[raymondlin]

So today i went to town to get a few blobs and dropped by one of the (larger) LBS to get some GT85 (for those who don't know, its a lubricant and drives away water), when i was there I notice the new 2007 Specialized Stumpjumper Comp Disc Hardtail, what caught my eye first was the DT Swiss Rims, then i noticed the SRAM X-0 rear Mech, and then i notice the XT crank, Carbon seat post and Avid Juicy 7 brakes, Carbon Headset...etc (lot of carbon, lots of High End Parts, some of these parts alone can get you a new bike).

Bottomline, it's a truly pimped up version of the normal Stumpjumper, I say the bike is about $3000 (The guy mention it's £1500). And for a Hardtail, that is hell of a lot.

Then i noticed the bike is reserved for someone call Jenny (there's this piece of paper taped on it on the Top ube), this point one of the bike shop guy came over with this lady who turns out to be Jenny (by lady i mean some woman in her 40's, with her husband. The lady looks just like she just stepped off the set of Stepford Wives who drives Off Road SUV to take their kids 2 blocks to school and that SUV will never see more than a puddle of road side water in its life).

So, the LBS guy was telling her this is the new 2007 version, it's the very first one in the store and actually the country as they have JUST been released. He also call it "a hell of a bike " (his words - no kidding it is hell of a bike !), basically doing the sell on the bike. Fair enough, it's capitalism, salesman doing what salesman do, and for all i know, she is the woman version of Petey of MTBing, then i heard her say "You could put slicks on it right?"

The next few minutes was a bit beyond believe, while she was sitting on it and he is adjusting the position of the saddle and seat post height to get her the optimal riding positing on the bike. It is clear to me from the conversation that this woman doesn't want a $3000 MTB with XT/Carbon parts when she is not going to take it down any mountains, she's so after a normal road bike, at most a Hybrid. This is so like people buying 4x4 and it never see the sight of any off road action. The LBS guy was obviously so greedy and want to sell it, no doubt she'll buy it too and now there is a £1500 bike in Herefordshire somewhere that is used by some "lady" on tarmac forever.....

Buying a bike like that won't suit her either as a mountain bike on road is slow compared to a rigid road bike, not to mention a waste of decent mountain bike.

Good thing there's another much better LBS near me, run by true MTB riders, not salesman.

 

[nabwong]

I don't think there's anything wrong with what happened. It's a good bike. It's worth $3000. She's happy she bought it. At least she's paying $3000 and getting a hell of a bike

Would it be bad if a headphone salesman tried to sell a newbie a HD650 or GS1000? It would be bad if she paid $3000 and got a Mongoose or something.

 

[oneeyedhobbit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by raymondlin So today i went to town to get a few blobs and dropped by one of the (larger) LBS to get some GT85 (for those who don't know, its a lubricant and drives away water), when i was there I notice the new 2007 Specialized Stumpjumper Comp Disc Hardtail, what caught my eye first was the DT Swiss Rims, then i noticed the SRAM X-0 rear Mech, and then i notice the XT crank, Carbon seat post and Avid Juicy 7 brakes, Carbon Headset...etc (lot of carbon, lots of High End Parts, some of these parts alone can get you a new bike). Bottomline, it's a truly pimped up version of the normal Stumpjumper, I say the bike is about $3000 (The guy mention it's £1500). And for a Hardtail, that is hell of a lot. Then i noticed the bike is reserved for someone call Jenny (there's this piece of paper taped on it on the Top ube), this point one of the bike shop guy came over with this lady who turns out to be Jenny (by lady i mean some woman in her 40's, with her husband. The lady looks just like she just stepped off the set of Stepford Wives who drives Off Road SUV to take their kids 2 blocks to school and that SUV will never see more than a puddle of road side water in its life). So, the LBS guy was telling her this is the new 2007 version, it's the very first one in the store and actually the country as the have JUST been released. He also call it "a hell of a bike " (his words - no kidding it is hell of a bike !), basically doing the sell on the bike. Fair enough, it's capitalism, salesman doing what salesman do, until i heard her say "You could put slicks on it right?" The next few minutes was a bit beyond believe, while she was sitting on it and he is adjusting the position of the saddle and seat post height to get her the optimal riding positing on the bike. It is clear to me from the conversation that this woman doesn't want a $3000 MTB with XT/Carbon parts when she is not going to take it down any mountains, she's so after a normal road bike, at most a Hybrid. This is so like people buying 4x4 and it never see the sight of any off road action. The LBS guy was obviously so greedy and want to sell it, no doubt she'll buy it too and now there is a £1500 bike in Herefordshire somewhere that is used by some "lady" on tarmac forever..... Buying a bike like that won't suit her either as a mountain bike on road is slow compared to a rigid road bike, not to mention a waste of decent mountain bike. Good thing there's another much better LBS near me, run by true MTB riders, not salesman.

Sounds like par for the course at Art's Bike Shop on 53rd and Hyde Park in Chicago.

