Joys of Using LBS

andy_wrx

What was it the chairman of Raleigh said about bike shops ?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2007/nov/23/cycling

"The national retailers are a bunch of vipers, the Argos, Halfords, JJBs; I'm not picking on them particularly, I think it is the nature of national retailers - there is a strategic push to command as much of the supply chain as possible and really just top and tail with brands where absolutely necessary.

"We have a smattering of presence within the national retailers but it is subservient to their own private label. Then independent retailing in the UK is a shambles. It is real Steptoe and Son stuff. Most of them will turn the lights off on a sunny day to save a bit of lecky. If you want to imagine the typical independent bike dealer, he is 50-60, highly cynical, miserable, moaning, scruffy. That's my customer. It is great."

Yeah, I've been in that kind of LBS.
There's one in my local town that I don't buy anything from, because it's exactly like that.
And there's another one which I do use, not like that at all.
Dunno how the first one stays open...

dombo6

I use 3 bike shops, a well-known chain, and two independents, a dedicated mtb shop and a dedicated road shop. Both the independents are excellent for advice on their respective disciplines, do great work, on time and phone if there's an unforeseen problem. They rarely phone - I drop the bike off, say I'll pick it up Saturday; and pick it up Saturday.
The staff in the chain are pretty useless for advice, unless it's the best way to hop up and down the escalators on a bmx. When they do any work, they do phone to say it's done, but their prices reflect that.

hazychris

My LBS "experience" from last Saturday....

Manager not around to witness the following:

1st "assistant" on the phone to customer: "Let me find out what's happened to that, mate"
puts phone on mute and shouts across shop:
"where's that f'ing headset that we ordered last week"
2nd "assistant":
"Didn't get round to it, got better things to do with my time"
1st assistant back to phone: "Sorry mate, we're still trying to source that part, it's a really weird size and to be honest we're not having much luck"

Customer on end of phone had obviously heard all of the preceding exchange, and the phone hadn't been muted, because all the people in the shop heard him rant and shout over the phone :oops:

Guess how many customers left the shop either in embarrassment or disgust....

I know it's an isolated incident, but it's a good job the manager wasn't around or there'd be two more collecting their P45s!

Frank the tank

giant mancp wrote:

Frank the tank wrote:

My LBS (Pro bikes) is great, it's a one man band but the proprioter is a mighty fine bloke and knows some killer rides in Derbyshire.

Just been present at the birth of my latest bike, and hopefully I'll be taking it out tomorra to bed it in.

Any contact details or web site for this lbs Frank the tank?

PM sent.

Barry Nice

It does seem it can happen in the (reputedly) best of them.

I took a special trip to Paul Hewitts at the weekend as I was in the area visiting family. I spent 45 mins in the shop and was not approached by either person working for the whole duration. In fact they seemed much more interested in discussing the next days club run with someone else visiting the shop. Even when I went to the till with some chain lube whoever was serving didnt even acknowledge me as they rang the sale through but carried on talking about the aforementioned club run. Took my money and gave me the receipt without breaking a sentence or even glancing in my direction.

Perhaps they had a sixth sense that I wasn't going to spend serious coin. It is a good job they were right because I wouldn't have spent it there.

I am well aware that this particualr LBS has a very good reputation, thats why I took a 30 mile detour to visit, but my single experience will not have me going back. If they cannot be bothered to even say hello then I cant be bothered to spend any more than the £5 that I did. Here's hoping I did not have a representative visit and please make up your own mind rather than just using my example to form an opinion, as in general most people seem to have had good experiences here, but reputations are fickle things.

kingrollo

OP Here.

Got my bike back - all done - said it didn't take him long - so he didn't charge for a full hours labour (£15). - glad I didn't name & shame the shop !!!! - I guess I worry about my pride and joy when its out of my sight !!!

robthehungrymonkey

-Liam- wrote:

I do agree in principle with regards bike shops. I find that 2 out of the 3 bike shops in town (the 2 I refer to, you would regard as proper bikeshops) come across as being elitist and arrogant.

