LBS Loyalty ???

Ok, Oscar is looking to be picked up in about 3 weeks. I've been 'practicing' during spin classes for his arrival. I've read many a post about loyalty to LBS, which I intend to support for most purchases.

However, when it comes to women specific products, my LBS is severely lacking. Would I be breaking some sort of cycling honor code to venture over to Houston's REI to look at seats?? And all I've seen so far are 5 types of clipless shoes at my LBS--most Shimano brand.

Any input is appreciated. Thanks.

I say there ain't no such thing... all's fair in love and LBS's.

Here in Portland we have a number of very good bike shops but they still carry different inventory and different brands. Some carry very good selection of WSD but none compare to TE for specific items. I'm partial to the customer service and friendly feeling at one of the bike shops but ended up buying my bike from the other store because they had the bike that I wanted. Sure, I felt a little bit bad, but I'm not going to buy a different bike just because of LBS loyalty. Frankly, all of these stores get plenty of my money so I'm not losing any sleep over it. :p

As for REI, I find their cycling selection to be pretty limited. But if I can buy the same item for the same price at REI, I will often do that so that I get a bigger dividend. FWIW, I've never seen a good saddle selection at my local REI stores.

I don't know the secret handshake of the official women's bicycle society for advancement of all things beautiful and strong... but here's my take ;)

Shop where you need to shop to get the products you want / need. Put your comfort first. If your LBS is otherwise worthy of your support, tell them that you'd like to support them and buy products [X, Y, Zed] from them, but because of their lacking selection you're forced to go elsewhere. Let them see the dollars they are missing!

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Originally Posted by Nokomis

I don't know the secret handshake of the official women's bicycle society for advancement of all things beautiful and strong... but here's my take ;)

Shop where you need to shop to get the products you want / need. Put your comfort first. If your LBS is otherwise worthy of your support, tell them that you'd like to support them and buy products [X, Y, Zed] from them, but because of their lacking selection you're forced to go elsewhere. Let them see the dollars they are missing!

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Thank you. See, THIS is why I come here. All the cyclist I personally know are men & they have given me so much sh** about being loyal to the LBS. Ya know, if you're a dude, maybe it could work that way, but dang, I need more options!

I bought my bike from my LBS and was happy with that. After riding a few miles, I realized I needed a new seat. My LBS would not take a return on a seat if I didn't like it so I bought mine at REI here in REading, Mass. The selection was somewhat limited but I only needed one. I bought a Serfas RX (so far, so good:D ) but they also had Terry Butterfly for the same price as at the LBS.

Do what you have to do to get what you need!
Patty

If the LBS doesn't **have** what I want... then they're not serving their market, me. I might make a point of going in and asking "do you have any other women's shoes?" so that they know the market is there.

However, if I have to pay a bit more than at the discount Nashbar catalogue, I'll do it, at least to a point.

I also won't go there for advice on stuff... and then walk out and order it online. That's just cheesy, IMHO... I save enough on the petrol to be able to support them a bit.

My LBS knows it can't carry everything for everyone and has recommended another LBS or an online shop where I can find whatever it is I'm looking for. Because of their willingness to help me find what I need, and their honesty about why they can't carry it (small shop, trying to keep inventory/overhead down) I will Always go to them first. Even if I don't end up buying from them. They also know - they'll be the first place I come to if I ever buy a new non-custom bike, and they take care of all my bikes rather I purchased it from them or not. As a trade-off, they take care of me!

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Originally Posted by Geonz

If the LBS doesn't **have** what I want... then they're not serving their market, me. I might make a point of going in and asking "do you have any other women's shoes?" so that they know the market is there.

However, if I have to pay a bit more than at the discount Nashbar catalogue, I'll do it, at least to a point.

I also won't go there for advice on stuff... and then walk out and order it online. That's just cheesy, IMHO... I save enough on the petrol to be able to support them a bit.

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I agree with you totally. In my situation, small town, only one LBS it makes sense for me to support them as much as I can. Otherwise, if they go out of business there is nobody there to help me when I need it. I wish I could do better but changing a flat is about the best I can do right now.

My LBS is practically across the street from my house, but it is near impossible to shop there. I have bought 2 bikes, and bunches of little stuff. But they are only open from 9:30 to 5:30. I have to leave the house at 8:30 and rarely get home befroe 6. The only time I can go there is on Sat, and quite frankly, Sat is reserved for either sleeping late, or going on a bike ride. Why can't these stores be open just ONE evening - say change Thurs hours to noon to 8? Is that asking so much, especially when the groceries are open 24 hours and the many malls open to 9? Is it any wonder that I buy almost everything on the Internet any more?

