Over on the left sidebar you'll see a link to my Local Bike Shop. No not mine as in I own it, my as in I frequent their services. Today, I had to put a new bottom bracket in my bike, the crank got loose and rattly. Hodson's Bay is my LBS. I have a ride planned for tomorrow and I can't ride with a crank bearing shredding. I can tell ya! My bike rides like it's brand new after the service they did! Above and beyond is what I say, above and beyond! The got me in and out in about 45 minutes.......same day service! They wanted me to be able to do my ride. Dan down at Hodson's Bay has been a huge supporter of my quest to get my life back along with all the other guys there! They made sure everything was right, even checked my tire pressure! If you are in my area, Tippecanoe County and surrounding area here in Indiana, you could do far worse than to take your bike there! When ya go in, tell'em "The Amazing Shrinking Man" sent ya. It won't get me anything, but what the hey! It at least let's Dan know I appreciate the great help he and the guys have given me!
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Three reasons to support your LBS:
1) The service.......sure you can get a cheap bike at Walmart! You can even get a decent inexpensive bike at Walmart! Matter of fact, I ride a cheap bike! It's a Royce Union. At Walmart, you get a bike that probably won't shift right, you get bottom end components, and will require a tune up (at your LBS) to ride right!
2) Service! You often get free tuneups the first year after buying at your LBS
3) You are supporting a business that has local roots and NOT exporting your hard earned dollars to Bentonville, Arkansas!
OK, I lied, there's a fourth reason!
4) After it's all said and done, you'll wind up spending as much money buying a department store bike as an entry level bike at your LBS after you get done tweaking and tuning it and upgrading it because you're not happy with the performance of your bike as you would have in the first place going to your LBS!
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The reason I ride the Royce Union is because My Grandfather gave it to me. I enjoy it because of that reason! I've sunk $$ into it upgrading the crank and other components and tweaking and tuning it til it rides pretty nice. It was a used bike to start with, but it'll stay around as long as the frame holds up. It'll stay around as long as I can keep it rideable, and I don't care how much I spend on it. I'll get other bikes later, my dream MTB is a Banshee Chaparall for example. My dream touring road bike is a Specialized or a Cannondale. I'll eventually be able to afford one but not now, as I'm a starving college student! But as I said, there'll always be a place under my butt for the Ol' Royce Union!
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Nope, I have cantilever brakes! This can be positively scary on a hill, believe me! As I saw Tom on Gorilla on a Bike say, "You don't want to be in front of me on a steep descent!" as to the hub, it's a tandem hub, oversize bearings, cones and axle, and so is the rear. I am still a big feller and I initially built my bike to support a 450 pound rider!(For you metric users, that's 205 kilos!)At first, I was riding with an Oxygen tank strapped to my back, that added another 12 pounds to my ride weight as well!
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