phoned 4 bike shops in leeds, all within 3 miles of work looking for a o/s 70mm stem.
sif
woodrupps
jacksons
edingburgh

not one stem to be had in the whole of leeds.
shit loads in ireland……………………… 😉

try crosstrax

chevin?

I have got one, and I am only in a small town.

I think everyone wants to support their LBS but things like that make it annoying. I realise that few if any shops can compete with the economies of scale a place like crc deals in but, lack of choice, lack of stock and higher prices virtually forces your hand if your on a budget, or if you’re in a hurry.

I was surprised the other week by how many shops in Glasgow didn’t have a 68x113mm ISIS bottom bracket in stock. That’s pretty much the most common size isn’t it?

Even Evans only had a DH model that cost 50 quid.

do you know how many shops in Sheffield don’t have short chainring bolts? all but one. do you know how many don’t have a V brake noodle? all but one. cost me a good couple of hours going round them all and cost me almost 3 times what it would had I bought it online. its a pity but i’ll be shopping on the net next time

I was surprised the other week by how many shops in Glasgow didn’t have a 68x113mm ISIS bottom bracket in stock.

I got laughed at in two LBSs when I asked for ISIS bottom brackets.

suppose its that circle…. you don’t shop there, so they can’t afford to keep stock, so they end up catering for your average rider, you know joe public who has the same budget kinda bike that 75% of the country have and who keeps the LBS going. I mean i am as guilty as anyone, my lbs doesn’t sell any hydro brakes at all, all cable but then thats all he needs and obviously has seen no reason to change, so we are kinda responsible for this ourselves.

dr_adams
thing is mate, i do shop there, on a very regular basis and i spend a large amout of moola there.

Take it you asked if they could get one in, and if so, how long it would take?

My LBS (Psycle Werx, Bristol) can generally get stuff the next day or certainly in 2 days.
Prices usually pretty reasonable. Maybe more than the Net but will fit for free if required and the personal service you get over time is well worth it.

Was it an ’emergency’ need for a stem?

Taz

Was it an ’emergency’ need for a stem?

The need for any bike part is an emergency.

MisterGnar – thought it was just me.

The speed I go from not knowing about something, to knowing about it, to wanting it, to needing it and needing it now is staggering 🙂

Point is I bet it could have been in the shop the next day r day after. ie as quick as the online order.

68x113mm ISIS bottom bracket

I think the problem is a proliferation of standards. My LBS doesn’t stock ISIS because “it’s obsolete”.

We have had to reduce the amount of stock we carry as we are loosing out big time to the internet company’s, it is such a shame as we can no longer carry quality kit that we can demo to the customer. Even if we do get an order we then have to wait to do a minimum order so as to avoid postage costs, I would imagine some of the shops you have mentioned probably have the same problem?

P.S. Just flicking back to the top of the thread and surprise surprise a Chain Reaction Cycles and a Wiggle link straight from this page and you wonder why LBS’s don’t carry the stock!

P.P.S. Don’t think I’m knocking you guy’s for shopping around, it’s our reps who come round selling us the goods then sell it on cheaper to the big boys that’s our problem!

I’ve had stuff in my LBS that I would never know existed if I had just been looking at CRC and Wiggle. E.g. I wanted some 661 Kyle Straits a couple of years ago, everywhere had sold out, stock due in 6 months – but the local bike shop (coincidentally the same one as Taz) had a nearly identical product (the O’Neal ones) and I could try them on beforehand too! If you’re not sure whether they will have the stock in you can always give them a ring before traipsing over there. 🙄

LBSs are also invaluable for when some vital component breathes its last at 11pm on the Thursday night before a big road trip (or in my case when you’re fitting some new brakes before going to the Alps and cut the hoses too short). 😳

Even if we do get an order we then have to wait to do a minimum order so as to avoid postage costs

This is the ridiculous thing. My LBS – the people are pretty helpful, but they have very little in stock that’s of interest to me apart from really small things like inner tubes or powerlinks. If you want to order something, it’s always ‘ooh well I think we might be able to get one in a week on thursday’.

Or I could just go home and order it for 25% cheaper online. It’s a shame but I don’t know how they can compete really.

my local bike shop never has the things I want in stock !

I ordered a goodridge hose kit from my lbs and when it came in it had a crc stock label on it.
Sorry but i’ll just cut out the middleman next time!

It’s a shame but I don’t know how they can compete really

The answer is we can’t, our turnover (not profit) is generated mainly through repairs and smaller items for the occasional cyclist, my hours were cut the end of last year and now work part time in the shop and part time at the pub whilst looking for a more steady income!

I don’t know how they can compete really.

Unless you’re buying something that you want to try on beforehand… or need to check for fit… or don’t want to bodge onto your bike yourself with a hammer… or want an opinion on said component that isn’t “MY M8S GOT 1 AND DID A 60 FT DROP ON IT!!! 11111!!!!” 😉

Ton – dropped you a note – I have a spare 60mm reasonably locally if your interested.

