My LBS just shut down

DeVlaeminck

Samways Cycles in Derby, big shop been there at least 50 years. I had heard whispers that they weren't doing that well - it's actually where I bought my first proper racing bike - Reynolds 501 tubed peugeot that were so common in the early 1980s - I never actually raced or even rode with a club but all teenage lads had 10 speed racers back then.

craker

Yeah I've got wind my local shop in Chepstow's gone the same way (559 Bikes) - it was only a tiny thing though. It's been a few years since I gave it any of my business, what with price and stock being what they were.

dinyull

As sad as it is I don't see how LBS's can compete with online retailers anymore. If I'm desperate for a part I'll pop in to 2 or 3 round here but chances are they either don't have what I need or it's twice the price of online.

I think it's only the old school that keep most going.

nbalcombe

In Chester we have three independents, an Evans and a Specialized concept store all within a few hundred meters along one road.

It baffles me how they all keep going to be honest. Whilst they can't compete with the likes of Wiggle on parts and clothing, the guys in one store were telling me they pretty much make all their money from servicing.

Personally I would always want to ride a new bike before I bought it too, so I guess there will always be a place for the LBS.

jgsi

nbalcombe wrote:

In Chester we have three independents, an Evans and a Specialized concept store all within a few hundred meters along one road.

It baffles me how they all keep going to be honest. Whilst they can't compete with the likes of Wiggle on parts and clothing, the guys in one store were telling me they pretty much make all their money from servicing.

Personally I would always want to ride a new bike before I bought it too, so I guess there will always be a place for the LBS.

Bang on.. CheshireChester mamils do not get their hands dirty riding their Venges to the coffee shops.

andcp

Samways demise, unfortunately, doesn't surprise me. I work about 5 minutes walk away and I used to visit a bit - I never felt welcome in there, more of an annoyance. A few years back they used to be a Cannonade dealer and I needed new headset bearings for a lefty shock. I asked if they had any in stock and was asked what size were they? I told them they were fairly specific to the lefty headset (personally I think they should have known this) and was treated with disdain and was told 'of course we don't stock those, can't order them either'......I got them off the internet.

eta: I feel a bit guilty about sticking the knife in now they're closed, but if they had focused a bit more on customer service they may still be here. It was the most convenient bike shop for me to visit by a long way but I stopped going in - what does that say?

sloppyschleckonds

Mine closed a few years ago, now is a wanky coffee shop

imposter2.0

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

Mine closed a few years ago, now is a wanky coffee shop

Hmm - 'wanky coffee' sounds like an acquired taste...

diplodicus

Imposter wrote:

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

Mine closed a few years ago, now is a wanky coffee shop

Hmm - 'wanky coffee' sounds like an acquired taste...

I think an establishment providing an espresso and a hand job could do quite well

mcstumpy

Imposter wrote:

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

Mine closed a few years ago, now is a wanky coffee shop

Hmm - 'wanky coffee' sounds like an acquired taste...

Stay clear of the whitener

BigGeordie

Interestingly, a new "shop" has just opened near me. Except it doesn't sell anything, it only does servicing (and frame building but that is more of a niche). It will get hold of the components it needs to do a job but it doesn't retail them. Because there is no reliance on passing trade it can operate on an industrial estate with much lower overheads than the high street and I imagine the lack of stock also keeps costs down.

Independent car repairers have been operating like this for years at much lower prices than the main dealers who sell the cars and I think it is the future for the bike industry.

22stu

I tried various LBS's when buying my new bike and despite wanting to keep my money locally, they just couldn't compete on price with the the larger retailers stating that there just wasn't enough margin in the bikes for them.
Fortunately I'm OK doing 99% of my own maintenance but sure the day will come when I need something done and there will be no one left locally other than Halfrauds!

fat daddy

diplodicus wrote:

I think an establishment providing an espresso and a hand job could do quite well

depends on the quality of the espresso to be honest ..... I mean its impossible to have a bad handjob, but if you get untrained Baristas and use stale or badly roasted low grade beans, then its going to be a crap espresso, and that really ruins my day !

darkhairedlord

A lot LBS combine the wanky coffee shop with the wanky bare shelves. "Of course we can get you a crankset but it'll be three days and full retail; have a bucket of over-priced frothed milk and with vague drip of shit coffee flavoured water while you think about it."

