Places that hate bicycle riders.

[Jeremy McCreary]

I was at one bike shop. We looked at the Electra Townie D7 (or some other battleship coordinate). We rode the bike. It was ok. When I asked if they had anything with a throttle, to take off from a stop at a hill. They said “no, we only carry class one bikes. We believe you gotta earn it if you want motor assist.” I thought “why, though.”, but didn’t want to waste my breath asking. Walked around a bit longer to see helmet offerings, then left.

That was really the only other time I’ve been in a bike shop. The other was to get a bike stand for my kids bike. I dunno, I think my bike shop visiting days are over. The prices are much bigger in a shop. I think you pay, mostly, for their attention.

At the other end of the spectrum, I've been in a lot of bike shops in my time, and have yet to be treated rudely. That includes quite a few with bikes way out of my price range.

So I wouldn't judge all of them on your small sample. Not saying it never happens, just that it's not the norm.

 

[Gionnirocket]

Or perhaps when you don't look like any easy mark... You get different treatment

 

[PCeBiker]

My dad used to say "More money than brains"

 

[Stefan Mikes]

A very specific place that hates cyclists is "Kartoflisko" (Potato Field), a posh restaurant in the small town of Nasielsk in Poland. I and brother tried to get in there two times in different years. All we asked was to be sat in the restaurant pavilion so we could keep an eye on our bikes outside. We were never let into the pavilion, and the personnel was rude to us. They got bad reviews from me on Google and elsewhere. (The owner's answer was rude and full of hatred).

In each case, we had lunch at a nearby restaurant bar and could not be more happy!

 

[Art Deco]

I use the "don't ask, don't tell" approach. If I ask, more than half the time, they say no. Unless a battery / e-bike ban is specifically posted, I charge in room.

I also don't carry them in plain sight when passing through the hotel lobby. I use a protective case anyway, which is pretty generic, and used to carry a lot of different gear:

View attachment 191332 View attachment 191333

An old laptop bag works for me. Will post pic.

 

[6zfshdb]

At the other end of the spectrum, I've been in a lot of bike shops in my time, and have yet to be treated rudely. That includes quite a few with bikes way out of my price range.

So I wouldn't judge all of them on your small sample. Not saying it never happens, just that it's not the norm.

I agree. This was a first for me in all the shops I've been to.

 

[indianajo]

Last year on my way to the grocery, I stopped at a new tool sale shop. I needed an engine repair stand. As the nearest lock tether was 500' away, I wheeled my bike into the shop. The door was wide open. The counterperson quickly told me park my bike outside. I left. That was last year. This year the shop is closed. Good riddance.
When my 24/7 gym membership expired, I informed the owner I would renew if he would install a bike lock tether closer than the light pole 300' away. He told me to drive my car. That gym is now closed. The light pole has been knocked down by a truck.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

Last year on my way to the grocery, I stopped at a new tool sale shop. I needed an engine repair stand. As the nearest lock tether was 500' away, I wheeled my bike into the shop. The owner quickly told me park my bike outside. I left. That was last year. This year the shop is closed. Good riddance.
When my 24/7 gym membership expired, I informed the owner I would renew if he would install a bike lock tether closer than the light pole 300' away. He told me to drive my car. That gym is now closed.

There is a convenience store near my house. The bike rack is inside the landscaping. You have to haul your bike over the curb and push it through the wood chips. Just watch the plants. Who thought that was a good idea?!

 

[stompandgo]

the customer is never right these days!

Oh, you're right. They just don't give a #### about you. It's the story of the post-COVID service industry.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

I asked, at a pot dispensary, if they could move their bike rack out of the bushes and attach it to the pavement. The bike rack is still in the bushes and not attached to anything. I no longer go there. The pavement is a shared walk way with a neighboring business.

 

[PedalUma]

If I cannot have eyes on my bike and cannot bring it inside a business location, I take my bike and my money where they are bike friendly. I have an opposite story. I made a mid-drive Mundo cargo bike for my friend Natalie three years ago. When she first got it she needed fish on a Friday for dinner, so she rode to Whole Foods. She did not want to park it outside so for about the size of a grocery cart, she brought the bike in with her. The fish monger was so impressed with her and her bike that he put an N/C on the fish. When she went to pay they said that it is No Charge.

You get different treatment

Yes, it does matter how a person presents themselves. She is a cute mom, highly educated and highly social, she is also a trained stage actress who has been on several TV shows, and is a business owner. She knows how to present herself.

 

[macp]

When I saw the title of this post my first thought was the entire UK. Yet we are such a successful cycling nation. I just don’t get it.

 

[PedalUma]

not like she is gonna reward the guy how he would like(its a man thing)

Harbor Freight this week said that I could not park in between the double entrance doors. I am not going there again.

 

[MrHyak]

I don't leave my bike anywhere that it is not in my view, except at work.

There is a convenience store near my house. The bike rack is inside the landscaping. You have to haul your bike over the curb and push it through the wood chips. Just watch the plants. Who thought that was a good idea?!

View attachment 193172

I don't see a huge problem with that, but what I'm more amazed by is the fact that there is a pay phone! You never see those anymore.

 

[Roamers]

went in a store that sold alcohol of various pedigrees,asked the cashier if they had any tobacco products[ we dont encourage or cater to bad habits] wonder why excessive alcohol consumption was not a bad habit

Many consider tobacco products a bad habit regardless of quantity and don't consider alcohol (without the "excessive" modifier) bad.

 

[PedalUma]

that was like once upon a time( back in the seventies) went in a store that sold alcohol of various pedigrees,asked the cashier if they had any tobacco products[ we dont encourage or cater to bad habits] wonder why excessive alcohol consumption was not a bad habit? stupid cashiers ruin businesses one customer at a time! As Momma said"some people are too stupid to talk to"

As a kid I was buying some mints and the casher asked if I have bad breath. Retailers do not know who you are buying for or why. Denture cream, condoms, formula, they should just look down and shut up.

 

[stompandgo]

You can't get good help anymore.

 

[Slaphappygamer]

You can't get good help anymore.

You actually can. Some customers ask for me. They have other sites that they want me to work on. I get really good feedback that the boss likes. The boss gives me the tough jobs because she knows I can handle them. Customers gives me tips or hit on me, now and again. I know that the customer goes through the wringer just to get me on their property, so I give the best that I can and their feedback reflects that. There are other like me, but we can be hard to find. Once you find them, though, they cling on to you. Which can have its owns problems. I’ve always loved shooting trouble and when I find the issue, I usually bring it back to the customer to show and explain, but I’ve been around enough people to be able to read them and know when NOT to go on, too long, about what the fix was.

 

[stompandgo]

I know you can. It was a rhetorical remark.

 

[sc00ter]

Slightly off subject but concerning customer interaction. I have a friend who hates eating at places in "da 'hood", saying most are dirtier then the same restaurant in a regular area. I have a Hardee's down the street from me (I live in a 'hood) and it's always been clean, staff are friendly and the food is always good. Now the Rallies around the corner is sketchy. You walk up and all you see are angry eyes looking out the order window, like I'm gonna make them have to do work! I don't mess with that place!