On the way home from work on Friday I swung by The Trail Store, where I had bought some shorts and a saddle a week earlier. After locking my bike in the rack provided I strolled inside and was instantly greeted with a smile and a "Hey, how do you like that new saddle?". Right away I felt at home.
We shot the breeze for a while before getting down to the business.
"What kind of SPD's do you have?", I inquired.
"Not many I'm afraid, just these ones that have a platform as well.", was the reply.
"Oh the platform is fine, they're for a cheaper bike I ride in normal shoes, but would just get more use out of it if I had SPD's.", I explained.
Now the pedals he had pulled from the glass cabinet were a staggering Y9,000, and I didn't really want to go there for a Y18,000 bike. Faced with a lack of options, I was prepared to get these for my Giant and put the Giant pedals on the Cannondale, but was hoping for something cheaper. Without a word a second staff member began rummaging around in some packaging behind the counter and came out with some Shimano SPD's with a plastic platform.
"How about these, they're a lot cheaper." he beamed.
"Perfect, I'll need a wrench too." Deal done.
He comes back with a wrench and a pair of SDP cleats. "Here take these cleats as a gift." he tells me.
Sweet.
Here is what I got at the Trail Store, I got recognized when I walked in and was treated warmly. I got listened to and I got understanding. With just the mention that I was buying parts for my second bike the staff understood that Y9,000 pedals weren't what I was looking for and went out of their way to find something cheaper. Then, in addition to all this, I got a Y1,300 set of cleats for free. All this on only my second visit.
The Trail Store in Setagaya is my new favorite bike store.
The Trail Store
Phone: 03-3411-4702
Hours: 11:00am - 8:00pm
Closed: Wednesday
