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How come there aren't any decent shops in Seattle

buildyourown

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2004
4,832
0
South Seattle
I'm not trying to single out any shops, but once again, Supergo has proven to be one of the better shops in Seattle.

I went on a mission yesterday to find an integrated headset to fit my e13 cups and not a single shop knew what I was looking for. The parts dept manager at gregg's thought that it was a part to a chainguide.

Not only did some lowely wrench at supergo know what I needed, but they had it in stock. :eek:

I'm not trying to give supergo props as much as I'm trying to tell local shops that you need to get your **** together and educate your employees. This is a pretty common product that is OEM replacement on a variety of new bikes.
 

Snacks

Turbo Monkey
Feb 20, 2003
3,523
0
GO! SEAHAWKS!
SuperSlow said:
what about the dhz?
They are closed on Sundays.

It's not just smarts that some of the shops are lacking, it's hours. It's hard to find a shop that is open later.

EDIT: Now that my favorite shop is closed, RIP Finn Hill Bikes, we have been going to Supergo more often.
 

Snacks

Turbo Monkey
Feb 20, 2003
3,523
0
GO! SEAHAWKS!
seand said:
i had no idea...that truely sucks!!! :(
Yes it does!


Here's another question: How come no shops in the area are getting behind The Pass opening up? How come no shops have contacted The Pass about moving towards getting them open for summer riding?
 
Budman said:
You must travel past seattle and go to bike works in everett.. it is the best shop around..
BikeWorks rocks! This is true - Scott is good peoples and well worth the drive. (Plus, he's a Turner dealer!)

But in Seattle itself, I think it's safe to say that SuperGo is now Seattle's Premier DH/XC/Road/Anything-with-Two-Wheels shop.

Down in Renton, GHY will be opening it's doors soon... :thumb:
 

buildyourown

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2004
4,832
0
South Seattle
Budman said:
You must travel past seattle and go to bike works in everett.. it is the best shop around..
Yes, scott has hooked me up before. However, driving from South Seattle to Everett for a HS kind of defeats the point of getting it the same day.
Oh, well. I was just disappointed.

The build is going well. I am making my own lower reducer cup to eliminate the interference issue between the DHR and DH40
 

MUTOLI

Air Monkey
Mar 14, 2004
1,064
0
PNW
Don't forget the Renton shop Center Cycles. They are super cool there and very dependable.
 
buildyourown said:
Yes, scott has hooked me up before. However, driving from South Seattle to Everett for a HS kind of defeats the point of getting it the same day.
Oh, well. I was just disappointed.

The build is going well. I am making my own lower reducer cup to eliminate the interference issue between the DHR and DH40
I just went w/ a FSA bottom cup. BTW, I have bigger fork bumpers if you need - the DMX frame saver ones.
 

buildyourown

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2004
4,832
0
South Seattle
MUTOLI said:
Don't forget the Renton shop Center Cycles. They are super cool there and very dependable.
I said I wasn't gonna single any shop out, but Cycle Center was my first call. Maybe I just didn't explain my self very well but they didn't have what I needed.
 

ride

Monkey
Jan 11, 2005
471
0
GOHUCKYOURSELF.com will be opening a shop in Renton shortly.(just a short drive from Seattle) They will be the premire shop to go to for your hard to find specialty items such as these, with unbeatable prices to boot.
Visit www.gohuckyourself.com for updates on the grand opening.
 

seand

Monkey
Nov 22, 2003
790
0
seattle
as it is right now...

i take my bike to greggs in greenlake for any/all repairs i cant do myself...they have always treated me well and have been super fair/fast and reliable.

i get my wheels built and pick up most components at unrealcycles in ballard. if i dont need the item(s) right away, ben is the best bet for me...

if i want to save money, ill mailorder stuff...

i do my best to stay completely clear of supergo...i just dont like supporting the walmart of bike shops with shops like finn hill going under... :(

i wish we had a john henrys, an ontop, a deep cove..something...im HOPING that GHY's shop will be the solution to all these problems....the best part about them opening shop? they know almost everyone, what they ride, and HOW they ride..so they can fix things knowing what abuse has been put on the broken bikes...and i like that!

i cant wait for their shop :)
 

Skookum

bikey's is cool
Jul 26, 2002
10,184
0
in a bear cave
seand said:
i do my best to stay completely clear of supergo...i just dont like supporting the walmart of bike shops with shops like finn hill going under... :(
Yup i'm with ya. Supergo is the devil, it's all fine and good for awhile, but when all the smaller cool shops close down, that's when we'll all take it in the pooper.

