what don't you like of your bike shop?

johnnypipe85

or indeed any bike shop?
I went to evans london bridge last week with my cash in hand to buy a new road bike but was appalled with their customer service (or lack of...) and walked out... on foot!!!

spen666

johnnypipe85 wrote:

or indeed any bike shop?
I went to evans london bridge last week with my cash in hand to buy a new road bike but was appalled with their customer service (or lack of...) and walked out... on foot!!!

<pedant mode> How else would you walk out? </pedant mode>

johnnypipe85

johnnypipe85 wrote:
or indeed any bike shop?
I went to evans london bridge last week with my cash in hand to buy a new road bike but was appalled with their customer service (or lack of...) and walked out... on foot!!!
<pedant mode> How else would you walk out? </pedant mode>

That's exactly what I meant!!!! :roll:

dangerousjules

what really annoys me is the lack of drive to make a sale or the desire to make some money on behalf of the people that work in cycle shops, yet these shops are the first to say they are struggling financially. after 12 years in sales i am always dissapointed by my interactions.

richardast

My LBS owner is a lovely feller and his shop's quite well stocked, but he seems to want to make a 70% mark up on everything.

If his prices were just 20% more than Wiggle and ChainReaction then I'd spend more money there. As long as his prices are 50% more then I'm afraid I vote with my wallet.

I occasionally pop into Cycle Surgery in Whitechapel if I'm desparate.
Nice people * but they will happily sell you the wrong part if they haven't got what you ask for, swear blind it's exactly the same, then act surprised when you come back a week later because it's not working properly.

*[edited to remove slightly obnoxious comment].

cannonfodder

I think shops would do better if they employed fewer, but more skilled/motivated staff. But the problem is that there are much easier ways for such people to make money than running bike shops

heavymental

Lack of willingness to suggest options or admit that they aren't sure of the solution to a problem. Hence I ask all my techy questions here! Unfortunately its probably because they are so used to dealing with people who want their bike fixed for a quid or don't have a clue about their machine. I always imagine going in and having an informed (short) chat about a potential purchase but it never works out like that. They just say "you want one of these". At which point I think "I'll ask on BR and then order off the net and hope for the best".

redddraggon

I'm unfortunate in that my LBS specialise in MTBs, especially Trial Bikes. This means that they rarely have a piece of kit I want in stock.

However if I need something cheap like a cable or some work doing I'll go to them. But largely more road orientated purchases I'll off the net, as it's quicker, cheaper, and easier. The LBS will sell me the stuff at RRP, but they'd have to order it from the supplier - in such circumstances I'll purchase elsewhere.

I bought my carbon frame off the net, but took it to the LBS to get prepped and the headset fitted. That's the sort of thing the LBS do for me, but I try to do most of the work myself.

baggsy

I have 5 shops locally and they are all shite which is why i buy on-line.

They have no customer service, lack of any stocked bikes, not many parts and are overpriced.

mrushton

the ones I use are generally v.good to exceptional. They may fix things on the spot or within the hour if not busy and often give good advice if something is good/bad. Shops are as good as the owner/staff, but it would be interesting to hear the owners/staff versions of the customer stories. One owner who sold his shop had a wealth of stories about the rudest/inept people you could imagine and they were his customers so he had to bite his tongue.

wastelander

My main LBS is the sole UK distributor for some 'blue chip' brands so consequently discounts etc can be a little difficult to negotiate. That said their service is absolutely top class, all of the guys are experienced cyclists so know what they're on about, the range of stock is superb and most importantly they will advise if what you're looking to buy isn't really suitable for you as a cyclist. Obviously this customer knowledge takes time to build up but they treat their returning customers as friends, not just customers.

shockedsoshocked

I think the only thing they could improve on is giving cups of tea to the customers

vermooten

Too many bike shops have dirty oily workshops where the bikes are thrown in a heap on the floor or up against one another.

It took me 2 years of poor repairs, rubbish stock and surley staff to find a bike shop that actually does a good job, Paul Hewiit's in Leyland. The workshop is on display and is uber-clean, the staff are all knowledgable and friendly an dthere'sloads of stock.

