I normally wouldn't go and derail the thread, but since the OP hasn't been here in a few days, I'll go for it.
Originally Posted by oldbobcat
With good shops it's because the dealer didn't understand the customer's requirements. I've had customers ask me why I'm recommending one kind of bike when another shop tried to sell them something very different. I say, it's all in the way I'm interpreting what you're telling me. For instance, someone will say he's doing triathlons but also wants the bike to work for his commuting, some of which happens to be over dirt roads. Do you recommend a tri bike, a road bike, cross bike, or a "gravel racer."
The profit margin of a single sale shouldn't mean squat next to customer satisfaction. Selling bikes is a lot more competitive than it was in 1984.
Frankly, I don't think I understood my own requirements. I originally got it for commuting and shopping in town. I told them that I expected the occasional light off-road. But they set me on a hybrid that was in the shop and said "you should take that one." I guess I didn't ask enough questions or do enough research.
Within a month, I had gotten into endurance riding. If I'd had a CX bike, it would have been a much easier transition.
Within two months, I had found the gearing somewhat limiting on descents. I took the bike back in to the shop and asked what I could do to deal with that. They said "pedal faster." While I appreciate that, in general, novice cyclists do not pedal at a high enough cadence, I was unimpressed by that answer. I later found out that the cassette on that bike was a freewheel, not a freehub, so I couldn't realistically improve much on my 14-34 cassette.
This same LBS was required to do a 6-week service because of the cycle to work scheme under which I got the bike. They said they wouldn't do it. I pointed out that they were required to and, eventually, they gave in. When I got the bike back, its brakes were so tight that I couldn't acutally release them, and they rubbed because the wheels weren't trued.
The thing that really drove me away from that shop is that I had paid extra to have mudguards added, and I bought a rack and fitted it myself. Then, a while later, I went into another LBS and found another hybrid with all the bits I had added and better gearing (24 speed, rather than 21) for less than I had paid for just the bike and mudguards. Combining that with the cassette being a freewheel, which, it seems, only goes on bottom-of-the-range bikes, I just felt a bit ripped off at the end of it.
I don't know what they should have recommended based on what I told them. I guess I wish they had asked me something more personality-wise, like "When you ride, do you push yourself to go faster?" That might have sussed out the possibility of putting me on a road bike or a CX bike.