Cyclelogical - wow

tunney

So I was in town at lunch today at the doctors, while in town I decided to nip into Cyclelogical to get a new tyre. Normally I don't shop there but as I'd shredded a tyre on a commuter yesterday I'd no choice.

I'm standing at the counter getting served by a youngish guy that seemed okay. He's struggled with the visa machine when a bloke comes in and says he thinks he has a slow puncture and asks if he could borrow a pump. Youngish guy says no, don't lend out tools, sorry. Bloke replies, its okay he doesn't want to borrow it he can just use it in the shop. Reasonable response I thought. Sales guy still struggling with the visa machine so the owner, I think, comes over and says, and I quote - "We don't do punctures, so buy a pump or fcuk off".

My jaw hit the ground, I couldn't believe it. The guy asking for a pump went ballistic and rightly so.

I can't believe that a shop owner thinks it is okay to talk to potential customers like this. I will not be returning to Cyclelogical again even though it wasn't me abused like this.

scottreynolds

Cricky..... you were both lucky to be served.

FrankGrimes

Hope 'went ballistic' involved taking a pump off the shelf, sticking it where the sun don't shine and pumping that pr1ck up so he looked like that fat chick off Charlie & The Chocolate Factory and then throwing in a DDT for good measure.

petethedrummer

Years ago I went in and asked to borrow a pump and they told me nicely they don't lend them out. Probably due to their location they are constantly bothered by people coming in for them.They should put a sign on the door indicating their policy to save themselves having to tell punters to f%ck off.

I don't like their customer service in general (apart from one youngish guy) so I don't shop there.

DirkVoodoo

Ah well, they are doing themselves no favours in the long run.

My friend fixed my squeaky cranks for me yesterday, as I was quizzing him about bike maintenance and other such things, he said to me when he worked in a shop in Australia, the owner said to him "Treat every bike like it's your own". He said that was when his bike repair skills improved.

Frankly, I wouldn't trust a place that has such disregard for customers. After I got my bike (which I bought there) it's 6 week check-up, I saw just how poor a job they had done on it and told myself I would never go back.

A lot of people have good experience there, it seems you have to do a fair bit of business to earn this privelege. I wouldn't do business with a place that has one customer service policy for the cervelo buyers and another for some guy looking to borrow a pump.

Ghost Rider

I've found Cliff in there to be a genuinely helpful bloke, but some of the others can be a bit obnoxious.

Would it really kill them to have an old track pump on stand-by? They should look on their location as a blessing, not a curse.

A prominently positioned sign reading "WE DON'T LOAN OUT PUMPS ETC." would probably solve their problem but it wouldn't exactly contribute to a friendly atmosphere for the uninitiated...

Raam

Ghost Rider wrote: »

A prominently positioned sign reading "WE DON'T LOAN OUT PUMPS ETC."

There is one right in front of the till

MadHatter

petethedrummer wrote: »

They should put a sign on the door indicating their policy to save themselves having to tell punters to f%ck off.

Last time I was in there (last Summer) they did have a sign over the counter saying they don't lend pumps/tools. I guess they were getting asked a lot. That's fair enough if that's their policy.

However, there's no excuse for that behaviour. Who's to say the bloke on the receiving end won't be in the market for a high end road bike in the near future? If he is, he'll be spending his money elsewhere now.

RobFowl

Got some forks there a few years ago and founf them helpful but FFS that was just off the wall :eek:

Lumen

Vélo

I won't be going in there unless it's absolutely necessary or I'm in the mood for scrap!

DirkVoodoo

Aquinas73 wrote: »

I won't be going in there unless it's absolutely necessary or I'm in the mood for scrap!

Or a scrap seeing the way that chap was treated. Seriously, I hate that kind of "Gordon Ramsey school of business" attitude, if some place told me to "f**k off" I would be looking for some kind of apology, its bang out of order.

Genghis

That's shocking stuff, really small minded.

Long before I was really into cycling I had an old bike I was trying to repair myself. I was looking for a particular nut, and brought along the bolt I needed it to fit. I asked in there if they would have a nut to fit (i.e. for me to buy), and they basically hounded me out of the shop. I didn't go back until quite recently, and like you Tunney, only because I needed something there and then.

