[Closed] Anyone not use LBSs at all, ever?

Am I missing something by not using bike shops?

Apparently, they will do anything...and I mean ANYTHING...for biscuits and cake. Never seen it first hand myself, but reading STW it appears to be a carbohydrate fuelled industry.

Jaffa Cakes are an alternative currency in the bike industry, but my saddest day was when the off license next door closed...

completly agree. I started buidling my first bike at the age of 14 (was a racing bike from the dump!) as i simply did not have the money to pay the lbs.

Then as i got the money through working I has already caught the bug and satifaction of doing it yourself. Plus, if your on the trails and it goes wrong, you know what to do!

Same as you, I have done everything on a bike accept service forks. my bike shop is a rip of. Period. The products cost double what CRC does and then the labour is so costly. I use them for desparate times when I need a certain bolt or summin but dont let them near my bike!

LOL at biscuits.

As if we can pay mortgages with them.

It's very rare for me to use lbs too (I currently work in one), but it's a fact of life that they will never be able to compete with CRC etc. I like to buy the odd thing to try to stop them disappearing.

I don't think I've ever used for services or repairs, just to buy the occasional spare part or clothing. Maybe 3 times a year.

Not for repairs - do that all myself. Same with the car, apart from big job (like cam belt).

I occasionally buy things in them, like clothes or inner tubes.

Not in the past 10 years.

Anyone not use LBSs at all, ever?

I've not made any special effort but the lbs seems to recognize me and even know my name (which is embarrassing because I can't remember all of theirs :-))

Have surprised me on a number of occasions by matching or beating online prices. They have a web store which despite having the same name and contact details is apparently not related in a business sense to the physical shop and they quite often try to undercut the webbos

Nope, have collected all the tools I need to pretty much do any bike related spannering. If I want a wheel built, I order one from JRA. Don't have any need for a LBS.

I use my excellent LBS for when I can't or don't have time to do some spannering. I don't buy stuff from LBS unless there's a sale on clothing. May pick up come consumables (muk off, stand fluid etc).
I won't ask them to price match web prices as apparently that's rude (according to people on here).

As if we can pay mortgages with them.

Not your house then, Al?

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With the exception of fork servicing and hydro disc brake set up (which I'm just crap at) I do all my own spanner work, so my parts get sourced from the cheapest supplier, each time every time.

We don't owe LBSes a living, they need to earn it - the good will (and do) thrive and the weak buck up their ideas or ship out. Most do a poor job IME, hence my self-reliance.

I never used to really as I didn't see why they were worth the extra over CRC, Wiggle etc, but now it seems that, at last, I have one of 'those' LBS's; friendly, flexible, knowledgeable and accomodating. I'm therefore using them more for the bits of stuff that I'd previously have gone online for and at some point will hopefully be putting some actual money their way (like buying a bike).

I still do most of my own fettling/bodging though.

A big shout out to Sean and Jim at Independent Bikeworks in Cirencester 🙂

I tend to use them when A) I cant be arsed to do something B) make an arse of something that i could be arsed to do. So i use them a fair bit.

I get everything from my LBS.
Mainly because they're good mates, sees me right on price, gives me free run of the workshop & will sort out any issues no worries at the drop of a hat.
I can fix most things & save a buck online. But i'm not popping into CRC to talk shit over a Guinness on friday afternoon.

Minimal from LBS. I would have spent 50 – 75% more over the last 10 years if I did.

I buy bikes second hand.
I buy parts from crc/wiggle etc. Fix everything I can myself.

Only emergency purchases, things I can’t fix such as wheel truing or when trying things on is critical but even then I might take a punt on it.

I only use them for those last minute type necessities (my last two 'urgent' purchases have both been tyres, to replace split ones, <24hrs before a biking holiday!)

Each time I've come away feeling slightly deflated and uninspired from them! Case in point - most recent purchase was from a local shop where I [b]should[/b] get 10% discount from them... The tyre came off a display wheel (which I know is good as I got the tyre I was after etc etc), AND I was charged slightly OVER RRP for it!!!!

I didn't raise a fuss as I found the whole experience impressively gaul-full and amusing (at my expense) to say the least!

Online/eBay, and my onw "biek skillz" every time!

DrP

I service my own bikes - that saves a huge amount of money.

Except for clothing, which I mostly buy from LBSs, I have no rules regarding buying from internet or high street retailers. Price is often but not always the determining factor. My LBS recently beat the big internet guys on price for a set of 2013 Ksyrium Elites. I thought that was most decent of them. I can also confirm that my LBS mechanics will readily accept biscuits in return for bike/wheel boxes.

Since it was my Dad who taught me the basics of bike repair when I was a kid, it never occurred to me to use a bike shop for repairs.

When you've done an engine transplant on your first car, fixing a bike seems trivial...

I'll use them to true wheels, then when I'm there I'll buy a couple of things or if I need something quickly.

As for forks is it better to send them off to the 'approved' service centres or would an LBS do as good good a job?

I usually discount when asked, to at least get close to competitors' prices.

