Bike shop hunting

I went bike shop hunting with Yuen Thern yesterday. It was great going with him. It will look really silly to mosey into a bike shop, with zero knowledge, and with nobody with you. It's like putting a "con me" sign on your forehead.

I drove, he navigated with the map.

First stop, KSH bicycle shop.

I think I found the bike that I want there. Merida 903. All in, RM3k.


The guy there is really friendly and helpful. He understands my needs as a beginner @ recreational cyclist @ triathlete wannabe. He gives very good advice to match my budget and purpose to the bike. His openness and willingness to relate makes me feel very comfortable with him and the store's product options.

I'd recommend KSH to first-time bike purchasers. Wong Chen Yeap. Boss, please give him a raise. Every other shop I went to after KSH pales in comparison.

Second stop, Bike Pro. Next time, I no go.

I poked around the shop. No price tag on the bikes. Nobody came to our assistance.

I asked the tauke if they have road bikes in the range of RM2k - 3k. He says, "Yes, yes we do... Just hold on a while, I have some things to do here... One of the boys will talk to you soon."

He was just writing some stuff in a log book. No boys came. Nobody gave us any attention. We were so totally ignored.

I heard people say before, that Bike Pro does not give much attention to low-end customers. If you are a high-end biker, then Bike Pro may be the shop for you. They concentrate on the big fish. Ikan bilis consumers like me don't matter. I guess they were right.

We walked out of the store. And I'm sure I'm never going back.

Third shop, Joo Ngan Son.

Heard that the shopkeeper is literally the son of Joo Ngan, some legendary Malaysian biker of old. Heard some good comments about that shop before.

The shopkeeper himself is a friendly guy. There were a couple of RM30k bikes in the shop. When I told him what I was looking for, he told me that KHS bikes around my price range will arrive within this week. He tried to persuade me to hang on a little longer until the bikes come in. He doesn't discriminate against ikan bilis consumers like me.

But unfortunately, he was occupied that time. He was servicing a high-end road bike. And its owner was standing nearby, in full cycling gear, looking quite cross at something. I'm sure the shopkeeper would've given me appropriate attention if he had his hands free.

He had assistants. A couple of young Malay boys, who clearly do not know their job. They can't quote prices. They have to refer to the boss every time I ask for a price. Almost every question I ask them had to be fielded to the boss. I felt kinda bad for distracting him all the time, because he looked kinda busy.

As I was leaving the shop, the boss actually waved and said, "Thank you, bro" with a smile. I'm sure he wished he could've been of better help.

It's true what they say. The shopkeeper is a nice guy. But he has to do something about his extra hands if he wants to keep a steady stream of customers coming.

Final stop, Bike Boutique.

Mei Yee moseyed in there before, and told me about the shop. She said the guy there, Daniel, was very helpful and he explained a lot of stuff to her. She said I would find the shop very interesting, and that I would like talking to Daniel too.

Plus, she said he is cute! But a little young... :P

It's too super high-end, man! The bikes there are untouchable! The most high-end bike shop of all! The bike-fitting service is cheaper though, at RM150.

I met the Daniel guy. He was a little un-chatty at first. But at the mention of Mei Yee, suddenly he became a few obvious notches nicer! He even offered me a second-hand bike, which is actually his very own, at a better price.

I wonder what Mei Yee did to him. Hmmm....

Maybe I should send her to every "male type" shop before I step in myself. I have a feeling it will work wonders.





Now that I think about it...





There's this NGV workshop in Batu Caves...