LBS vs discount prices

[Crankin]

I have never felt like I was visiting family at any LBS I have bought bikes at. And while it IS better to support local shops, they just charge outrageous prices. Is supporting the extremely wealthy owner of the LBS where I bought my bike any better than supporting a wealthy owner in another city or state? This guy is loved by many, but disliked by just as large of a contingent. One of my physicians keeps going in there to look at bikes, and he is constantly being shown bikes that cost 10-15K, just because he is a doctor. He stopped looking. I have not experienced any of the special treatment I've read about here at any shop, large, small, family owned, or part of a local chain. Frankly, I am glad I don't have to deal with it, the same way I am glad I don't shop at department stores anymore and deal with them.

[tulip]

How did they know he was a doctor? Did he go in with a lab coat or something? Or do they ask you what your profession is?

I don't buy much stuff. Once a year I buy about 6 tubes for my Bike Friday from the company in Oregon because you can't get those tubes locally. I bought one jersey from TE this year, and it was one of the contest ones. But I don't buy other stuff. I don't need it.

Eventually I'll have to take my bikes in for some more serious maintenance than I do on my own, and that will be to a local shop. But none of them know me and they certainly don't know what I do. As if being a city planner would make an impression on anyone! (except for crazycanuck, of course)

[bluejellybean]

I fully support my LBS, I love the service and extra care, and shopping locally...however....when I can get something for a great discount, something unique that I can't get elsewhere, or anything he can't get in, it's online all the way...that being said, does anyone have any great websites you can share for gear, equipment, clothing, parts...

[blackhillsbiker]

My LBS doesn't sell clothing, except for some gloves, so I do shop online for some things: sierratradingpost.com, the outlet at rei.com, 6pm.com (I just found this one), the bargain cave at cabelas.com and campmor.com for basic outdoor gear – these are my favorites.

Deb

[KnottedYet]

I buy a lot of stuff right here at teamestrogen.com

(thank you, Susan!)

Great customer service! You can call and ask them to measure an item for you (like my favorite: will it fit my huge butt?) and the returns are easy easy easy to handle. I've never had a bad experience.

[crazycanuck]

Tulip-yup, you've made a good impression on this URP student

We shop at two bike shops in Perth & they know us very well. (we once joked that some of our pay should go to them monthly.. ). HOwever, sometimes suppliers can't get the items to the shops for some odd reason & that the quickest way to get them is online.

There's one exception...SIDI"s-%*%*%**% Perth bike shops never carry a size 38.5 plus they rarely have XS mtb's grrr..

Good thing for TE! Oh & the AWESOME AUS-US $$ exchange rate atm (keep going up pleeeease!!!)

For another perspective..http://www.bicycles.net.au/forums/vi...p?f=12&t=17868

[Cataboo]

Meh. I bought a bike once at a LBS paying retail - it didn't fit - but was told it did. Basically they had very few models for short people, I think. On craigslist or ebay, I can buy bikes cheaper and whether or not they fit is purely my own responsibility and I can't blame anyone else. I prefer cheaper bikes.

I can't say I've found any of my local bike shops overly knowledgable or useful or helpful. I like one slightly more than the other, so I do go there occasionally when I need something like a chain or rim tape - something that it doesn't make sense for me to pay the shipping on. If I am going to have to pay full price - I will go to my local bike shop and pay it there. If I'm going to only save $5-10 from buying online, then no, I'm not going to bother buying online. If I can get 50% off... then yeah, I am buying it online. Quite often I buy from small sellers on ebay - and yes, they are someone's local bike shop somewhere. They may not be my local bike shop, but they are a local bike shop.

I don't particularly feel any loyalty or like there's some great knowledge source I'm getting from either of my local bike shops.

[Crankin]

Tulip, given that the shop is in Concord and you know the peculiarities of New England small towns, the fact that he is a doctor at the local hospital up the street probably just comes up in conversation. This is the shop where I had an experience very much like Catriona's. I bought a bike that really did not fit me and they tried to convince me otherwise. When I researched and came armed with information, they got a little nervous because i constantly kept coming back, alone, with my DH, and once with my exchange student son who was a pro at the time... they realized that every time I was in the shop I knew someone else in there; not only people from Concord and the 2 other surrounding towns that I lived in, but I actually knew a lot of the local racers from when my son raced in high school. So, they were "happy" to exhange my frame for one that fit, but I had to do the research for the narrow, short/shallow bars, R700 shifters and tell them to put them on my new frame (and I paid for those). I am happy with my bike now, but the process took two years!
The last time I was in there, the owner noticed me talking to yet another racer I knew, and my DH leaned over and said to him, "You know, she knows everyone in Concord, Acton, and Boxborough, so...."

