LBS – bit of a rip off?

I understand that bike shops need to make a decent profit on what they sell to keep them going, but sometimes it does leave a bitter taste inn your mouth when you feel as through you are being charged a premium for needing something there and then and not shopping online. I was at a trail centre a while ago and needed a new set of brake pads and was changed £20 for one set! I could have got the same ones online for half the price, or a little more in a shop. From that experience I would be unlikely to look at buying anything from that shop.

Anyway, I didn’t get a puncture yesterday on the Dartmoor classic so didn’t need the tube!!

Poundland. Can’t remember how much they are though.

Hate that shop, they never put the price on anything.

And there’s another thing; innertubes don’t need to be in cardboard boxes. That’s just more material wasted.

So how do you propose putting a barcode on them? That’ll increase costs.

Boxes stack much more neatly, and they have writing on them to tell you what size they are.

You can get more loose rolled tubes intoa box than boed ones. Would save on shippong. And a bit o paper under the rubber band, ith the details on would work just as well.

So how do you propose putting a barcode on them?

A bit of card you can have by the till, or print them out ont a sheet of a4, laminate it nd have it by the till. Easy. Or just doe a manual price input.

I understand that bike shops need to make a decent profit on what they sell to keep them going

Granted, but marking up innertubes is quite cycnical and exploitative. I fully understand why it’s done, but don’t go along with the excuses and attempts at justification.

Or, perhaps, better things cost more money to make.

I’ve used countless innrtubes. Schwalbe are not noticably or measurably ‘better’ than many other brands. And I doubt they cost all that more to manufacture. Sorry, not buying that. It’s the amrketing that you’re paying for.

Unfortunately it’s not just inner tubes where bike shops take the proverbial. Just before Christmas i was offered a pair of 150mm Rockshox Sektor coil forks by my LBS for £360, only to find they were going for £250 new online (a 44% increase).

Fortunately some bloke on here sold me some Reveleation RLTs for £200 🙂

Takes the p1ss doesn’t it?

I understand they have overheads but that kind of mark up is out of order.

Err bomberman, I think £360 is the RRP, not a p1ss take, the £250 was an online price.

I think you have to accept you pay a premium for buying in an LBS because you are paying for expertise, for service and you are paying for the convenience of having it now. As individuals we make a decision as to what that premium is worth and whether take it. Myself, I buy most stuff on line as I can do my repairs myself, this saves me a couple of quid but I get no real service, just a product to fit (and sometimes break due to lack of skill). There are occasions that I need something now or I need some advice on which product to go for, I accept it will cost me more money, that is fine and indeed accepted, I consider those extra £££ worth it.

I guess what I’m saying is, if you don’t like the LBS price, fine, go online, it’s easy. If not, go to the LBS. Either is good, but don’t knock the LBS for charging more.

I honestly can’t believe this thread.

Have you noticed that in a restaurant the burger and chips is £10 instead of £5 for the stuff I could make at Tescos.

You’d think they have furniture, décor, staff, buildings, electrics, gas etc to pay for.

Of course the stuff in the LBS is more expensive FFS.

Ah but weeksy, you don’t see Tesco managers driving round in cars as big as your local LBS owner…

lunge – Member

Ah but weeksy, you don’t see Tesco managers driving round in cars as big as your local LBS owner…

LOL from what I’ve seen, the LBS owners round here are far from being rich.

LOL from what I’ve seen, the LBS owners round here are far from being rich.

My LBS owner doesn’t even own a car, therefore he must be getting chauffeured everywhere. It’s a bloody outrage I tell you.

What still amuses me- a bikeshop owner won the lottery and said he was poor/great to win and he was looking forward to buying a bigger field/stables for his wifes seven horses.

I 😆 at that line.

Bikeshops can range from anything of a small clothes shop size/turnover to CRC/Wiggle etc size.

Its not just lay back and rake it in- you’ve got to deal with reps and buy/hold the right stock for your area.

The KEY difference is investment and risk, most are happy as they are. Others will invest and take a massive risk on increasing/improving web portal etc.

By a long stretch I don’t begrudge bike shops but they are shops. They aren’t social hubs or scout huts for adults. They are a £££ business.

I couldn’t do it- I don’t have the skill or talent.

There’s so many rich lbs owner they’re closing up for good. They’re even so rich they don’t need the cash so give it to banks.

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/pedal-power-sees-northern-ireland-bike-store-owner-rocket-to-tycoon-status-28743537.html

Mr CRC is worth 650 million. Poor guy.

I understand that bike shops need to make a decent profit on what they sell to keep them going, but sometimes it does leave a bitter taste inn your mouth when you feel as through you are being charged a premium for needing something there and then and not shopping online.

