... what an example of how trendy cycling has become! Saw it for the first time on Saturday and wandered in. More staff than customers, the staff were young on-trend kids and the products (most of them) eye-wateringly expensive. Mrs Engineer was shocked/disgusted "How can these kids afford stuff like this?" and "who do these people think they are?" etc.
I tend to agree. I bought a new bike from Wheelbase in Staveley last week and I did wonder how these well spoken, terribly trendy young shop assistants could hope to buy any of the stuff in the shop, assuming that they earn not much more than minimum wage. I sort of half expect them to apologise for the price of stuff. But then again, I am on old, old, man who's first wage was £5 5s a week!
Dunno. I'd rather see people on 10k road bikes than driving round in cars though. Its all good.
The bike room on Deansgate I presume?
Never been in (walked past after hours a few times though), but I'm guessing their target market isn't kids....
The £10k dogma and and price obscured dogma with campag 80th anniversay gruppo in the window caught my eye though....
Traditionally, shop staff are there to sell products as opposed to buying them.
Not sure how this is any more shocking/disgusting than any other shop selling expensive things no-one really needs, like jewellery or sports cars. Wouldn't necessarily expect staff at those kinds of places to be able to afford the products either.
At least the shop is providing jobs and giving you something else to look at other than identikit high-street clone stores.
I've not been in, as I suspect I'd be escorted off the premises. Oh... and all road bikes just look the same to me, no matter how utterly obscenely expensive they are
They should should just call it the 'More Money Than Sense, Middle Aged Mid-life Crisis' shop and have done with it. At least then their target market can have it signposted to them before they end up doing something really daft, and buying a Harley Davidson instead
Good point Binners, they could save a bob or two and combine the Pinarello, North Face, Dianese and Ducati shops.
Now now binners, if you and me had 10k spare we'd have one. I bloody would.
They had these weird tartan Pinarellos in the window last time I passed - would be like riding a picnic blanket.
That bit of Deansgate is mid-life crisis central. You've also got Richer Sounds and the Scientology Shop within a few yards.
Now now binners, if you and me had 10k spare we'd have one. I bloody would.
Nope. I really wouldn't.
[s]Why? If I could spend 10k on a bicycle then you also drive a 911 and a Rangerover sport[/s]
Hmmm on second thoughts. There are probably the odd STW'er whose bikes value exceed that and they live in a shared house/drive a £300 car.
Indeed. Its all just 'stuff' anyway, isn't it? I think most people would rather have a bike worth 500 quid and use the cash to allow yourself more time to actually ride it.
I'd hazard a guess that those 10 grand bikes do piddlingly small distances per year
I wouldn't worry to much about it, if you don't like that posh shop just pop into Halfords and get a pinarello.
Oh and if you want one to look cool(jumping on the Sky band wagon) to go with your sky kit, be quick as the rumour is Sky is having a new bike sponsor.
Oh and if you want one to look cool(jumping on the Sky band wagon) to go with your sky kit, be quick as the rumour is Sky is having a new bike sponsor.
No it was confirmed a day or two ago that they're sticking with Pinarello for another 3 years.
^ Sky announced new 3 deal with Pinarello a few days ago!
Beaten to it by Crazy Legs!
Sounds like a lot of inverted brand snobbery and sour grapes going on here...
Not by me, I ride one! 😉
I went there last week! Was looking around for some new gloves was on my way to evans and saw that place so thought I'd pop in - I shall try not to be too inversely snobby about it. <edit> I added that bit before reading johnellison's post 🙂The bike room on Deansgate I presume?
Negative point number 1 it's a bike shop and there's nowhere to lock my bike up outside, Doesn't look like anywhere inside to put my bike either hmmm.
Very posh inside and yes I do feel scruffy and out of place, couple of flagship bikes out with acres of space around them, no pile of tyres or bargain basket of end of line clothing by the door and I don't have to squeeze past customers bikes waiting to be picked up, not very LBS-ey at all.