The only downside is that it's 23 miles from my house. So does this mean I need to move to Leyland?

synchronicity

After 13 years or so I have finally found a lbs I can depend on. These guys know my first name and always greet me with a smile. They're the most honest bunch of staff I've ever encountered. They still provide regular 10% discounts, without me even asking. Mind you, I'm in there every other week buying, installing or repairing something. If they're busy, they don't even complain if I start using their tools! And they never charge me for additional setup fees like cutting fork steerers, installing crownraces BBs etc if I've just bought the parts there.

May I present Toño & Basilio of Gofis Bici, in El Toscal, Tenerife:


When I lived in Sydney, I never was loyal to anyone. I used to pick and choose among 10+ bike shops located all around the metropolitan region. I supose they were all so business-minded. The prices were and still are mind-boggling. Flat out liars some of them, and not genuinely friendly.

NWLondoner

My local shop is run by a great guy, Always friendly and helpful.

However he carries a very limited range and not really any mid-range products.

Sadly i will have to give my business to evans as they are the nearest place to me that supplies the bike i am after.

jkbs1

Having purchased a bike from Evans via their "Ship to Store" service recently (delivered to the store in less than 5 working days - usually a lot less according to their website) I have the following comments:
The store didn't contact me when the bike was available (evidently it was under another customer's name on the same order number and had been delivered several days earlier). Thus I sent an email after hearing nothing for 7 days since the order, and also phoned customer service to establish the situation. Both told me the bike had been delivered to the store, when I phoned them they told me that they hadn't received it. When they eventually tracked it down, I went to collect it and found no pedals on it.......After reading the attached information upon getting the bike home, I found that I was unable to register the bike following the instructions in the welcome pack. I sent a note with these comments to their Customer Service dept. which has been acknowledged, so far no more response.
On a positive note, the sales assistant at the store (Cullum Street) was very helpful.

TheHatter

richardast wrote:

My LBS owner is a lovely feller and his shop's quite well stocked, but he seems to want to make a 70% mark up on everything.

If his prices were just 20% more than Wiggle and ChainReaction then I'd spend more money there. As long as his prices are 50% more then I'm afraid I vote with my wallet.

completely agree with this - an LBS isnt a charity and they no doubt can see the prices that wiggle, ribble etc are offering so they should wake up and offer something such as free fitting if they cant lower prices. my local shop wants 40 quid to fit a bottom bracket - excluding the part itself!

NWLondoner

My LBS replaced my rear wheel for £30 all in.


At the weekend i enquired with a different bike shop (south London). I explained i want to spend £600 on a new bike with them. They want to charge £20 to fit different tyres on them!!!

graeme_s-2

ShockedSoShocked wrote:

I think the only thing they could improve on is giving cups of tea to the customers

I've been offered a cup of coffee in my LBS a couple of times when I've been waiting for something .

rossbarney2003

Every time I go to my local bike shops and i'm always unhappy with the customer service. I'm still trying to learn all the jargon, and I make them aware of that, but they never make any effort to explain what they are going on about.

I think I have only ever once been happy with the customer service, and I think that was because I had served the assistant previously when I worked in Argos lol.

synchronicity

WHAT'S THIS??! 20 quid to swap over a set of tyres / 40 quid to install a BB??????? :shock: :shock: :shock: That's 10x more expensive than it should be

My local bike shop will do either task for as little as 1 or 2 Euros, and I'm told that's if you buy the stuff elsewhere... otherwise they do it for free. It just goes to make sense that if you buy the part, they should be able to install it without charging you anything.

Man, I think I'm either in the wrong business or I have to raise my prices.

portuguese mike

my lbs is brilliant. they're really knowledgeable, very friendly, very patient and usually offer me a cuppa if they're not busy. and on most items they're not even that much costlier than t'internet and they' put up with my incesant questions. top place basically

geoff_ss

Both bike shops I've patronised most over the years are excellent.

Before I retired I used to use Mercian's in Derby because it was easy to call in on my home from work. We've had several frames built by them and they were all very good.

Now I'm retired I tend to use Fearn's in Matlock partly because it's a better ride (and slightly nearer, I think) and the staff there are excellent.
OK the prices aren't as good as as mail order/on-line but at least you get knowledgeable help and advice. It's a slightly scruffy old-fashioned shop which suits me; I don't want to shop in an emporium and I'm slightly scruffy and old-fashioned myself. I do all my own maintenance etc so I don't know what the workshop is like but I have no doubt it's fine.

