Conference noted::bicycle

  The people at Landry's (Cycle & Fitness ??) on Rt. 9 in Westboro;
  and also Rt. 9 in Framingham are the best.
  They're in all the Yellow-Pages. You can get their phone numbers in
  there for directions.
 
  They all ride, and some race;  and they are knowledgeable about the 
  products they sell.  I have watched them patiently answer questions
  from the greenest of beginners.
	("What's that loud clicking in the rear wheel?")
  
  They will steer you to the correct product for your needs:
  road, mountain, or stationary bikes, plus exercise equipment.
  PLUS all the clothing, helmets, accesories, & parts you could want.
  They have special-ordered several things for me also.
  They use the 'FIT-KIT' to determine the correct dimensions of the bike
  for one's personal dimensions.

  Upgrades?  They took my old Mongoose;  retrofitted Manitou's best
  elastomer fork at the time - the MANITOU-3; canned the old 6-speed
  freewheel, installed a Sachs 7-speed;  re-dished the wheel to 
  accomodate the extra width;  installed bigger tripple chainrings
  with new LX Derailleurs front & back.  
  The only original parts left are the frame, rims, & crankarms.
  The machine is better than new, and I love it.
  It makes a great cross-bike for the busted up pavement where I live, 
     
  This is completely different from the don't-care-attitude I got at
  Goodale's in Nashua, and Butcheka's Bike & Ski in (Salem?). 
  They don't know what they're selling, and they talk like car dealers.
  I went to Goodale's to buy SPECIALIZED's first full-suspension mt-bike,
  and they didn't know SPECIALIZED had such a model.
  "You'll have to go to Butcheka's in Salem, because they're the area-
  distributers."

  So I drove up there, and it was the same story:  "What's an FSR???"  
  I had simply read articles & tests of this machine in magazines.
  Why did no one in the BUSINESS of selling Specialized's products
  know what I was talking about?

  While I waited for one person to ask around the shop to see if 
  ANYONE had a clue, another of the 'staff' began lecturing.
  "Real men don't use suspension.  My arms are MY suspension."
  I couldn't believe this nightmare.

  Then I got:
     "You'll have to talk to the manager, and he'll be back on Monday."

  Well, on that Monday I went to Landry's instead;  and they made a sale.
  I ordered a custom-built Metal Matrix StumpJumper with satisfying service,
  and a free Rotational-Adjustment on the SPD's.
  I'll bet Goodale's doesn't know what a RAd. is.

  I went to Butcheka's to get some tools one fall day.  I thought the drive
  to New Hampshire would save me some Sales Tax.  
  I simply asked about a certain 'Park' wrench that was not on display; 
  and being near the ski season, the people at Butcheka's couldn't be bothered
  about bike questions.  Not as much profit in that.  
  I was told to wait while I watched ski customers, who arrived AFTER me, 
  get served first.

  Back to Landry's, got what I needed, was shown courtesy & gratitude;
  felt good.

  Go to Landry's.  End of problem.
							r.e.c.

        I don't know for sure, but after a few visits to Banagan's in
    Manchester NH (there is one in Concord and Keene according to my stub)
    the people there seem to be very helpful and knowledgeable.  And willing
    to take time, which is rare.  And they have good lines of products.  My
    first impressions are that they will do what is right for the customer.
    And they seem to have first hand knowledge, which is important I think.

    Few hints:
    1. Find a biking friend that can help you size/select the right bike.
    Make sure it is someone you truely trust. 
    
    2. Find a shop that will ask you more questions rather than talking 
    bike features
    
    3. Join a local bike club ie: Granite State Wheelmen in NH, Seven Hills
    Wheelmen in Central MA, etc.  You can learn the basics by making
    friends with club members. 
    
    For a bike shop in N. Central MA, Gearworks in Leominster has gotten
    good reviews. 
    
    About 4 years ago I posted a long note on selecting a bike and a shop,
    I will search for it and repost.
    steve

I've had good luck at Belmont Wheelworks.  If you can go on a weekday during the
day, you will be able to get more personal experience.  It's a feeding frenzy on
the weekends.  All the other shops I've dealt with have sent me there to find
the hard-to-find things I was looking for (big frame, pro-quality shorts, etc.)

