I love these videos, especially the one on cyclists. But I need to make my own video on why I fear and loathe bike shops. First, why do bike shop employees always assume every customer knows absolutely nothing about bikes and has the IQ of a kindergartner? Second, why is it that I could buy a brand new bike from shop A, carry it (not ride it) to shop B and have shop B tell me that it needs $100.00 worth of repairs? That's just two of the big ones. Yes, I know shops deal with morons but not everybody is one.

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

This right here is pretty much exactly what the Assholes video is all about. How are we supposed to know what your bike IQ is? Even if we ask, we risk offending you - assuming you're as sensitive as "fear and loathing" would suggest. If I dumb it down, I risk looking like a moron. If I present too much technical information, I'm a snob. The same applies tangentially to your second question. The simple answer is, I can find $100 worth of work to do on just about any bike if you ask me to. I can't tell you how many people bring me their bikes asking for a tuneup and I tell them they really don't need it, but for $100, I'll do what I do to every bike and most of them take it, just for piece of mind. On the other hand, there's just as many folks that don't care if things are out of tune, they just want it rideable. So my risk there is being seen as a lying, cheating, greedy crook when I point out all of the mechanical improvements I can make to the machine, when all they wanted was the brakes tightened (whatever that means). The problem is, that guys like you insist that you're a victim when things didn't go as expected. That's totally normal. For folks like me, on this side of the service counter (assuming you know not to go back there), it's absolutely impossible. We're really just trying to be as honest as possible when the average person wants to be told exactly what they want to hear, but they'll never say what that is until we get it wrong. Yeah...you triggered me. Thanks for watching...rewatch them all, please.

@MHH3180

4 ай бұрын

​@@bkefrmrsadly, this reads harsh, but it is absolutely true. TODAY, a supposed friend that was down on his luck a few weeks ago (so I threw him a bone installing some stuff in the shop 2:49 I could have done myself), gave my money to another shop to do his work. He was upset that a year ago he brought to me his, "cool looking" gold chain, new deraileur and gold cassette. They weren't matched, I could not make it work. He took it to and told them I got it for him.

@robertmcfadyen9156

4 ай бұрын

Engadine Cycles in Australia have known me for many years and are very respectful of my knowledge and reputation . They help me with hard to find parts .

@papalegba6796

3 ай бұрын

I've taken a brand new, expensive, bike into the shop I bought it from to have a defective adjustable stem repaired/replaced under warranty, & when I went to collect it they said they'd fixed it but hadn't. They straight up lied to my face, I nearly threw hands over it because that is criminal behaviour: both illegal & dangerous. There are some superb bike mechanics & shops in the city I live, but the place I bought that bike is not one. If I'd done more due diligence before buying I'd have known it is renowned for scamming customers, so more fool me I guess. Still, pretending such shops do not exist, or saying people who have fallen prey to their scams, are "playing victim" (when they literally are the definition of "victims") is extremely unhelpful.

@robertmcfadyen9156

3 ай бұрын

@@papalegba6796 Sorry to learn of this .

A man dedicated to his sarcasm is a man you can trust.

@riclevine5983

Ай бұрын

Could not agree with you more!!!

There's a historic bike builder near my home. They also do ordinary maintenance. Once, I brought my budget bike (Decathlon) there for a maintenance. They repaired it no question asked as if it were one of their best productions. Six months later, I had a custom bike built by them, and I go there whenever I have any problem less trivial than a flat on my other bikes - just to help them stay afloat, because I love having someone competent nearby, and quality has a price. If you were closer to me, I'd bring you my €50 Bianchi Cougar for a $100 full tuneup, just to say "thank you". Keep up the good job.

“Bicycles are toys and fixing them is a hobby.” 😂 What a hypothesis. I can’t wait to see where this goes.

@cal5566

4 ай бұрын

They're not toys (although they can be) but working on bikes certainly can be a hobby, not everyone's mechanically inept. Where is the issue?

@brianmurray8943

4 ай бұрын

That's like saying a weight bench or a treadmill is a toy. There is a world where bikes are toys, but those customers aren't watching bike KZread channels.

@cal5566

4 ай бұрын

That's a dodge, I'll ask again, where's the issue in someone who may well be able to repair a bike to a high level of competency doing so as a hobby?

