MEC Bike Service Experience

http://www.dropmachine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12[HTML_REMOVED]t=33634

o for those that didn't know, I've got a second child now, so for the last bit I've been a stay at home dad.
So I send the wife out to grab parts for me since she works downtown and can usually grab them on her way home.
So I gave her the basic info, 44 teeth, 3/32 chain width, 130mm bolt cricle, single speed use.
sigh

She comes home upset wondering what she did wrong.
Seems the attendant at MEC's bike counter (she chose to go to MEC for some reason) listens to her reading off what I asked for.
He says "single speed, you mean fixie right?!", pulls out a box of chainrings labelled "fixie" and proceeds to tell her there's no such thing as a 3/32 fixed gear.
She tells him "it's a single speed but it's not a fixed gear, I know that for sure".
He "corrects" her and tells her that it must be a fixie.

She tells me all this when she gets home, holding in her hand a very nice btw blackspire 44 tooth 1/8 chainring.
I chastise her for letting him walk all over her and sell her something that she knew wasn't right and remind her to believe in herself because she WAS right.

So I return to said store myself, hoping to figure it all out, miscommunication maybe? couldn't possibly have staff working in the bike area that can't measure a chainring, right???
"oh you mean fixie"
no, I mean single speed, as in no shift ramps or pins.
"ummm, that's a fixie chainring man"
no… it's… ok, do you have a fixie chainring in 3/32?
"yeah right here"
no, that's 1/8th
"how do you know?!"
cause it says so on the packaging
"no it doesn't"
yes it does right here (point it out to him)
"oh… how about this one?"
(same manufacturer, same "fixie" box, same 1/8th on the packaging which I just pointed out to him but he didn't bother checking for possibly allowing him to NOT repeat his original mistake)
nope… that's 1/8th as well.
"well this is all we have so…"
ok, that's all you have in the fixie box, I get that, now do you have any 3/32 single speed chainrings for 130mm bolt circle?
"ummmmm…" (and he senses that I'm about to use those chainrings as ninja shurikens so he removes the box and wanders around the corner of the shop where I can't see him anymore)

I wait a couple minutes, assuming he's looking for the box labelled "grumpy old fart who measures his stuff chainrings", peek around the corner and he's pulled a wrench off the wall and is working on someone's bike.

Copious quantities of swearing ensues (in 4 different languages)
Swear off ever being pleasant if I go to MEC again, go home, drink beers and wonder who I know who could use a 44 tooth 1/8th chainring.

This isn't about "support your LBS" thread, although obviously it encourages you to at the least find someone who knows what the smeg they're doing (hint… they're probably at your LBS).
Nor is it a condemnation of MEC as a whole, although to be honest, I'm less likely to trust the staff in ANY department now.
But GODDAYUM… when you go to MEC to buy something make sure you know what you want, cause if MEC's using catchword boxes instead of actual measurements to sell their stuff… you're fukt!

next: "sorry, that's a dj chainring, not a dh one"

You can return ANYTHING at MEC, no need to keep the wrong ring.

what's the problem?

what's the problem?

^this.

If youre asking for something relatively obscure.. dont be shocked that someone migth not know what the hell you're talking about. Sure, the guy was dumb for not reading labels… but if you've never run into someone thats dumb in a LBS, than you've lived an enchanted wonderful life.

and a quick look online says they don't carry fixie chainrings, er, I mean ss, in that size.

sooo….this type of thing never happens at an LBS?

one could take a ton of LBS names and insert them into the MEC spot.

kind of like buying auto parts at can tire. or buying anything off craigslist…caveat emptor

sooo….this type of thing never happens at an LBS?

one could take a ton of LBS names and insert them into the MEC spot.

yeah no shit..

I go told about 10 times that the Botrager Rhythm wheelsets are tubeless at the place where I got my Remedy..

"no no their UST, Blah blah, my faux Carbon glasses and
frosted tips know best…"

Till I grabbed the catalog and opened to the f-king wheel pages and the wheels clearly said "rimstrip required to use Tubeless", and the strip is right beside it..

Then, even better, they ordered the wrong ones, and I had to "customize" them to fit, cause they wouldn't take back a special order.

can't wait to buy some RF bars at MEC.

hahaha, yeah, that's why i quit working at westwood cycles!

I would trust the bike related advice coming from Coast Mountain over MEC, and that's a stretch.

Buying from MEC is no different then buying from an online shop. Do your own research, figure out exactly what you want, then use them to get the cheapest price.

Sorry to say, but you can get wrong advice and given the wrong parts from anywhere. I've had it happen to me at a very well respected bike shop. The best solution is to figure everything out yourself, source your own parts, fix your own stuff, or do what I did… make sure your better half can do all of this for you while you drink beer and offer moral support!

"no no their UST, Blah blah, my faux Carbon glasses and
frosted tips know best…"

too f'n funny connor. that guy is one of the worst in the industry.

I went to Obsession and they gave us the rim strips and charged us for the presta stem….grand total of $10. oh and the did it with a smile and zero attitude.

"no no their UST, Blah blah, my faux Carbon glasses and
frosted tips know best…"

too f'n funny connor. that guy is one of the worst in the industry.

baha, no shit.

but you see guys, giving honest advice doesn't sell as many bikes.

"hi, I want to go ride the seawall and around my neighbourhood."

"seawall? dayum, you need a Stinky Deluxe for that!"