As someone else said, another bike shop would value their excellent location in terms of passing cyclists, and there could well be a way that they could 'rent' or 'deposit scheme' an old pump or something, either for a small charge, or a smile and a 'No charge, maybe we'll meet again next time you need something for the bike'.

I wonder if the owner would come on here and defend the policy, or is he happy for this sort of message to be associated with the shop?

kenmc

Wow, that's pretty shocking. I've seen the sign there all right, but there's no need for abuse like that. It wouldn't hurt them to have a track pump chained to the counter for folk to use in an emergency - there's a good chance that while in there they'd buy a new tube or puncture repair kit or something at the same time which would more than offset the cost of providing the pump there as a service - as it stands now they'll sell nothing to the occasional wander-in-er, nor to any of his 10 friends who he'll tell about the bad experience.

MadHatter

Incidently, a mate of mine had the same experience in Cyclelogical a couple of years ago when they wouldn't lend him a pump, but they were polite about it at the time.

Recently he got a puncture an popped into Cycleways as it was just round the corner. They told him the usual - they didn't fix punctures, just replace tube and min charge of €15 or something. However, if wanted to buy a puncture repair kit and fix it himself on the street, they'd give him a lend of a pump. He did this and went away a happy man.

Now, I wouldn't be the biggest fan of Cycleways either, but at least they gave a reasonable alternative rather than a bollicking. And they also made a sale (however small) and kept a customer happy.

kenmc

MadHatter wrote: »

And they also made a sale (however small) and kept a customer happy.

And he told you about it, and now you're telling more people, so they're getting free positive publicity from cycleogicals negative press.

ba

customers in cycleogical used to demand a new tube every time they blew their own tube from over-inflating it. i'd imagine the lads in the shop, fed up with this removed all tool borrowing privileges from the public. true this does them no favors as there are always passing cyclists looking for assistance, but that shop is small and would quickly fill with commuters and couriers hindering the lads ability to serve a customer eyeing a new Cervelo frame or whatever.

not many people have a track pump so when a newbie picks up one to use it is very easy to over inflate... pop!

agreed, that language is out of order. but how many times does that bloke (with the slow puncture) need to be told? he knew exactly what one of the lads was saying when he used the word 'borrow'.

Morgan

ba wrote: »

customers in cycleogical used to demand a new tube every time they blew their own tube from over-inflating it. i'd imagine the lads in the shop, fed up with this removed all tool borrowing privileges from the public.

That sounds a bit unbelievable to my cynical ears. How much pressure does it take to "blow up" a tube using a track pump? 150psi? More? It's not like it would be a regular occurrence. Unless Cycleogical has some form of high-powered uber-trackpump which the general public couldn't possibly use safely .

Killgore Trout

Recently I rang ahead to the clowns in Cycleogical to check if they had a pair of specific tyres in stock - I also made sure to explicitly state the size: answer - "yes we have loads of them". Got in less than an hour later and they had none - "oh we must have just sold the last pair". I protested that they said the had LOADS, not just a single pair, and the fella's attitude was smarmy and sarcastic. There were other members of staff present and none of seemed to give a damn - it appears this attitude is endemic to the lot of them. I have never been treated so badly as a potential customer in my life.

The only reason I'd go back would be to rifle for bargains in their closing down sale - here's hoping.

beans

I've received great service and awful service from both Cycleways and Cyclelogical in the past. I prefer Cyclelogical because I feel there's less bullsh!t from them.

I'd be happier being told straight-up what the score is than to be mind-****ed into buying an inappropriate tool by some sales-kid, even if he said 'thank you sir'. Diffrn't strokes and all that

DirkVoodoo

What about Joe Dalys? You could argue that while they are not as central they are certainly as accessible (Luas right beside it, abundant parking) and I can't see them acting like this.

I went in when my sister was looking for a bike, she had to leave before they opened after lunch so I just went in to ask about prices. I noticed two of my chain ring bolts had fallen off and so I asked the young lad in there would he have any spares. He ran off to see what he had, came back with a box of little assorted parts and fitted the two bolts. A 5 minute job, but this was saturday around 2pm and there were a few people in the shop and it was clear I was only here to say "How much is that?" without comitting further. I asked him how much for the bolts and he said not to worry about it (with a smile, no "you're wasting my time" looks).

