[Closed] will the sport survive without the LBS...?

If all the lbs closed down it would be a shame but it won't stop me riding,

That's why it will be one of the last outposts of independant business in the average town.. a local centre for riders with mechanical service is something you'll struggle to supply online.

The LBS will always be there from a servicing/part swapping perspective.

The LBS will always be there from a servicing/part swapping perspective.

LBS won't survive on labour alone.

most people I know don't use them at all and don't seem to be in any way disadvantaged

yes they will... we'll just be paying more per hour.

The sport is bigger than the retailers IMO.
We'll all upskill and own more tools, and probably more spares too.

You do realise that the 'we' you refer to is less than 1% of people who ride offroad don't you.Unless the sense of self importace on here pervades further than just slfin/al/tj.
Newsflash...singletrackworld does'nt represent mtb'ing in this country.

You'll probably see their business model move to one that concentrates on repairs and servicing rather than selling huge numbers of bikes.

LBS won't survive on labour alone

Some already do and do pretty well from it, in London / cities especially - it's the (or should be) the most profitable part of any good LBS, assuming you sell service parts too, not just spannering what's on the bike already. Once a mechanic is trained, they cost a business a similar rate to sales staff. Yet labour rates have a better 'margin' than selling parts alone, if sales and mechanics are equal performers.

Too many LBS's see the workshop as the back-room, it should be a central part of the business.

LBS seem to do ok without customer service.

thing is i'm sick of trying with them - they should sell themselves to me - not the other way round 🙁

some lbs as there called may have agood selection of bikes and kit to pick from however it stops at that if they do not have guys who can give your bike that you spent a lot of money on to service them. as for trail repairs most folk i know ride natural stuff so yes i could survive without lbs .

Lots of bike shops will only have themselves to blame if they go t*ts up.

You don't get face to face service on the web but you don't get surly, uninformed staff and poor choice of parts either.

agree some of the drongos in local shop are just out of school, know sweet fa about anything let alone bikes, try to tell me how i should set my bike up when they arnt even allowed to touch an allen key let alone use one

I think you'll start to see more big names and less independents. The big names also already support racing but normally big "fun" events that appeal to a large number of people.

Most races around my way aren't organised by shops, they are organised by local volunteers. The TLI/NECCL run a huge number of races (with some shop support). Local time trials are run by clubs as well. Mountain bikers aren't as interested in races and events as roadies, there's more interest in "just riding".

I very rarely go into bike shops these days. The service is often poor, the stock limited and more expensive than I can get online. The one I did use for mechanic stuff has now closed the one in Newcastle.

Lots of bike shops will only have themselves to blame if they go t*ts up.

This.

I've tried a few LBS to find a good one and the attitude of the staff in some of them is dire.

I've finally settled on a place that's not so local, it's 35 miles away, but their attitude and service is spot on and their prices aren't too much over internet prices.
If more LBS had decent service like this place, they'd do far better.

As for whether the sport will survive or not, I'm sure it will but lower level racing will probably suffer if the LBS's aren't about to sponsor the events.

My LBS will price match any online prices if i find it cheaper online - good mechanic with experience working for British Cycling who really does know his stuff.

Also recently introduced a VIP scheme to reward loyalty which gives me a further 12.5% off everything instore - even if they have already reduced to a price match.

No Complaints from me

Most lbs's have put me off buying from them due to rubbish customer service, I just can't bear handing my hard earned over to some disinterested individual who looks like they are doing me a favour just to tolerate me long enough to take the cash. This said most folk rely on someone to tell them what to buy and do the spannering, so I think they will be fine. The economic downturn may make the climate more challenging for them as more folk may attempt their own work as household budgets get tighter.

what i find strange is that most bike shops have good mechanics yet front of shop really poor how does that work

Pay peanuts, get monkeys is the reason.

true shame they dont think if they try harder might get a payrise

Instead of Lbs I prefer the repair shops that are all over Edinburgh. Pedals is good as is Bike Works. The thing to do is to buy the parts online and have the repair shop fit them. I would like to buy their parts but I find the parts are full price and that they cant compete with crc etc for offers. I have bought a few parts though if the price difference isnt too much. I do like i cycles in Innerleithen as well due to the fact they do so much to support the sport. I also like bike station as well due to the decent principals they run on.

Riding bikes is a sport?

There are loads of LBS in Cambridge, they sell / hire town bikes and do basic servicing / puncture repairs. On-line retails don't compete with them for that part of the market.

They'd better survive. My Bentley needs new tyres.

What's a local bike shop?

Pay peanuts, get monkeys is the reason

but the more online prices are held as a priority, the more this happens.. and the less an LBS can afford to invest in sponsorship, races or events. Do we need that? Maybe we all (on here) don't, but if cycling is to be valued in the community, maybe we all do.

I know an LBS who's local investment in the sport was simply taking (often younger or newbie) riders to Wales or the FoD for a day's riding to fire their enthusiasm - whether they spent much or not. Liability insurance / no-win-no-fee worries etc made that hard to continue - a real shame as that's the kind of thing an LBS is great for, if they're an LBS with any genuine love of the sport.

You'll probably see their business model move to one that concentrates on repairs and servicing rather than selling huge numbers of bikes.

This.

