I snapped my chain the other day on a local ride to test the new bike out. Luckily it was just the power link that came apart. Unluckily for me it pinged off into the undergrowth and I didn’t have a spare. So I went into shop to pick one up. No power links in stock! 😯 Must be the most common replacement part! WTF!!

Why weren’t you carrying one if they’re so common? 🙄

So LBS are struggling because this particular shop didn’t have a £1 part for you to purchase?

I’d love it if my lbs’ sold them for just a quid.

But I also invariably carry a powerlink spare to ward off the chainsnap goblin. It’s worked for about 10 years now.

Lost a brake pin before my ride at Cannock last week and nipped in to LBS but they had no spares…fortunately found some metal wire just outside the shop and made an impromptu one.

Lesson – try and remember to tighten everything regularly and take spares for things likely to break…such as rear mech hangers etc

I believe the most common replacement part is more likely a toss up between inner tubes and brake pads

So you put a powerlink on incorrectly, but the shop is to blame?

Wow…

If they didn’t have any in that suggests they have sold them all…cant be bad for business if they have sold all stock of them…bearing in mind a shop doesn’t order just 1…

I went to buy a kids bike today, the one we wanted was fully built up on the shop floor, my daughter was all excited. When we went to pay we were told we couldn’t have it because the workshop wouldn’t have time to PDI it until next week.

on the other hand a friend of mine had a puncture when riding by a local (to me) bike shop that he had never been at before. Went in to said shop with no cash and they gave him an inner tube 🙂

Needless to say he went back and paid next day and they now have another firm customer.

Must be the most common replacement part! WTF!!

I bet they’re a very, very long way from the most common replacement part- in fact they’re probably quite niche.
I’d say for the vast majority of LBSs the stuff they sell to the type of rider/bike owner found on STW accounts for a very small amount of their turnover.

I’d say for the vast majority of LBSs the stuff they sell to the type of rider/bike owner found on STW accounts for a very small amount of their turnover

I suspect that’s very true. The vast majority of my cycling friends are happy to take their bikes to the shop for every small repair (including changing tubes in one case). Their biggest issues aren’t price (within reason) but rather opening hours and how long before the job can get done. I suspect that’s why we are seeing more shops offering to come and pick up bikes in the evening or to come to workplaces to do the work

If you get on well with your LBS (or make friends with another one) there’s every chance they’ll go through their spares and give you a few freebies that they otherwise wouldn’t make money on, e.g chain links (either exact same or at least compatible). They might not save you in the way a Powerlink would, but they’re better than nothing.

Must be the most common replacement part! WTF!!

I’ve been riding mountainbikes for 25 years pretty much, and I’ve never bought one.

Bought loads of brake pads/inner tubes/tyres/cables/mech hangers/skewers though.

Ummmm just use a chain tool? That’s what I did when I had exactly the same issue the other week.

Your LBS is struggling?

Bit odd given the current economic and sporting climate.

The guy who owns my LBS is always grinning from ear to ear right now. He’s a nice guy, always gives me a good service and statutory 10% discount for sure, but I always ask “how’s business” and have a bit of a chat, and for about the last 2 years solid, every time I ask that, he’s even happier than the previous time!

I’d say if there was ever a time to own and LBS, it was now!!!

Aye, should have just used wiggle or CRC, sure they’d have delivered a new one to you within the hour.

Aye firstly they’re more like £3-4 and secondly if you made it the the LBS did you try just asking for a couple of chain links and the lend of a chain tool (if you weren’t carrying one, were you carrying any spares…?), my LBS would have been happy enough with that. although ofc if I turned up as a stranger to them on a bike I’d bought elsewhere I wouldn’t automatically assume they’d be helpful, same as I wouldn’t expect an Audi main dealer to give me a free bit of oil to top up a BMW…

A power link my be a small item and as stated they had probably just sold! out but what do you expect local shops,are fighting for survival what with crc,merlin and all the other big players online sellers. I mean merlin this morning sent me a newsletter with 37% of a full xt group set and on top of that another 5%of of that =42% off!! local shops don’t even buy there stuff in for that margin. My lbs will always try and price match to a point but with deals like that he’s better off charging to fit it and let you deal with merlin or who ever when it goes wrong! My self I try to buy as much as I can from him and just get my discount he gives all loyal customers/ team riders, in less its a crazy deal such as the carbon santa cruz blur frame I got a couple of months ago for a grand from bike scene I’m sticking with my lbs.
Bats.

