Bike Stop Stevenage

[jr6yam]

Just got an e-mail saying they have been taken over by Infinity m/c's... Not sure if it's a good thing or not

[slopes]

It's changed immeasurably over the years, when i think back to middle to late 80's when i moved to the area, it was a great place. Knowledgeable staff, always had what i wanted or could recommend a substitute.
Went there about 8 years or so back to get bits for step son when he got his bike and the staff couldn't be less interested and now it's more café and social hang out than what it used to be.
I get times change and businesses have to evolve or potentially go under but the current iteration of Bike Stop is not a patch on what it used to be for me.

[Biker9090]

I've never found Infinity to be particuarly good tbh.

The one at Benson always seems to be staffed by stroppy little pricks huffing and puffing over having to do anything (two of them made a massive song and dance about a jacket I needed to swap sizes on) - complete opposite of SBS who always seem quite literally happy to help.

[Tango13]

slopes said:

It's changed immeasurably over the years, when i think back to middle to late 80's when i moved to the area, it was a great place. Knowledgeable staff, always had what i wanted or could recommend a substitute.
Went there about 8 years or so back to get bits for step son when he got his bike and the staff couldn't be less interested and now it's more café and social hang out than what it used to be.
I get times change and businesses have to evolve or potentially go under but the current iteration of Bike Stop is not a patch on what it used to be for me.

I used to use them for odds and ends but stopped entirely when the dhead owner told me that an off the peg Dainese suit was better made and would fit me better than the bespoke BKS one piece I was actually wearing...

My question 'Do Dainese make the left cuff larger to accommodate ones Rolex?' shut the Muppet up

[Salted_Peanut]

Recently, I needed customer support from BikeStop and discovered Infinity had acquired them. I’m pleased to say Infinity’s customer service was exemplary.

[slopes]

Tango13 said:

slopes said:

It's changed immeasurably over the years, when i think back to middle to late 80's when i moved to the area, it was a great place. Knowledgeable staff, always had what i wanted or could recommend a substitute.
Went there about 8 years or so back to get bits for step son when he got his bike and the staff couldn't be less interested and now it's more café and social hang out than what it used to be.
I get times change and businesses have to evolve or potentially go under but the current iteration of Bike Stop is not a patch on what it used to be for me.

I used to use them for odds and ends but stopped entirely when the dhead owner told me that an off the peg Dainese suit was better made and would fit me better than the bespoke BKS one piece I was actually wearing...

My question 'Do Dainese make the left cuff larger to accommodate ones Rolex?' shut the Muppet up

I stopped going there when one of the staff got uppity when discussing what i had done to my bike and when he pointed something out and i mentioned it was something completely different to what he thought it was, he threw a strop so i went elsewhere after that.

[Salted_Peanut]

Tango13 said:

the dhead owner told me that an off the peg Dainese suit was better made and would fit me better than the bespoke BKS one piece I was actually wearing...

Snap! A sales guy in my local Dainese stockist said the same thing about my Hideout leathers

Does Dainese train their salespeople to say (or believe?) this nonsense?

[GreaseNipple]

I went in the summer for a Harley demo day and was interested in helmets after so went to try one on and they told me off for trying them on unattended

[itcaptainslow]

I've always found Bikestop decent & helpful over the years - even better I get a discount with IAM membership.

Hopefully both continue...

[anonymous-user]

GreaseNipple said:

I went in the summer for a Harley demo day and was interested in helmets after so went to try one on and they told me off for trying them on unattended

I guess all the signs telling you not to do what you did weren't enough

[Rubin215]

Exasperated said:

GreaseNipple said:

I went in the summer for a Harley demo day and was interested in helmets after so went to try one on and they told me off for trying them on unattended

I guess all the signs telling you not to do what you did weren't enough

I've never understood this attitude.

I've been wearing motorcycle helmets for over 40 years, do they think I'm going to start drop-kicking them round the showroom?

Even an accidental drop isn't going to be stopped simply by having a salesperson in attendance, is it!

[anonymous-user]

Rubin215 said:

I've never understood this attitude.

I've been wearing motorcycle helmets for over 40 years, do they think I'm going to start drop-kicking them round the showroom?

Even an accidental drop isn't going to be stopped simply by having a salesperson in attendance, is it!

Ok, well that's you taken care of, now on to the thousands of people who aren't as careful and considerate. It's shocking what some customers think is acceptable, which is why they introduced the rule. I understand it. It's not complicated.