I left saying that I would be back with my sister.

She bought a bike and some accessories 2 weeks later.

thebouldwhacker

I must say customer service in some bike shops often resemble video shop standards. Unless your a regular or want to spend €1000 you get little or no respect.
Recently after damaging both rims on my bike I went into a well known Cork bike shop. I asked him how much to straighten them, he grunted €50 per wheel... hmmm, then I asked him about buying new rims, he looked at me as if Iwas asking to borrow them and said 'oh its not worth your while, better off buying a new bike...' (dick)

So I held off a few days brought the bike into my local man who not only did the two wheels but serviced my gf's bike too (replaced a few things etc) all for €65.

Moral of the story?

Well I dont know... it makes no sense to me

thesunwashot

I've been in cycleogical recently to get spoke nipples and track nuts and they have been decent enough to give me them for free so I have a pretty good opinion of them.

Having only been in the shop 4 or 5 times in total though, I've seen two people come in and ask to borrow a pump so it must happen a lot to them. No excuse for rudeness though. You do get the feeling they don't need the business enough to be extra nice to everyone.

I do think that if you are riding a bike you should have what you need to sort out common situations (allen keys and some way of fixing punctures) but I did get caught out once and was glad that the bike shop in Rathgar lent me what I needed or it would have been a long old walk home.

ba

Morgan wrote: »

That sounds a bit unbelievable to my cynical ears. How much pressure does it take to "blow up" a tube using a track pump? 150psi? More? It's not like it would be a regular occurrence. Unless Cycleogical has some form of high-powered uber-trackpump which the general public couldn't possibly use safely .

very true. i heard them tell this to a customer. again a newbie wouldn't have a clue what recommended tyre pressure is.

Chips Lovell

Another happy customer.

Had a similar experience there myself before which led me to just stop shopping there for a few years. Went back again earlier this year because I had a wheel that needed truing and I hadn't the patience to get it right myself. This time around they were nice as pie to me and had the job done in a few hours. One spin later and the wheel was again out of true. So much for that. Won't be going back.

tunney

ba wrote: »

customers in cycleogical used to demand a new tube every time they blew their own tube from over-inflating it. i'd imagine the lads in the shop, fed up with this removed all tool borrowing privileges from the public. true this does them no favors as there are always passing cyclists looking for assistance, but that shop is small and would quickly fill with commuters and couriers hindering the lads ability to serve a customer eyeing a new Cervelo frame or whatever.

not many people have a track pump so when a newbie picks up one to use it is very easy to over inflate... pop!

agreed, that language is out of order. but how many times does that bloke (with the slow puncture) need to be told? he knew exactly what one of the lads was saying when he used the word 'borrow'.

No disagree completely. The salesguy was being vague and non-commital. The punter simply didn't understand.

ROK ON

Hi, just wondering how are these guys still surviving as a shop. I mean who is a regular patron.

Many of us on this site have experienced their unsalesman like conduct. Yet the shop still exists.
Any web-review of cycle shop I have read, this shop gets a hell of a lot of complaints.
Yet the shop still exists.

They must be pleasing some folk, I guess who are they i wonder.

tunney

beans wrote: »

I've received great service and awful service from both Cycleways and Cyclelogical in the past. I prefer Cyclelogical because I feel there's less bullsh!t from them.

I'd be happier being told straight-up what the score is than to be mind-****ed into buying an inappropriate tool by some sales-kid, even if he said 'thank you sir'. Diffrn't strokes and all that

So you'd be happy to be told to "**** off" in a very aggressive tone by a bike shop owner?

ba

somebody just doesnt drop the F bomb unless prevoked. i know all the lads in there from racing, and theyre very friendly. it doesnt make sense that one of them would say that to a confused customer.

Chips Lovell

ROK ON wrote: »

Hi, just wondering how are these guys still surviving as a shop. I mean who is a regular patron.

I've wondered that too. Think how well they'd be doing if they actually had some sort of customer service ethos.

kenmc

Yeah, how do you become a regular customer if you can't even become a customer first

niceonetom

Cliff is ok. The rest of them? Not really.

I recently bought a pair of wheels there, and I got a good deal (I think), so I can't complain on that front. That said, there is definitely a culture of confusion as to exactly who is doing whom a favour when a transaction is taking place. The customer, unless they are known to the staff, is an interruption to be gotten out of the shop as quickly and permanently as possible.

