[Closed] LBS' and the recession

Yep, start shopping locally, good for everyone!

So much of bike shop success is dependent on the attitude of the staff. I hope during the recession, more of the staff in certain shops realise that! Its really great when you find someone helpful and friendly.

apart from mail order places

I am trying to save Chain Reaction by spending there 😉

My LBS is Leisure Lakes. I do try and put business in the direction of Sherwood Pines, but to be honest, I don't find them that good in terms of stock or price.

My LBS is Merlin.

2 Birds one stone..

Got a really good mate that does all my spannering...

My LBS seems to be concentrating on repairs these days. I guess he doesn't want to have stock sitting around. I tried to buy some Saint cranks at RRP but he wouldn't sell me them as it was cheaper to buy them elsewhere.

The thing with these mail order companies is that unlike my LBS in Dumfries, they can't put the tyres on once you have bought them so yeah, for me it's LBS every time, especially when it comes to tyres.

My lbs knows I shop at Merlin and always matches them - prefer giving my money locally if I can help it but I'm not a charity at the end of the day.....

Unless its alot cheaper (£20 or more) online i'll always use my lbs (Summit cycles)

I get a discount in my LBS as I walk through the door. Helps to have bought 2 bikes and a custom build in a 12 month period....

Of the 4 big players in my area, all of them have shown themselves to be seriously lacking in knowledge, appropriate attitude and customer service. No, it's not me that's causing it before anyone suggests it! It's because I'm a keen cyclist, I'm hearing a lot of horror stories from colleagues who've bought bikes recently and having worked in a shop before, I can see both sides or most situations and stand by my original statement.

CRC/Wiggle/Merlin/UKbikestore and others, I'm with you!

My LBS is Leisure Lakes. I do try and put business in the direction of Sherwood Pines, but to be honest, I don't find them that good in terms of stock or price.

My LBS is also Leisure Lakes (I pass them on the way to work in Long Eaton) but I wouldn't buy from them if they were the last LBS in existence. I too try and put a bit of business the way of Sherwood Pines Cycles but to be honest sometimes its as if they don't want to sell anything. They have very poor stock levels (if any) of popular sizes in cycle clothing/shoes (hint, order in more of the sizes you often sell out of), the owner seems often to have a bit of an attitude and the one good person in the shop is soon leaving to join the RAF.

I try to buy from LBS's but lets be honest, many don't exactly help themselves.

Always my LBS('s) if i can, even if it costs me a few quid more. I've been in a bike shop on it's last day of trading and it was really sad.

So please, buy local!!!!!

Odd, isn't it - i buy quite a bit of stuff including my Stumjumper) from Leisure Lakes in Long Eaton and i'd never had anything less than excellent service from them.

I don't mind LBS unless they feed me with some kind of bull thinking i don't know any better. like that shock pumps are £30 (pedalsport). also, cycle gear told me that they add £10 onto the price of a bike if it's an asian so that when they knock it off again they think they're getting a good deal.

F*CK THEM ALL I SAY

I've always had good service from Leisure Lakes in Long Eaton, and they always seem to be fairly knowledgeable.

Agree about Sherwood Pines, especially the surly attitude of some of the staff, and the stock levels are appalling, although the workshop has always done a good job, and generally is quiet when the others are busy.

Freewheel are good, but really expensive.

I have been put off by a number of shops in my area, one shop after another showed poor knowledge, bad attitudes and poor workmanship. Until recently i'd given up to going into shops at all! but I gave another shop a chance to not only be more reasonable on price but give me the right advice and finally i've got a LBS again! Ride-On in Rawtenstall have been excellent.

I've posted on here before about poor shops, because like some of the people posting above i've WANTED to spend money with them and build a relationship up as i know how valuable it can be. I worked and ran cycles shops for a total of 8 years so i know how hard it can be both sides of the counter but i think sometimes shops make money inspite of themselves, i know a couple of big shops near me do!

God bless mrmikewrong, MBE next year maybe?

I've only ever known two decent bike shops - Colin Armstrong in Middlesbrough and Bike Scene in Guisborough and that was when I was a kid so it may be rose tinted
my current LBS's are either the big corporate shysters, shite or only sell uber-pricey kit

colin armstrongs! i remember that shop! used to ride over every saturday to look at the mint trek's and gary fisher's! 94 95 nice. Bikescene have always been an excellent shop, just a little pricey

my LBS's in Reading is a motorbike/scooter 'shop' run by a load of guys who wouldnt look out of place in a Harley-Davidson photoshoot (think ZZ top, but fat and from Reading).

Good for spare tubes at the last minute, but not much else.

The ones in Derby were ok, mercian for getting awkward spare bits, samways for workshop stuff (easier to get to and usualy a shorter wait).