37% of a full xt group set and on top of that another 5%of of that =42% off!!

[Maths Pedant] the way you described it, it’s 40.15 %off [/Maths Pedant]

😉

My lbs will always try and price match

That’s what’s killing the lbs, or this portion of sales. Why should they price match when CRC/Wiggle/Otherinternetshop don’t service match?

It’s a little unfair to expect a small shop to carry every thing all the time ,
Esp if they stock mostly shimano chains as they don’t use a power link

My lbs still does 9 speed links for £1.00 but 10 speed ones and loads more money

Never used a powerlink to fit my chains ( sram and rohloff) then keep the link in my camelback. Do that and you automatically have a spare.

I’m lucky and have found a really good LBS where I work, he gives me club discount, price matched a set of Flows rims he built up for me and when I needed a spare power link took one out of a new chain box until he got a replacement. I prefer to build bikes but have used him for everything else including clothing, spares, HOPE goodies etc… Bike shops who don’t care or give me poor service aren’t visited again.

I buckled a rear 180mm brake disc at Fort Bill last month, no probs, the bike shop will have one.
No.
I know, I’ll just remove the adaptor and fit a (much more common) 160mm disc.
Errr… no. Haven’t got them either.
Can I borrow a vice, try and straighten mine then?
Ummm… no.

K-fanks-bye LBS, I’ll stick to the internet and save some coin thanks. 😀

Neil F – Member
I buckled a rear 180mm brake disc at Fort Bill last month, no probs, the bike shop will have one.
No.
I know, I’ll just remove the adaptor and fit a (much more common) 160mm disc.
Errr… no. Haven’t got them either.
Can I borrow a vice, try and straighten mine then?
Ummm… no.

K-fanks-bye LBS, I’ll stick to the internet and save some coin thanks. Do you live in Fort William?

Why should they price match when CRC/Wiggle/Otherinternetshop don’t service match?

Point of the week.

So you went on a test ride without what you consider the most common replacement part on a bike. 🙄

I’d class having small but crucial common parts in stock as a service matter, that and being open when you need them. Mine just reduced their opening ours. I haven’t been in since to look at shiny things to buy. They said the reason was that staff were finishing too late 😯

As with any sort of price matching he will do so if possible and there is still a sensible profit to be made!! After all money is money. Plus from what he has said with some distributors the more he spends with them through a year he stands to get a better rate the following year It is after all just playing the game for these guys.

lol I bet [RandomOffshoreInternetBikeShop] had one in stock just 4 days posted…..

Not sure why you didn’t try and fix the chain an order one when you got home before shouting in here how cheap it was

druidh – Member

Do you live in Fort William?

No.

Buy a chain tool. Learn how to use it. 🙄

Probably one of our least sold spare parts FWIW

Other shops experience may vary.

If you class inner tubes as a spare then that would be No.1

That’s what’s killing the lbs, or this portion of sales. Why should they price match when CRC/Wiggle/Otherinternetshop don’t service match?

tut tut how do you dare, this is stw, the word service is an aberration, what do I say, an abomination.

Probably one of our least sold spare parts FWIW

Yeah but then you want to sell trike that would make kids go crying.

buy a 3pr pack, and tape a pair on to each bike. sorted.
so what if it costs a tenner? few quid on “insurance” for each bike is surely worth it.

Popped into my mate’s LBS to buy a cassette removal tool, didn’t sell them but they gave me one theirs anyway. Declined any money for it too. As awesome as places like CRC and Merlin are, I’ll always try my LBS first.

Popped into my mate’s LBS to buy a cassette removal tool, didn’t sell them but they gave me one theirs anyway. Declined any money for it too. As awesome as places like CRC and Merlin are, I’ll always try my LBS first.

I would too, if my mate owned a Bike Shop.

My mate however, owns a Wedding Dress Dress shop, which isn’t so useful

(and they don’t stock power links either)

I once popped into a bakers and they had sold out of the nice bread I like, I went home and whined all over the internet about it before weeing in their shoes