thistle_

I went to my LBS for a mech hanger and he told me I was best to buy one off the internet. I went to the shop with the old hanger because I didn't know which one I wanted.
Another LBS measured my rear shock top bush, wrote it on a bit of paper and told me to give those measurements to TF Tuned and order from them - because that's all the shop would do and add their 10% markup. Appreciated the honesty though!

vinnymarsden

It is sad to see so many LBS's struggling, but unfortunately it is the rule of supply/stock/demand..in all honesty..you can't expect your LBS to stock the same stuff as Wiggle, and if you simply don't like it give you your money back, but in the same vein when I recently replaced a crankset, because of worn outer ring..my LBS wanted £20 less to supply just the outer ring than I could buy a totally brand spanker from the Haribo concession people!! When I mentioned I wanted to deal with them, they looked at me like I had tried to kidnap their kids…needless to say, with next day delivery I was riding on a brand new crankset the next day..I didn't expect them to go that far, but some negotiating might have got them the deal..but they gave me the RRP and wouldn't budge..maybe they are in such rude financial health they don't need that kind of passing trade? Who knows..but I truly think the big internet dealers seem to have a far more modern approach with free returns, some REAL deals, they will kill all but the very best!!

ugo.santalucia

It's sad, but on the other hand the last time I gave some cash to a bike shop was 2 1/2 years ago, as I asked them ot fit a crown race, as it works out cheaper than buying a tool to do that on a 1 1/2 steerer. I just can't afford the prices they charge for stuff and the complete lack of stock, when compared to online retailers.
Personally I don't need them, I can do all my spannering, but it's still sad to see them go

okgo

Many LBS are also pants at running a business in this modern internet age with different types of consumer - sadly they don't adapt, they don't add much value, and the few things they do sell are piss take prices vs online.

The only cycling shop in the area I use is one that is a cafe, they sell the basics of course, but it does great food,coffee, beer, and I've spent hundreds in there getting tanked up after a ride while watching the Roubaix on their big screen - job done!

cruff

My LBS in Croydon was Geoffrey Butler. Bunch of up their own arse muppets. My LBS now is Bill Nickson in Leyland. You couldn't meet a nicer, more knowledgeable, down to Earth bloke. As a result, I wouldn't even buy a bidon from Geoffrey Butler, but have bought countless supplies, had my bikes serviced and a groupset upgrade on one of them by Bill.

This isn't a plug for Bill's shop, but highlights the fact that a lot of places are elitist, snobby or otherwise unfriendly - and suffer as a result. Add that lack of customer service and couldn't-give-a-shittedness to higher prices than the Internet and it doesn't take a genius to figure out why some shops are going down the pan

buckmulligan

Just to add some perspective here. This is Wiggle's warehouse:



They have a turnover of £180m, same for CRC; your average LBS would be lucky to make 0.1% of that. It doesn't take a genius to realise that when you're buying 1000x more stock from manufacturers and distributors then you get to negotiate a better deal. Sure, as a customer you can almost certainly get it cheaper online but your LBS isn't "taking the wee-wee" by charging RRP, they're barely making a profit on it; if you're asking them to price-match Wiggle then they're certainly not making a profit on it.

I agree though, the industry has changed and you have to adapt or die. The smart businesses are moving away from retail and into services and IMO are all the better for it. The future of the LBS is the place that engages with local clubs, organises group rides, runs a cafe for pre/post ride food and socialising. The days of the old-school shop with the floors, walls and ceilings rammed with every kind of bike are gone.

fat daddy

I'd like a bike shop that you could order from your chosen online retailer, it turns up at the LBS who then fit it for you, or just take delivery of it

lostboysaint

They are making a very good profit on RRP. They will make a profit on it if they reduce it to Wiggle/CRC pricing levels. However, they're not shifting the quantities to make low margin work for them so they are unlikely to do it.

LBS = higher margin, less volume.

Wiggle/CRC (same company now!) = low margin, high volume.

okgo

Yep.

Consumer wins, archaic business loses, nothing new in that. Same reason Butchers, Green Grocers, Black Cabs, whatever else you can name are dying as they're being suffocated by the buying power of the big firms. But I'm not in the camp that want to keep shit going for nostalgia, I get Uber cabs everywhere as they're cheap, clean, cashless and easy - not worried if that means some black cabbie is losing out. My job will one day be done by a computer, my job is to make sure I stay ahead of that curve or adapt. Nothing new in that.

