as much as bike shops are a business
bike shops can not help but have a level of social services or coop dimensions
this is especially true for bicycle shops in urban areas
the city bike shop will certainly get a great deal of foot traffic
this is due to the increased population of the city
as well as the sensibility of the bicycle in parts of the world where everything is clustered together in such proximity that travel distances can be short enough to be achived via bicycle
so... the bike shop gets customers looking to buy some stuff
and well
the bike shop gets people that just wanna borrow some stuff
some wanta steal... but they may be trying to steal all over town... not just bike shops
some borrow a pump.... a wrench.... an allen key... people will ask for just about anything
I am guilty of wanting "the hook up" as well as the generous loaning of tools
I have had the hook up
retail hurts
some shops have the good nature and good sense to make a pump or even a link to the compressor for air
some even fasten some tool to a bench
it keeps the mechanics working rather than shooing away freeloaders like myself
not sure what city bikes in adams morgan has to offer it passerby bicycle traffic in need and not looking to pull out their wallet
I went to The Bike Shop on P Street at Dupont for compressed air... when I had a small pump in my pack... but it just made sense to travel the extra block for less efforts with the pump