Also they seem to be incredibly forthright in their speech in there - while I was discussing wheels with Cliff in there and he looked over my shoulder and shouted (loud!) "Osama, ya black cnut, get the fcuk out!". I turned round to see a small, slightly confused looking middle eastern man... who broke into a big grin and asked Cliff, by name, how he was. This customer then got chatting to one of the other guys there (a welshman maybe?) and was obviously well known to them. Some people probably wouldn't like this approach though, or even like to be around it.

I'll go back if I'm looking for a bargain on some old stock they want to get rid of - I seem to have accidentally found myself in their good books after buying 2 wheelsets there.

But they have to cop on, they can't survive exclusively on their regulars.

TinyExplosions

ROK ON wrote: »

Hi, just wondering how are these guys still surviving as a shop. I mean who is a regular patron.

I'd be a regular in there, and have indeed found them to be caustic to some people, have found them grand to me, and always knock a few quid off (and indeed often have sold me things for the UK retail price at a 1-1 rate), and throw in some sports beans etc.

Yeah, they can be cranky sometimes, but I've never had a problem

Obviously, others miles vary wildly, but I'll continue to use 'em

DirkVoodoo

kenmc wrote: »

Yeah, how do you become a regular customer if you can't even become a customer first

Ah, the old nightclub bouncer mentality, "sorry bud, regulars only"

"But how can I become a regular if you don't let me in?"

I would have absolutely no interest in ever going back to that shop. As for the survival question, they can't be doing that well given the "R-word" and the fact that a lot of people are happy to shop with the likes of CRC.

It costs nothing to be nice, I hold Joe Dalys and Worldwidecycles as my shining examples for this.

Ghost Rider

Fair enough.

Still think it would be better to let people borrow one, mind you.

Raam wrote: »

There is one right in front of the till

uberwolf

they don't even service 'crap' bikes.

They get plagued by people seeking pumps, and other tools. So patience is obviously getting ever thinner.

Ryder

In their defence...whenever i go there there is usually some racing cyclist theyre fawning over so it is a bit intimidating but theyre straight up. Got my kona there. Never try to oversell me stuff and dont bullsh1t. I think it helps if you go there knowing what you want

DirkVoodoo

Ryder wrote: »

In their defence...whenever i go there there is usually some racing cyclist theyre fawning over so it is a bit intimidating but theyre straight up. Got my kona there. Never try to oversell me stuff and dont bullsh1t. I think it helps if you go there knowing what you want

I would +1 that to a degree. I did all my research before buying my bike there, I was still a little confused but found most of the process fine.

Still, if you are only going to cater to the bike crowd who know EXACTLY what they want before they walk in, what's the point of having salespeople? You may as well be shopping at Argos then.

BRENT_EAGLE

WOW
That shop used to be good but now they have gotten to big for there boots .. there not interested in any customer unless they have a couple of grand to spend

BostonB

If you don't want to be bothered by the average punter, don't set up shop right in the center of town, where everyone goes past you. Thats just "logical".

biker_joe

man, some of you guys and girls have a lot to learn ! I am racing cyclist, and be honest If I was running a shop, the last type of Person I would put behind the counter would be, wait for it ....

A racing cyclist !!

I stopped going to, well buying from either of these shops years ago ! I ocassionaly have a wander to laugh at their prices !!!!
and the Staff mostly have n't a clue, or nearly always have n't a clue, they pretend they do !! and to the ordinary punter they would sound like they do ....
anyways vote with your Feet !

And just to throw a spanner in the works ( excuse the pun ! ) all cyclists when commuting should carry a spare and a mini pump !!:)

Biker Joe

kirving

That shop used to be good but now they have gotten to big for there boots .. there not interested in any customer unless they have a couple of grand to spend

You seem to get that in a few places alright. I had to go into Joe Dalys one evening to get a gear cable, now he was extremely nice and all but didn't have time to fix it, but also wouldn't give me an allen key to do it myself in the shop.

I had to drop into Commuting Solutions, called think:bike now (I think!) to borrow an allen key and there was no problem at all. Moral: Keep allens with you!

I really just fix my bike myself now though, much less hastle!