Look around and spot some clothes wander over, there's assos and that's it. Not having a pile of fifties weighing my wallet down I ask the nice lady on reception if they do any more clothes, "yes the giordana range is downstairs". Selling clothes [i]by the range[/i] is a new one on me. Downstairs is more of the same but slightly cheaper, sure I saw a bike for under £2K. Turns out giordana do a triseason glove, it looked good but not what I was after that day so I left without purchasing anything.
Definitely seems more of a "lifestyle shop" than a bike shop, I assume that appeals to some. Nowhere to safely stash a bike is pretty bad for a bike shop IMO tho.
Really not sure what the orginal thread was trying to say, that the shop staff cannot afford the goods? That's true of many, many things you purchase.
I wouldn't purchase a bike of that price, but I can understand that people do. At least a bike doesn't really have much of an on-going maintanence fee and can actually save you money if you use it regularly, as well as being a long term purchase.
I've never actually seen anyone in the shop in question. Noticed an espresso machine in the corner though. 🙂
I'd hazard a guess that those 10 grand bikes do piddlingly small distances per year
Not convinced. Go to a popular cycling cafe on a sunday and you'll see a steady stream of £5000 plus superbikes, the majority of them ridden by people who look pretty sodding fit. I've no idea if they're hitting 10000km/ year but there are a lot of people out there riding them.
Oh, and I've found roadies are a very fasion conscious lot. I discovered this when going on a holiday with a load of them to do a Grand Fondo and they were all on about latest clothing lines,colours and even going down to height of their socks! Very different from going on holiday with a bunch of mountain bikers.
Traildog - is that a wind-up? Seriously?
I probably expressed the original post badly. I tried to say that the staff in these shops act and talk as though it is normal to spend £5000 or so on a bike and £200 on a jacket or pair of shoes etc. It's obvious that they are quite well off young (mainly) men. It's not a criticism, it's an observation and I freely admit that it's probably because of my age and upbringing. And yes, I have spent more than is 'normal' on a bike several times and I like nice things but I feel as though I've earned it (although I always try to find bargains!). Still sounds trite.
I'm assuming that having failed at engineering, you've not pursued a career in sales.
Well, You'd be right. Although my job title is actually 'Sales Manager', I wouldn't call it a career. I was too lazy and greedy to carry on in Engineering, something I now regret. Still, 'Musn't grumble', eh?
they are there to sell the bike ffs, the last thing they are going to say to someone is "**** me mate....6k just the frame, you must be bonkers even looking at this"
Some loverly kit in that shop, shame all my money goes on coke and hookers
GarvinB - I'm not winding you up. Shoes particuarly were of interest, costing eye watering amounts and a limited edition set caused much excitment I rememeber. All the kit had to be matching colours, meaning lots of sets of overshoes. They were very excited when the associated trade show was opening and came back with a load of the latest clothing. It was like going on a shopping trip with a load of girls!
They were all very serious riders though and trying to earn the right to be in the fast elite group (i.e. banned ex-pros) for next year (which one of them managed).
When I see that Rapha leg shaving kit I now think of my roadie mates.
Mountain bikers I find are more interested in actual hardware, always talking about the latest suspension, disks, groupsets etc.
D0NK - Member
Definitely seems more of a "lifestyle shop" than a bike shop, I assume that appeals to some. Nowhere to safely stash a bike is pretty bad for a bike shop IMO tho.
Ever been to Chris Paulson's in Rochdale?
I recived a very, very cool reaction when I actally had the cheek to ask if I could take a bike in with me.
Not been back since.
Not all
I'd hazard a guess that those 10 grand bikes do piddlingly small distances per year
A clubmate has a Ridley Fast with Record EPS and other assorted top end parts (over £10K). He rode the whole of the Tour De France route on it this summer, going round the day after the race.
You also see some similar bikes at vet road races.
PS. It doesn't make you faster though 😀
The shop, the Pinarello shop, it ain't marketed at you lot is it, it's for folks with a few quid and a new/old hobby they love doing and can't be arsed getting muddy.
Makes sense to me to have it there, big market for good bikes, you've got some amazing countryside and hills too, best go enjoy them on something spangly.
My whippet mate has a 65.1 and I don't like it one bit, makes not a jot of difference to him that I don't either. He still, and always has, kicked my arse into the gutter whatever bike he's owned. Good on him I say. 😀
That place won't last. No chance.