@fatrobdouble

4 ай бұрын

@@cal5566 the issue is that, for bicycle mechanics/shop owners, fixing bikes is a profession, not a hobby.... and it's the dismissive attitude that it is more an idle pastime than a legit job that has bike customers feeling justified in being stingy, eg, balking at the cost of bike repairs without considering that a paid employee (or the owner his/herself with all the overhead of running a shop) just spent a fair amount of time using specialized knowledge and tools to fix a customer's bike. That is going to cost....

@cal5566

4 ай бұрын

What a hypothesis, can't wait to see where this goes" (your original quip). Well it seems the answer you're giving me is no real problem for the person who wrote the original post (given they can actually repair their toy bikes as proficiently as they imply). I agree whole heartedly with the support local sentiment and would encourage anyone wanting a bike to go to one before a big box store, but it goes both ways, people should be encouraged to get the best value for money if they can't afford high end bikes and all the extra labour costs associated with them. I don't think people should be put down for having to DIY. But I will agree the guy you quoted was dismissing the skill set of bike mechanics, but making comments like yours are senseless as well since there are many people who like to work on bikes as a hobby and shouldn't be discouraged for doing that either.

I've been in the bike industry since the 80's with more than half of that working as a shop wrench/shop owner and I fully support the underlying sarcasm in this video. A long-time industry friend told me that we'll all weather this storm, I reminded him that my boat's sail was made of the last flappy piece of toilet paper from our customer bathroom. Keep up spreading the good Bike Farmer word, and as the shop mechanic's job is never done, I'm going to go and clean that bathroom.

Hey Andy. Comedy is no less jarring than tragedy. Irrespective of the causes of the industry implosion, people will always need someone caring and thoughtful, like you, to provide them service. Stay strong. Things will eventually get better. I can tell that you’re a high character person.

Funny that right after your comment about Fat Tires and E-Bikes, KZread cut away to an ad for a fat tire E-bike. I spent 18 years working in the bike industry before breaking away after waking up that I was still making minimum wage and in my late 30's. Now I'm retired and work part time at a real niche shop, all we sell are recumbent trikes. Yes, I'm that kind of geek.

#7 is so true it hurts. I’ve pretty bluntly told people that they’re directly talking to a sales person and if they wish to online shop they can do so from the comfort of their home. I’ve not always had this attitude but being asked 2 times a day if we can price match a completely different brand/model/spec to what we offer in store is simply just draining and not sustainable to entertain. No we can’t match a $950 bike to a $200 department store bike. Go there if you cannot afford what we sell.

@juanfo7307

4 ай бұрын

dept. store bikes break a lot but are heavy af too

Another stellar and entertaining vid! I personally enjoy your use of sarcasm and deep cut knowledge in your vids. Good on you! Keep ‘em coming Bike Farmer!

This was the best video I’ve seen in a long time. Excellent points, humerus but true.

Awesome! I think you forgot one, however. Beat the Sh!t out of Mr Nice Guy for a deal on a bike, then return it a week later. Then come back week after week and never buy anything else ever again. And be sure to walk around for at least an hour and look at everything with disgust. Mr. Nice Guy loves that. Former Mr. Nice Guy here. I sold a little bit of my soul every time.

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

😂🤣Genius bonus tip!

@texastoastchris3929

4 ай бұрын

I have lots more. Really like your channel!@@bkefrmr

As a semi-decent amateur bike mechanic who wrenches on his on relatively simple bikes I found this video hilarious. I absolutely love your tongue in cheek humor and how you exude a love of bikes while also questioning the ultra technical direction of the industry as a whole. It's so right to say that only a tiny percentage of riders benefit from uber high tech since they don't have the power or fitness. Yet the industry has, for the most part, abandoned them. So sad. I'll be watching, and enjoying, future content- keep 'em coming!!!

@bkefrmr

29 күн бұрын

You get it!

Anybody else know that "Lifetime Service" was even a thing??? lol! 😎 Priceless comedy! Thanks BF!

This made my week. Thank you.

Thanks Mr. Nice Guy! That video was spiffy 🎉

And this is why I soooo look forward to the next episode!

That was so very good. Thank you.