They are in Belmont, MA.  www.wheelworks.com

Hi bikers,

Thanks for the pointers & info. It's GREATLY appreciated by this "Greenie"...

Ummm, I hesitate to even appraoch any riding clubs. Do they have a section of
just starting out, great rider wannabe's  ?? I do agree though that it's a great
way to learn a lot. I get a lot more out of 'show & tell' than I do reading.

I've seen groups of riders in the area, and I wouldn't even come close to this
level of performance...YET.

Any extremely tolerate wheelmen clubs out there?

Thanks again everyone!

Sue
  

Sue,

FWIW, Banagan's sponsors a women's beginner cycling club.
  
--roger

    Seven Hills Wheelmen has weekly beginner rides out of West Boylston MA,
    could be a bit far away from you but perhaps other clubs should look at
    the developing newer riders...
    
    re: .6 what does "sponsor" mean?  Money should not be involved, it just
    volunteers who like to lead rides
    
    

    Tom Mowatt's place off exit 19 in Lebanon is my NH favorite.  Great
    staff, big place.
    
    Justin

Most clubs and groups encourage new/beginner riders.  It's like procreation of
the species.  Not every ride is suited to beginners, but often one or two rides
a week are.  My club (Team Bonk, Nashua/Hudson, NH) has a club ride on Monday
night where (most of us anyway) all ride at the speed of the slowest rider.  If
you are willing to try, most riders will be willing to help/wait/whatever.  Like
any other activity or sport, your best way to get better is to do it with people
who are better than you.

Tim

Hi Folks,

Well, I took your advice and attended a Beginners Ride of the Granite State
Wheelmen.  Dave and Christina Brown volunteered to lead the ride. I was the
Kermit (the green one  ;-) ). Dave, and Jean O'Donnell stayed behind with me,
and gave me very helpful hints, encouragement, and laughter.  The remainder of
the group was way ahead of us, but a few members circled back around to check on
us occasionally. The entire group stopped at around the eight mile point and
waited for us.  When we caught up, I was given enough time to consume some water
and everyone asked if everybody was ready to continue.

I completed the eleven mile ride in what I'm sure was a record slow time. But
the group made me feel very comfortable and welcome! The part that surprised me
the most was when I got off my bike, I figured I'd be tired and crampy, etc.. I
wasn't. What surprised me even more is I'm looking forward to their next ride on
August 11th.!

I'm also going to stop in at Branagan's and check out the Women's beginner rides
mentioned in a previous note.

Thanks to all for encouragement, tips, advice, etc... it's got me started on
what I hope will be the road to fun and good health.

	__ Sue

Sue,

Let us know how to get info on the August 11th ride.

Jim

RE: <<< Note 3113.10 by NHASAD::WINDHAM ""Living Life Without a Net"" >>>

>...What surprised me even more is I'm looking forward to their next ride on
>August 11th.!

That's a sign of a good experience! Glad it's working out.
						-- Tom

I posted the info as a response to note 1290.30.

Please see Note # 1290.35.  I thought it might be a good idea to post it under
Nashua rides.

Hope that was okay.

Sue

    I guess I'll tack this reply onto this topic, it seems to fit...
    
    The brake handle on my oldest kid's three-year-old toy-store bicycle
    came apart in a rather, er, unrepairable manner, so now I'm looking for
    a better-quality bicycle for him (an occasional recreational rider). 
    He's been talking about Mongoose bikes a lot, and his friend has just
    gotten one, so now of course he has to get one too... :-)
    
    I've done some reading in this conference and I've just visited Tony's
    Cyclery on Amherst St. in Nashua.  They seem to have some reasonably
    priced low-end Mongoose bikes ($250-300).  Has anyone had any
    good/bad/otherwise experiences with this store?  They also had some
    low-end Schwinn bicycles (not the Schwinn of old, I presume) at around
    the same price range.  Any comments about low-end Mongoose vs. Schwinn?
    
    I haven't been over to Goodale's yet... I suppose I should give them a
    look-see as well.
    
