Not my idea. H1ghland3r posted in this thread and I had one of those ‘why didn’t I think of that’ moments.

Why is it that no LBS have partnered with one or more of the big online stores.? I am thinking of the Blackcircles car tyres model here. Customer gets the benefit of cheap online prices and the LBS gets the labour charge for fitting and the opportunity to diversify their business… As an off the top of the head example, use the space saved not holding large amounts of stock to open a coffee/cake shop or similar with internet facility of course so that customers can be ordering more stuff to be fitted while waiting for their current job to complete.!?!?

I’ve been in my LBS for parts in the past, to be told “We’ll have then in on Thursday”, only to find that when Thursday comes around “The rep didn’t call in, we’ll have them next Thursday”.

I’ve seen parts at significantly higher prices than the usual on line shops.

It usually takes two trips to the shop. One to book in and order the parts, and one to get the job done.

So, why can’t I buy say, a headset from CRC, and book my bike in to a CRC approved LBS at the same time to have it delivered there and fitted for a set price ?

Or, why can’t I go in to my LBS and order a headset from the CRC catalogue, pay there and then at CRC prices, and leave my bike there for the parts to be delivered and fitted ?

I know it might not sound like good business sense for the LBS, but like Sunday opening for supermarkets, if one does it, the others have to keep up if they want the trade.

Halfords have got a set price menu for fitting batteries and wiper blades etc. bought in store.
CRC or Wiggle could have an extra tick box and set price for “Have this part fitted by shop near you” with a list of approved LBSs.

I do this already with my local bike shop, I tell him what I want, he tells me when it comes and fits it when its convenient for me. Basically using the internet as a supplier instead of warehouses or reps.

Why not? As in the other thread,communication is the key. With a huge amount of parts and models of bikes,in a lot of cases in would be a disaster. That’s before you even factor in the numpty content behind the keyboard. 😕

Thanks Crikey.
Posting any sort of imaginative or innovative idea will always result in the usual “It will never work” replies.
It’s nice to start with an “It’s already been done” comment, even if it is in a smaller, informal way.

My boss will often tell people to get things online so we can fit them.
Saves trying to match some of the crazy crc/wiggle prices

It’s just there is a lot of admin and systems to sort out , and lbs labour charges do vary widely for the same job

Perhaps standardising fitting prices wouldn’t be a bad thing.

It works for me and my LBS because I’m not only buying on price, I’m getting and paying for services. I van do all bike maintenance myself, but I pay him to do the messing about, ordering, waiting for delivery, then get him to fit it too.

We worked out a price which suited us both, which was transparent; I know exactly how much the labour and parts costs, and because cash flow is important in small businesses, I paid him most of it up front.

Perhaps standardising fitting prices wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Perhaps standardising wages wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Perhaps standardising house prices wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Perhaps standardising transport costs wouldn’t be a bad thing.

Etc etc etc

MidlandTrailquestsGraham – Member
Perhaps standardising fitting prices wouldn’t be a bad thing.

As soon as fitting becomes a standard job… I’ve left stuff and had the we only charged x you but it took all day thing happen.

I’d mostly see it as a means to an end for LBS’s just a hovel for a mechanic and place to look at 2 bikes while you wait and a pile of 10 year old MBUK’s.

I’d like to see a fairer and level playing field where all shops had access to OEM pricing etc. rather than dealing with grey imports etc.

The trade side needs to sharpen up it’s act though and make sure stock levels are updated and stuff is sent to “real” shops fast and priority.

I offer this at my shop already for the same reason orangeboy mentioned.
I’ll do custom builds with new or s/hand parts no matter where they are sourced.

My LBS fits parts I buy from them for free (if I want them too)

I recently bought a hope headset. To go in a frame I also bought from them.

RRP is £79.99, CRC price £75.99.

I get 10% discount for being a member of the local club. Fitting free. So win on this one.

This sort of service means that sometimes if crc is cheaper (within reason) I’d still go to my LBS.

There are a couple of repairs only shops in Sheffield that do this or similar. Saves them having to buy loads of stock.

I’ve been in my LBS for parts in the past, to be told “We’ll have then in on Thursday”, only to find that when Thursday comes around “The rep didn’t call in, we’ll have them next Thursday”.

LBSs don’t order from a rep. They order from a distributor. Most stuff is easy to get, but some stuff is very hard to source for various reasons.

LBSs don’t order from a rep. They order from a distributor.