Love it 😍 please don’t stop

I for one, actually love the sarcasm. I’m a bike shop customer and I get it. But I can relate, with my 20 years of bartending I could make a very similar style video with the customers I’ve dealt with. And I also take that knowledge to help me be sensitive to any shop owner that I’m a customer with. Keep the videos coming man! 👍🏻

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

Yeah, I always think of servers when I do this. It's gotta be way worse. I really don't know why people feel like they need to shit on retail and service workers all the time. It's like they think if they pay money they can be awful. There's plenty of good ones too.

@MHH3180

4 ай бұрын

Please make that video. It would probably be therapy for the bartenders in the craft brew taproom where my shop is located.

@rug212

4 ай бұрын

@@MHH3180 I would but I lack the video editing skills. 😭 Probably just go for a long bike ride instead👍🏻

@MHH3180

4 ай бұрын

@@rug212 I am in The same boat. Would live to document the idiocy I see in traffic (you notice more on a bike), but I too lack editing skills.

Hey Farmer! I tried the Dawn spray detergent I saw you use. Works pretty good. I had a minor problem that turned into a three day exploration of the wheel and repair. I noticed how grungy my drive train was so I go out the steam cleaner I got for my birthday and blasted away as much I could. The next day everything had dried but still looked dull. Black brake dust is a particularly stubborn opponent. I sprayed it with the Dawn after letting it sit, scrubbed the hell out everything. That stuff took off the residue the steam cleaner could not. I'm going to keep using it.

Loved the video! "Winning bigly" was like the cherry on top! 😂

Nice list, some good takeaways to apply next time I visit the local shop. I think you forgot the most important of all though, after learning/test-riding take your business online or to the chain that offers the best price!

@hrdcpy

4 ай бұрын

Make sure you bring in that same online order for assembly to remind them of the deal you scored.

@juanfo7307

4 ай бұрын

​@@hrdcpybe ready for spongy brake feel

Thank Mr Nice Guy.... We love you.

I enjoyed this video very much. I like the biting sarcasm. We met some of your fellow Wisconsinites from around Madison this week. I told them to check out your KZread channel.

OMG this was soooo funny. Excellent video and a great sense of humour. You had me laughing out loud, thank you. BTW, I have met virtually all of the types of personalities mentioned but with motorcycles, not bicycles.

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

Specialty retail…

Very funny. For the record the people at my local bike shop are very nice and helpful, even though they probably know I am not going to spend much money there as I keep maintaining myself our four 1990s era mountain bikes. They sell me small parts like bearings, basic 26” tires, inner tubes, cables, and give advices. But I always recommend them to other people and I hope that brings them some business!

I've been putting off getting bar tape installed on my Jones H-Bars... Thinking about driving up to Wisconsin and having you do it... I get your sarcasm and humor...good video.

@DaveCM

4 ай бұрын

If you do, ask for something really stupid when you walk in.

Thanks

The ultimate masterclass…hysterical

So good!

Love it!

This video is pure gold - just the best - keep up the good work!

I loved that!

It sounds like you have what it takes to apply as an entry level mechanic for our shop. We will start you at minimum wage, but there is room for some growth.

Prayers go out to those who thought they would put their kids through law school with this. There are a few who retain their place as lynch pins for us pedalheads in this community -Pittsburgh. Thanks Aaron and Jerry !

Thanks!

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

Thank you!!!

Good shit fam

So I purchased your Wife's book and I must say I love it so far. On page 78 but her style of writing is so natural feeling and her attention to detail so easy to read. Thanks for mentioning it as I would have hated to have not ever read it. Can't wait to read more.

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

I’ll let her know! I just listened to the audiobook. So impressive. My eyes kept welling up!

@MrsBikeFarmer

4 ай бұрын

Thank you! 😊

@dondonner1095

4 ай бұрын

Thank you, headed out to read in the sun in a few minutes, Addicted.@@MrsBikeFarmer

Seven years is when the retail life really starts to burn - just wait for twenty. You will be riding a unicycle speaking in tounges.

Great video. I think any cyclist should recognize that we all do these kinds of things (to some extent) to bike shops/mechanics more than we would like to admit. They have to put up with our BS than the cyclist has to put up with theirs. I think I'll get my mechanic a six-pack as a new years present and try to be nicer.. Keep up the great videos!

