One thing though
if the bike to work stops then Halfords, Evans, Wheelies, EB co op are all fek’d

falling on deaf ears.

However i see a big shift happening soon

the retailers doing well have control over their own brands.

We are now getting our first own brand frames arriving this week so going to move in this direction.

I think the market has shifted and there is a slow down in the mtb market.
We have totally changed our shop and dropped a stack of mainstream brands (Kona/Lapierre/Bianchi)
but now moved towards more niche more accessories and a social aspect to he shop (coffee and cake on the way)
Our servicing side is down on summer but still strong and still bookings about three weeks in advance.
We would have had some strong sales in the past few weeks but we are waiting for stock (i hate the industry for doing this every year)

I think if more shops drop a lot of mainstream brands then these brands may wake up and treat the industry better. wont happen though

Butcher has it spot on, however there are a lot of little trails all over the place that would link up well but could be a long day piecing stuff together

“i think all bikeshops are pretty crap to be honest.”

You have some great bike shops in Leeds Tony.

Vertex
Garage Bikes
Chevin (Independent LBS of the year apparently)

it’s time to send in ground troops on search and destroy missions to kill every one of the IS feckers and their supporters

Everyone is trying to avoid paying tax, its laughable that some people talk about increasing taxes for the rich.
everyone buying on the C2W is avoiding tax
buying from america etc and not paing duty
so scale that up to a high earner and they will gladly pay a few thousand to an accountant to set up a trust (legal) or use other tax avoidance schemes, the higher tax rates simply dont deliver, but taxing the people is not the answer, the UK has to transform its tax laws, and rules so that corporations have to pay tax on the profits made in the UK, that would net billions, total joke that the tax burden is on the people and multi nationals play games with politicians and the HMRC dont go after these ass clowns.

well from my view (mountain biker for 25 years / bike shop owner for 12)

i think that mountain bikers are getting older and are now moving in to more diverse cycling – road/cross mainly.
i think that the boom of mountain biking was never followed by such a boom in the next generation. (could be wrong)
see more downhill in the young riders but not the masses of xc racers like there used to be.
you can see it in the types of events. every week and weekend there is a road or cross race on, but no mountain bike events.
Road cycling is mainly club based and is more social, mountain biking is still small groups of mates.

from a shop point of view we started out mainly mountain bikes, but now we mainly service bikes and sell road/cross bikes. we have just in the last year dropped three big mountain bike brands as they only sell when discounted.
dont think the wheel issue had changed sales.

But to put it in to perspective since focusing on servicing and road our sales have quadrupled in the past two years.
next step is coffe/cake bike fit.

dont know what the future holds but i think a number of brands will go direct sales, and lots of shops that stock bikes will go to the wall.

30.9 on the tranny and yes 27.5

steel is the way forward, the genesis bikes are mint and quite a few good deals floating about on the equilibrium

you should try selling them

We are reducing drastically the bikes we stock in the shop and going more servicing, accessories, spares, kit and coffee and cake a more social spot.

I wouldnt say its a reversal, i reckon they still want to bomb assad and IS.
they just need to sort IS first as they are more visual in their killing.

Corporations are the problem, they need to pay a higher percentage of the overall tax income.

all the burden is on personal tax and NI.

its a joke the corporations are completely running rings around governments

about time they changed the way companies paid tax, not sure on the solution, but need to stop the practice of putting sales through offshore companies, or selling the rights to the name from a tax haven company, but a tax on the sales in the UK.

Google making sales in the Uk then putting the sale through Ireland on the computer from the office in London is a joke.
Apple putting sales in the UK through a subsidiary again massive tax avoidance, that if tax is changed wholesale, then billions more would be recovered from multinationals.

Transition TransAM ?

so what was that rogue poll.

I feel that poll was a ploy by the media to change the outcome of the referendum

i suggested to a scottish friend in ayr that there was a lot of resentment between yes and no, and also against the English, she was telling me how its buzzing, and everyone voting yes is having a great time, however when she posted on her FB page that there is this supposedly this resentment and enti english feeling, I was amazed at the responses from her no voting and English friends, some horrible and sad comments.