[Time4another]

Infinity Glasgow are super helpful any time I've went into enquire about things. Might not leave with what I went in for but always leave with what I actually needed. Been trying the new sportsbikeshop in Glasgow and it is seriously lacking in the people skills that Infinity has. Would happily spend money with Infinity.

[Greggy69]

I've been buying stuff from Bikestop since the late 90s and always had a positive experience. Had an issue with my Dainese leathers just outside of the warranty period but they arranged a repair free of charge. More recently I bought a pair of Alpine Stars boots. The young guy who served me was really helpful. I found them cheaper online and they agreed to match the price.

Sorry to hear some haven't had a great expereince but personally I've found them to be more helpful in store than my local Sportsbike Shop and J&S. I hope this continues with the change in ownership.

Edited by Greggy69 on Monday 9th December 23:06

[Bob_Defly]

Greggy69 said:

More recently I bought a pair of Alpine Stars boots. The young guy who served me was really helpful. I found them cheaper online and they agreed to match the price.

I see this as part of the problem. You go and try something on, get the look and feel of it, and then ask for the same price as somewhere selling with much lower overheads.

[Greggy69]

Bob_Defly said:

Greggy69 said:

More recently I bought a pair of Alpine Stars boots. The young guy who served me was really helpful. I found them cheaper online and they agreed to match the price.

I see this as part of the problem. You go and try something on, get the look and feel of it, and then ask for the same price as somewhere selling with much lower overheads.

In fairness whenever possible I would rather support a local business than buy online, even if I have to pay a bit more. Whilst I was in the shop I had a quick look on my phone to check other people's prices. I mentioned this to the sales guy expecting him to say he wouldn't be able to match it. I was polite and didn't pressurise him.The outcome was a pleasant surprise! It is for this reason and the excellent customer service I've received that I like to champion them.

[Hugo Stiglitz v2]

Infinity seem to be expanding. Whenever I visit the Huddersfield store the staff are fantastic but I'm often the only person in there

[SteveKTMer]

I bought a lot from Bikestop when I started riding, all my kit basically,. That was when Jon owned it and he and his wife ran it, with some great staff. If you tried something on, they always had a range of sizes for you to buy, like a proper shop. It was one of those shops you could go into and be almost guaranteed coming out having bought something.

Then it was sold to another chap, probably 6 or 7 years ago, who, from talking to him, was a bit prickly, not a typical shop owner who likes people and eases them into a purchase, he was more abrupt and pushy.

Then a few years ago Dainese changed their distribution - he said previously he was buying direct from Italy and now he had to go via a UK company. They also didn't stock many sizes of anything, I tried to support them as I like having a local shop but they didn't have much in and even less in my size.

Well lets hope Infinity do a good job ! I'll have to go in and see what's changed.

[looksfast]

SteveKTMer said:

I bought a lot from Bikestop when I started riding, all my kit basically,. That was when Jon owned it and he and his wife ran it, with some great staff. If you tried something on, they always had a range of sizes for you to buy, like a proper shop. It was one of those shops you could go into and be almost guaranteed coming out having bought something.

Then it was sold to another chap, probably 6 or 7 years ago, who, from talking to him, was a bit prickly, not a typical shop owner who likes people and eases them into a purchase, he was more abrupt and pushy.

Then a few years ago Dainese changed their distribution - he said previously he was buying direct from Italy and now he had to go via a UK company. They also didn't stock many sizes of anything, I tried to support them as I like having a local shop but they didn't have much in and even less in my size.

Well lets hope Infinity do a good job ! I'll have to go in and see what's changed.

This mirrors my experience almost exactly. I used to go there with my older brother and when I needed leathers it was a natural place to go. The service was good, the stock position was not as hit and miss as it seems to be with Infinity and J&S et al (Maybe that's the time of year we are in) and I got what I wanted and probably a little more. Went in the other day though and whilst the staff were nice, were interested and helpful, I think that they were held back by stock issues waiting for 2025 stock. I'm struggling to see why I shouldn't just order online and return what I don't want/doesn't fit etc.

[Salted_Peanut]

SteveKTMer said:

Then a few years ago Dainese changed their distribution - he said previously he was buying direct from Italy and now he had to go via a UK company. They also didn't stock many sizes of anything, I tried to support them as I like having a local shop but they didn't have much in and even less in my size.

My LBS told me that Dainese was very disorganised, particularly regarding what stock was due and when.