This is the way ALL retail is going – if you want convenience from a local store, you have to pay for it. A small local retailer doesn’t have the economies of scale, cashflow or stockholding to match internet prices and still maintain a workable profit line. If you want to save money, buy in bulk and carry spares at home to cover for unexpected product failures. If you want to purchase on an ad-hoc basis as and when required, be prepared to pay the premium for the convenience of being able to do this.

I feel the ops pain. I too like to support my lbs. I’ll even pay over the odds a bit, however I went in for a cassette, picked up a quite frankly crap alivio one and saw it was 30 quid. Crc 7 quid for sram deore equivalent, and rrp is only 15 quid! Not sure if I should mention it!

I think you have to accept you pay a premium for buying in an LBS

I do accept it, it’s just the price of MTB components makes it a bit hard to swallow sometimes. For example the knee pads in this week’s fresh goods Friday….£60!

My LBS are alright though, they have helped me out a couple of times and didn’t charge me for fitting a new valve on the air side of my forks, i was expecting to pay at least a tenner for that. They also gave me a front mech for free from their parts bin. So when the time comes around when i need a bike shop i’ll choose them again and not somebody else.

The problem i think is that MTB is just so expensive in the first place and the RRP of some things is off-the-scale ridiculous.

Mr CRC is worth 650 million. Poor guy.

The list at the bottom says its ‘only’ 200M. Poor guy.

Shops are mostly catering for people who want to walk in and buy something right now rather than wait for mail order. For this, there is a price to be paid, just as with mail order there is the inconvenience of delay and not being able to see the item first. Raging about one is as daft as raging about the other. ZOMFG I ordered something from CRC a minute ago and it’s not here!

You’re not just paying for a tube, you’re paying for the shop, the rates and all the other things that are necessary in order for there to be an inner tube hanging around somewhere you can just go in and pick it up.

Considering for most Independent LBS the profit margin on selling actual bikes & components is miniscule compared to workshop margin, the money to keep the lights on has to come from somewhere.

Water bottles, lights & tubes + fitting ime. This is especially true in the good ol’ places customers consider social clubs with free tea and biscuits.
Buy a tube, it’s the least you can do.

Edit:*waves at ojom

I bought a £5 loaf of bread once.

Unfortunately it’s not just inner tubes where bike shops take the proverbial. Just before Christmas i was offered a pair of 150mm Rockshox Sektor coil forks by my LBS for £360, only to find they were going for £250 new online (a 44% increase).

Fortunately some bloke on here sold me some Reveleation RLTs for £200

Takes the p1ss doesn’t it?

I understand they have overheads but that kind of mark up is out of order.

No, not taking the p55 and not necessarily a high mark up, more showing how online direct’s low overheads (ie sub-20% margin is ok for them) or even grey/’excess OE’ imports make the lives of retailers quite difficult. It’s not a level playing field anymore, it’s fair for all but it’s not easy to steer the line between low prices and high service. I worked in a shop in the late 90s and there weren’t many forks we held in stock even then, same reason.

MTB is just so expensive in the first place and the RRP of some things is off-the-scale ridiculous.

That, I can agree with. There’s more money being spent and it’s good that brands can sell stuff like that, a healthier top end is good for all of us and there’s no evidence I can see to say it’s causing real price inflation at lower levels. Because it’s there doesn’t mean we need £60 knee pads or a £120 lid. As for £900 forks .. fill yer boots if you like, for most of us it’s just not needed – or any bad thing that they’re out there.
Like most things, I don’t believe MTB has to be expensive at all.

This is especially true in the good ol’ places customers consider social clubs with free tea and biscuits.

I don’t understand people who pop in for a chat/hang round etc.

Its a business- it needs sales, daily constant sales.

One shop I knew- great bloke who own/ran it. I used them when I could but living in London I had other things to worry about (overheads of living there) so I had to buy secondhand/where I could.

Anyway – they opened a second shop but at somepoint in the near future their established/cash cow shop just stopped/slowed right down in sales. No reason- cash flow (what shops need) stopped.

So if I go into a shop I always end up buying something- torq powder, tyre, tshirt, cap, gloves. Something. As I like having something in hand for the effort/experience.

18bikes (great place) – chap mentioned a carbon Santa Cruz frame. I was honest- no way I could afford one. Would love to but I can’t even afford a third of one! I still buy small things in there when I go in.

It all adds on/adds to the daily sales needed for the business costs IMO still.

The list at the bottom says its ‘only’ 200M. Poor guy.

I misread. But actually, good on him for making it such a success.