Iain

i went to the lbs last year for a new isis bb and he told me just to buy a new crank. Not been there since lol

As the OP said price isn’t everything, wanting it then and there is sometimes more important, that’s where you can beat the internet retailers. Bikes in particular due to sizing and clothing.
High end components I pretty much don’t stock now, but spares like tyres, tubes, disc pads etc we keep lots of as the workshop consumes alot of these items.
We will price match for regulars though on larger price ticket stuff, and shimano spares are carraige free also.
We’re up on turnover a fair amount this financial year and it’s busier than ever so some of us can do it right 🙂

Unless you’re buying something that you want to try on beforehand… or need to check for fit..

We had a lady come in at Christmas who ‘wanted to buy local’ she proceeded to tell me that her husband and daughter had been in last week and tried the bike for size but had found it cheaper on the net so could we price match? We are having to re-think the business as we are going to have to find away to charge for advice without putting off genuine customers, with bikes it’s not so bad as we could charge for sizing but we have also had an instance when a regular shop rider got advice on some lights then bought them from the net, I do feel that sometimes we should put a sign over the door saying, internet showroom please come and browse!

Unless you’re buying something that you want to try on beforehand… or need to check for fit… or don’t want to bodge onto your bike yourself with a hammer… or want an opinion on said component that isn’t “MY M8S GOT 1 AND DID A 60 FT DROP ON IT!!! 11111!!!!”

Case in point – I went to look at full face helmets, they had one model, in the wrong size, at RRP – ‘we can order another one in for you, it will take a week or two’. If they don’t have much in stock then there’s not much you can try on for fit etc. I would much rather be able to look at something before buying if that was possible.

Bought one online instead and had it two days later – luckily it fit fine.

BTW if I need/receive advice I will almost always buy from the LBS if they have something suitable in stock, even if it’s more expensive than online.

I don’t generally if it has to be ordered though.

Yeah we get that also but it’s worth pointing out that the bike won’t be assembled and your warranty is invalidated if it isn’t PDId by the dealer, even the bike boxes now state that. Might also be worth pointing out if they have any warranty issues then they have to ship it back to where they bought it from at their own cost. Not a big deal if it’s an ipod, much more hassle if it’s a bike.

Another instance I had today was that a customer was after some Magura Menja forks, seen on CRC for £399.99 with a claimed saving of £50, oddly the forks full retail is £399.99, so I was happy to price match.

We’re up on turnover a fair amount this financial year and it’s busier than ever so some of us can do it right [:-)]

What and where is your shop Ziggy? We are out in the sticks! I feel if we were in a busy town we would have seen an increase as people switch to pedal power for the commute to work!

Hi Ziggy, yeah we do point it out on the bikes but on the smaller stuff that comes in a box there is just no answer, we will try and price match but sometimes we cannot even buy it ourselves for the price! Must go as wife will kill me good talking to you!!!

your going to start charging for advice, good luck with that 😆

I’d be **** rich if I could charge for advice 😯

TBH if you’ve done it for a while it doesn’t take long to realise the customer isn’t going to buy from you, we have a big argos down the round and we get loads of people in thinking I was born yesterday as they only want to know the ‘size’ of bike little Johnny wants, not the price or what we have in stock.

My response is usually ‘the one that fits him’

I’m glad that there is at least some support here for the LBS. I love mine, lots of stuff in stock, great help and advice, will get bits in for me,…… Of course I buy some stuff off the internet, but usually only if there is a very big saving to be made or it’s abrand they can’t get easily. I’d hate to see it go the way of the photographic trade with only Jessops available in some towns – fancy going to Halfords to solve all your problems????

I buy all my stuff from LBS. For me,it’s more like a co-operative. Very helpful not only on bike/bike gear purchases,but advice on becoming a better rider. He did tell me to buy a Sram shifter from CRC,because he was having trouble getting a delivery.

my local lbs is 2 seconds away and truely only caters for the occasional and tb i would struggle seeing them match halfords, (who i visited other day and had some nice stuff in) but the not so lbs at home is great, really helpful and if i need something really desperately then they have been known to “borrow” something off their demo fleet, i do pay a premium but my biggest problem is its not my lbs so its for me a case of order off net and get part to my door or have to get to the shop, and normally when i need to visit its because the bike doesn’t work and so getting to the shop is such hassle

lot of shops stopped stocking ISIS when ouboard came in, as before the exchange rate went bad an LX crank (with BB) was only 20 odd quid more than a crappy isis BB – which inevitably would only last a week or two.

Ton, I have a tyre winging its way to me today and my money is helping (in a very tiny way) with the harmony of the economy in Northern Ireland.

That is my LBS. A bikeshop doesnt have to be local to you anymore. Its a global economy.

Ton – dropped you a note – I have a spare 60mm reasonably locally if your interested.

Iain

If Ton doesn’t want it, I might be interested. YGM!