DirkVoodoo

True that, but unfortunately not everyone knows how to change a tube out.

I have my little emergency pack: track nut tool, levers, tube and pump wrapped up in 2 rubber bands that stays in my backpack at all times (even when flying through Heathrow, stupidly, they took my bag aside and wanted to know exactly what this weird shaped object was. Thankfully they didn't confiscate it!).

thebouldwhacker

Here Here biker Joe... I used do a lot of road cycling, now MTB and always have a bikemate straped onto the bike with tools, tyre repair and pump. They only weigh a few ounces and Ive never needed them (touch wood) though the tools came in handy to nick a pedal from my gf bike on sunday for an emergency repair.

Either way a bike shop, a truly traditional Irish bike shop should cater for customers, that shop has a regular customer need and isn't rising to it. Charge people for a loan of a pump, rent it to them, have cheap ones and sell them for a fiver. After all whats next? not supplying brake blocks???

If I pass my local shop on a cycle and need a bit more pressure he pumps them up for me every time. That is the reason I have no issue spending a few cents more in his shop for items I need. I use his shop and he lets me use his shop, its called customer loyalty. he knows that if the economy keeps going down and he isn't shifting newbikes he'll be kept busy with the likes of me calling in for this and that and keeping him in busniess!!!

Someone might pass this onto them.....

thebouldwhacker

and tell you to F*** off:D:D

Lumen

I've been into Stagg Cycles in Lucan a few times. Always good for a chat. They seem to be well connected with the "proper cyclist" scene, but admit that the "lightweight stuff" makes up a tiny fraction of their business.

So I don't get Cycleogical. Are there really that many people with thousands of euro to spend, who can't or won't use the internet to buy stuff, and who are prepared to run the gauntlet of ranty obnoxious staff?

They have city centre rents and rates to pay, and are turning away potential customers.

mod edit: obviously tongue in cheek, but snip

alfalad

I was coming back for Wicklow a couple of weeks back and got a puncture far side of blackrock, seemed to be going down slow so thought if i got it pumped i would get home, and happened to stumble upon a small bike shop and asked would he mind if i borrowed the pump, he said no problem and cause he was nice about it i walked out with two new tubes!! so if one in every five people did this it would be worth there while having a pump!

fixieboy

I imagine that their business is taking a bit of a hit with the sterling differential at the moment so I can understand the staff getting short with some punter who is too scaby to buy a pump....Cycleogical's position on the quays is a problem (they have a load of spaced-out druggies coming in and out of there)and they have to be strict with people blocking up the shop with non revenue-generating complaints. I do think that they should turn their frustration into an opportunity though....why not open a repair shop separate to the current premises?

jebidiah

never had problems with the chaps in there, but thats a downright disgraful way to talk to someone.
i can understand them not wanting people coming in and using a pump/tools, they might make a balls of it and the staff would have to bail them out. and it is a tiny shop so people might be turned away if there was a person trying to fix a bike, practically in the doorway.

NeilMcEoigheann

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

What about Joe Dalys? You could argue that while they are not as central they are certainly as accessible (Luas right beside it, abundant parking) and I can't see them acting like this.

I went in when my sister was looking for a bike, she had to leave before they opened after lunch so I just went in to ask about prices. I noticed two of my chain ring bolts had fallen off and so I asked the young lad in there would he have any spares. He ran off to see what he had, came back with a box of little assorted parts and fitted the two bolts. A 5 minute job, but this was saturday around 2pm and there were a few people in the shop and it was clear I was only here to say "How much is that?" without comitting further. I asked him how much for the bolts and he said not to worry about it (with a smile, no "you're wasting my time" looks).

I left saying that I would be back with my sister.

She bought a bike and some accessories 2 weeks later.

thats why i like joe's, they sorted me out with a front skewer for my fixie, but then i bought 1300e worth of mtb from them so it worked out nicely. but cyclogical is random and i would only go in there if it was for something i needed to buy and leave with no further interaction with the staff

Tackleberry

Cyclesuperstore = end of discussion, best bike shop in Ireland, you can even buy your stuff from wiggle or CRC and if you've trouble fitting it they'll sort you out, I've gone in with the bike a few issues and they take it in there and then and sort it out for you, cyclelogical is a sihthole and doesn't deserve our custom.