Problem is that if it were to end up with just lbm's (local bike mechanics) in the town it would only be a matter of time before CRC and others just open up their own cheap overly competitive bike maintenance store and under cut the experienced mechanics by using non skilled cheap labour (see decathlon etc).
If I remember wiggle had a bike servicing outlet in Homebase a while back. Shut down pretty quickly but you can see they are keeping their eyes open.
Just need to charge corkage on parts and get customers to order on crc. Save hours selling, explaining, ordering and get rid of cash flow holes. Then focus on paid workshop.
Have you see the what fits threads on here, how much do you charge to explain what the right bits are, tell them to send them back and reorder them?
CRC/Wiggle are cheaper when they want to be, a LBS with fitting should be able to get close on some items if the people above want to make it work. Most people however don't want to ask.
Green wheel cycles are pretty good.
Rutland are terrible at customer service but have good stock.
Terry Wright have the best service - that’s why people go back.
>If I remember wiggle had a bike servicing outlet in Homebase a while back.
They did and it failed. Ours lasted maybe 3 months.
Ben, that's quite an odd statement even for someone in the trade. You cater to a very niche corner of the market and have heavy machining facilities, win! Carl at Bikelove 2 doors down used to offer high end and now seems to be a workshop, probably picking up some of the trade from the departed Alpine. Gear still offer high end stuff as well as decent quality base models. Dales are an established name and offer the full spectrum. In the south side you have Willy Bain doing workshop only (and nice enough to lend me a suitable sized socket to dismantle my bombers once) with a decent array of spares and tools and a decent waiting list. Craig McMartin may or may not still have an internet business and out in the sticks you have big Al at Wheelcraft. Sure its tough but Glasgow has a decent selection of good shops that aren't inhabited by gobby gits.
Can think of a few butchers and grocers in your radius too.
Before on-line, it was mail order.
Same problem, different technology.
No ones getting rich with just a workshop, mechanics salaries are barely above minimum wage, and rents are too high in decent locations. The market is caught between those who do their own servicing and those who simply don't use their bikes enough for it to need work.
In the Netherlands there are workshops at all of the major train stations, even there they have lots of work but always have a whiff of desperation.
No you don't do well out of just a workshop. People want bikes fixed, but don't want to pay for it. We got slagged off on Facebook this week for asking for £4 to swap two cassettes on two wheels. He just walked in with his wheels and expected it to be done there and then for free as it was just a quick and easy job. He said he'd do it himself if he had the tools. True, but he didn't have the tools and we did.
Folks with high end bikes tend to do most work themselves, and the majority of people who ride regularly for commuting don't understand why it could cost £100 to service a bike that they bought 2 years ago on Gumtree for £30. They don't get that chains, cassettes, chainrings, brake blocks etc wear out and need replaced, and wheel rims don't last forever. I currently have over £600 of repairs waiting to be collected from more than 6 months ago and I can guarantee the owners have abandoned them and got something else from Gumtree.
I think decline in bike shops is the fault of keen cyclists just like those of us who inhabit this site. When you have a group of people (us) who understand the myriad new standards, can undertake the vast majority of mechanical tasks and are prepared to thoroughly research the options before buying a new bike, then the requirement for expert advice diminishes. When I got my first MTB (in 1989, shudder) I was never out of the local shop, bugging them for advice or stroking the latest shiny stuff. Now I know my passion inside out I only pop in occasionally and frankly the shop itself has moved on to a different customer base.The more casual cyclist or commuter is in need of all the advice and mechanical know how a LBS can offer and it’s them who are keeping the shops alive.
That probably accounts for 1% of the decline. Vast majority of people who ride bikes are not that interested.
But the vast majority don't care enough to differentiate between Tesco, Halfords and the LBS.
As less LBS's are available it's just easier for them to pick up a bike when they are doing the food shopping... Our local Halfords is next to Asda.. our LBS closed last year sometime... (though it was a Bikes Direct) and Evans is still here but no parking.
<span style="color: #444444; font-size: 12px; background-color: #eeeeee;">Have you see the what fits threads on here, how much do you charge to explain what the right bits are, tell them to send them back and reorder them?</span>
Most of the money is in box stock mid/low end bikes with cheap (acera) level stuff and people generally don't dick around with non-standard upgrades. So as long as they speak to you first, it's less than 5 minutes to find the right part.
Most of them will be on QR or nutted wheels and (probably) 1" headsets!
[Waffle]My interactions with Southampton LBSs have been very sporadic over the last ~20 years...
Hargroves have had most of my business, buying a Principia RSL road bike and a runaround Rideback hybrid from their old Bitterne store, then ~10 years later a bargain Tricross Singlecross from their Millbrook Rd West store. Bought a few consumables, but not much, now both stores are gone and the closest is in Totton (which I've yet to visit). If I'd been more decisive last year, I could have got my carbon Cube road bike from them for £1k, same as online... But they ran out of stock before I increased my budget.
Dave Harding Cycles in Woolston was so enthuistic when I was looking for a new road bike, but his stock for my budget were not brands I was familiar with, so I ended up just buying bits like Time ATAC XS carbon pedals and Shimano shoes (which still both get use 12 years on). I'm not when, but at some point, the shop closed (but I think the racing team is still running).
Cycleworld (now rebranded the Giant Store) in Thornhill has never been more than a place to get the odd consumable for me, even though I liked some of their bikes (but not their recent "Conduct" hybrid hydraulic system), because their prices were always way beyond my budget. They were a friendly bunch when I took my Wazoo up there to fit my On One carbon fat fork last year, with a new headset bought from them, but I've not been back since because I've not needed much bike gear.[/waffle]
Especially in recent years, I've had very little disposable income compared to many, so I have to hunt out the bargains online to get the most I can for my money. Even though this increases the risk that one day there might not be any LBS around here to fit new parts for me, do a bike service etc.
the majority of people who ride regularly for commuting don’t understand why it could cost £100 to service a bike that they bought 2 years ago on Gumtree for £30. They don’t get that chains, cassettes, chainrings, brake blocks etc wear out and need replaced, and wheel rims don’t last forever.
Good point that, I know our LBS have had to advise people not to bother with the repairs on well worn cheap BSOish bikes - what's the point shelling out £150 - £200 for new drivetrains, wheels, brakes etc when you can buy a whole new BSO to replace it for less than £100? Effectively at that end of the market, with complete "bikes" so cheap compared to the cost of individual parts, bikes are becoming a disposable commodity.
Ben, that’s quite an odd statement even for someone in the trade
I was probably in a bit of a cynical mood! Lots of shops have gone, those that have survived have got a good niche, though I know it’s also not easy at the moment for some of those who are still going. 30% fewer bikes were sold in 2017 compared to 2016.