Don't rent at Blockbuster either....
 

evilbob

Monkey
Mar 17, 2002
948
0
Everett, Wa
Bikeworks.... the little shop of horrors rocks :thumb: :thumb: Scott is da man when it comes to wheels also. Buy the way Bikeworks is in Lake Stevens. :evil:
 

Snacks

Turbo Monkey
Feb 20, 2003
3,523
0
GO! SEAHAWKS!
evilbob said:
Bikeworks.... the little shop of horrors rocks :thumb: :thumb: Scott is da man when it comes to wheels also. Buy the way Bikeworks is in Lake Stevens. :evil:
We would shop there if we lived farther up north, but we might be moving north in the next year so I'm hoping I'll get to Scott's shop more often.
 

Jr_Bullit

I'm sooo teenie weenie!!!
Sep 8, 2001
2,028
0
North of Oz
I recently found Bicycle Centers in Everett to be amazingly reliable. They handled with speed and efficiency getting my fork fully warrantied by RS.

Their professionalism, knowledge, and follow-through has earned my continuing business. :)
 

pnj

Turbo Monkey till the fat lady sings
Aug 14, 2002
4,696
40
seattle
greggs takes the cake for employees that don't know much. but then again, just about every shop I've been in I've heard employees say some really dumb stuff.

fortunately for me, I don't ride often enough to break stuff so that I have to replace it so I don't have to go into bike stores very often.

as much as I enjoy bikes, I hate going into bike shops.....
 

buildyourown

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2004
4,832
0
South Seattle
This thread wasn't intended to bash any shops. I'm not fond of shopping at Supergo, but they have the best prices, selection, and in this case, knowledgable staff. I tried to support my LBS, but they dropped the ball.

This should be a wake-up call to all local shops. Unless you step it up, we will be forced to shop at supergo and you will lose our business.
 

Snacks

Turbo Monkey
Feb 20, 2003
3,523
0
GO! SEAHAWKS!
buildyourown said:
This should be a wake-up call to all local shops. Unless you step it up, we will be forced to shop at supergo and you will lose our business.
So true! Why can't I find a LBS that is open past 6pm, has a good amount of stock on hand, and is personable? I mean they are in business for me, the customer right?
 

kinghami3

Future Turbo Monkey
Jun 1, 2004
2,239
0
Ballard 4 life.
Supergo's the only shop I've been too in Seattle. There's one on the downtown side of Queen Anne that I want to check out, but haven't really had the time.
 

pnj

Turbo Monkey till the fat lady sings
Aug 14, 2002
4,696
40
seattle
Snacks said:
So true! Why can't I find a LBS that is open past 6pm, has a good amount of stock on hand, and is personable? I mean they are in business for me, the customer right?

no.
that's a common misconception about local shops.

they are there because the owner is really into bikes and wants to be their own boss. most anyone can get a loan from a bank and buy bike parts and rent a space to have a shop.

what ends up happening is, the owner, who usually rides and knows a bunch of people, does well at the start. but most of the business is people he/she knows, has ridden with or are friends of friends. once those people stop riding/spending money on bike parts, the cashflow drops and the shop goes under. the owner may be a good rider but running a business and dealing w/ unknown customers (not friends) has nothing to do with biking skills.

in the 16 or so years I've been pedaling a bike in Seattle, I can't even begin to think of how many shops I've seen come and go. so many.....