@hrdcpy

4 ай бұрын

A person with a bike isn't necessarily a cyclist, they're consumers. Your point is clear though that we can always be more considerate.

I don't get to decline to put training wheels on rusted up Walmart bikes since they're family. I've been suggesting that they let me take the pedals off and make them balance bikes. The last time I went to my LBS they wanted my first born in addition to money, but when I pointed out she was a lawyer, they just took all the money I had with me So I got off easy. At least I have some new mirrors now and don't have to worry about buying anything else. Hope you have a successful 2024

I was three minutes in when I started laughing out loud. I paused the video and subscribed. While watching further I was magically transported 30 years into the past to relive the 5-6 years I spent working in 3 bike shops after earning a worthless BA and Masters Degree. I can still recall certain customers that were incredible pains in the ass. Eventually I went to law school because even that was better. In sum, this video is just brilliant! Thanks for your humor and insight.

This was really GREAT! ! Best ever ! You ARE RIGHT ON THE MARK..Thanks for this video. It really made my DAY-WEEK-MONTH-YEAR.. I am retired and worked with the Public for way too long...before my career in the Navy - Also started my working life in retail sales behind a counter as a manager in a Radio Type Store - Moved on to a Lumber Yard retail sales counter and then a "Sports Car" Auto Mechanic in a Ivy League College Town working on Rich College Kids Sports Cars - (Jags-MGs-Bens-Volvo P1800s-etc)..WHAT A REAL TREAT...Finally joined the Navy SEABEES and got real life. Again Thank You So Very Very much for this video. I enjoy all of your videos but this one IS GREAT!

@bkefrmr

Ай бұрын

It’s my best one and nobody has seen it! Stupid algorithm!

This really kinda puts the whole retail business/industry in perspective.

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

how so?

Ah, the joys and adventures of bicycle retail. As an owner for an ebike service / repair business, this video reaffirmed my reasoning for not selling units.

Thanks for being the Bob Ross of bike maintenance. I’m a retired auto mechanic and shop owner. 42 years of fixing other people’s vehicles. Cut my teeth on bikes when shifters were all friction and headsets were threaded with ball bearings with no cages. Looking at your videos, bikes have really improved since then and I have picked up a lot. My favorite lube is also tri-flow, great stuff. As a shop owner I figured out that treating a customer fair and not up selling unnecessary repairs pays off in the long run. Paying for advertising may bring in customers but a fair shake and a friendly demeanor will bring them back and their friends and family also. You’re doing it right and I wish you luck. If I was in your area I would send you everyone I know to you. Word of mouth is the best advertisement. I enjoyed this crazy video, made me laugh.

@juanfo7307

4 ай бұрын

After a lifetime fixing cars for fun it's now my only income after getting sacked from a cushy paper pusher job for refusing to stick shlt in my body against my will. Busting out the bays some days. I ride bikes for fun now.

I've definitely played the part of an annoying customer when getting started. Fixing bikes became a passion of mine after getting the Big Blue Book so I just started hanging around the shop picking the mechanics' brains, picking up small pro tips. It's really awkward at first, but I'd start showing up with coffee or beer too make up for lurking. I'd think that type of customer would be fairly common too

@rollinrat4850

4 ай бұрын

I love to enable my DIY customers. My goal is to keep people (who rely on bikes everyday) rolling along to get where they actually need to go. These sort of customers are my bread and butter. I teach a free maintenance class every Tuesday. Except for right after the holidays, we have enough work to turn less desireable jobs away almost every week. We just started our annual service sale last week and it will begin getting busy again really soon. In the service department, we NEED to make up for slow sales every winter and ever since the industry has slowed down. The service department keeps the lights on.

@juanfo7307

4 ай бұрын

When a customer shows up with beer no work gets done

@rollinrat4850

4 ай бұрын

@@juanfo7307 I tell my customers that beer, cash, snacks and party supplies are great motivation.

@StephanieDaugherty

4 ай бұрын

My LBS is also the local community bike project, so I've been fortunate enough to be able to spend the last 6 months getting an education in bike maintenance by refurbishing donated bikes every Thursday night. Thus far, I've learned a lot. Though, I'm pretty sure if I bring my own bike for service at this point, I'm just going to be reminded where the stands are.