Agree with the above to a certain extent though I can have stuff sent to my local newsagent that is open 18 hours a day (bikeshop is open about 8) and fit it myself.

That is my problem with them, take today, I need a new bearing in my front wheel and I'm not totally sure of how to get it all apart, nor do I have the time. But like anyone in London I leave the house at 7 and I get back at 7 - there is literally no possible way I can get to my lbs until the weekend, when I want to be doing stuff with my free time. So what do I end up doing? I use Noble Wheels because Jonny knowing his clients doesn't mind me getting home from work, jumping in the car, arriving about 8 and taking the business, its a 2 min conversation on his door step, and I'll go back when I can get there again after work when he's done it - and in fact Ugo on this thread I used in exactly the same manner for the same reasons (he's pissed off to Midlands now or I still would). So many small local businesses are set up this way around here and I just can't use them, and so many others are the same.

okgo

Yep.

Consumer wins, archaic business loses, nothing new in that. Same reason Butchers, Green Grocers, Black Cabs, whatever else you can name are dying as they're being suffocated by the buying power of the big firms. But I'm not in the camp that want to keep shoot going for nostalgia, I get Uber cabs everywhere as they're cheap, clean, cashless and easy - not worried if that means some black cabbie is losing out. My job will one day be done by a computer, my job is to make sure I stay ahead of that curve or adapt. Nothing new in that.

Agree with the above to a certain extent though I can have stuff sent to my local newsagent that is open 18 hours a day (bikeshop is open about 8 ) and fit it myself.

That is my problem with them, take today, I need a new bearing in my front wheel and I'm not totally sure of how to get it all apart, nor do I have the time. But like anyone in London I leave the house at 7 and I get back at 7 - there is literally no possible way I can get to my lbs until the weekend, when I want to be doing stuff with my free time. So what do I end up doing? I use Noble Wheels because Jonny knowing his clients doesn't mind me getting home from work, jumping in the car, arriving about 8 and taking the business, its a 2 min conversation on his door step, and I'll go back when I can get there again after work when he's done it - and in fact Ugo on this thread I used in exactly the same manner for the same reasons (he's pissed off to Midlands now or I still would). So many small local businesses are set up this way around here and I just can't use them, and so many others are the same

ugo.santalucia

lostboysaint wrote:

They are making a very good profit on RRP. They will make a profit on it if they reduce it to Wiggle/CRC pricing levels. However, they're not shifting the quantities to make low margin work for them so they are unlikely to do it.

I think you are confusing profit with margin... they might make a low margin by matching online price which turns out to be a loss rather than a profit, once you factor in the overheads and costs

ugo.santalucia

okgo wrote:

and in fact Ugo on this thread I used in exactly the same manner for the same reasons (he's pissed off to Midlands now or I still would).

They didn't charge me for the oil stains on the carpet when I left the flat, so it was all worth while

lostboysaint

I wasn't confusing them at all. Just didn't use margin instead of profit because I was aping the post that I was replying to. Your description is wholly accurate.

andcp

diplodicus wrote:

Imposter wrote:

SloppySchleckonds wrote:

Mine closed a few years ago, now is a wanky coffee shop

Hmm - 'wanky coffee' sounds like an acquired taste...

I think an establishment providing an espresso and a hand job could do quite well

Try here: http://www.thelocal.ch/20160623/geneva- ... nd-of-year

teebs_123

I don't mind paying extra to shop at a LBS if the service received outweighs the additional cost. Sadly, in my opinion, usually it doesn't.

twist83

I am lucky in that I have two decent LBS shops. Both of which I use. One more than the other.

As mentioned in a previous post on a lot of the bigger ticket items they have been better than I can find online. Also when I bought my Venge. I wanted a Frameset. The colour I wanted was only as a full bike. They bought the bike in, stripped it down, kept the components and sold me the the frame set.

You will not get that elsewhere.

The smaller items they struggle on like chains, cassettes and that sort of thing. I only use the service aspect if I don't have the tools or knowledge

BUT as has been said. Some bike shops have been full of what appear to be very stuck up people with not a lot to offer. Natural wastage dictates they will not survive. Adapt and diversify.