I agree. My local LBS (which has a good rep) just doesn't make me want to go in there anymore.
Probably because I didn't turn up with an Alberto Contador physique in team replica kit I wasn't seen in the same category as others that were in the shop.
Maybe, i'm not seen as someone that's likely to spend £1000's on a shiny new bike... but surely getting new people into cycling and being enthusiastic about their hobby is what they really should be concentrating on.

I've been in there numerous times, and had the same kind of reaction, nothing rude. But not exactly friendly. Whilst others in the shop at the same time obviously getting the attention.

Now, normally i don't crave attention (quite the opposite) but a friendly acknowledgment at least would be good.

I have to say that the work i've had done there has been good, and quick. But the "elitist atmosphere" kind of puts me off going in.

I've spent a bit of time living in ski resorts and when you go into any snowboard ski shop in this country the enthusiasm the staff have is great! Why can't it be the same in bike shops?

Bikerbaboon

Went in to bob jacksons in leeds on the weekend, as i had managed to bend the chain ring on my £50 single speed that i use to go the 2 miles to work. Shop had a few people in so i was happy haveing a look at bikes and saw they did a custom bike fram service. So comes to my turn to be served and the guys first reaction was to largh at my bike. Not in a nice way but in a way of getting the other people in the shop to join in and also... go so far to call a guy form out back to have a giggle at it also. Now fair doos my bike is a 70s frame with 'clasic' parts. but its my cheap runabout if it gets nicked ahhhh well bike. but you dont ever mock your customers unless you realy know them.
So upshot is Bob jackson are not going to be getting a sale from me....

weapons

Brixton cycles - great shop, everyone is friendly and helpful in there, they lend you tools and one of the best perks is unlimited free repair, labour and servicing for a year after buying a bike.

On the other hand, there's another South London bike shop that advertises tyre inflation at 50p per tyre...

Stewie Griffin

weapons wrote:

On the other hand, there's another South London bike shop that advertises tyre inflation at 50p per tyre...

I was in my LBS a few months ago, I have always had great service from them and have recommended them to friends. I was quite shocked though when some 10 (ish) year old comes in with a flat and asked if they would pump it up and he told him it costs 50p :shock: . Poor kid pushed his bike straight back out the front door. If I rolled in one day and asked if they would pump my tyre up they arent ever going to charge me 50p.

Having said that I have seen the queue going out of the door on a sunny Saturday afternoon. Had I ridden not walked I would have gone straight past. While I was walking around the shop deciding what to spend my money on I realised that quite a few folk simply asked "are my tyres hard enough".

I would imagine that someone who was out to by a complete bike wouldnt even have gone in to the shop, it looked that busy. So they lose possibly £500 on a complete bike and accessories because folk dont have their own pumps .

alfablue

Shame about the young lad. I know its not a charity, but they could have a budding cycling enthusiast and a life-long customer there - he won't feel very positive about the shop or the cycling community now

Stewie Griffin

alfablue wrote:

Shame about the young lad. I know its not a charity, but they could have a budding cycling enthusiast and a life-long customer there - he won't feel very positive about the shop or the cycling community now

Exactly, I felt guilty and it was nothing to do with me . Didnt have my bike otherwise I would have let him borrow my frame pump, knew I had change in my wallet though :oops: .

15ish years ago, I worked in Customer Services, I was a Service Advisor in a Dealership in Central London. A customer complained to my Manager that I had the communication skills of an East German Border Guard :P .

Im not a people person .

guilliano

In my shop we ask for a donation to the Chiltern air ambulance to pump tyres up. It tends to put of the little chavs who just use us for that on their halfords second hand specials, but the regulars and the one time only visitor appreciate that we are offering a service at no gain to ourselves and are always happy to put change into the collection tin.

hammerite

My LBS are b*stards!

I saw an ad in the local paper announcing "sale". So I go in there on Friday for a nosey, there's only a very limited number of road bikes in there, and fewer in the sale. And nothing that would be in my price range. I still have a perve at some of the bikes anyway......

A couple of mins later the owner had one of the bikes down, and saying "why don't you have a closer look, that'd be your size............."

I thank him, and walk out as I'm doing so he says "I'll knock £100 off if you really do want it this weekend."

Needless to say the next evening I have a sexy new bike, and the wallet is a hell of a lot lighter!!! £800 over budget, and the budget wasn't going to be spent until after the summer.