It is annoying when someone pulls that out of the bag after you've spent an hour or more with them.

Often the LBS will send the forks to a 'service' centre

A lot less since the only LBS I trusted closed about a year ago. Like the OP happy to spend money on tools and change the bits myself - having them delivered to my door.

Chocolate biscuits invested whilst my LBS was still open were well spent. When I wanted some new handbuilt wheels I went to the old mechanic's new place of employment where he spent a lot of time giving me excellent advice and when I decided a good price on the wheels. Unfortunately it's a 90 minute round trip in the car so I won't be visiting quite so regularly but when I need help / advice it will be where I go.

I never use a local bike shop anymore.
my local only stock Specialized stuff which Is a brand I avoid.

I can do everything mechanical myself so order online and get the tools out.
I've never found a bike shop that offered any service or advice worth the extra they charge over the online retailers.

when it comes to clothing id rather order a few sizes online and return what I don't want via the free collect+ service.

So, those of you that do use them, apart from having them as mates (I have friends I ride and drink with already), what am I missing out on?

Running repairs to bikes tend to be things like cables (10mins, and I've never understood how people have difficulty indexing gears), pads (10mins), tyres/tubes, maybe replacing a broken chain (5mins) - with stuff like brake fluid replacement/suspension service/pivot bearings being a yearly thing that I'd rather do myself so I know how it's been done. Am I just not hard enough on my bike? Should it need more work than that? Or are the people who use LBSs the less mechanically-minded?

I don't have much money spare to indulge in impulse purchases and consequently anything I buy needs to be the best cost:quality ratio that I can get within my budget. Comparing stuff across 10 or so online retailers takes half an hour at most, whereas it's at least that to visit just one bike shop.

With reference to whether or not the LBS is used it's interesting that everyone mentions spannering, most mention parts, some mention accessories and a few mention clothing.

But NO-ONE mentions actual bikes! It's almost as if the bike/frame magically appears out of the ether and then we take on the rest, consciously deciding whether to use the LBS or not... 8)

never. there is no job that cannot be done at home, other than recharging a rear shock, and the lbs couldnt do that anyway.

crc/wiggle for everything else

I only use them when I am in hurry to get hold of something, or if I'm not in a hurry and have to order it / want to avoid postage charges / can get it cheaper than online price + delivery. I have a well stocked parts bin - much of which I bought lightly used - and use eBay to buy consumables in bulk. I am proud to be a bottom-feeder in the MTB world.

Realised very early on in my cycling career that spending the repair money on the tool for the job and doing it yourself works out much cheaper in the long run. I can now do pretty much anything except frame building, and I hope to be able to do that too within five years.

Wheelbuilding and truing wheels is a funny one - it's pretty easy if you can follow instructions and hear the pitch of the pinging of the spoke, plus the tools are cheap, yet it seems to be seen by a lot of people as a real black art.

I guess it is a longish job sometimes, but not much longer than (say) changing a chainset or something, and doesn't require stupid special tools for each type of wheel like all the different bottom bracket tools.

I've had wheels built once, because it was cheaper to buy the wheel than the individual parts, but otherwise, I'd never bother letting some random person in a bikeshop make me a wheel.

@joemarshall - wheelbuilding requires patience and methodology, but is by no means difficult and can often be time-consuming if you don't do it regularly. My preference is to buy the wheel built and then check the tensioning and stress relief myself before riding it.

I suppose it all depends on how much repairing you want to do yourself. Is it sensible to buy all the frame reaming, threading and facing tools to prep frames yourself? Probably not - they cost thousands. Equally, if you only need one wheel, is it worth investing the time to get good at wheelbuilding?

On the other hand, if you like messing about with bikes, why not do it all yourself? That's how I got into it.

As a similar example, my dad plays the oboe - he used to buy oboe reeds, which was fine, but now he's invested in the (extremely expensive) kit to make his own. He'll never make enough reeds to make his money back, but he likes pottering at his workbench, so it was money well spent.

I'm actually going just a bit further than not using LBSs. I'm virtually becoming one.
There's at least one person that brings their bikes to me regularly for servicing and repairs. I've built wheels, serviced forks and shocks, and fitted pretty much anything for someone at some point.
I don't take money for it though, but I have been paid in beer, parts and tools. 🙂

Equally, if you only need one wheel, is it worth investing the time to get good at wheelbuilding?