    Thanks,
    Chris

In April 1996, we purchased two Cannondale mountain bikes for us and one of the
Schwinn 24 inch mountain bikes for our 8 year old daughter.  The dark blue and
black Schwinn is probably the same one you were looking at.  We have been very
pleased with the Schwinn and the service we have received from Tony's. 

Our search for our daughter's bike included visits to Banagans in Manchester,
Tony's, Goodales, Bradley's, K-Mart, Sears, and Lechmere.  What it came down to
in the 24 inch mountain bikes is there is cheap and heavy (Bradley's, K-Mart,
Sears, Lechmere) costing from $79.99 to $149.99, and there is what I call
midrange (Banagan's, Tony's, Goodales).  By "mid-range", I mean it has Shimano
low end components (Altus or SIS), it's a little lighter than the cheap bikes,
the paint is a little better, it costs between $200 and $300, and it has a
brand name that you have heard of. 

I have never heard of a really top quality, expensive 24 inch mountain bike,
the mid-range is about as high as it goes.  Of course with 26 inch bikes, your
child is into a full adult bike that can go into the thousands of dollars. 

Since our daughter goes on bike trips with us, we wanted to buy her a mid-range
so she could keep up.  We also hope to sell it an recoup about 40-50% of our
investment when she grows out of it. 

Jim 

    I haven't bought from them, but Goodale's is having a big sale this
    week and their sales staff is very helpful.  You should give them a
    try.  They just expanded the space downstairs and a lot of '95 bikes
    are on sale.
    

Tony's is a good shop, honest, reputable, if a little small.  They recommended a
bike for me, told me they couldn't get it, and sent me to buy it elsewhere.  I
know that hurt them to do, but they were honest about it.  Went a long way with
me.

Tim

    re: .15-.17
    
    I'm a bit late getting back in here... thanks for all the info,
    everyone.  I'm going to bring the kids along on my next "research"
    trip, and we'll see how it goes from there.
    
    Thanks,
    Chris

I thought this reply fit best under this topic but it is a little bit of a 
different thread.

I had a good experience with Pedal Power in Acton, MA and wanted to share 
it with folks.

Pedal Power is conveniently located on Rt 119/2A a short distance to the 
East of Rt 27.  It appears just like any local town bike shop.  They have 
a good variety of bikes and the people seem to know what they are talking 
about.  The prices are somewhat higher than catalog prices for the most 
part.

They are near where I work which made it a convenient place to purchase a 
tire for my bike recently.  After the Rt 140 TT this week I noticed that 
the tube was poking out of a hole in the sidewall of the tire.  I took the 
wheel into the store to show them and see what they could do.  They 
replaced the tire and threw in a tube as well and mounted everything back 
onto the wheel!

It is always nice to have a good experience to make up for when something 
goes wrong.  

Rick

I have had good experiences with PedalPower too.  Some of the folks there are a
little bit opinionated, but that is par for the course.  They can at least spell
"road bike", unlike a lot of shops.

Tim

    re .-1
    I have experienced "opinionated" as a kind of arrogance that they know
    and I don't know. At Belmont Wheelworks I find that Peter, John and
    Clint treat me as someone who knows something.

Wheelworks is my favorite shop, bar none.  They have the most stuff, most
in-stock stuff, and most knowledgeable help anywhere.  I went to Highroads
yesterday because they sponsor the training series at Wells Ave and I wanted to
spend some money there to thank them.  They had  so little in the way of road
stuff and even little essentials like bottle cages.  My "thanks" expenditure
included VeloNews, Winning and some handlebar tape, for a total of $15.84.  I've
never left Wheelworks for under $60 and most of the time it is two or three
times as much.

Tim

It's still under construction, but you might want to check out their website.

I was glad to see that there's now a store in Nashua. I bought my Gary Fisher
MTB at Nault's in Manchester last year, although I live in Nashua. Goodale's had
the same bike, but would not budge on price, even though I had several lower
deals in hand. Nault's promises to meet or beat your best price and that's
exactly what they did for me.

I bought my road bike at Spokes and Slopes in Peterborough (a few years before
my MTB). That seemed like a cool shop too, but unfortunately too far away to go
back to.

-Jeff