LBS vs discount prices

[shootingstar]

Good question.

I haven't ordered any material goods online..at all. For now, I'm not motivated to order anything online from a biz outside of Canada. For cycling, there's great apparel at TE and direct from the U.S. manufacturers, but my hankering is not so great that I would be willing to take the risk of customs brokerage fees...for anything I buy cycling or non-cycling oriented stuff. It's not a big deal ..we're running out of home physical space to even buy alot more of anything to store it somewhere in an accessible place.

So LBS is for bike gear/accessories, repairs and if I'm lucky cycling clothing at a reasonable price which is a pain for smaller women. I have found more luck from a chain Canadian-sporting goods shop (MEC) for this. I don't mind paying abit of markup since it is a supporting a Canadian biz nationally.

When we visit the U.S., I do go to local shops and if there is a bike show, will go there to look for cycling apparel, preferably at a discount that I can't get locally. So for me to buy from TE, I'll just have to wait next time..to get into Oregon or thereabouts and figure something out.

So yea, I ordered a new Marathon plus tire from my LBS a few days ago. No urgency but I need it within the next few months.