Thank you for the call out to the bent riders

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

The bent riders felt so left out on the CYCLISTS video which is so funny because that video was only about mainstream “cyclists” and the main problem with bent riders is they think they are “cyclists” when they are really something else entirely.

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

But that section where I call all out all the weirdos was going to be a whole video in itself, but I don’t think fringe customers are that big of a problem worthy of a whole video.

@AndrewJackson-rr9jk

4 ай бұрын

Thanks. All I ask is that yall (LBS) keep 650c tubes in stock and extra long shifter cables @@bkefrmr

@AndrewJackson-rr9jk

4 ай бұрын

But we really want to be mainstream. LOL - Note: I live in Hawaii, and am the only active bentrider I know @@bkefrmr

Super Thanks!!

I’m not sure but I think I’m picking up on a little sarcasm As someone in the customer service industry loving your videos, keep em coming

I feel like I've done half of these annoying things except for negotiating price, but I've recently switched from a grumpy shop to a friendly one and they seem to geek as much as me anyway. Still I don't get lifetime service, learning to fix your bike yourself is half the fun isn't it? Just being friendly and offering tips would make me shop there more and be more likely to buy. Unfortunately the shop I switched to still has the original owner but it's now a Giant store. Still the parts and tools on the shelves are way better value and the tools are pretty much the same thing. I would like a bigger brand range, but I'll still go there for a bunch of stuff and may even get a Giant bike just because they're friendly, I'll at least consider it if I ever decide to get a new bike. I started with an old bike, I didn't wanna spend a lot of money if I stopped riding, but the rusty bike is so nice now and getting better all the time.

I came here hoping to find out this was the sarcasm I expected it was. Boy was I glad to see it was. We're in a tough spot to be sure, but I think we can survive it. I just wish they had pushed the benefits of being in good condition during the pandemic and named bicycling as one of the best ways to get there. A huge lost opportunity.

@juanfo7307

4 ай бұрын

Don't look up

@jayanderson6016

3 ай бұрын

I had to "illegally" use my local trail because it had been closed by the city. They posted a security guard at the trailhead.....I found a way around him!

As an aging light vehicle mechanic who likes riding my bicycle, I considered bicycle mechanic as a late life career change, that being a bit physically lighter. Being a tradesman already I thought there would be some cross over skills but also understand what people think they know and what they need to know are often faaaar apart. So, the correct thing to do (in my mind) is to get some formal training and recognition of prior knowledge through TAFE NSW (State government trade trainer here). I was told there wasn't any course as "Bicycles are just a hobby and so bicycle mechanic isn't a real job" and so didn't offer anything because they only deliver vocational education, but I could enroll in the motorcycle trade course. I was stunned to hear this from, of all institutions, TAFE NSW. I didn't take up any more of their time, I'm sure they had more serious enquires regarding Pastry Chef, Animal Care or the "Complete Lash and Brow Mastery Certificate".

@hungrybraineater2

Ай бұрын

There used to be something called the Schwinn certified Mechanic. At least in the US when Schwinn was still what it was it was a profession. You could make a decent middle class living running a schwinn bikeshop. Almost everyone who cameup in the 70s and 80s in the industry had some connection to Schwinn if you were in the US. It was like GM but for bikes.

Keep your chin up. Thanks for your videos.

I bought an older aluminum/carbon road bike (probably mid-tier) for 120 dollars the other day (In So-Cal). It was a bitter sweet feeling knowing it was a sign of the times.

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

Those old road bikes are nice, but so obsolete. Very hard to sell. $120 is a great deal!

I have a cruiser just like the one in yer video, will it fit in Lake Mills so I can negotiate from a stance of power. With all those tools on yer board, do you offer life time service.

That "bike shop a-hole" picture is pure gold haha

I love everything about this video, now I'm wondering if I'm the a-hole for picking out an on-sale bike from my local bike shop?

This is legitimately the funniest s%*# ever! I work in a bike shop and he isn't lying. This will work and is brutal, but reality hurts and I have my own underground shop picking up the stragglers along the way, so. . . Win Win and fun A F along the way! Well played Bike Guy! Well played & instant Viral! - M

Hahaha this is all spot on!

