LBS, friend or foe?

milko9000

Well that's the sort of question someone will come up with an answer to and make some money out of innit. But there's been a bloke asking questions about setting up a mobile bike repair business in here recently, for example. Doors close, other doors open! If bike shops can't compete, no amount of handwringing will save them, they have to evolve or die unfortunately. Plenty of other business areas are finding similar things happening to them thanks to the likes of Amazon but unless you want to outlaw internet shopping there's not much to be done about it.

The likes of Pedal n Spoke in Peaslake seem to be doing alright - they set up in a captive market area for one thing, lots of riders around with no other option locally. Provide a good friendly service, organise rides, that sort of idea.

The Rookie

Interesting chat with my LBS the other day, some manufacturers (well UK importers for - and for one inparticular) get very twitchy about the level of discount being offered on current bikes and have told them in no uncertain terme if they discount too much they'll stop getting bikes, so ironically they can offer better discount over the counter (invisible) than on the internet (very visible)....... very illegal of course but no doubt the importer would justify it as being for some other reason.

Simon

Pickle Lily

paul the 6th wrote:

Does no one on here used Evans? I been to the York Leeds & then today the birmingham store - consistently friendly & helpful staff, happy to price match where possible, always happy to have a natter about bikes, the weather, trails etc.

And their online shopping experience is brilliant with good reviews/product info/q&a..

York Evans managed to sell me a bike with no working back brake. Friendly guys in there, I just wouldn't trust them in the workshop.

By far the best LBS in York is Cyclestreet in Heworth. Although Cycleheaven are pretty good too.

TheNorthernTrain

Pickle Lily wrote:

paul the 6th wrote:

Does no one on here used Evans? I been to the York Leeds & then today the birmingham store - consistently friendly & helpful staff, happy to price match where possible, always happy to have a natter about bikes, the weather, trails etc.

And their online shopping experience is brilliant with good reviews/product info/q&a..

York Evans managed to sell me a bike with no working back brake. Friendly guys in there, I just wouldn't trust them in the workshop.

By far the best LBS in York is Cyclestreet in Heworth. Although Cycleheaven are pretty good too.

Cyclestreet is good, but cycleheaven is better in my experience. I use cyclestreet more just cos he is more local, has stuff i need etc. However they didn't bleed my brakes well, shortened the hoses but didn't install them correctly, this led to brake fluid leaking out, sadly injury forced me off the bike and I didn't realise until about 3 months later when I came flying down a welsh hillside with no power in the brakes (before the "you should have checked before you set off" - I did, but cos the bike hadn't been used much, there was enough in there to make them work fine without me realising there was a problem. Using them throughout the day meant each time I pulled the lever some leaked out.)

I am confident that had I noticed the problem sooner, or not been away at uni in Reading, he would have happily rectified the problem though.

Everyones experience is different but with at least 7 (off the top of my head, maybe more) quality bike shops in and around York, competition is stiff. But they are all still here - so none of them are bad.

stubs

Not my local shop but I can give a big thumbs up to Wheelbase in Stavely Cumbria. Top lads in there all riders and happy to serve you. Last week I forgot the usb lead for my GPS a lad in the store rooted round till he found a spare one for me to download a route off my laptop.