Following in the footsteps of canyon apparently and now offering a direct to consumer service bypassing the lbs. Or if you pay a little extra a specialised tech will come to your house with the bike and set it up for you and take you out for a ride!

Which is all well and good but the whole point of the canyon model is it cuts out the dealer margin so is cheaper. There is no such mention of a reduction from specialized so what’s the benefit to the customer exactly?

What am I missing? All this will do is shaft the dealers no?

Madison sell direct but also give a portion of the cost to your LBS. Could be a similar idea?

Holistically though, more cyclists tends to be good news for bike shops as riders will want to buy clothing, accessories, get bikes serviced. So, if it increased total sales, it wouldn’t be all bad news for a LBS.

Madison sell direct but also give a portion of the cost to your LBS.

If I bought a Spesh at full price directly from them using this model, I’d be wondering what value the LBS has given me when I haven’t used them and why I should be subsidising them for it?

When I read the story I assumed that pricing wasn’t mentioned simply because a direct to consumer bike must be cheaper than one that involves a shop, for obvious reasons?

Which is all well and good but the whole point of the canyon model is it cuts out the dealer margin so is cheaper. There is no such mention of a reduction from specialized so what’s the benefit to the customer exactly?

Spesh have become very expensive in recent years (IMO anyway) they used to be sort of middle of the road in the UK, not anymore!

When Intense went direct sales a couple of years ago their prices dropped 20%-40%

I’m not expecting Spesh to drop their direct sale prices (In actual fact I expect they’ll charge extra for the advantage of not needing to go to the shop LoL).

They’ll probably cost the same.
Did this direct sales thing come about because they failed to buy that big US bike store chain (can’t remember the name)?

Can’t imagine it’s going to help LBSs much.

No way will they make the direct sales bikes cheaper than dealer models.

Not convinced the likes of YT or Canyon are particularly cheap now compared to previously, Brexit?

Canyon are still pretty reasonable (I dunno about import costs though).

YT have gone more pricey.

I suppose they could keep the prices more or less stagnant for a few years. Makes them money in the short term as you’re still going to compare them against Trek, Giant etc. But keeps them competitive in the longer term when everyone’s doing it.

Really, how many people buy bikes from an actual shop, Vs whichever mail-order dealer has the biggest discount?

Most LBSs don’t have demo bikes, let alone demo bikes of the size/model you want. So really what’s their added value?

It’s just another way to buy a Specialized. Now not only can you find the spec and look at the bike on the Specialized site, you can buy from it too. They are not going consumer direct only and prices won’t change. It’s just another way of doing the same thing. No different from buying a Specialized from an online retailer from a consumer point of view. Only difference on the bikes they sell through their own site, Specialized will make more money on them.

Spesh have become very expensive in recent years (IMO anyway) they used to be sort of middle of the road in the UK, not anymore!

Yes I always used to think of them as a good value brand (prob 15 years ago or more) but now they seem to be right at the top end pricing wise.

Spesh make, and have always made, some of the better bikes around. Have had more than a few and got my eyes on another…I’d buy one direct delivered to my door, doesn’t need to be built up as I know I can do that myself better than most bike shops would. But they need to bring their prices down with it, the prices have gotten out of hand. They get away with it because some of the models are some of the best of their type – if they can pass on the ‘direct’ savings to the consumer 20-30% then that could make them one of the most competitive brands in the marketplace, if they don’t do that then the customer has to really want one as there are better ‘value’ (whatever that is in the world of 5k mid-range bikes) offerings around. Feel bad for bike shops if this is how the industry goes, they’ll need to diversify or up the service they offer to survive.

If I were a spec dealer and like previous years had to book my 2022 inventory back in early 2021 on my agreed payment terms and have committed to a certain inventory value. I’d be furious that I could now be undersold and possibly have my own inventory ripped away from me before its even been delivered as “its no longer available” because spec have sold it direct.
I guess recent supply/demand has shown brands they don’t actually need an LBS as they’ll sell their inventory regardless.

… whatever that is in the world of 5k mid-range bikes…

5k is now considered mid-range? Wow.

Yeah, another nail in the coffin of the LBS, although I’m the kind of hypocrite who buys spare parts online and fits them myself! New bikes come from shops though.

My LBS which I use loads for repairs, consumables, and parts is a Specialized dealer. They are super helpful and accomodating and I’d be gutted if they shut. Did a scandal build recently and was missing a rear caliper mount. They fished one out of their workshop spares bin and gave it me for pennies. They do stuff like that all the time. I haven’t bought a new bike from them but if I were in the market for a new spesh I’d be going to them rather than direct.

5k is now considered mid-range? Wow.

…I know, I was being diplomatic. In the Sp price range the mid-range is more like 6k…an Epic at 5k comes with a mix of NX/GX which is a workably functional but realistically plasticky groupset which on any measure of engineering quality sits at the entry-level end…which sort of isn’t the point these days as the rest of the bike is first class, and those bits can be upgraded when they drop off.

5k is now considered mid-range? Wow.

Even with road bikes most brands have a top end model north of £10k.

