I haven't ridden a bicycle in decades, but my boss, who's a bicycle racer and enthusiast, recommended the Trek Lime. I found the nearest dealer, the Bike Barn in the Village on Kirby, on the Trek website.
Wow. It's like they've never heard of customer service there. I wandered around for a few minutes before someone asked me if I needed help, and luckily, I found one of two employees there who are actually interested in helping customers. Alessandro seemed to be new to the store, but was very interested in helping me find the bike I wanted and answer all of my questions. He and Nathan are the only reason I gave this store two stars instead of one.
During my first visit to the store to test ride the Lime, the other employees either ignored me or regarded me with barely disguised disdain. If you haven't heard of the Lime, it's the automatically shifting three-speed that Trek developed specifically for people like me -- haven't been on a bike in decades and am looking for something fun and easy for pleasure, short commuting, and errands. Bike Barn clearly doesn't want customers like me.
I asked Alessandro to special-order my Lime in the color and model I wanted, which he did happily with Nathan's help. When I went to pick up my bicycle, the other employees' disdain was justified by my non-serious bike with basket and bell. Not realizing that my bike came with a bell, I had special-ordered another one. Alessandro didn't make me buy it, but the irritation on the part of the other employees that they had an extra piece of merchandise to sell was clear.
If you can find Alessandro or Nathan to help you, I think you'll be pleased, but I wonder if there are other stores in the area that actually practice Bike Barn's stated mission of sharing their love and enthusiasm for biking with customers. It's posted behind the cash register, but it's lost all meaning to them.
Pros: Alessandro, Nathan, huge stock, lots of choices in both bikes and accessories
Cons: staff isn't interested in helping customers
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