Traildog - I live and learn!
I work in a "concept store" selling bikes ranging from £300 to £12,000
the guys who work in the store don't earn much money, £16K a year including sales commission would be average
what the guys do is buy the entry-level, carbon fibre production road bike, strip the parts (sell them off on Ebay) and then transfer their existing groupset and wheels to the new frame
suddenly a £1200 bike becomes a very good quality ride, without spending silly money they cannot afford
I was surprised that we actually sold 9 x £12,000 bikes and over 30 x £4,000-£7,000 custom builds in the last trading year to paying customers 😉
Wonder how many of the smartly dressed well spoken Porsche sales guys drive 911's ....
I wonder how many estate agents live in million pound houses....
@esher shore. I remember a couple who owned a bikeshop said they were poor before the win...even though she already owned 7 horses..
I did wonder how these well spoken, terribly trendy young shop assistants could hope to buy any of the stuff in the shop, assuming that they earn not much more than minimum wage.
in the bike industry you make approximately 80 percent markup on everything especially bikes
couple of hundred quid trade for a chinarello frogma
9800 quid markup
job done
Bollocks
It's an odd one that shop on deansgate, however they are the distributors so it doubles as a warehouse/trendy showroom, so their point is reall attracting the sort of rich prick that parks his Bentley on deansgate and displays his purchased blue badge!
So all the best to them, some idiot has to feed the secondhand market!
Ever been to Chris Paulson's in Rochdale?I recived a very, very cool reaction when I actally had the cheek to ask [s]if I could take a bike in with me[/s] anything.
FTFY
Blimey bland. Bitter?
That bit of Deansgate is mid-life crisis central. You've also got [b]Richer Sounds[b] and the Scientology Shop within a few yards.
Isn't Richer Sounds just a place to buy cheap tellies and hi-fi's? Certainly is round here.
Roadies are strange anyway so a shop like this does not suprise me. Sounds even worse then the Specialized concept shop in Harrogate. at least the staff in there are reasonable.
I love the fact you can buy mega expensive bikes like this, and why shouldn't people who can afford them be able to get them from a shop which clearly has made an effort to display them nicely?
You forget that there is a lot of people who earn a lot of money and like to spend it. Nowt wrong with that and catering to that market is obviously something worth doing.
I'm glad there are people who can afford these bikes, same as the expensive cars. They've done well and they want a nice bike, fair play to them. I couldn't care less if they were faster or slower than me (probably faster!).
You've also got to remember that cycling isn't really an expensive sport when you compare it against some other ones like motocross or skiing (do that regularly and it's the trips abroad that make it expensive) or even motorsports such as rallying. So dropping £5k on a bike isn't really as big a deal for some people as it may be for me. I know amateur musicians with £10k+ of bass guitars/saxophones/drums (that's just 3 I know) so it's not unusual to spend such an amount.
Isn't Richer Sounds just a place to buy cheap tellies and hi-fi's? Certainly is round here.
Yes, is everywhere, which is why it's usually in a, er, 'less desirable' retail location.
A few years back, that part of Deansgate was full of empty units. Is there anything in the Great Northern, even now?
Why is it mid-life crisis central then? It's just a place to buy a telly for a good price 😕
Scrap that, I don't even care.
Richer Sounds sell pricey stuff too.
TBH, the posh bike shop doesn't bother me at all.
I still like to pop into Ducati showrooms and have a browse, even though I've no intention of buying one.
And don't Pinawhatsit do cheaper bikes too?
We saw a couple in Evans, new cyclists, spend well over five grand between them on bikes and kit last year.
We did have a wry smile, but the sales staff said afterwards that it wasn't unusual.
Hope they're still riding.
Great Northern had a cinema and a Hooters!
Yep richer sounds do the posher stuff, in their window when I walked past was an 84inch tv... didn't see a price though
sounds cobblers to me, maybe a few items at 80%, I can believe there's a lot on innertubes 😉 and high end plastic frames but 80% on everything? Sauce?in the bike industry you make approximately 80 percent markup on everything especially bikes
and high end plastic frames
don't let Blant at On One hear you say that. He wants us all to think they are pricey to produce.
sounds cobblers to me, maybe a few items at 80%, I can believe there's a lot on innertubes and high end plastic frames but 80% on everything? Sauce?