Must be a common “fib” then.

I was told that “the rep didn’t come so we won’t have them till next week” when ordering Hope disks from a local shop.

It’s not such a great idea to standardise pricing if you break it down. There are so many variables. What if you say 10 quid to change a headset and its seized into the frame? Or a bottom bracket for that matter. Also, one shops overhead will differ greatly from another based on location etc etc. therefore the pricing has to reflect that.
Setting up a crap derailleur can take three times longer than a quality one.
Some disc pads pop in and out in a jiffy, some don’t.
It’s an impossible ask. Besides, why should the profit margin of an independently owned business be dictated by the likes of you or anyone else.
If you don’t like the cost of a service, you respond with your feet.

I was told that “the rep didn’t come so we won’t have them till next week” when ordering Hope disks from a local shop.

Hope comes from hope, orange from orange nearly everything else from a distributor.

In my old LBS I’ve watched them do the online ordering from the distributor while I have been there for specific stuff to make sure it was right.

I did this recently with a renowned bike shop – bought an ex-demo bike off them and wanted a Reverb but they couldn’t get the right one in time for me to pick it up, so they agreed to me sourcing it from a well-known German internet retailer. Everyone was happy (I was happy for them to have sourced it and taken their cut in the first place).

Depends on the shop and the disty

Some are still stuck in the 90s an order from reps

B2b is the way forward

LBSs don’t order from a rep. They order from a distributor. Most stuff is easy to get, but some stuff is very hard to source for various reasons.

To be fair there were companies we placed orders with the rep, they were usually fairly small, so if the rep didn’t turn up would likely get missed until the next week. Hope were not one of those companies however , that’s a pick up the phone job.

Unless the LBS is part of a larger chain, I cant see standardised pricing working.
The blackcircles type thing might work, but I suspect the profits on parts fitting will be VERY low, otherwise where would blackcircles make their money? One botched fitting and thats your profit gone.

I posted about the LBS v Online a couple of weeks ago. I’ve ended up going to my LBS, I’ve paid a bit more, but as said above they will fit for free, I don’t have to use the savings to buy the tool to do the job that I’ll not use again. When we were looking for the parts I wanted to order we compared the prices to those on Rose Bikes. The price to him from Madison was £3 more than what Rose were selling it for. He then had to add VAT.

My relationship with them is bloody ace TBH. I went in for a gear cable and outer last week. They were busy, I helped myself and left the money on the till whist they continued to serve “real” customers. I also put the kettle on an made a brew.

Wiggle do this already in Australia, New Zealand and Hong Kong.

http://www.wiggle.com.au/sc/service-point

I think its a pretty good idea but you would probably see a lot less shops with stock in that you can see or touch and moving over to just essentials and last minute items small spares, tubes and lubes etc.

Most bikes shops are like that now anyhow (in terms of limited stock) so don’t think it would harm that side of things. Only things I regularly buy from an LBS are gels/bars, socks and tubes. I do occasionally buy other stuff if it catches my eye/is on sale/need it same day but it’s very rare (although all my bikes have been bought from LBSs).

Don’t see any harm in ordering stuff online and getting the LBS to fit, I’m assuming the fact they’re still in business means they’ve priced their labour rates with making some sort of profit in mind. Ofc if the difference is just a couple of quid then I’d by from the LBS but more often than not there’s a big price difference, I notice it especially with chains and cassettes – they’re horrifically expensive at RRP (LBS) but like sofas they always seem to have huge discounts online.

I wonder how it would knock on to manufacturers who would be progressively losing their “show room” partners. Where else would you see a Tune hub but in the bling cabinet of the LBS.

Maybe the LBS would continue to do it, but maybe focus on particular manufacturers or products.

What I don’t get is the religious “I must buy it online” (but then still pay my LBS to fit it) mentality of some people.

Sure, CRC or the likes often chuck clearance stuff out at prices the shop can’t even get it from a distributor at, so by all means by when the price is right. But with plenty more, run of the mill stuff shall we say, CRC et al are only say 10-15% cheaper than RRP.

A good customer in any LBS is likely to score a 10% discount on anything they buy. Good LBS’s usually fit parts that they’ve supplied for free… Have seen it many times a customer walk in with a cassette and chain that would have cost £50 in the LBS, but they got it for £40 online, thinking they’d scored a big deal, wanting it fitted. “Certainly sir, but that will be a £10 labour charge”, instantly bringing price parity. And then the killer of “you do know that as a local club member, you’d have got 10% off those parts if you’d bought them from us as well as free fitting”, meaning buying online ended up £5 more expensive!

