-Why I'm going to give up riding bicycles again-
Back in December I received some money from the Ontario Govt as compensation for a legal matter I was involved with as a child when I used to live in Ontario.

This thread involves @RadPowerBikes @InfoCitecycles @thebikedr @ShimanoMTB Magura doesn't seem to be on social media, nor does XOD.

I thought that since it was xmas that I would buy myself something. Now, being a guy that wears dresses and being that I have no intention of going back to pants just to ride a bicycle, I decided that I wanted a step-through style bicycle.

Also, issues with my cervical spine mean that I have to ride upright. I also wanted an electric bike this time around as I like the idea of going places in nice clothes and not smelling like I just stepped out of a gym.

I settled on a RAD power bike RadCity ST-3. It's a step through, and it is an upright bike. It also has cargo capability. I hadn't owned a new bike since I owned and customized a pair of GT Tempests back in the late '90s.

I thought that customizing the RAD bike would be interesting. Apparently this can't be done. And by that I mean that no one wants to order the parts in. RAD actively discourages any upgrades, and most other bike shops won't order anything in that they don't carry for themselves.

First order of business that I wanted to do was to replace the cable operated disc brake calliper with a hydraulic calliper and hydraulic master cylinder. This wasn't for more stopping power. This was just to eliminate the frequent cable adjustment and the inboard pad adjustment.

On a cable operated brake, the inboard pad is stationary and doesn't move during operation. It has to be manually adjusted periodically to keep it close to the disc rotor. The cable needs adjusting to make up for wear of the outboard pad and the stretch of the cable.

The solution? Hydraulic brakes. Won't really gain much in the way of stopping power on a 160mm rotor. But after years of riding motorcycles, I'm used to the self-adjusting feature of hydraulic brakes.

This is what I am after:
Magura MT4e or MT5e disc brake kits for electric bikes. These kits come with the switch in the brake lever and the two-pin connector to signal the motor controller to kill power to the motor and to start regenerative braking.

The kit comes with the calliper, the lever and master cylinder, and the hose.

RAD as a policy will not order these in and I'm reminded non-stop at the RAD store in Vancouver that if I add or modify anything on the bike, the warranty is gone. I know that's not exactly true, but it's not worth fighting over.
So fine, off to other bike shops I go.

Earlier this week I was at a bike shop on West Broadway, but closer to Main Street. They have the Shimano kit. But the kits they carry are for front brake on the left. Motorcycles are set up for front brake on the right. In addition to bicycles, I also ride motorcycles.

My current motorcycle is a 2013 650cc Suzuki Burgman It is a step through motorcycle. And yes, with the exception of when I go out on the highway, I ride my motorcycle in the city in dresses as well. So it's important that my bicycle front brake is on the right as well

I asked the shop on West Broadway near Main if I could order in individual components (calliper, brake line, master cylinder) from Shimano so that I could assemble my brakes with the front brake on the right as opposed to on the left.
Nope.

The only parts they order in are the standard ones that they carry.

Today I stopped in at a bike shop on West Broadway out towards MacDonald. When I asked the guy behind the counter if he could order me in one of these Magura kits the look of disgust and contempt that crossed his face reminded me again why I stopped riding bicycles in the 2000's

With the amount of disgust and contempt that he had for me when I asked this question you would have sworn that I had hiked up my dress, dropped my undies, and took a shit on his showroom floor. To be fair though, this is a common attitude in a lot of bike shops.

There is a bicycle shop on Burrard just north of the bridge. Back in December, just after I received my payment from OntarioI was seriously thinking of buying a pedal assist bike from them.

This was until the salesman I was dealing with suggested that maybe if I wore shorts that I'd have a lot more bicycles to choose from.

I've found that most bicycle shops don't want to deal with you unless you bought your bicycle from them. Car dealerships and motorcycle dealerships will order whatever aftermarket part and upgrade you want, so long as you're willing to pay for it. They'll even install it too.

I think this contemptuous attitude towards the bicycling public is why the bicycle market swings between feast and famine. Enough people get pissed off at bike shops and the market dies. Bike shops want the quick sales and don't seem to care about the aftermarket market.

And that's why I'm about to call it quits on bicycles again.

I have the money to spend. I really don't mind spending my money. I would really love to spend my money in a real bricks and motar shop as opposed to online.

But the bike shops are very clear. Unless you're buying a complete brand new high end bicycle from us, please don't darken our doorstep with your worthless and pathetic wishes.