Blog Posts – Page 2 – PROBIKEWRENCH

The Sunday Hustle

Sundays in our bike shop are non-freaking-stop. We’re only open for four hours, and there’s hardly a second of down time during the 1pm-5pm window. As a shop guy, weekends are when we get our most traffic… which means we have more people that want to get on bikes, and we have to do our best to make that happen, for as many people as possible.

Today’s hustle included getting the following bikes matched to their new owners:

– Two Trek 3500’s for 12 year-old brothers
– An Electra Townie Original 7D for a gentleman who wants to ride the Doodle Trail
– A Trek Precaliber 24 for a 9 year-old who outgrew his 20″ bike, and LOVES the Viper Red color
– A Trek 8.4 DS and a Trek Neko SL for a couple who want to become enthusiasts, and want to have versatility to go different places

…and those were just the bikes I handled over the four hours we were there. It was a great day to pair excited people up with their new bikes. I’ve said it a hundred times… “It’s not a hard sell. I sell fun.”

I love my job.

History Repeating Itself

Several years ago, I got in a little trouble with my blog. I wrote a post about how I got “pushed out of the service area,” and more onto the sales floor. It was a bit of a harsh relocation. There were some new employees at the shop with very strong personalities, and in retrospect, it made more sense for me to be out on the sales floor. I made a bigger deal about it than I should have, and my complaining and moaning about the situation made a tense situation with my employer.

Thinking about where I’m at right now, and how it parallels the situation I’m in right now… I should have embraced the idea of being out on the sales floor. Our business in the bike shop, and in all businesses, is 80% people. I am a natural people-person. I can talk to a brick wall, and I can get along with almost anyone. I SHOULD have been out on the sales floor. I like to think of myself as a fairly good bicycle mechanic, but I am, hands-down, a much better salesperson. I’m not trying to be cocky about this, I’m just realizing and understanding my strengths and wondering why in the heck it took me so long to understand and embrace that.

If you gravitate towards something or are placed in a position that is not necessarily what you feel is your primary focus, try to understand why you are there, and blow it out of the water. You may look back and see that transition as a turning point in your career, whether positive or negative. Whatever you do, just keep moving.

The Game Has Changed

I’ve been silent on the blog for over a year. My bike game has shifted a little, with my focus heading to the bike sales side of things instead of on the mechanic front. It’s been good, so far. I’m a pretty decent people-person, so it isn’t that hard to make the switch. I’ve always done sales at bike shops, just not exclusively. I’m digging it, so far.

As with all my inconsistent attempts at trying to write more, I’m going to promise to try and write more. It’s a good outlet to make some connections, and hopefully provide a little bit of useful information to folks. It’ll probably be more of the sales side of things, useful bike tips, or some things like that, but I plan on being a bit more frequent with it.

All my contact info can be found here, if needed: http://www.clyxo.com/joshboggs. Feedback is welcome. Good talk… see you out there.

EORA Show – Greenville, SC, Feb. 10, 2015

A couple of cool finds at the EORA Winter Show in Greenville, SC

I had a few minutes to kill today, so I stopped by the EORA (Eastern Outdoor Reps Association) Winter Show in Greenville. I checked it out last fall, and went ahead and registered for this show, too. For those who have never been to this show, it’s not really bike-oriented… more geared towards folks running outdoors-type stores. Regardless, they had a few bike-related brands, and some other cool stuff to check out. Here are my favorites:

1. Camelbak

I have always loved Camelbak hydration products. They came up with the idea, and they continue to develop new products that are really innovative. The best looking models I saw at the show were the K.U.D.U. packs. They come in two different sizes, multiple color options, 100 oz. reservoir, a load bearing belt with cargo pockets, and up to 915 cubic inches of capacity (for the K.U.D.U. 18).

The coolest part, that isn’t visible while you are wearing the pack, is the Impact Protector. It is a special panel made of multiple foam layers that protect you from the pack’s contents, in case of a crash. It is designed to take multiple impacts, and is very lightweight, at only 2 lb., 8 oz. for the larger model. Definitely an enduro-designed pack, but very eye-catching, and an excellent idea.