How is it cobblers...the entire tinternet says its so bike shops make millions and their owners are on the Bentley waiting list
PS on a serious note those scott's that cost 6k a pop then get reduced to 2999 in the sales must be doing something reet
in the bike industry you make approximately 80 percent markup on everything especially bikes
I ****in' wish!
You can call it jealousy if you want but as a hand-wringing liberal there is something unsettling about such conspicuous luxury. I own several Apple products and am as guilty as anyone but I still find Apple stores pretty sickening cult-like places. Shopping malls like the Trafford Centre just seem like a giant Temple of Mammon.
I ****in' wish!
i think i need to work on my sarcasm
A bunch of tubes may only cost £50 but you've got to pay a man to wield them together, someone the ship them from workshop to storage, storage to shop (plus any international/national distribution in between) and some minimum wage spotty youth then has to do the hard sell on a bunch of cynics from here and yeah the finished product will cost considerably more to buy but I don't think anyone "makes" 80% at any point.you [b]make[/b] approximately 80 percent markup on everything
i think i need to work on my sarcasm
I thought it was pretty obvious FWIW.
possiblyi think i need to work on my sarcasm
or is that the Edinburgh defence? 🙂
or is that the Edinburgh defence?
nah i just figured we hadn't had a manufacturers are ripping us off thread on here for a while
They obviously need somebody on the door dressed in après-ride Rapha to screen customers and refuse entry to the portly MTB'ers dressed in primark looking for a cheap pair of gloves, this approach seems to work for Prada and Gucci.
Compositepro yeah ok, obvious when pointed out, well done 🙂
cheeky bugger! I sport aldi wear on the bike BHS off actually!refuse entry to the portly MTB'ers dressed in primark
They obviously need somebody on the door dressed in après-ride Rapha to screen customers and refuse entry to the portly MTB'ers dressed in primark looking for a cheap pair of gloves, this approach seems to work for Prada and Gucci.
This sounds harsh but they probably now know how to spot a customer/mark and a complete buffoon/happy shopper like ourselves.
D0NK isn't fat (he does get turned away from 'Primani' for looking too scruffy though).
Lancashire riders will be interested to note that a bike mechanic named Spike is opening a boutique in the middle of Whalley, which is about as "Ribble Valley Chic" as you can get. At least, the boutique now has security grilles through which you can just about make out some frames hanging up but it's been like that for a month now with no sign of it actually opening. Whalley is the kind of place where people don't buy anything that's not expensive 'cos it can't be any good.
On Chris Paulson in Rochdale, we experienced his customer skills about 18 years ago when we were mountain bikers and we christened him "Lurch".
The guys at the Harrogate Spesh Concept store are pretty decent and looked after me very nicely when I bought my Roubaix, setting it up, changing the white saddle and tape for black and giving me a 12.5% discount. I'm quite happy to spend my money there and like the feeling of security that comes with the guarantee.
guilty as charged m'lud 😳D0NK isn't fat (he does get turned away from 'Primani' for looking too scruffy though).
I know 3 people who work in the shop, 2 ride dogmas and the other one rides for the Node 4 team and rides a pinarello as well. Phil Griffiths wouldnt have had it any other way. Wages arent horrendously poor either or so I believe. Personally I've never been in I'm waiting for the colnago/rapha shop to open then I'll consider leaving the house to shop.
Re "the fell" in Whalley, It will be open when they are ready and not before, if you want to experience their service then they also own pro tool cycleworks near bashall eaves.
They've got Assos Factory Outlet stuff downstairs as well as discount Pinarello's.
I visited last month and was very impressed.
On Chris Paulson in Rochdale, we experienced his customer skills about 18 years ago when we were mountain bikers and we christened him "Lurch".
One go at the Paulson experience was enough for me to decide never to go back. Especially when I heard similar horror stories from other MTBers.
And LBS staff.
And distributors' reps.
Fortunately Cycle Addicts has opened recently (OK, 18 months ago) and he's a nice chap, so I go there instead.