Talking Shop
I work for a softball/baseball equipment company (don’t ask me for a discount). So we get tons of guys that come in and want to talk softball and how the latest bat is hot and how they hit it so far and yada yada yada. It’s basically talking shop, men love to do that and no matter what profession it is, guys will talk.
Well today, a customer came in and started talking about bikes. He knew I liked to ride, and he brought up how he’s selling his Santa Cruz because he wants to buy a new IBIS. He then goes on to explain the parts he has, (obviously he’s trying to impress me) such as Fox Forks and his favorite a “Mavic Hydraulic Brakes.” I just kept nodding and saying “uh huh” and “really”, “that’s cool” and I throw in the occasional courtesy laugh.
When I worked at an LBS, guys would do the same thing, come in “talk shop” and how they rode a certain trail and how they almost ate it and its always topped off with a story about taking a HUGE jump. There’s nothing wrong with talking shop amongst the fellas, but here’s a tip…“BE YOUR SELF.” No need to try and impress people, if you don’t know certain things, then don’t pretend you do, cus’ it will make you look silly. In fact, if you go in not knowing too much, you may actually learn a few things here and there.
This reminds me when I sold my Gerry Fleischer Hi-Fidelity I bought a Santa Ana Hackler with Mavic Hydraulic brakes and 203mm Rock Shack fork. Really great bike. One time I took a 10, no, 15 foot drop and ate it. Good thing I was wearing my 619 body armor…
how much for the santa cruz. 😀
LOL Dial Tone…
Today after riding up to Old Camp two posers were “Talking Shop” blocking the trail enterance to the Luge, another rider standing next them “Jeff” over heard them say why is he going this trail with a rigid he will never make it, He will jusy be in the way. Well Jeff let the two guys “Talking shop” drop first, Jeff caught up to these guys and passed them. One of my buddies got a flat at the exit so we waited, Jeff came up laughing about these two guys and told us the story, a few minutes later they exited. I waved to them, I asked if they were OK. They grinned and rode away. —-Just Ride—-
When I raced motocross and supercross, I use to love when people tried to talk to me about how fast their bike is now that they took out the “powerband” and replaced it with a “top of the line band”… “it was so much faster!” I was like, “Whoa.. pretty cool.. you’ll have to show me how to do that so I can replace mine too!”
Funny thing… they never showed me how, no matter how many times I asked. Wonder why?
(For those that may not know – a power band is just a range of power in an engine and you can’t take out an actual “band.”
BTW – You can imagine the conversations I hear regarding my trials riding and my bike.
That’s pretty funny Eric. I just love situations like that. I still love that story you told when you were climbing on your baby bike and you passed up some guys and Dana just said “bye bye.”
In another way, I got in “trouble”, I mention to a newer riding buddy that I ride every day (not specifying what kind of riding), so he to me and his brother n law to this crazy hard trail, when I am no where near that skilled, at the end he said, “you said you ride every day??!”
Nevermind all that… like Eric says “just ride”
BTW, RL – can I have a discount? 🙂
when i was in Nam, i would ride my Intense Socom with Ti renforced down tube, and carbon headset spacers down the rice patties while napalm was going off all around me. I had a fox front fork with 8″ travel that I strapped 2 remington automatic shotguns too. It was nuts, cause I would do no handers off the sides of the local huts while shooting Charlie in the bush.
mmm I love rice!
“so he to me and his brother n law to this crazy hard trail, when I am no where near that skilled, at the end he said, “you said you ride every day??!””
Huh?