It doesn't happen like that. The first time I buckled a wheel I paid £10 to get it trued. That was the first and last time I ever paid. I read an MBUK article that explained how to do it, so I taught myself to true wheels. Then I decided that it wouldn't be much harder to build one from scratch, so £9 later I had the Wheelpro book and then I bought a cheap wheel jig. The rest, as they say, is history. 🙂

If there's a job I don't have the time or knowledge for (wheelbuilding, say) I use a mobile mechanic. My LBS made such a hash of repairing a disc brake, I just learnt to do it myself. I recently did my first suspension fork service (new seals and oil), it's really not hard if you're careful and use the right tools.

it's fine till you need some small part from Madison (can only be got through shop). then you have to go in to LBS and feel bad you're only spending £2. or for some bolts. really it takes the piss. mine was even giving me discounts when they saw me just because they know i internet shop and won't pay RRP.

but even their discounts aren't enough.

yes i am similar, don't generally need the lbs. until i do, about once a year. if only some way to support them without spending money there... tbf this shop never has what i want, there's one a bit further that's cool and doesn't seem bothered i just want a [url= ]mavic valve adapter[/url]. maybe should go there more 🙂

Seems to be a theme running in a couple of threads just now. The lbs may not be the cheapest or the quickest
But there is a lot more they do from supporting riders to putting on local events and having a focal point for riders to meet. I for my sins work at the most hated bike chain on this forum and as such appreciate a good lbs and support them as much as l can

The only possible advantage my LBS has is the ability to put the part into my hand on the spot. They charge RRP, but that's fine on basic stuff if they have what I need there and then.

But they only keep a small stock of basic stuff - last time I popped in, they had the XT version of a common part, but not the deore.

Fine, they could order it in, but at that point I'm not only paying more than I need to but also having to make a trip back to pick it up.

Sometimes get the occasional impulse buy, I think an iphone holder was the last item, maybe some bar tape.

Also occasionaly use them for repairs usually due to CBA rather than need the last time it was to bleed some brakes.

Thats pretty rare though, in fact friends often bring their bikes to me for repair but I charge in wine not biscuits.

I have bought my last few bike through them and value one local shop Thomas Ipswich, who allow test rides and my mind has been changed so many times post a test ride I cant imagine now buying a bike un ridden.

pretty rare i use my LBS - even then its for small items - water bottle, puncture repair kit, the odd tube etc. i proberly go in there once a month for a look about, but i'd say i only buy stuff once evry three months or so.

I rarely use my LBS's these days, and then it's only as an emergency fallback position if I need something urgently.

Other than that I shop online & do all my own fettling (other than wheel building and shock servicing).

It seems most 'proper'/serious cyclists do most of their own repairs and what-not, so I assume LBS's get most of their custom from 'newbies' and people who ride a bike more out of necessity than choice & are therefore less inclined to fix & service it themselves.

Without wishing to sound like a pompous arse, (Which more or less guarantees I am about to), having worked in retail, the motor trade and latterly the last 12 years in B2B commercial functions, I can only describe the bike industry as a slop bucket when it comes to customer service.

Granted, there are notable exceptions, but they're still at the top of a poor industry.

At the large scale end of things, CRC, Merlin, Evans etc are as you would expect: Great lead times, heavy discounting so long as what you want isn't out of the ordinary.

LBS wise, some are very good indeed (The Bike Tree in Sheffield, 18 Bikes in Hope) and will drop everything to help you if you're mid ride. However, at a lot of their competitors I encounter disinterested sales staff, grumpy workshop staff who seem to think its okay to drop the odd badly hidden insult into discussions and a generally arrogant unhelpful attitude; J E James are shocking in these areas, I've come out of that shop on a number of occasions thinking I've inconvenienced them in some way by wanting to spend money.

God knows how much I've spent on bikes, components etc over the past few years (moving house at the moment and I can't work out how I've ended up with six wheel sets across 3 bikes and a small mountain of lightly used tyres :/ ) but given the time/money again with what I have learned I'd gladly spend it in different places.

Whilst I admire anyone who starts their own business, and wish them well, ultimately I work bloody hard for my income and if I come out of a transaction feeling pissed off, then I will not go there again, regardless of whether its an independent shop or not. Hence, CRC tend to get a lot of business as it's half the price and half the grief a lot of the time.

Generally I don't, although now and again I pop into city centre bike shops near where I work.

I use Birmingham Bike Foundry as I'm a member of the tool club and so go there to use the work shop. I have bought the odd few bits and pieces from them when I have been working on the bike and realised I didn't have a bolt or spacer or something similar to that.

My view of local shops has been tainted a couple of times from when I have needed a rear mech in a hurry and having phoned up 5 or 6 of them none have had a 10 speed SLX or XT in stock... hardly an exotic bit of kit.

I don't bother. I do all my own maintenance and buy stuff second hand though the likes of STW forums or use the online retailers like CRC, Wiggle and more recently Rose Bikes.

My local shops aren't up to much, take longer to get stuff and cost more. I don't really see the incentive personally. I also find it odd that people are so protective of bike shops but I doubt they'd put up with the kind of service most offer if they were buying a TV.

I do however have an element if sympathy for bike shops; the industry itself is making it almost impossible to keep a reasonable range of stock. Look at Sram's ridiculous amount if disc brakes on offer, even Hope seem to have a lot more models than previously. How can you keep enough stuff in stock to please a wide range of customers? This is pretty important with higher end stuff of which people have specific favourite brands etc. This still doesn't excuse having rude, ignorant staff who don't know their bums from their elbows (I called one shop after some older M4 pads, the one's with 4 individual pads and was told that there was never such a brake!).