[OakLeaf]

I guess if I knew any LBS with an extremely wealthy absentee owner, then I might think again. But all the LBS I know are somewhere on the scale between not having any employees, and not being completely sure where their employees' next paycheck is coming from. And even if the owner were taking most of the money out of state, they would still be creating jobs in my community, and paying property and payroll taxes.

I do shop at TE, only because my LBSs, being that small, just don't stock much of any clothing. The biggest ones have maybe 4-5 styles of women's shorts, the smaller shops less than that. TE is hardly the size of Performance Bike, and (this is an important point) although they do have specials, as a matter of policy they charge full retail, which means they're not undercutting anyone. In the case of clothing, for me it's not a choice between TE and LBS, it's a choice between mail order and driving 200 miles.

Parts and equipment, always the LBS. Even though I almost always do the installation myself and labor is really their lifeblood...

My local running shops are much better stocked, and I buy all my running shoes and almost all my clothing there.



(Which all reminds me, again, that I miss RunningMommy around here and wonder how she's doing. But the ride schedule at her shop's website was just updated last week so I guess they're hanging in there.)

[azfiddle]

I'm a newish rider (3 mile trips to the store until June of this year). My closest bike shop is a Performance Bikes outlet, less than a mile from the house. Everyone there is friendly and has given good service to us. Although I didn't get a really expensive road bike, they listened to what I wanted, fit me to the correct size bike, didn't try to sell me something more than I could afford but explained why they didn't recommend I get the absolute entry-level road bike they had in stock. I have been very happy with every accessory I've added over the last few months that I purchased there, often with the employees' suggestions.

I've stopped in at the next closest shop, but it carries many fewer accessories and clothes, and since I already have the bike, I haven't been back recently.

My husband has dealt with a lot of the other shops in town- and has had very good service from one in particular that rebuilt a wheel for his Dahon for him.

[tulip]

Tulip, given that the shop is in Concord and you know the peculiarities of New England small towns, the fact that he is a doctor at the local hospital up the street probably just comes up in conversation. ...

Well, no, I don't really know the peculiarities of small New England towns. I lived in Cambridge; hardly a small town even back then. And Newton, where I lived for only one year, is hardly a small town, either. But yeah, that's pretty tacky to assume he'll buy a $10k bike. Oh well, better luck elsewhere.

[ginny]

I try to buy locally. Fortunately, but LBS is fabulous! They can usually order whatever I'm looking for in for just barely more than I would pay on line, and with shipping vs. tax, it's almost a wash. The extra couple of bucks I spend on small things is worth having a trusted place to take my babies (I mean bikes) when I can't solve my own problems. Having said this, I think I'll probably buy my next bike from Margo (fingers crossed that I can afford a Luna!), and they don't carry brooks saddles, but they have to understand that a custom bike just fits better! I do send customers their way all the time...

[Zen]

I don't particularly feel any loyalty or like there's some great knowledge source I'm getting from either of my local bike shops.

oh yeah? What about the time you need a bolt for your crank and Brian knew exactly what it was and gave it to you for free? Huh? Huh?

[Geonz]

My LBS owner would *definitely* give a little extra time to a city planner... part of the whole advocacy thing. Alas, our city planners are allowed to say things -- but generally its advice not taken. The Deciders then say "after consulting, we decided..."

Bike shop owners & employees are sometimes a little lacking in the marketing and social skills departments, and sometimes things get a little bike-geeky in there. I still support 'em - and even make a point to almost always pay cash, not credit, so they don't get that 3% sucked off the top. (Since I'm often rung up at wholesale, and sometimes they forget to charge labor, I think I should...)

[Cataboo]

oh yeah? What about the time you need a bolt for your crank and Brian knew exactly what it was and gave it to you for free? Huh? Huh?

That was after he sold me the wrong spoke wrench despite telling him which brand of wheels I have (there's a shimano specific tool)

But that's why I bought a $70 free hub from Brian instead of getting it online.