I love my LBS with a wild purple passion. (www.recycledcycles.com) If I want something, they order it for me. If it's cheaper somewhere else, they give it to me at that price, or search their used stuff and even discount the used version. They take care of me, remember me, remember my bike, and EXPLAIN things to me that I need to understand.

Andy is my favorite shop-dude, Recycled Cycles is my favorite shop.

Deep loyalty here, ladies.

I am a big supporter of small local businesses. It makes me sad when chains come in and drive my favorites out of the market. That said, there is a line between store loyalty and settling for something that is not right solely because it is carried at the local store.

When I bought my road bike I bought it at a store about 15 minutes away rather than at the store 2 blocks away. They aren't a specialized dealer and they do not have as much selection as the road bike specialty store I went to. They have good products, just limited selection due to space contraints.

I do try to throw as much business to the local shop as I can. I bought my campus peddles and my kickstand from them (for my hybrid), my kids' bikes, probably my dh's bike will be from there, and we use them for service on everything except for my road bike.

Ok, so I went back to my LBS last night to again look at extras that I'll want to put on him. Now, they do have 2 different pedals that I definitely will want, either the Shimano 520's or another Shimano pedal that is 'normal' on one side(sorry, don't know the lingo yet) & clipless on the other--not sure which to go for. Any suggestions appreciated..

Now, for the saddle, I definitely want a woman's saddle. I was lucky enough to talk with the owner about my options & he mentioned that even though he doesn't carry all the woman's saddle's on hand, he can order any that I may be interested. So, that's good.

I'm curious about one other thing...I know that he'll swap out the pedals for free, but do they generally also swap out the saddle too, or is that something I'd have to pay for??

Ok, so those are the new developments. Thanks for y'all's help.

If you're going to be using the one bike for everything and are likely to just want to be able to jump on (for a trip to the shop or whatever) in your street clothes and shoes, the pedals with the SPD bit on one side and the flat bit on the other would be great. Otherwise, I'd go with the 520s.

I love my two sided pedals - those are what I refer to in my post - campus peddles. Having the option is really nice.

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Originally Posted by pikato

Ok, so I went back to my LBS last night to again look at extras that I'll want to put on him. Now, they do have 2 different pedals that I definitely will want, either the Shimano 520's or another Shimano pedal that is 'normal' on one side(sorry, don't know the lingo yet) & clipless on the other--not sure which to go for. Any suggestions appreciated..

Now, for the saddle, I definitely want a woman's saddle. I was lucky enough to talk with the owner about my options & he mentioned that even though he doesn't carry all the woman's saddle's on hand, he can order any that I may be interested. So, that's good.

I'm curious about one other thing...I know that he'll swap out the pedals for free, but do they generally also swap out the saddle too, or is that something I'd have to pay for??

Ok, so those are the new developments. Thanks for y'all's help.

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They should switch your saddle out for you also. You might even ask them if they'll show you how to do those things so you can start learning some of the basic maintainence for yourself. As for the double-sided pedals? Greatest thing in the world if your just starting on a clips(less). Also nice if you're going to be doing a lot of stopping and starting. I highly recommend them as a first time clipless pedal.

As far as pedals go, I love my two sided ones. Anytime I get in a situation on my mtb that I'm not comfortable with, such as an area of trail I've never done before or a portion where I need to be able to put my foot down, I have that option.

For the LBS, there are two near me, one I use as much as possible because they are more than willing to work with me and my limited budget, answer any questions I have, and have a pretty good selection of WSD. If I can't get what I need there then I'll go online, but only after I've checked them first. As far as the other shop, I won't go near them again. A couple of my friends and I have all tried them, and they were rude to every one of us, kinda that little girl doesn't know anything about bikes attitude. I've given up on them.

I personally stay loyal to one shop for maintenance. But for pedals, clothing, accessories, etc... I shop around. You have to get what you want and for the right price. If the shop I get my bike worked on at has it for the a reasonable price, I go there first. Today I had to go to a competitor to get my husband a helmet for his birthday tomorrow because my favorite shop was out of his size. A lot of times we order clothing from the internet because it is a better value and selection.