I’ve heard a couple of cycle/component importers/distributors will be moving south in the event of a yes vote.

not just registered office type move, but the whole shebang

the thing is the Scottish politicans in westminster that are so bad for scotland now will be the same politicians representing Scotland in the Scottish parliament, so nothing will change, its just a nationalist xenophobic nonsense,
why is ukip seen for what it is and yet the SNP is lauded as some kind of saviour of the people?

whatever happend scotland is the loser as the ugly stench of nationalism isnt going to go away, and not only will the scots be set against each other, but now they are pushing many english away and no one wins with this.

dont know why you are averse to a 650b, they are brilliant, the new Transition Scout will be awesome (apart from the name)
maybe Scout Bandit would be better

if the vote goes yes, then it will be the English property investors that will benefit the most when Scottish house prices crash, they will be snapped up by the English looking for holiday homes, and to increase their buy to let portfolios.

this will piss the Scots off soooo much.

i think its because mountain biking as a sport keeps splintering in to new niches.
mountain bikers keep themselves to themselves, riding with mates is as far as it goes.
and there isnt the community or club ethos there is in road.

so where road keeps developing heros to write and read about, mountain biking seems to be turning in on itself all the time.

so no consistent riders to get excited about across all the community.

imo

think mine do something similar.

not a problem
as I am only bothered how they work when being pushed hard. delicate top out on climbs is a non-issue.

If you want to sell them I know loads of people who will take them off your hands. (as long as they are 650b)

for the money the new Transition blitzes it, way better bike, i say that as i have got rid of the 153DL for one

We investigated a number of stolen bikes in the area and it led to a guy getting 5 years and 25 bikes being recovered.
coppers can no way investigate everything.

no problem with it, just prefer longer sentencing

watching the debate, the statements from the nationalists are the type of thing the nazis were spouting in the 30’s

cant believe I am hearing it,

I’m doing the Hamsterley Enduro this weekend.

will be over £100 by the time i get home and the bike jet washed.

Cant wait :)

i want the race organisers to make a living

i want racing in the UK to become like it is in Europe and to do that the organisers need to make a living doing it

No
it’s not £65 to ride your bike for the day

its to race.

if you want to ride your bike go do it, but if you want to race then pay up and join the racers.
Too many events sell out because of people out for a jolly, this stops the actual racers being able to do the sport they enjoy.
i Organise races for people to race, not come for a ride, I also organise ride for people to come and ride for free.

Its easy to see the difference

We the rest of the union.

however my point is that the scottish mps do influence policy in Westminster, and you are not being ignored.
Or being ruled over without a voice.

just one thing, if scotland had been independent already, we would have been at war in Syria now.
The union is better together in my view, unless you would rather we were at war.

my 153 DL was 33lbs, so cant imagine the 111 being anywhere near 28lbs let alone under it.

if you think its down to your tyres, then you have already psyched yourself out of how fast you can go.

the fastest riders i know are quite happy to smash through the slippiest rooty muddy steep sections on worn out slick tyres and no one on here would get anywhere near.

they have made me more confident as i wirry less about the tyres etc and more about where im heading

i have seriously reduced my drinking after a gout attack, pleased as feel better generally

fuckinhell attitudes on here are amazing, people wearing sky kit are just wearing the kit of a team they like, i cant do with the knobs on here and their look at me and how i can keep up with a roadie on my mtb

tossers

I have one of the mesh (fishnet) ones, dont think i would wear it to the cafe though

I love videos on local trails, you will see the trials lads at Shipley Glen every weekend

650b Spicy team is 27.5lbs on the Park tools workshop scales

with the stem bolt, tighten the other bolt but be careful
This will take the pressure off the rounded bolt but be careful not to round both off.
but if you have a new allen key, it should be ok in the rounded bolt

do shops service/rebuild forks, and electronic systems…shops fix those?

yes of course they do.
ever tried working with di2
or servicing fox 40’s next day.

i guess some people have gotten out the habit of using bike shop