A regular insisted I was wrong about his brake hose length

He brought his gravel bike into the shop last fall, convinced the new hose was too long after a lever swap. I measured it against the old one, showing him the extra 2 inches were for proper bar movement, and he just kept repeating 'it looks sloppy'. How do you guys handle explaining functional design choices to customers who only see aesthetics?

4 comments

4 Comments

park.miles29d ago

Wait he called two extra inches "sloppy" on a gravel bike? That's the exact amount you need so the hose doesn't rip out when you turn the bars off-road. Does he want it to look clean in the stand or actually work when he's riding?

jamie_webb6729d ago

Consider that maybe the customer just wants a tidy bike, not a lecture.

ivan77429d ago

Show them a video of the bars turning with the shorter hose kinking (it's pretty convincing).

dixon.james3d ago

My buddy had his brake line cut too short, looked super clean in the shop. Then on our first trail ride, he turned the bars and the hose pulled tight, locking up the front wheel. He went right over the bars, so yeah, function over looks every time.