What do you mean you can’t price match that Specialized carbon frame to the one I found on Temu?

My bike shop or the best Jersey cycling Jersey city nj thanks mr nice guy

love the humor.. I don't buy brand new. Better deals out there buying used if you know what your looking for. But then someone needs to deal and buy a new bike from the nice guys so i can buy it used a year or two later. I work on my own bikes . some are over 25 years old and look brand new. (yes i ride them.)

Great points...bigly!!! 😁

You are the best. Sooo funny!

It's true, they got more bikes that Dr Carter has farter starters. The biggest problem seems to be parts. " Wanna rebuild a freewheel? Freehub? You mean there's a difference? Maybe try the co-op across town. We're out. The co-op's out too. We bought the last they had but go check...Get's you outta here". Bicycles are not toys. They're two wheeled black holes we shovel money into. Great vid!

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Thanks for the laughs😊

Hypothetical question... suppose I want a mod/upgrade but the retail price on components alone hits my budget limit. Would a bike shop nice guy prefer I pay them for labor and consult but source my own parts used/ebay/etc, or I buy parts through shop and do the work myself? Haven't met a mod I couldn't tackle on my own yet, but curious what you'd prefer if I thought I'd be overreaching my skill. I think shops make more on service than retail but I imagine the mystery parts might be scary.

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

If you’re asking questions like this here, you’re doing everything wrong

@dutchanimal010

4 ай бұрын

🤣

@dutchanimal010

4 ай бұрын

🤣

Brilliant 😂

Hey Brian, I’m not sure if I laughed more at this or a Charlie Behrens video? Take care buddy and Happy New Year!

How much do I have to Super Thank for Lifetime Service?

insightful and funny, is it really that bad now?

Sir, I'm looking for an electric gravel bike that doesn't get flats. Can I get one for $300?

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

Yeah, it’s right over there with the go fuck yourself bikes 😂🤣

he forgot to tell mr nice guy about all the cool retro bikes you have been seeing on reddit and ask how much would it be to build an old frame up from scratch?

😂😂😂😂!!!! The sarcasm is killing me.

Lov the creative sarcasm! Hilarious!!

You nailed it with "and fixing them is a hobby". This is not just true in the bike industry, it's true in any industry where the product in a hobby for the customer.

I loved the "Very Difficult" & "Winning Biggly" reference. Could be problematic for some people though. The whole video was worth a watch, thanks. Read all the comments as well, Soup Nazi comment and reply was the best.

Oh man, we desperatly need guys like you in my town. I had problems on my day to day bike three times, I tried to fix all them (just because I'm curious, just that) and I screwed the bike all three. The problem is the bike mechanics just don't fix the bike. It always come back with another problem. I think they just don't get serious with normal commute bikes. Not shitty bikes, just regular bikes. It's so frustrating....

I'm no longer on speaking terms with my local bike shop owner/ DoorDash delivery guy since he's been habitually bringing me my food order cold 😖

@thecinimod

4 ай бұрын

Just start ordering icecream?

Unfortunately most will not see or understand your sarcasm, but it does keep me highly entertained...

@bkefrmr

3 ай бұрын

Most do

You just described basically ever customer I've served in the past couple months 😂

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

They are brutal right now!

@ByronAllis

4 ай бұрын

@@bkefrmr free life time service on the cheapest bike in the shop? I thought he was joking at first I laughed and he just stared at me... 😂

@ByronAllis

4 ай бұрын

Or today; "can you fix my brakes please I don't have any money" bike left in the rain for years, everything is rusted and seized, the pads that were never aligned properly in the first place completely warn out except the L shaped edge round the inside of the rim... "you need to buy new pads" and that was because I knew he had no money. "oh do I have to buy those?" 👀 What kind of shop does he expect to do it all for free and supply the parts... Ours of course

@stevenaaus

4 ай бұрын

@bkefrmr Online shopping really hurting bike shops :( and taking consumers to a new level of cluelessness/entitlement at the same time.

@ByronAllis

4 ай бұрын

Final point - try asking such people if they will roll out the red carpet and give you celebrity level service for free or near free within their trade and they will unequivocally say you're nuts. Why should cycle trade be any different? A high quality service making your bike as good as, or frequently even better than it was new depending on where you bought it and to what standard it was built is already massively undervalued.