funny thing is, Greggs has been around the whole time. so that should tell you something...(what, I'm not sure..:))


why do bike shops have to be different then any other kind of store? If I want to buy ice cream or milk, I go to the store that is close to my house and has good/decent prices. bike parts shouldn't be any different.
 

buildyourown

Turbo Monkey
Feb 9, 2004
4,832
0
South Seattle
kinghami3 said:
Supergo's the only shop I've been too in Seattle. There's one on the downtown side of Queen Anne that I want to check out, but haven't really had the time.
That would be counter balance. Overall, they are good people. However, after I saw what they did to my friends crown that had a broken bolt in it, I wasn't about to let them press a headset into my brand new $2400 frame.
Cool little shop though. They cater to the messanger crowd
 

seand

Monkey
Nov 22, 2003
790
0
seattle
Skookum said:
Yup i'm with ya. Supergo is the devil, it's all fine and good for awhile, but when all the smaller cool shops close down, that's when we'll all take it in the pooper.

Don't rent at Blockbuster either....

heh :) im a scarecrow video patron...best video store...EVER
 

kinghami3

Future Turbo Monkey
Jun 1, 2004
2,239
0
Ballard 4 life.
buildyourown said:
That would be counter balance. Overall, they are good people. However, after I saw what they did to my friends crown that had a broken bolt in it, I wasn't about to let them press a headset into my brand new $2400 frame.
Cool little shop though. They cater to the messanger crowd
Thanks for the info, I was going to have them do a shop tune-up when I finished my bike (support my local shop) but I'll check it our first.
 

huckerAJ

Monkey
Aug 8, 2002
156
0
We are going to be opening soon in Renton and we are a small operation with no huge money backing. I hope our hours of operation will be more suited to the working riders out there. We are starting out with a focus on Hardtails, Freeride and DH. I hope that if someone needs a part they are willing to order once in a while because a shop cant carry everything. The cost to carry every specialty part is crazy.

Please support your Local Bike Shop and stay out of the big huge shops that you have never seen the owner. Do you even know who you are supporting, or how they make those deals on parts. Their parts may be a little cheaper but do you really want to go to every town in the US and see the same cookie cutter place. Where is the diversity these days.
 

oly

skin cooker for the hive
Dec 6, 2001
5,118
6
Witness relocation housing
huckerAJ said:
We are going to be opening soon in Renton and we are a small operation with no huge money backing. I hope our hours of operation will be more suited to the working riders out there. We are starting out with a focus on Hardtails, Freeride and DH. I hope that if someone needs a part they are willing to order once in a while because a shop cant carry everything. The cost to carry every specialty part is crazy.

Please support your Local Bike Shop and stay out of the big huge shops that you have never seen the owner. Do you even know who you are supporting, or how they make those deals on parts. Their parts may be a little cheaper but do you really want to go to every town in the US and see the same cookie cutter place. Where is the diversity these days.
:drool: :thumb:
 

Velocity Girl

whack-a-mole
Sep 12, 2001
1,279
0
Atlanta
ChainWhip said:
BikeWorks rocks! This is true - Scott is good peoples and well worth the drive. (Plus, he's a Turner dealer!)
Agreed! Scott is one of the few people I'll trust working on my rig...despite the fact that I get my butt chewed out for letting my wheels get so out of wack at times...but he always fixes 'em right up :D
 

Snacks

Turbo Monkey
Feb 20, 2003
3,523
0
GO! SEAHAWKS!
huckerAJ said:
We are going to be opening soon in Renton and we are a small operation with no huge money backing. I hope our hours of operation will be more suited to the working riders out there. We are starting out with a focus on Hardtails, Freeride and DH. I hope that if someone needs a part they are willing to order once in a while because a shop cant carry everything. The cost to carry every specialty part is crazy.

Please support your Local Bike Shop and stay out of the big huge shops that you have never seen the owner. Do you even know who you are supporting, or how they make those deals on parts. Their parts may be a little cheaper but do you really want to go to every town in the US and see the same cookie cutter place. Where is the diversity these days.
AJ, are you guys going to be a dealer for frames?

I need to find a Santa Cruz dealer that isn't a jack ass.