I do all my bike fettling myself, so rarely visit a LBS (of which there are loads in Cambridge). It’s just quicker and easier to DIY if you have the tools…..

Spesh make, and have always made, some of the better bikes around

What? Always 2-3 years behind the curve geometry wise and always overpriced. Their standout was the excellent warrenty and so middle of the road you probably wouldn’t be disappointed with your bike.

That’s a bit unfair, there’s always something cool in the range that’s a bit out there.

The Enduro’s always been pretty long travel and slack by whatever standards of the day. The Aethos road bike is a novelty in the mainstream. Allez Sprint and the Chisel with their hydroformed headtubes. They’re a big brand though so there’s always going to be lots of mainstream stuff.

Spesh have become very expensive in recent years (IMO anyway) they used to be sort of middle of the road in the UK, not anymore!

I’ve found them to be middle of the road in price on paper but once you look closely they cut a lot of corners with cheap parts on the bits you don’t notice on the shop floor (headsets, BB’s, suspension bearings, non-sealed cables) compared to Trek and Giant. I’ve owned two Specialized bikes and one Trek and the Trek was leagues ahead in the base spec that made it much more user-friendly. My Canyon is similar to the Trek, lots of details that lift it above what you would expect. Most buyers won’t notice but those of us that do our own maintenance would tell that things are just that little bit worse on a lot of Specialized bikes compared to the competition.

I have bought a couple of things direct from them just because they had the item whereas no online shops seemed to. They tend to be more expensive than anything as not as much discounting as from online shops.

They are not a bargain brand but they still have lower cost stuff which competes with other big brand stuff but looks overpriced when comparing to say Vitus. Prices are so all over the place that it is hard to compare really, for example I was looking at a Ribble CX last year for £1099 and that same bike is now £1399

In an open economy you survive by charging for things that you have and others don’t. LBS used to have the monopoly on consumer last mile contact and logistics, bike brands/manufacturers being centralised entities were unable to reach that, but that ship has long long sailed. Most however still seem to want to operate under that principle.

What LBS have to offer now are local showrooms and local services. And for that, their costumer is the bike brand, not the final consumer. The sooner LBS realise this, the better for them. I recently read an article on a bike industry news platform interviewing several LBS owners on the direct to consumer model. Unfortunately, not a single one of them understood what I just said (as far as I can remember). Their were all beating the “but we ca still be valuable at selling bikes” dead horse…

Spesh will have no issues in screwing anyone over. They’ve always done it.

Bike shops need to up thier game, diversify and improve service.

No, Specialized won’t be reducing their prices or making the bikes better value (they simply want a bigger slice of the pie)
LBS is told the bike their customer wants (eg new Levo) is on backorder and due in 9 months. However – Spesh can supply that bike direct to the customer immediately as they have ring fenced stock for direct sales. LBS will also be expected to carry out warranty work….

When I read the story I assumed that pricing wasn’t mentioned simply because a direct to consumer bike must be cheaper than one that involves a shop

🤣 That’s the best one I’ve heard for a while

That’s the best one I’ve heard for a while

Made me laugh too… 😂

Most LBSs don’t have demo bikes, let alone demo bikes of the size/model you want. So really what’s their added value?

That’s the only thing for me. Deciding between one bike and another (say, standard Stumpjumper vs. EVO), or between sizes, or being sure it suits my riding style and terrain.

What LBS have to offer now are local showrooms and local services. And for that, their costumer is the bike brand, not the final consumer.

Interesting point. I guess most of us have shown with our wallets that we’ll buy from the cheapest online seller that isn’t plain dodgy. However if there’s a local shop with something remotely close to what bike I think I want, I’m going to pay them a visit, if they offer a demo and I like it then I have a lot more confidence spending. Especially if it’s something of of my comfort zone, like a MTB for the first time in 10 years, or a gravel bike. Personally having done that I wouldn’t then go home and buy online, but some will.

I’ve found them to be middle of the road in price on paper but once you look closely they cut a lot of corners with cheap parts on the bits you don’t notice on the shop floor (headsets, BB’s, suspension bearings, non-sealed cables) compared to Trek and Giant

See so much of this on cars too, ruthless cutting on things most people won’t notice. No wheel arch linings, no gas struts on the bonnet, etc. But there’s a colour screen and buttons on the steering wheel.

https://m.pinkbike.com/news/specialized-plans-to-add-consumer-direct-sales-february-1.html

See so much of this on cars too, ruthless cutting on things most people won’t notice. No wheel arch linings, no gas struts on the bonnet, etc. But there’s a colour screen and buttons on the steering wheel.

Gas struts on the bonnet I might use once a month versus a decent infotainment system I’ll use everything I get in the car, yes please!

Back to the subject, it’s at least a 50 mile round trip for me to visit a Spesh LBS that may/may not have the size spec of bike I want and may/may not let me have a meaningful test ride. I’d rather pay the same and have the bike brought to my door.

Afraid that I haven’t used an LBS since as long as I can remember. I can only see it likely if I buy an eBike and need specialist servicing/warranty.