Shop wisely guys… Sometimes the big online guys have some awesome deals that you’d be silly to pass up on, but a good LBS still has a very valid place in this world.

It’s an emerging trend that many brick and mortar businesses are having to deal with.. the americans call it ‘showrooming’ and a lot of retailers over their are having to come up with interesting ways to deal with people coming into the shop having a fondle at the nice products and then ordering them online.. The americans, being a bit more brazen than us brits usually go right ahead and order the item in the shop, using the shops free wifi..!!!

The fact is that retail is changing currently and bricks and mortar shops are going to have to change to deal with it. Ironically the internet shops that benefit from the showrooming are now starting to look into partenering in the manner I described as people still like to be able to see some things before they order.
There is a potential emerging model where the big online retailers subsidise the B&M storefronts so that their demise doesn’t adversely affect their business..
Seems like the small, flexible LBS should be able to change and adapt quicker than the struggling high street chains..???

Or just fit all your own parts and keep the savings for yourself. There’s nothing complex about bikes.

Or just fit all your own parts and keep the savings for yourself. There’s nothing complex about bikes.

If you don’t have the right tools there are some jobs that get complex

My LBS will price match online retailers and fit it – same difference?

Or just fit all your own parts and keep the savings for yourself. There’s nothing complex about bikes.

Tools, space, time, inclination, ability or need?

I can do most of the things I need to do with my bikes, I have most of the tools but the LBS can do the bits I can’t I’d rather support them and them be there when I need them. CRC etc can’t get me a cable I snap at 3pm on a Friday before a weekend away or get me a fix when I really ned it.

I have just agreed with the LBS to get a rebuild kit myself as the supplier is messing him round – I can get it online. We will then sort it out with labour. He’s also going to give me a demo bike next weekend so I can have a go, knowing I won’t buy it but just as a favour.

LBS may have deals with certain distributors and those may not like not sourcing from them.

Plenty now though have a good range of suppliers and are prepared to match prices. It’s difficult to match oem prices though. While they may be happy to fit if you’ve bought from elsewhere it is also less business through them. eg most would love to sell you a Reverb discounted at £250 or even at a push £200, but could be narked at fitting a £150 oem version and not having made the sale.

What LBS are great for are sourcing components that online retailers have on back order and may take weeks or months to get. You can’t easily talk to the online to see if they can source them elsewhere or quicker. A good LBS may be able to get you fixed up quick. Parts aren’t going to be with you next day perhaps but you know what’s happening and they can put pressure on the distributor.

it’s all good, times are changing the industry is changing, but retail is improving and I think better for the customer on both fronts

Not going to comment on the LBS vs online debate as I gave up on LBS’s a long time ago.

In answer to the OP, my local motorbike shop (which tends to cater for ‘older’ bikes) is happy for you to buy the parts and charge for fitting, as the hassle of soucing them is often not worth any mark-up they might have. Recently, I needed a new rear disc and pads, gave them the go ahead based on the quoted price and they phoned back that afternoon saying that I’d be better sourcing them myself as their supplier was out of stock, couldn’t give a delivery date and the alternative was stupidly expensive.

Ended up saving £15 on the disc and they still get the ‘profit’ from fitting costs.

Everyone’s happy 😉

Same as woody, gave up on bike shops ages ago, don’t need the services they offer.

I’ve been in my LBS for parts in the past, to be told “We’ll have then in on Thursday”, only to find that when Thursday comes around “The rep didn’t call in, we’ll have them next Thursday”.

LBSs don’t order from a rep. They order from a distributor. Most stuff is easy to get, but some stuff is very hard to source for various reasons.

Depends how long ago, B2b with distributors is only fairly new. Before that you had to have a visit from one of your reps or give them a call.

There is also a diference between a “Rep” and a “Agent”

Reps work for distributors/brands, Agents are self employed and you generally deal with them direct.

“don’t need the services they offer”
I suspect that you also dont ever enter any cycle events.

as particular here in Yorkshire there are races, sportives, charity events, teams, local collectives all getting support from the local shops.

in fact it’s safe to say that if it wasnt for local shops there would be no racing, no charity events, no sportives nothing happening.

so I wouldnt write them off entirely, you may not need them but they are the fabric for which cycle sport exists in the UK