Jessica really had it in for you, I read the review a couple of weeks ago and died laughing. I like that you video bombed her. Nice. But I'm sure she had a point but hey ho shit happens. On a completely different note, great video great presentation. I'm buying a scooter soon. Had enough of peddling downhill into headwinds at 6mph. I'll still keep my trusted steed though. ❤

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

She didn't really have a point. I was super, extra soft about saying no and suggesting an alternative plan. I never talked to her kid. I was very conscious of her dignity the whole time. I was trying to get the kid on a better bike, that actually fit her. But the mom felt stupid, and her fight instinct kicked in, and she immediately became combative and even swore at me. That's when I walked away and she escalated things even further. And she's the the one that made the review public. I'm just promoting it for her! God I hate terrible 'customers'.

@antman5474

4 ай бұрын

@@bkefrmr it's OK bro I'm a ticket man. I patrol pay and display carparks in the UK. Even though I'm on point I still get shit. But I'm the good guy lol. One thing I've noticed though is the ones that post their disappointments online are normally short on honesty.

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

@@antman5474 oof. Parking cop. Now that’s a thankless job! You win!

@antman5474

4 ай бұрын

@@bkefrmr they call me the ticket man.

Cynicism- I do cynicism. Too funny! Glad I found you. Keep em coming!

The bike shop that I go to will order most bikes for you. It takes a few weeks for the stuff to come into the shop but they hardly have any bikes in the shop for sale usually. They make most of their money from repairs and are busy as crap. I just drop my bike off and take the bus back home and tell them to call me when it's done They also have parties with bands there, go on a ride someplace once a week, go camping with another bike shop, and they have a homemade beer machine for the employees for after work. The guy across the street supplies that machine. This guy started out fixing bikes out of his truck over twenty years ago.

@dammitdan106

4 ай бұрын

Feeding this dude beer on the job is like supplying meth and crack to a chimera of Mike Tyson and Christopher Hitchens.

I love cycling. Both mtb and road and I ride all over the country and its videos like yours that refresh my memory on why introverted and independent is a really good thing. Idk how you handle the level of ignorance and arrogance that comes from the customers. To me, the average bike rider is like an American tourist in another country. They think because they read a few articles. Bought a few high priced outfits and know a bit of the language that they not only can “fit in” but are just like the locals. Or worse, better than the locals. And act all shocked and dismayed and accuse them of being an “a.shole” when they aren’t treated with the respect they think they deserve. It’s the same everywhere. People with little to no experience on a mtb buy a $5000 bike and all the gear just to ride it on paved or well groomed multi use trails. Or they buy it thinking it’s the bike and the gear, not years of experience, that means they are a great rider then go and attempt some black level trail in Moab or St George! Or the road cyclists who buys a $10000 road bike and a team kit(that clearly is WAY TOO SMALL) to ride only on paved pedestrian trails like in Long Beach, and act like they are training for a tour race and they are too important to slow for a child or anyone else on those trails. Or the most ignorant of ignorant people who actually believe a Walmart or dept store bike is equivalent to a trek, specialized, giant, bmc, yeti, Scott, diamondback or any number of real bike brands because the rear derailleur has the word shimano on it. It’s frustrating as a rider because it’s these a.sholes that make the non riders hate us. On a side note to all the riders who fit into any of those categories “you are not fooling anyone but other fools”! I l and every other real rider know within seconds of seeing you if you are a real rider or a poser and a weekend warrior. It’s literally in how you ride and how you look/dress. You aren’t fooling us with your clearly too much bike for you and too small store bought team kits

Lifetime service to me is an annoyance more than a benefit, just like new car warranty. There hasn’t been a scenario where I couldn’t fix the bike or car way faster and with less hassle of having to putz around with the logistics of getting to and from and coordinating times. I’d rather just do it myself and be back on the road in the same time it takes to transport.

"i dislike dealing with annoying people, let me open a small specialty store over passion for my hobby as opposed to passion for service, that'll be great for my mental health and surely won't cause me to make a pretentious sarcastic video shit talking my clients for being dumb sometimes while complaining about the folies of every small business duriong the colapsing economy and blame it on the customers of the business i opened. :)" i mean a lot of your points are correct i guesss so cool.