Just bikes in Ashby isn't too bad, keep trying to buy stuff there, but generaly fail due to stock.

I went into a lbs in edinburgh or a pair of assos shorts the other day - the service was of a poor level and the sales staff didn't look particularly interested but they had what i wanted for £110, easily £100 on the net so i said to the guy i'll take 'em if you match the £100 - he flatly refused, i have to say i was shocked! Am i bad?

If I buy locally (within ten miles) I go to Freeborn in Horsham, good guys, plenty in stock, and helpful, have spent about £2.5K there in the last year, other local shops wont budge from RRP or are really grumpy, it's their choice I guess

prefer giving my money locally if I can help it but I'm not a charity at the end of the day.....

Couldn't agree more, LBS's aren't the only ones feeling the recession!! And i agree with Bomberman about his LBS's i suspect they're mine too and both have unhelpful, vague, patronising and flat out bull artists on several occasions.

Recession, what recession?.....Best year ever, at my LBS..

I like bike shops generally, so will happily buy stuff from them rather than online to save a few quid. I do often get a discount in Stonehenge Cycles, but I've had 2 bikes from there in the last year or so, plus a fair few other bits.

They've also lent me demo bikes occasionally which is great. One returned as a singlespeed (crocked mech), another time a cassette broke on me. Neither was my fault, and they never mentioned me paying for the damage. Reminds me actually, think they've got a demo E5 in 🙂

LBS's n Bristol are really great at times. 😈

Haven't bought much online for a while. Mainly LBS.

Recession? some areas hit and some areas saved by the banking service cash injection from the government.

My best friend (project manager) got hit by the recession due to his field and he's taking anything-even Pizza delivery-work ethic-top marks!

As a teacher-not so bad yet... but low tax returns-less funds for schools...

From the other side of the counter:

The LBS I work at is pretty small, we can't buy loads of stock in so we have low stock levels, we can't afford to have every size of everything. But we'll happily order in (if its in stock with the supplier) and if we can't get it we'll try to find you an alternative or a source.
Our trade price is higher than some of the big boys' retail price, but we try our best to match (we're loathe to match an internet price when the advertiser is out of stock...)

If you come in with a friendly attitude we'll match that too. Feed the mechanics with biscuits/doughnuts and your bike gets to the front of the workshop queue mysteriously fast 🙂

If we don't know something we'll admit it, and try and find out for you. If we do know we're happy to talk bike. We know full well that our customers are why we're here, and we try to keep you on our side. But bear in mind we're actually in the bike trade because we're insane(ly in love with bicycles)

And we are so busy we're struggling to keep up with demand 🙂

Just Bikes has hardly any decent stock in at all, it was all fairly low end last time I was in there.

seems the suppliers don't help. Fisher seem to be useless at dealing with warranty issues and the thomson post i ordered in (the rep was in front of me when i ordered it) took over a week to arrive

LBS for me,friendly ,knowledgeable staff,that do thei level best to keep you on the trail. BETD is the place for me.

I'd agree that the suppliers can be a major problem. I've ordered items before through various shops that simply never arrive, despite much chasing. Some suppliers appear completely disinterested, whilst others promise delivery timescales they simply can't meet.

I'll put a shout out for my lbs though...Red Planet Bikes, Swindon. Really friendly bunch, real bike enthusiasts, great for advice & I get a discount without asking. I'd never expect them to match internet prices, but to me, the service and the relationship I can build up with them, including taking part in organised rides, is far more valuable than the few quid I could save for some things online. Other than them, Paul in the workshop at Noah's Ark is top notch, although Noah's itself is a bit "corporate" for me.

Oh, and I think they're doing fairly well during the recession...though I'm partly responsible 🙂

LBS can be run by enthusiasts, and can be helpful in a way mail order will never be. And if you live 2 mins from it, frankly its a lot mroe convenient.

for example, I wandered in to C&N Cycles Redhill a few weeks ago (shameless plug) as a bewildered 40 yo witha bmx 1pc crank and a nut I couldnt remove, having tried with a hammer and screwdriver for hours.

Chap took it, used the tool - 10 secs work. But worth ££ to me, as I simply couldnt do it myself. I stood there for a sec, waiting to be charged, and then it became aparent that I wasn't going to be charged.... so I bought a couple of inner tubes I didn't need at that moment, but might do, simply to reward the kindness and effort....

Wouldnt have got that mail order, and thats exactly why if you can, you should get on good terms with your lbs.

Always pop into the LBS (The Cycle Studio) for a chat and maybe buy something - sometimes they're more expensive, sometimes cheaper than on the net. But when I was off to Wales for the weekend and noticed on Friday evening that a bushing needed replacing they did it Sat morning when I popped in. The internet wouldn't have done that (And yes I can do 98% of maintenance myself but not this time). Not everything comes down to pounds, shillings and pence*

* Roger Waters reference if you were wondering as I'm listening to Pink Floyd at the moment.