Geoff

Random Vince

my, now not so local shop don't always remember my name, but can tell me every build of bike and re-build that i've had, right down to the cranks and other random details.

i've spent loads of time in there, some of which sat in the workshop (if no one is in and they're not too busy) I get told off if i start fixing my bike beyond mild fettling such as barrel adjusters, due to insurance, if anyone came in to check up they'd be in trouble

yup, they hate that too! the workshop is clean and neat and the bikes there are well looked after (its always been a road bike shop including custom frames)

my other local shop is more mtb focused and again, he can tell me what bikes i've owned and is happy to do odd jobs for me and has let me fit my own brakes before and then just checked and tightened them.

APIII

I have two local shops. One, Phil Corley, is superb. I've always had great service in there, and they always seem to know what they are talking about. They'll often offer up a discount too.
The other is in Aylesbury and is utter poo. My list of complaints:
1. They have a 'menu' for their service department. £5 to fit a pair of pedals? £10 to adjust your indexing? no thanks.
2. The brands they stock are great, and the one you ask for is rubbish. Kenda tyres for your mtb you say? they're only really used on kids bikes. We only stock Specialized as the range is so good, we don't see any reason to carry another brand.
3. They get the hump when you tell them you bought something on the net. I understand they have more overhead, but charging rrp for everything isn't going to wash. "We can't afford to give everyone discounts you know". Yes, I know, but why give 10% off to CTC members and not your regular customers.

z000m

i havent used a lbs since i was a kid, but i believe if you walk into a bike shop and the salesman is overweight the odds are he doesnt ride his bike much and so has limited knowledge.

plug1n

Problem with my LBS - it closed years ago and everything is at least a half hour ride

www.cyclesportsuk.co.uk is closer than any of the shops which is handy (friendly too)

gumball3000

APIII wrote:

I.
2. The brands they stock are great, and the one you ask for is rubbish.

That is one of my favorites too....

The Specialized thing always comes up too! It is like brainwashing! Everything Specialized is better than anything else on the market. I ride Cannondales and don't mix and match brands. (My money, my choice). I will not buy Specialized tyres, bar tape etc. They insist on offering Specialized items as a first choice EVERY TIME. After 3 or 4 years...you would think they would get the point.....

I stopped using them for a bit, but when I needed some wheels in a hurry, I gave them a try.....

"You really should try these new Roval wheels by Specialized. They are the best wheels by miles in that price range."

Went elsewhere.....

flattythehurdler

I actually took over my LBS when it closed down due to bankruptcy. All staff now have cytech, one has just been appointed supervisor of the snow and rock cycle surgery down the road (which i am delighted about because he started with nothing, no qualifications, unemployed etc.) The mechanic who did all my repairs under the previous owner now runs the shop, ordering, accounts the lot, and also has cytech (he would otherwise have been unemployed and without qualifictions), and is soon to take over sole ownership. We have worked hard to try to get a working , viable lbs. It is really quite hard to find really good people who can do front and back of house so to speak. We cannot get any of the top selling brands as local competotors refuse to allow dealers to supply us. I know little about bike mechanics, but I watch the lads dealing with problems which other shops turn away, and realise how much knowledge would be lost if they moved away. Yes, on occasion they are grumpy, but never dishonest, and always try their best with even the most difficult customers. I keep the workshop as clean as possible, but they still stack repairs on top of one another which drives me mad. Quality road bikes (and mtb's) are treated with reverence however (a lot of our work is on halfords double sussers and the like).
Our profit margin is 4% , which basically means that noone is getting rich.
I hate being compared to internet retailers who seem to be able to deal in whatever merchandise they like, whereas the average LBS is grossly handicapped. it is no wonder few of them carry a lot of stock. Unless the shop has had dealerships for years it is now very difficult, and any new shops without huge financial clout arer discriminated against by both dealers, and, it appears , customers.

wastelander

There are somethings in life which are not price oriented and to me my LBS is one of them - I get superb service, a fantastic range of components at various levels and prices, off the shelf or custom fitted frames. Of course, this comes at a price - it's not as cheap as on-line retailers but I know that the satisfaction, service and friendship I get far outweigh the savings. Support your LBS...before it's too late 8)

ynyswen24

It would be good if people understood the difference between mark up on prices and profit margin. when people compalin of mark ups of 70% that isn't profit, thats paying for the stock, the wages, all the overheads, Vat, the lot. As flattythehurdler points out, he works to a profit margin of 4%, which is an entirely diferent kettle of fish.