Why I love my LBS (or not): Jump In!

[lovelygamer]

Hello new friends. I was away this past weekend in a bigger city and I checked out their LBS. Holy cow, was it fantastic compared to mine. Now, I know LBS's all differ but I thought it could be a neat thread to discuss the differences.

I was wondering what is your favorite LBS feature(s) and what is not so good about the ones you have visited.

I don't have a ton of experience in my local LBS, but they are okay so far. There is another one about 20 minutes away I want to check out.

The shop I visited in the city was called Twenty20cycling in Baltimore. http://www.twenty20cycling.com/ A big plus was they had the TDF on a huge screen in the rear of the store.

[indysteel]

I don't frequent bike shops as much as I used to, but for me it all comes down to people. No one shop is going to carry every product or brand that I want, so while it is nice to walk into a shop that offers a lot of product, it's not going to make or break my experience if they're a small shop that offers a more limited selection (although it may mean that I don't buy anything because they don't have what I want). I want to walk into a shop where it's clear that the people working there are really bike people. They love to ride and they love bikes. They know bikes, as well as the ins and outs of the various ways in which people ride bikes, well enough that they aren't just parroting whatever a sales rep told them. And if they don't know something off the top of their head, they look it up rather than feed me some BS answer. Their natural enthusiam for the sport shows.

My least favorite store in town is also the biggest. They have a lot of product. When I go into the store, it's a highly impersonal experience. I struggle to even get waited on and when I do, it's usually by somebody who doesn't know what they're talking about and/or is just trying to sell me something; something that may not be the best choice for me.

I had a very frustrating experience last year trying to get a salewoman to understand that Trek's so-called WSD mountain bikes (or at least the particular ones that I was looking at) are no different geometry-wise from their unisex equivalents. Please know your product. The last time I visited, I tried on a couple of pairs of MTB shoes, one of which sort of fit but not as ideally as I wanted. When I told him that I was going to keep looking, he very arrogantly said that he doubted I'd find anything else at any of the other local shops. Really? Please. They carry Bontrager and SIDI; those are hardly the only two brands out there. At my favorite shop in town, they would have encouraged me to shop elsewhere because I think they really do look out for my best interests.

[sarahkonamojo]

I am a floozy when it comes to the LBS scene. I flit from one to another. Never really happy with just one. They all bring something different to the scene, but not one is the ONE. And the not so local LBS's are always better. Sigh.
I do have a thing for the wrenches at one LBS... They always know what I need. BUt try to find the right BIKE at an LBS? Oh, that is true suffering.
S

[Becky]

I really don't buy much bike stuff in brick-and-mortar stores. I've been treated poorly too many times. There's a LBS nearby that's under new management, and I love the customer service there. The owner is just a really nice guy who's happy to discuss bike stuff with me, but without ramming his opinion down my throat. As a result, I try to buy stuff from him when he has something I need, even if I can get it cheaper elsewhere. In the end, it really is about the people, not the products.

My favorite LBS for repairs is in my basement

[velo]

I've said my piece about my current LBS already in its own thread, but will reiterate here that IMO, Indysteel nailed it. It comes down to the people. I have been trying to give my LBS more chances because I don't want to dismiss it due to (mainly) a single salesperson. I try to just avoid her when I go in. I'm getting to know some of the others there, and having that more personal interaction helps. In fact, the last time I was in, I needed something that they didn't carry, but they were super helpful about ordering it for me and talking about it before the fact. Truth be told, I could have ordered it online more cheaply, but the effort they put into the transaction made me willing to pay the little extra. I'm trying to give them a second chance.

My old LBS, before I took a break from cycling, was awesome. They really treated their customers well and I felt a familiarity with them that I never will with my current LBS. Many people said that about them... from the novice to the serious rider. They treated everyone with respect and they knew their stuff inside and out. I also rode with them, though. Not all of them, as they had a some very serious racers. In fact, one of the guys, who was, I believe a Cat 2, taught me how to do a track stand in their parking lot. We were just chatting and I said something about not being able to. Since I had my gear, and it was slow at the shop, he came outside and taught me. And did so without making me feel foolish. What an amazing shop!! Amazing people, really. It is closed now. But it was things like that that made me LOVE my LBS.