 

[oneeyedhobbit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nabwong I don't think there's anything wrong with what happened. It's a good bike. It's worth $3000. She's happy she bought it. At least she's paying $3000 and getting a hell of a bike Would it be bad if a headphone salesman tried to sell a newbie a HD650 or GS1000? It would be bad if she paid $3000 and got a Mongoose or something.

I mean, yeah, if they said they wanted to use it out of a portable AM radio. That's the OP's point. She didn't need to pay $3000, whether the bike is worth it or not. She could have paid so much less and had a bike that would serve her needs. Just like someone listening to a portable AM radio needs neither of the cans you mentioned.

 

[raymondlin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nabwong I don't think there's anything wrong with what happened. It's a good bike. It's worth $3000. She's happy she bought it. At least she's paying $3000 and getting a hell of a bike Would it be bad if a headphone salesman tried to sell a newbie a HD650 or GS1000? It would be bad if she paid $3000 and got a Mongoose or something.

I am not arguing she won't be happy, but for her needs, she would be better off spending $3000 on a road bike.

 

[nabwong]

Quote:

Originally Posted by raymondlin I am not arguing she won't be happy, but for her needs, she would be better off spending $3000 on a road bike.

Well, i guess that's true... but the fault lies with the lady if anything. It would be insane to spend $3000 without doing some research first.

 

[Jahn]

Just think of all those Land Rovers out there worth near 100,000 bucks that will never see anything but asphalt and a slight incline up a driveway. I don't begrudge a salesman not telling someone rich that they don't actually need an SUV if they never plan to drive it offroad, so why worry about a $3k bike that's going to stay off the trail?

 

[pne]

why not talk to the lady after the salesman is finished and help her find a bike more suited to her needs?

 

[raymondlin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jahn Just think of all those Land Rovers out there worth near 100,000 bucks that will never see anything but asphalt and a slight incline up a driveway. I don't begrudge a salesman not telling someone rich that they don't actually need an SUV if they never plan to drive it offroad, so why worry about a $3k bike that's going to stay off the trail?

Some people who buy $100,000 SUV are buying it for the symbol of owning a $100,000 SUV. This lady has no idea what's good or bad in a bike, she can't tell the difference from a LX/XT/XTR parts. Not to mention physically it's not really efficient to ride a MTB on road, it's slower and not really design to ride on tarmac.

 

[viator122]

I, too have no problem with this. You know what they say about a fool and her money...

 

[Rock&Roll Ninja]

Would that make her a RUB?

 

[mbriant]

Somewhere down the road, somebody is going to get a great deal on a "like new condition" mountain bike. Depending on how and where she'll be riding it, being a mountain bike with wide slicks may come in handy. I have a 13 year old GT RTS full suspension mountain bike which after the first season, I stopped riding through the woods and mounted slicks on for city riding. The big tires give me and my back a softer ride, and come in handy when you hit rough patches like curbs, gravel, boardwalks, or city parks etc.

But I do understand how a serious cycler would consider such a thing ridiculous.

 

[braillediver]

“that would serve her needs”

What’s “need” got to do with anything? No one here “needs” anything other than the stock ear buds but we all have many different types of headphones.

I’m sure she would look at your headphone rig and righteously announce that you do not “need” any of it. And right she would be- but you want it so her opinion is just that an opinion.


A couple of months ago I was at Wades Guns in Bellevue and they had a nice Sig P229 SAS. I was fondling it and talking with the salesman, I then said- “I don’t really need another gun” and he’s like “What’s need got to do with it?”.

So I went home and got my original P229 to trade in on the new gun. I didn’t need anything but I sure wanted the new pistol.


Mitch

 

[Jahn]

Quote:

Originally Posted by raymondlin Some people who buy $100,000 SUV are buying it for the symbol of owning a $100,000 SUV. This lady has no idea what's good or bad in a bike, she can't tell the difference from a LX/XT/XTR parts. Not to mention physically it's not really efficient to ride a MTB on road, it's slower and not really design to ride on tarmac.

she probably thinks it's the best bike because it's the most expensive. we all know a four wheel drive sedan is probably better on the road than a top heavy SUV, but no way is a Land Rover salesman going to tell a potential buyer that they should go across the street and get a 4WD Subaru instead. The buyer probably wouldn't be happy in it anyhow, even if it is better for their skill level and the road conditions. Let em buy what they want, not what they need, imho.

Headphones on the other hand? The more expensive, the better sounding no matter what! Everyone says so!

 

[nikongod]

Quote:

Originally Posted by braillediver “that would serve her needs” What’s “need” got to do with anything? No one here “needs” anything other than the stock ear buds but we all have many different types of headphones. I’m sure she would look at your headphone rig and righteously announce that you do not “need” any of it. And right she would be- but you want it so her opinion is just that an opinion.

eeh, there are people who do use this gear as its intended...
some of us abusers have the luxury of knowing what its even intended for.

to put this thread into perspective, sell someone one an he90/hev90 to play out of their computer while they surf the web...