On Thu, 8 Feb 2001 RALEIGH531@aol.com wrote:
> I don't know about shops were you are, but in SE Pennsylvania I don't think
> you can just run in and expect to come out with a suitable replacement for a
> nice road bike that's over 5 years old.
> If you're ok with tig'd or titanium you may come close.
> If you want lugged steel, then 95% of the shops will not be able to help you.
> It's gotten a lot worse in just the past few years.
> I suspect I may never buy a new bike again, I really don't see anything I'd
> want.
I feel sort of the same way. It's as if I'm an alien from another planet when I go into 95% of the bike shops. I'd say that, over the last year, I've done more business with Rivendell, Wallbike, SJS, Harris Cyclery, and of course Mercian, than my local shops. Thankfully, there are some sensible shops close to where I've moved (kudos to Vecchio's in Boulder), but it's pretty damn hard to walk into a shop now and find a lugged steel frame on the showroom floor.
I almost wonder if we should be targeting manufacturers AND dealers in our quest for what we want. Afterall, a shop can't sell what's not produced, and if companies start getting queries about traditional styled bikes/frames, maybe there's a slim chance they'll listen.
As much as I try to support my local shops, it's hard when I want a simple 700x32c clincher, and the widest tire they stocked was a multi-colored 700x25c jobbie.
--mc, cold & snowy Superior, CO
-- cyclist [at] dimensional [dot] com