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

I like fixing bikes so fucking much

@spencer3423

4 ай бұрын

@@bkefrmr i dont know you man but why not just have someone else run the business if all you want to do is fix and ride bikes. i also love riding and working on bikes but i get that running a business must be lot, surely you get great joy out of doing good work for regular folk but why burden yourself with the business if you dont like dealing with the morons that it inhenrintly comes with. respectfully, of course, your store is awesome.

@mattgies

4 ай бұрын

@@spencer3423 Seems like making these videos is making lemonade out of the lemons that are terrible customers.

@davidmurphy9151

4 ай бұрын

And by collapse you mean exactly where the industry was pre pandemic - funny how they think the inability to raise prices 20% every six months is a disaster.

@spencer3423

4 ай бұрын

i agree but this one seems like a cry for help haha @@mattgies

Sarcasm. 11 minutes of it. So I watched you have fun so you feel better. The bike industry needs a serious reality check and I think the bike shops are caught in the middle. Bike industry has ignored the largest consumer segment to the point it will cost them everything, time to wake up and smell the actual demand. Bike shops are specialty retail where 95% of everyone coming in knows nothing about bicycles and mechanics, tech, or what they need. Mr shop owner has to somehow lead them to what they need. Hard work. Any retail is hard working for the public, but being a bike shop is worse.

I was waiting for "I was just riding along. . ." Thanks for putting it at the end.

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

No problem!

Hello. What is the quality difference between derailers (deore, xt, xtr). Do the better ones last longer? Have better metal parts? It always seems like a mess and I think the bike manufacturers like to charge more for them. Thanks.

Makes me think of forum discussions where people are griping, and totally insulted that some bike mechanic didn't want t work for free because they don't want to get their hands dirty changing their own tube and cant seem to grasp that the mechanic doing it, and taking the time to do it properly (takes longer than people think so you don't ride off and get another flat down the road) needs to be paid. And some landlord is raking in the big bucks for the square footage the stand takes up. The insurance broker needs their cut. Utilities, list goes on.... Walk into a restaurant and try asking for free dinner because you might have your wedding reception there, and see what they tell you. People seem to think its ok to bad mouth a shop because they wouldn't do something for free as a favor because they might buy a bike later.

You should make videos like this aimed at the bike execs. They're the real enemy here. Customers shouldn't be expected to know anything

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

My “Cyclists” video targets the industry by blaming the cyclists. You may, or may not understand the irony. Up to you!

@LaurentiusTriarius

4 ай бұрын

​@@bkefrmr I understand but I second the suggestion, sadly I have no anecdotal evidence but I think bike execs are lizard people. Shush

I worked in a bike shop in Switzerland for three years. It looks like customer behavior is universal 🙂

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

Where in Switzerland? I love it there. But I have a feeling the people could be just as difficult.

@BrunoZuber

4 ай бұрын

@@bkefrmr I live in the south of Switzerland, close to Italy (about an hour by car). It's in the middle of the Alpes, so mountain biking is very popular here. I can totally relate to your videos. Therefore I think you are right, people here are as difficult 😄

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

@@BrunoZuber nice! I’ve been to St. Bernard and down to Saint Rhemy. Really want to ride and visit Ticino. I think I’ll be there in late August. Maybe to do the AlpenBrevet again.

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

@@BrunoZuber I stay over in the French part near Monthey

@BrunoZuber

4 ай бұрын

@@bkefrmr You were close to where I live then. I'm near Brig, It's ~59 miles from Monthey up the valley in the German speaking part. You did the Alpen Brevet in the past? Then you definitely know the area!

Ha! Some things never change. Epic satire….I lost it when you mentioned the JRA (just riding along). I never made it a day in 7 years as a mech without hearing that.

You're a fan of JP Sears I see.😃

You had me till "unprecedented times" 😂

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

That was genius!

So... Are you throwing in lifetime service or not?

Bikes, you gotta love them. If you dont, get out of the industry and do something you do love.

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

I absolutely love bikes more that just about anything on earth. It's a deep connection.

I love you Andy

@bkefrmr

4 ай бұрын

Dafuq bro hahaha 😘