All that said, I do get a Christmas card from them every year, so they're not all that bad.

StuHarp

It blows my mind that in the midst of a recession there's shop owners and their staff who are ambivilent towards their exisiting or potential clientel.

I've always found that with a little bit of effort, a customer can be given that 'warm & fuzzy' feeling which leads them to (a) forget their original budget and empty their kids piggy bank, (b) to return often for more and more goodies and (c) to tell their mates and fellow forum members just how great a shop they've found. The result? A business built to last...why don't all that many shop owners/staff get it?

My LBS, is semi-local at about 40 mins from my house but they have customer service down to a fine art and it's well worth a little effort to see them (Epic Cycles). First time there I was made a coffee within minutes and treated as if I was there to
collect £5k worth of Colnago (instead I was there to aimlessly drool and ask naive questions befitting of the greenest of green newbies!).

With that personal, attentive and hugely affable service they've converted me into an Epic disciple (although my kids tooth fairy has mysteriously gone on strike!). Kudos to those who care enough to give proper service!

dttlincs

I always try and use my LBS as the first port of call for anything, but now being aware of savings that can be made on the internet I often buy on there on anything except cheap items.
Every bike my 2 brothers and I had as kids were from this same shop. As were my kids bikes. The only 2 bikes I have which were not from there were my 2 most recent road bikes. The first I just bought the cheapest sora equipped bike I could find, ended up going to Halfords(£250 carrera). Cheapest my LBS had was approx £400 Giant. In hindsight and with more knowledge that would have been better as it included carbon fork/better wheels etc. Then more recently I bought a carbon bike, spesh tarmac, which they do not sell.
I would say though I had a spoke break after only 250 miles on the new bike. Took the bike to the LBS for a repair. They could not do it as spokes are spesh own brand ones. They removed cassette for nothing though after I was offered a waranty replacement by spesh.

synchronicity

Barry Nice wrote:

It does seem it can happen in the (reputedly) best of them.

I took a special trip to Paul Hewitts at the weekend as I was in the area visiting family. I spent 45 mins in the shop and was not approached by either person working for the whole duration. In fact they seemed much more interested in discussing the next days club run with someone else visiting the shop. Even when I went to the till with some chain lube whoever was serving didnt even acknowledge me as they rang the sale through but carried on talking about the aforementioned club run. Took my money and gave me the receipt without breaking a sentence or even glancing in my direction.

Perhaps they had a sixth sense that I wasn't going to spend serious coin. It is a good job they were right because I wouldn't have spent it there.

I am well aware that this particualr LBS has a very good reputation, thats why I took a 30 mile detour to visit, but my single experience will not have me going back. If they cannot be bothered to even say hello then I cant be bothered to spend any more than the £5 that I did. Here's hoping I did not have a representative visit and please make up your own mind rather than just using my example to form an opinion, as in general most people seem to have had good experiences here, but reputations are fickle things.

I see where you are coming from... but I know that the alternative is probably worse:

Being pounced on from the moment you enter the store. In some shops you're not given any free time to peruse the merchandise. Then if you do escape these sales vultures, you're eagle-eyed around the whole shop. This is yet another reason why online shops are great - there is ZERO pressure to buy something.

But yes some kind of acknowledgment is nice.

I reckon it's all about attitude, not necessarily the management. Because I too have been directly insulted in some shops.

For instance, when asked where I ride to, I was told that I was "crazy" for riding through the city instead of on the open country roads around Sydney. And if I recall correctly, sware words were thrown in for good measure. But it was also said with completely the wrong tone... not at all helpful but instead too critical of an adolescent. What right does anyone have to tell me where I should ride? While I can certainly appreciate their persepctive a decade later, I remembered the feeling I got shortly after they said that to me... is it conducive to spending money? Not at all. :arrow: From that moment on, I purchased way less in there...

strodey

My local bike shop winges like girl about the internet but then when i ask if they stock fairly well known stuff they say it will take 4 days to get in then expect me to pay full price! i'm all for local bike shops but those guys have no idea how to run a business

YIYAYOO

WEhat does LBS stand for

London bike shop or?

crankycrank

YIYAYOO wrote:

WEhat does LBS stand for

London bike shop or?

Your Local Bike Shop.