I see bike shops going the way of car franchises.. ie. heavily integrated and supported brand concept stores, with the LBS becoming more of your local garage. Those that survive with anything like good sales business will be the specialists, or the big chains.

agree some of the drongos in local shop are just out of school, know sweet fa about anything let alone bikes

there is a kid at bikelab in poole who can't be much more than 15/16 last time i went in there - i was asking about spd shoes - he apologised that he didn't know much about spds - he rides bmx - and said he would ask some one else to help me - he did this and then asked if he could help me with anything else mean time. so refreshing.

This is called competence. However lots of [s]bike[/s] shop staff seem to think that they'd be better off to blag you. 🙄

true shame they dont think if they try harder might get a payrise

yeah right, with the attitude that it has to be in stock and priced cheaper than CRC/Merlin/Wiggle/Rose,

How can you pay more when you are expected to spend all your money holding stock, and selling bikes off cheap at the end of the year, and selling that stock at rock bottom prices.

There are things i would buy from the internet and things i would get from a shop, if i am going to need to talk to someone if it goes wrong then shop it is, ie bikes, or tools are going to be expensive, i am not buying a headset press or reaming/facing tools, but if i am just going to accept things break such as chains then i internet it.

most people I know don't use them at all and don't seem to be in any way disadvantaged

That's me! My local is crap. I don't drive so can't take advantage of those further a field either. 😯

 

The thing to do is to buy the parts online and have the repair shop fit them.

That's probably the worst thing you can do. It shows complete contempt for the retailer, so don't be surprised if you get a poor service from them. Do you do the same with other products, like buying your car tyres online and getting Kwik Fit to fit them?!?

Why not just find a shop with decent staff, competitive pricing and a good product range?

there is a kid at bikelab in poole who ...

Having commented on the 'pay peanuts' line - this comment about BikeLab is what usually happens in a shop that's well managed, as BikeLab is. I don't know how the pay varies between one shop and another but it's retail, it won't be a lot relative to some other jobs.
I guess most of it comes down to how well motivated, trained and managed the staff are rather than simply the pay - in the bike industry pay isn't what tends to motivate people the most. It's actually one of the main positives in the trade; anyone coming into it for the £ alone often moves on, people with an interest in the product / scene stay. Some do make a lot, but not many.

The cornerstone of any surviving LBS is the cycle commuter I reckon.
Not the owner of a £3k dandy horse looking to try out a £120 set of shoes who then pisses off to see what Google can do about the price tag...

Even for commuters service and a smile will be as key as reasonable prices to getting regular custom, and cycle commuting should be on the increase given petrol prices (at least in certain areas), if anything this could be a "good" time to be running an LBS*...

*Obviously I don't run one...

there is a kid at bikelab in poole

Not anymore there isn't it's closed down!

I have found a really good bike shop near to where i work, he's a mountain biker and has some really nice stuff in the shop... I don't mind buying from them and have possibly paid a little more than I could have online. I think it's important to support a small business and build a relationship with someone who could really help you out when your pride and joy is behaving strangely... it's that or Halfords!

Do you do the same with other products, like buying your car tyres online and getting Kwik Fit to fit them?!?

Only the clinically mental would trust Kwik fit with their car...

Do you do the same with other products, like buying your car tyres online and getting Kwik Fit to fit them?!?

not particularly Kwik Fit but companies like blackcircles do exactly that, you buy them online and they ship them to a local garage for fitting

Personally I prefer to use the LBS for most things, I do occasionally buy from the web, but much prefer to use the LBS, whose service I find excellent. As it's very local to me it's no trouble to call there most weekends even if it's only for a chat.
I prefer to have the bike maintained by them as I don't think the labour charges are excessive and I don't generally enjoy working on the bike, I'd rather be riding it.
Having bought my last couple of bikes from them, I can rely on them to help out if I'm having problems with the bike, often at short notice.

I mean this in the nicest possible way, but you lot aren't exactly ideal LBS customers 😉

It's like computers - like quite a few people, I know a good deal about computers - I've got no problem ordering a new computer online to my spec, then sorting out installing the OS and drivers myself. But PC World, Dixons and John Lewis are still doing a roaring trade in laptops.

Most people aren't all that knowledgeable about more than one or two things, and are happy to pay some money to leave the technical stuff to others. That's where the good LBS comes in.

juan - Member

LBS won't survive on labour alone.

One of mine is almost exclusively a repair/service place, they sell some basics but that's not what anyone goes there for, and it's the sort of thing you'd still buy even if you know you can get it for a pound less online. They seem to do OK.

"You do realise that the 'we' you refer to is less than 1% of people who ride offroad don't you"

Exactly. So many people on here are starting to get the idea that a large percentage of mountain bike riders in this country are buying parts and tools online and have stopped using their LBS. Like the computer stuff above.. I could ask around and research what to buy online but i would rather just go in to pc world or wherever and buy one without the hassle.

Maybe I'm spoilt? We have several good local bike shops in the area. All offering a good range and good pricing. Most I know buy from the shops and also the web depending on what's available and any on line sales!

I don't know many LBS that do alot for the sport, apart from sponsoring races. And supporting younger riders?? Don't know any shops that do that..

I think there will always be market for bike servicing and repairs.