I misread. But actually, good on him for making it such a success.

and almost single handedly destroying LBS’ all over the land. Threads like this wouldnt even exist if CRC hadnt kicked off the online bike shop revolution.

and yet theres a topic started about Mike Ashley circling Cotswolds outdoor shops.

how many indie outdoor shops closed because of the likes of Cotswold outdoor etc?

Threads like this wouldnt even exist if CRC hadnt kicked off the online bike shop revolution.

The story of King Canute etc. It would have happened, it’s just that CRC are good at it. That’s how they got so big.

Im not saying no one else would have done it (its happened in plenty of other ‘hobby’ industries) just sad that it has.

i dont think the vast majority of LBS’s want to rip off their customers. they have to sell at a price that gives them a decent profit margin but also one where if any discount is applied it still leaves them with something.
i wouldnt expect any shop to sell anything for a loss.
for example i’m looking to buy some new brakes so i looked online. the cheapest deal for what i want is from Tweeks/CRC where the brakes (shimano zee) are just over £80 apiece.
i phoned my LBS to get a price as i’d prefer to buy from them and the cheapest they can do is £110 apiece.
now i asked if they could match the online price and they said they cant and i understand that they probably dont have the buying power of a large online retailer like Tweeks and CRC so they probably pay more for them.
but i cant justify paying an extra £60 for them…so unfortunately on this occasion i wont be able to support my LBS and that hurts me a bit as i’ve known/used them since they first opened in 1996.

and almost single handedly destroying LBS’ all over the land. Threads like this wouldnt even exist if CRC hadnt kicked off the online bike shop revolution.

Yes and good on him, He saw a change in market and moved his LBS online. Good business. If he hadn’t someone else would have.

CRC didn’t kill LBS off, a change in market/consumer needs did. CRC/Wiggle etc saw this and adapted.

It’s not unknown for an LBS to buy off CRC.

It’s not unknown for an LBS to buy off CRC.

and sell at RRP?

gonzy – Member
i dont think the vast majority of LBS’s want to rip off their customers. they have to sell at a price that gives them a decent profit margin but also one where if any discount is applied it still leaves them with something.
i wouldnt expect any shop to sell anything for a loss.
for example i’m looking to buy some new brakes so i looked online. the cheapest deal for what i want is from Tweeks/CRC where the brakes (shimano zee) are just over £80 apiece.
i phoned my LBS to get a price as i’d prefer to buy from them and the cheapest they can do is £110 apiece.
now i asked if they could match the online price and they said they cant and i understand that they probably dont have the buying power of a large online retailer like Tweeks and CRC so they probably pay more for them.
but i cant justify paying an extra £60 for them…so unfortunately on this occasion i wont be able to support my LBS and that hurts me a bit as i’ve known/used them since they first opened in 1996.

£60 to alot of people is close to a days wage.

Why work a days extra doing a hard job for buying the same item somewhere more expensive.

Thats the crux of the matter. Buy smatter makes a small wage go along way allowing you to have a cycling hobby.

So can you blame anyone for wanting to make their wage go further? No!

Ah but weeksy, you don’t see Tesco managers driving round in cars as big as your local LBS owner…

I’ve got a 2005 Smart ForFour. It’s a decent car, but I bet the manager of our local Tesco has something a bit posher 😉

It’s not unknown for an LBS to buy off CRC.
and sell at RRP?

If someone wants to pay me RRP for something, what does it matter what I paid for it and where?

This discussion is silly. No-one is forcing you to pay £7.50 for an inner tube. If you’re organised of course you can bulk-buy them online for quite a bit less. But if you’re not that organised and can’t be bothered, you pay someone else to be organised for you and have them available when you need them.

A Smart ForFour bencooper? Aren’t Smart owned by Mercedes? Are you telling us that an LBS owner can afford a Merc? Disgraceful profiteering, bring me my pitchfork…

Yes and good on him, He saw a change in market and moved his LBS online. Good business. If he hadn’t someone else would have.

CRC didn’t kill LBS off, a change in market/consumer needs did. CRC/Wiggle etc saw this and adapted.

^^This.

Most LBSs didn’t get government support to increase the size of their business.

I usually buy from here and make sure I always have a spare or two – less than £2
http://www.innertubeshop.com/collections/most-popular-bike-inner-tubes

I do repair them but tend to do it in a big batch when the mood takes me

A Smart ForFour bencooper? Aren’t Smart owned by Mercedes? Are you telling us that an LBS owner can afford a Merc? Disgraceful profiteering, bring me my pitchfork…

I take great pleasure in, once a year, dropping off our battered and dirty car for its MOT and parking it next to all the shiny new Mercs – they give it it’s yearly clean and polish for free when they do the MOT 😀