maxine wrote:
> On Apr 5, 10:35 am, George > wrote:
>> Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>>> "Becca" > wrote in message
>>>> One of my friends is visiting this weekend, and she owned a bicycle shop
>>>> until Walmart opened Her store closed one year later, along with the
>>>> store next door to her, which was a fabric store. This is why some
>>>> communities do not care for Walmart.
>>> Yet some high end bike shops are thriving. You can't compete with Wal Mart
>>> for the every day kids bike but when it comes to higher end stuff WM has
>>> nothing like it.
>> And you don't have to spend a lot more to get good quality. I am very
>> active in biking and often friends who want to get into biking will ask
>> for recommendations.
>>
>> We have two very competent reasonably priced local bike shops that will
>> spend the time to make sure you get a good fit and won't sell you a pile
>> of junk. While they have $5,000 bikes you don't have to spend a lot more
>> than wally to get a good bike. They will ignore my recommendations
>> because wally tells them they are their buddy in all of their marketing
>> and buy a POS bike that has crappy components and doesn't work smoothly
>> and maybe doesn't even fit them so they will go out one time and get
>> disgusted and never try again.
>>
>> If enough people do this the local bike shop can't keep the doors open.
>> I know the place I usually use is hinting about closing.
>
> I've not bought a new bike in 40 years, and that one was a paint-
> chipped frame that the guy made into a 5-speed for me (I never did
> like 10-speeds). The rest of our bikes over the last 20 years have
> been sidewalk specials or dumpster diving finds. Hubby usually finds
> they need some minor repairs, does them (it pays to be mechanically
> inclined) and off we go. I'm now riding a 15 speed that doesn't go
> into high gear, so it's a 10 speed. DH has one that all the folks in
> the MS 150 drool over, since it's an classic of some sort or another.
> Oh, wait. we did spend $60 for my DD's bike. Came off of Craigslist.
>
> maxine in ri

I want an old 3-speed Raleigh.

--
Jean B.