My opinion- stay loyal when you can and don't feel bad for buying what you want where you want. ;)

I went to another LBS today (on recc from a TE member) so now I have 2 favorite shops. Recycled Cycles (www.recycledcycles.com) and Ti Cycles (www.ticycles.com)

Ti Cycles had some awesome pedals (shimano/rat trap on both sides) that RCC didn't have. The sales chickie was very cool and very helpful to a "newbie" in the clipless world. That'll be coming up later, when I'm ready for clipless. Ti Cycles was all about getting me comfortable with the pedals, so I'm getting really psyched about it. (maybe Saturday... hmmmmm)

I got my Ibex knickers there for 40% off. Yeah, baby!

I'm very into LBS, and having a couple to choose from is a happy thing in my world.

IS IT MY IMAGINATION OR DO YOU BIGGER LADIES (LIKE MYSELF)UNABLE TO FIND SAY MTN BKE SHORTS THAT FIT YOUR SIZE-ITS LIKE THE MANUFACTURERS ALREADY BELIEVE ALL THE WOMEN ARE SMALL AND FIT-THE IDEA IS THAT THEYRE ARE SOME OF US OUT HERE STILL TRYING TO GET INTO THOSE SIZES-IE XXL IS 34? WHAT PLANET ARE THEY FROM. IM A 38 on a bad day.. AND ALL IM LOOKING FOR IS A MTN BIKE SHORT THAT FITS ME HIPS! help.:cool:

Yubagirl why not shop here. Susan deserves an LBS status among us. She offers much in the plus size department. Just go to the upper left corner and find "click to shop".

She also goes above and beyond (not to mention providing this fabulous forum) in describing clothes in detail. Who else always gives pics of the chamois and length of shorts.

GO SUSAN, QUEEN OF LBS - CLOTHES AND MISC. ! :cool:

Some times we forget the gold right here.


Carole

I get as much as I can from my LBS for a number of reasons. It is a strictly local store; even though the brother of the owner own the bike shop the next town over, and the nephew owns a shop 2 towns south, they have resisted the urge to form a mini chain. My LBS is now facing in-town competition from one of the larger bike shop chains here in Mass. I have nothing against this chain, they support MassBike and PMC. I'm not sure why they relocated their southern-most branch from a college-town to a town that already had a bike shop. I doubt that they want to put another shop out of business, but the fact is that since they can be open 7 days a week they will take a fair chunk of business from my LBS.

Why am I so loyal to my shop? Because they have a 20 year history of loyalty and service to my family. Paul taught my son about credit, by letting him re-build his BMX component by component. The final component was the new frame that changed his basic BMX to a top-flight Haro free-style. They have gotten accounts set up with vendors that they haven't previously dealt with so that they could order things for me. They often do all that, and still give a price that is competitive to web prices. While they don't carry a lot of WSD stuff, indeed they don't carry much clothing at all, they often ask me if I would be interested in a new item that a vendor is listing. They are well aware of my gadget propensities, and often have the info on hand when I come in to ask if they could get something or other. They know my riding style and size requirements and currently are helping me in locating parts for the bike build I'm doing, and ultimately Paul or Doug will do a road check of the finished bike to be sure I didn't screw up. Why wouldn't I do as much business with them as I can?

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Originally Posted by Yubagirl

IS IT MY IMAGINATION OR DO YOU BIGGER LADIES (LIKE MYSELF)UNABLE TO FIND SAY MTN BKE SHORTS THAT FIT YOUR SIZE-ITS LIKE THE MANUFACTURERS ALREADY BELIEVE ALL THE WOMEN ARE SMALL AND FIT-THE IDEA IS THAT THEYRE ARE SOME OF US OUT HERE STILL TRYING TO GET INTO THOSE SIZES-IE XXL IS 34? WHAT PLANET ARE THEY FROM. IM A 38 on a bad day.. AND ALL IM LOOKING FOR IS A MTN BIKE SHORT THAT FITS ME HIPS! help.:cool:

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I haven't found a decent-fitting pair of shorts in any bike shop in town. Besides being heavy, I'm tall at 5'11" I feel like a freak trying to find bike clothes in the LBS's. At least we have a great women's plus-size clothing store near me...they don't have acutal cycling clothes, but I can make do with their line of exercise wear. :mad:

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Originally Posted by Quillfred

Susan deserves an LBS status among us. She offers much in the plus size department. Just go to the upper left corner and find "click to shop".
Some times we forget the gold right here.

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You US gals are lucky to have TE! It'd be nice to have some place similar in Canada, but AFAIK, we don't. :(

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Originally Posted by Popoki_Nui

[...]I'm tall at 5'11" I feel like a freak trying to find bike clothes in the LBS's.[...]