[Anyabeth]

My LBS is rated really highly by locals and in magazines and I do understand why. They are very knowledgable and have great stock and great policies about trying bikes and getting the fit right. But I do think there is a hole in their store for women. They don't have any women that work at my location (there is one at another store I believe) and you can tell they don't feel as knowledgable about the WSD bikes. They also carry almost no clothing or gear for women - especially compared to the men's selection.

I can understand all the reasons, I am in the retail business myself, but at the same time I have been in the stores dozens of times and have NEVER been the only female customer there. To me that says that the cycling community here has a lot of women. So having such a gap in your knowledge and selection in frustrating.

In the end I have gotten very good service there. I just have to work a little bit harder to get it (and be more prepared) than my husband does.

[indysteel]

My LBS is rated really highly by locals and in magazines and I do understand why. They are very knowledgable and have great stock and great policies about trying bikes and getting the fit right. But I do think there is a hole in their store for women. They don't have any women that work at my location (there is one at another store I believe) and you can tell they don't feel as knowledgable about the WSD bikes. They also carry almost no clothing or gear for women - especially compared to the men's selection.

I can understand all the reasons, I am in the retail business myself, but at the same time I have been in the stores dozens of times and have NEVER been the only female customer there. To me that says that the cycling community here has a lot of women. So having such a gap in your knowledge and selection in frustrating.

In the end I have gotten very good service there. I just have to work a little bit harder to get it (and be more prepared) than my husband does.

I don't disagree that a lot of shops don't understand the WSD product they carry and/or carry less of a selection for women, BUT some of the worst service I've gotten is from sales women who didn't understand what a particular manufacturer's "WSD" label means. It sometimes means very little, and yet they insist that it does.

This is my take after buying a number bikes: Somebody either understands bike fit or they don't. There are only a few fit issues that I see as being absolutely specific to women. We come in all shapes, sizes and proportions. WSD is just a starting point when it comes to fitting a bike to a woman. You don't have to be a woman to get that, nor does being a woman guarantee that you do. There are plenty of men who deviate from the norm enough that they could benefit from a fitting with someone who isn't going to make any fit assumptions based solely on gender. The same applies to women.

I'm not saying that your bike shop does or doesn't get bike fit, but I would suggest that it's not necessariliy a gender issue if they don't.

[kamikazejane]

Walked into one LBS and asked if they had any FSA Chainrings in stock.......the worker had no clue what chainrings were....doh


Fraser Bicycle ROCKS!!!! Drive 30 minutes out of my way even when their is a shop 1/2 mile from me. Melissa has been working with their Specialized dealer on locating me a 2012 Amira from possibly another bike shop since Specialized is sold out waiting on 2013s. She spent an hour with me last Friday on getting me sized and letting me test ride bikes. Answered my 1000 questions. She even calls me to give me updates on the search. Awesome bike shop. They have a training coach and performance lab etc. Great shop.

[Crankin]

I've never really liked any LBS I've gone to. They've all been patronizing in some way. Even the women wrenches, managers, etc.
That said, I've bought all 5 of my various bikes at 4 different stores and each one had its own "style." I don't buy clothing at LBSs because none carry my size. I do pay full price for some of my cycling clothes, but I know, for example, Terry or TE will always have my size in pretty much anything I am looking for. I have bought 5 pairs of cycling shoes, the last 2 in the LBS.
As far wrenching, my DH does all of the work and he buys the parts wherever he can get what he needs, cheaply, which means on line. Occasionally, he'll run up to one of the 2 very local shops to buy a tube or something, but generally we have an inventory of things, like cleat covers to always be prepared when we need something. I also buy my gloves at one of the local shops, as there is price fixing on that brand/style and you can't get them on sale anywhere...