My LBS is fine but they don't carry a lot of what I need and a lot of what they do have is pricy. That said I've spent 200-300 quid on odds and ends and some maintenance I couldn't do myself so I'm doing my bit.

I'd use them for more of the maintenance but you need to book in 2-3 weeks ahead of time atm and I don't fancy not riding for that long when I need stuff sorting.

Speaking from the other side of the counter... Its nice when you get locals coming into the shop, regardless if they buy or not its nice to have a chat and see where they've been on their recent travels. It inspires you to ride. I've actually made some good freinds with alot of people who i'd speak to outside of the shop if saw them.

Stock can be an issue because we need to raise the capital to buy enough stock to get it at competitive prices. At one point i don't think we had any sram 9pd chains in the company but then if we order in a smaller batch to keep stock levels up then price would be greater... Also suppliers demand that you buy a full range of stock rather than the best sellers, its like with maxxis tires. All the good one's sell out then we have to wait to sell the crappy one's before we can order any more.

The shop i work for is a chain so as sales staff we're not allowed to give out discounts which i think sucks and its hard telling people they can't have one when they really deserve one but its not my decision and i don't want to loose my job. Its sad because i remember always as a kid getting a free helmet or the like when i got a new bike.

I didn't think i'd last long in a sales enviroment (had visions of dodgy car salesmen) but when you believe in what your selling and not ripping people off its pretty good. I just give good advice to everyone who walks through the door, tell them why the expensive one is better or if its suitable for their needs and leave them to make the decision.

I've just started in a bike shop and am finding it hard to balance up the need to sell stuff and the desire to just help. For instance, a guy came in the other day with a pump (not one we sell) and was asking if I had one which fitted the "other" type of valve. He was genuinely amazed when I took the pump apart, reversed the wee rubber seal and put it back together for him. No change / no sale - but I like to think he'd consider us for something else in future. That's the kind of service that your big mail order places can never match,

yea, Just Bikes is pretty small, but when all you need is a "doojemabob that goes on the end of a whatsit, you know, that big company makes them in bulgaria" theyr quite usefull.

And the guys who work there know their stuff, even if the stock list/inventory seems to be stored in their head! "yes we do have some of thos forks still, i think theyr down the back of the sofa, i'll check when i get home"

cycle gear told me that they add £10 onto the price of a bike if it's an asian so that when they knock it off again they think they're getting a good deal.

So they operate a policy of Racial Discrimination??? 😯

Hmm.... (Fingers hover over speed-dial number for the CRE...)

My LBS is Evans Canary Wharf! They're hardly suffering, tbh. Likewise most central London bike shops; sales are booming, apparently. They're loving it! Ittud have to be a particularly badly run place, to not be doing well in London, atm.

My lbs are great. I freely admit I'm the "customer from hell" 🙄 I have no mechanical skills whatsoever.

I seem to regularly upgrade/change bikes (read: sometimes make mistakes) and request that parts be moved from one bike to the other. In fact, they are currently building up a bike for my son.

I frequently tap into their knowledge, ask loads of questions and regularly take them cakes to say "thank you".

A big "thumbs up" to Mountain Trax of Wokingham in Berkshire 😀

PS They are always busy too, a good sign surely.

Sherwood Pines is my lbs, i cant complain about the work they have done on my bike or the staff that have worked on it(Dale).

True they dont stock everything but which lbs does???

Ive had some right good bargains from them too.........

Glynn

I just wish I had a LBS....nearest one to me is 45+ minutes drive (would take the train but it's replaced by a bus every weekend) which hardly makes it local. I suppose it's the end-result of poor LBS's which have now gone.

I always used to buy from CRC but have recently found the joys of walking into a shop and buying something that I can actually look at before hand. Wiggle/CRC have their place, but I now much prefer shopping at my LBS -Lifecycle UK in Bilderston - where else can I get the abuse that Rob gives?

thisisnotaspoon - I shall have to give just bikes another chance then, as it would be miles more convenient for me.

Shameless plug for Bothy Bikes in Aviemore - everything a good LBS should be. Incredibly helpful, very knowledgable, great mechanics, have done numerous tweaks for free, AND get very close to or match CRC/Wiggle on prices for almost everything from kit to bike bits. Buy nearly everything from them.

To druid's point about being helpful, doing bits for free and reaping the profit later - absolutely spot on. Not only have I bought loads of stuff from BB, including my bike, but on my recommendation a friend has just gone and spent about £4k with them on new bikes

I'm with flange - Lifecycle UK give great service. Good selection of stuff across all price ranges and are willing to order stuff in. The banter and insults are first rate to 😉