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Popoki, we can be freaks together. :D I'm 5'10.5 (I'm NOT giving up that 1/2 inch :p) and know what you mean about finding clothes. It can be tough.

One thing that drives me nuts is seeing "XL" on a jersey.... and looking and seeing that "XL" means, in that case, a size 12. I *hatehatehate* that. It's like most bike clothes manufacturers make clothing for small lithe skinny people and forget about us. :mad:

At least I can find shorts that work well. When I first started riding I used my husband's old pair of shorts and the chamois just wasn't right. I wear PI's top-end shorts now and I'm always afraid of trying something new. :/

Mel

I try to be loyal to my LBS but if they don't carry the products I want, then I go elsewhere. Like when I got my Lemond, I *would* have bought from the LBS I rode in a club with. But the owner doesn't carry anything by Trek (some sort of grudge). And I'm not interested in the bikes he carries. So when I showed up on my new bike, he was a bit cranky about it. But that was his problem, not my and my shiney new bike's problem. :D

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Originally Posted by Melody

One thing that drives me nuts is seeing "XL" on a jersey.... and looking and seeing that "XL" means, in that case, a size 12. I *hatehatehate* that. It's like most bike clothes manufacturers make clothing for small lithe skinny people and forget about us. :mad:

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Yeah, really! :mad: On what planet is size twelve an XL anyway??? Geez that's annoying. I look like Herman Munster in those alleged "XL" sizes :D Shorts and T-shirts I can find, but try to find long tights/leggings for winter riding in size 18-20?? Forget it.
~Sherry.

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Originally Posted by Popoki_Nui

Yeah, really! :mad: On what planet is size twelve an XL anyway??? Geez that's annoying. I look like Herman Munster in those alleged "XL" sizes :D Shorts and T-shirts I can find, but try to find long tights/leggings for winter riding in size 18-20?? Forget it.
~Sherry.

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Popoki, look for Pearl Izumi Therma Fleece leg warmers. They come in both Large and XL and the way I wear them is I put on socks, then the leg warmers and pull the leg warmers all the up next to my crotch so that they go above the thickest section of my thigh. I then put on my shorts which have the grippy legs. I've found the leg warmers fall down less often. :) I personally wear the large size and they are comfy warm.

Mel

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Originally Posted by Melody

Popoki, look for Pearl Izumi Therma Fleece leg warmers. They come in both Large and XL and the way I wear them is I put on socks, then the leg warmers and pull the leg warmers all the up next to my crotch so that they go above the thickest section of my thigh. I then put on my shorts which have the grippy legs. I've found the leg warmers fall down less often. :) I personally wear the large size and they are comfy warm.

Mel

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I'm a size 14/16 in the real world and recently ordered the Pearl Izumi leg warmers. I bought the size medium (I guess they are men's - didn't see any women's sizes) and they fit me without having to pull them all the way up to my crotch...and I carry most of my weight in my butt and thighs...hope that helps you pick a size. I guess the clothing manufactures don't realize that if a woman is a size 14 or better she probably doesn't want to wear skin tight jerseys...give me the loose "club fit" jerseys. I've just decided to always order an XL or else I'll just be paying to ship it back.

my lbs went out of business :( a few years ago. I worked there part-time. I have found another lbs that I am very happy with: The Hub in Providence, RI. really good guys--they knew the owner of my old lbs, they are fair, honest and reasonable. If they don't have it, they will order it for me.

I also frequent Laughing Dog in Amherst, Mass. when I am at school, another good lbs. Have gone there for mechanical stuff when I can't get back to Providence. Actually, the owner of the Hub knows the owner of Laughing Dog...I didn't know this until recently!

I am pretty loyal but have shopped on-line at TE or Wallingford Bikes (referred by an LBS) when I wanted to try a Brooks Saddle b/c of their 6 mos. guarantee. So, some on-line shops are like an lbs for me.

Except for EBay and other online clothes purchases I do, most of my shopping is at the same LBS. My daughter's long-time boyfriend works there so he gives me a hard time if I talk about going anywhere else....of course with the great discounts he gives me I don't have much reason to.

My daughter does have another friend who works at a larger competing LBS, so that's my backup store. We took both of these friends to Colorado snowboarding this winter so with them both being bike mechanics I never have to worry about getting any work done on my bike. Yes, I am sometimes evil and tell the boyfriend that if he doesn't have time for my bike I could always ask the other friend to do it....it works everytime. My daughter has no interest in bikes and she loves to complain when we get into bike discussions.