One of the coolest extra details of the K.U.D.U. pack, specifically for those like-minded friends who like to have every tool needed to do a minor (or major) trailside repair… a “bike tool organizer,” or as we call it in the pits, a “tool roll.” It’s not really heavy duty, but Camelbak was going for something lightweight that could offer benefit to the rider who needs to pack a lot of stuff in their pack, but keep pointy tools segregated from the rest of their gear. Nice work on this pack, Camelbak.

2. Timex

Timex is on the verge of releasing a game-changing new GPS watch called the ONE GPS+. This watch is the neatest “smart-watch” I’ve seen. The features include:

InstaFix GPS Speed and Distance
Phone-Free Messaging
Find-Me Feature
Live Online Tracking
Music Player
Always-On Sunlight-Readable Qualcomm Mirasol Display
Heart Rate Compatible
50m Water Resistance
Includes 1 year of AT&T mobile data service
Directly connects to Strava, MapMyRun, and RunKeeper apps
Utilizes Bluetooth Technology

I’m pretty sure you have to have AT&T phone service to optimize the messaging functions on the watch. It is a really sleek piece of gear, very comparable in size to the Garmin Forerunner 920xt. I think the social aspects of this fitness watch will prove to be a popular selling feature, as oppposed to other GPS-based watches. Although it may not be cycling/multisport compatible yet, I believe it will get there in the near future. I was impressed. Timex-sponsored athletes are testing the ONE GPS+ right now, but they should be coming soon. Look for a summer/fall release.

3. Leatherman

So… once again, the gear junkie in me comes out. This isn’t a bike-specific product, but it is a sweet new tool from Leatherman. The new Tread tool is basically 25 tools in a nice, neat watchband-style carrying device. It looks like a nicely-machined bracelet, but by removing it, it becomes the be-all, end-all multi-tool. The Tread and the Tread QM1 (same style band, but with a watch face and only 20 tools) both weigh less than 8 oz., and here’s the kicker – they are TSA compliant. Stylish and functional. My kind of fashion accessory.

Got any cool new pieces of gear for me to check out? Shoot me an e-mail at probikewrench@gmail.com and I’ll see if I can get it in for review. Thanks for reading.

I Need to Write More Often…

The last 9 months has been crazy. I haven’t posted much of anything, although I’ve had plenty of time on my hands. Sometimes, I guess we just get in ruts. Here are the bullet points:

As I already updated, In mid-July, I lost my job at BikeStreet USA in Greenville. Turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because the company announced they were closing up shop at the end of September. I hated it for most of the people that worked there, because they were pretty straight up. As for a few people in the company, it couldn’t have happened to better people. I’ve taken a couple of months and gotten over my harsh feelings about my dismissal, and that’s all I’ll say about that.
Six months without a job is hard.
I did two contract mechanic jobs with the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). Flew out to Nashville and Tucson for their fundraising rides. Had a great time, met a lot of great people, and hope to attend a few more of those events in 2015, if at all possible.
I found a new job. On January 5th, I started working at The Great Escape, in Greenville. I’m not wrenching on bikes at all (unless I can sneak back to change a tire or something…), but rather working the sales floor. I find a lot of enjoyment in talking to people, figuring out their goals, and getting them started on their cycling journey. The parent company, Atlanta Cycling, has been nothing short of wonderful to work for. I have never seen a bike shop with such a solid structure for training and equipping staff to do their job to the best of their abilities. I love this place. The shop is undergoing a big overhaul in March, and becoming Trek Store South Carolina. I’m ecstatic about being present for the change, and seeing how we can elevate the customer experience for all of our guests.
School. Last semester, I took a full load of classes at Liberty University Online. This semester… same thing, except now I have a full-time job, too. It’s tough, but I have a goal, and I will finish.

Everything else is so-so. Family’s good. I’m not riding as much as I want to, but I’m starting to get back on the horse. I plan on selling my Scott Foil 20, and picking up a Trek Emonda pretty soon. Or maybe the Trek 720 Disc or Trek 920 (touring machines). I think that a new bike might light the fire I need to get my sorry butt back in shape again.

Trek 920 – Mountain Touring Bike. One BEAST of a machine.

Any questions/comments/concerns? Want to read about something specific? I’m looking for topics. Please, if you think of anything, give me a shout at probikewrench@gmail.com. Take care.