS Tools and some other good specialty shops.

Why is Princess Auto so cool? They sell everything from obsolete cell
phone batteries to 75-ton hydraulic presses. And their metric hex wrench
sets cost $3.

-RjC.

--
Ryan Cousineau, http://www.wiredcola.com
Verus de parvis; verus de magnis.
  #8  
Old September 10th 04, 05:53 AM
Leo Lichtman
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Default

I regret to say that we of the FBI are powerless to act in cases of
oral-genital intimacy, unless it has in some way obstructed interstate
commerce. -- J. Edgar Hoover
^^^^^^^^^^^
Oral-genital intimacy would be like, say, talking to someone about intimate
sexual details? So, if you stood in the middle of an interstate highway and
did that, the FBI could act. Thank God.


  #9  
Old September 10th 04, 03:01 PM
Ryan Cousineau
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Posts: n/a
Default

In article ,
Benjamin Lewis wrote:

Ryan Cousineau wrote:

Heck, even if you wanted a "better" wheel, the best price-performance
would probably be to start with a cheap prebuilt wheel and ask the shop
to tension and true it.


Or better yet, to tension and true it yourself.


Or better yet, scavenge it from a dumpster! And add spokes you found at
a closing-out bicycle shop! And bearings recycled from some other wheel!
Using tools you were given by your brother!*

*I think I've done all of the things in this paragraph.

Sears probably, but I happen to have a catalog for "The Unique World of
Princess Auto" (which really is the slogan they use). This excellent
business (location within riding distance of the Sapperton and Braid
Skytrain stations) lists a metric tap and die set which includes M5 taps
and dies for $35. The smaller $20 set doesn't go down to M5.

Princess Auto is a tool-nerd's paradise, and the Coquitlam location is
in close proximity to KMS Tools and some other good specialty shops.

Why is Princess Auto so cool? They sell everything from obsolete cell
phone batteries to 75-ton hydraulic presses. And their metric hex wrench
sets cost $3.


Ooh, very cool. Thanks for the heads-up; I'll definitely check it out.

What exactly is "within riding distance"?


About a mile. Princess Auto is a block from new Ikea. Notable hazards:
you have to ride over the Brunette overpass.

A map showing the location:

http://princessauto.com/PAcountry.cf...&INF=loc&SPC=1

--
Ryan Cousineau, http://www.wiredcola.com
Verus de parvis; verus de magnis.
  #10  
Old September 10th 04, 07:45 PM
Zoot Katz
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Fri, 10 Sep 2004 07:01:21 -0700,
,
Ryan Cousineau wrote:

Or better yet, scavenge it from a dumpster! And add spokes you found at
a closing-out bicycle shop! And bearings recycled from some other wheel!
Using tools you were given by your brother!*


I recently donated a 20" rear wheel to OCB! that had sorta come from
their own trash bin. It was tossed out as a front wheel with a
slightly rusted chrome rim. I wanted the hub to make a matching pair
of trailer wheels. So, I took it home stripped it and laced the rear
hub I had into the cleaned-up rim, added a freewheel and gave it back.

Cost me nothing except that Johan called me a "freak".
--
zk
 




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