# LBS prices..........an interesting slant on it.



## Dave7 (20 Jul 2015)

I was in my LBS today and asked him a straight question about his prices.........telling him I wouldn't be offended in any way by his repy.
In a nut-shell I said to him......................
"I buy from you when possible so as to support my LBS. But as a couple of e.gs. I recently bought a bottle cage from you for £10.00 when I could have got the identical product from Decathlon for £6.99. I am now after an adjustable stem which you are selling for £24.00 but Decathlon will sell AND fit it for £17.00.
If I am after any product....are you willing to look at your prices and do your best??.
He was quite receptive to that but in return gave me 2 examples.
1)......Last week a guy was after 2 wheels in the £600.00 region. Wiggle are selling them for £40.00 LESS than my LBS can buy them for.........and thats without any profit for him 
2) High5 powder.......LBS £28.00........Wiggle £18.00 delivered.

Most if not all LBSs buy from major stockists (middle men) and have to pay carriage on orders less than £200.00.
Wiggle can buy straight from the manufacturer (because of quantities). They are also Irish which "may" give them a financial advantage.
I have no gripe with the Wiggles/Chain Reactions of this world...........they were foward thinking and are reaping the reward. 
But it does make you realise how out LBSs struggle.
BTW...........this thread is not judgemental of who does/doesn't support their LBS..........its just that I found it very interesting and enlightening.


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## steve50 (20 Jul 2015)

I called at my LBS a couple of weeks ago for replacement forks for my project cycle, I was going to get suspension forks and was willing to pay a fair price (£50ish) for a decent set of forks. I inquired at the shop if he would sell me the forks i spotted hanging on his wall (2nd hand) he told me he would sell them to me but only if he fitted them himself incurring labour charges............his take on it was he can make more money than he could selling them to me...............................those forks are still hanging on his wall.
I then asked about fitting rigid forks to my bike and he was more than happy to sell me lightweight aluminium forks to fit myself?????? go figure............


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## Dave7 (20 Jul 2015)

[QUOTE 3807554, member: 45"]Chain Reaction are Ireland. Wiggle used to be Southampton. Have they moved?[/QUOTE]
Well I may have those mixed up but it's the principle I am trying to get across


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## w00hoo_kent (20 Jul 2015)

Welcome to business. My dad was an Off Licence owner in the mid 80's. Tesco's were selling cans of coke cheaper than he could buy them from his wholesaler. He only kept the business going by focussing 50% of the shop on Home Brew because at the time the supermarkets didn't sell it. He then found out what a money maker Fish & Chip shops were, so sold the Offie and piled everything we had in to a Chippie. Still a lot of work, but an Off Licence works on 25% profit tops on most of what it sells and nothing on soft drinks, ciggies, sweets, crisps. All of which you still have to stock. A Take Away starts at 100% and then considers whether to add a bit.

It's why the LBS wants to keep selling labour, it's the equivalent of my old mans Home Brew section.


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## jack smith (20 Jul 2015)

Wow your local shops actually seem cheap, prices round here are usually double online prices, i was looking at wheels online 150 online a set 200 for just the front wheel in the local shop


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## jhawk (20 Jul 2015)

I was going to buy a Schwalbe Marathon Plus tyre from my "local" - it's actually 86KM away - bike shop. They would have charged me $70, and they'd have had to order it in.

Went online... Chain Reaction - $35.00, $10.00 shipping. I was astounded.

That said, I love the people at my LBS, they're a great bunch and I'm friends with a good portion of them, so I like to support them when possible. But I just couldn't justify spending $70 on ONE tyre, when I can buy two for $80 online.


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## Milkfloat (20 Jul 2015)

I assume that an LBS as we know it will become extinct. An LBS will become a workshop with just a few emergency parts in stock. Fancy ones may include a cafe and some custom bikes that it is tricky to find online.


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## Markymark (20 Jul 2015)

I've bought 4 bikes from my LBS and am about to buy some wheels. I buy some bits from them and other bits online.

Luckily I'm in a position where money is not critical and convenience wins. I also value their knowledge and expertise.

I think good LBS will survive, others will go. But this is true of many high street stores.


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## G3CWI (20 Jul 2015)

Not that interesting as a slant. I would have thought it was fairly obvious that they cant hope to compete on hardware. They will need to have a USP to survive. 

I was going to suggest an online chippy but Just Eat already does that.


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## Markymark (20 Jul 2015)

G3CWI said:


> I was going to suggest an online chippy but Just Eat already does that.


Not really, it's just a way of placing orders through reviewed existing takeaways (mostly).


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## steve50 (20 Jul 2015)

Online prices are very hard to beat, my LBS wanted £12.50 each for some obscure brand slick tyres for my bike, I got a pair of schwalbe slick city tyres for £16 online, its a no brainer. As above the smaller LBS are going to disappear much the same as the town centre car parts shops did, i think its safe to say the internet is the way forward when it comes to saving money.


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## Markymark (20 Jul 2015)

steve50 said:


> Online prices are very hard to beat, my LBS wanted £12.50 each for some obscure brand slick tyres for my bike, I got a pair of schwalbe slick city tyres for £16 online, its a no brainer. As above the smaller LBS are going to disappear much the same as the town centre car parts shops did, i think its safe to say the internet is the way forward when it comes to saving money.


It depends. High streets that offer instant demand will thrive (food, beauty, services etc). Those that sell items with no shelf life that can sit in a warehouse and aren't needed urgently will find that internet businesses will push them.


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## coffeejo (20 Jul 2015)

I do the majority of my shopping at my LBS as I can think of any number of examples of times they've bent over backwards to help me out with a mechanical etc but not charged me for the time, or argued my case for me with manufacturers long after I would have given up. Hell, the manager even lets me know when he's found a new coffee stop or a descent I might enjoy. That side of things is far more valuable to me than savings online.


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## steve50 (20 Jul 2015)

0-markymark-0 said:


> It depends. High streets that offer instant demand will thrive (food, beauty, services etc). Those that sell items with no shelf life that can sit in a warehouse and aren't needed urgently will find that internet businesses will push them.



exactly,thats what I meant.


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## xxDarkRiderxx (20 Jul 2015)

It is a crying shame that the LBS is more or less dead in the water. They are none in my local high street and that is in London. I have to travel a good few miles to Evans, but I am lucky that I got to know the mechanic there and he always sorts me out. I think even labour is on a short time frame. Why pay the cost replacing your chain cassette wheel etc when you can youtube how to do it.. ok so you need the right tools but the initial outlay is well worth it.

In the past I would have rather used to LBS but there are so few of them around I just order what I need looking for the best deal, and do most of the labour myself.


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## DCLane (20 Jul 2015)

An LBS needs to change; one of my local ones has just put in the cafe and I'd agree they need to become a workshop fitting key items. The good example I've seen is Green Jersey Cycles in Clitheroe - good cafe, workshop next to it and items. They can do the whole package.


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## SavageHoutkop (20 Jul 2015)

If cycling increases in general to be the standard form of transport for short trips, it could survive on easy repairs from people who can't/won't get their hands dirty. Like me. And services. But all bike shops around here open 10am (so past the commuting rush where you could nip in en-route to drop it off for a fix).


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (20 Jul 2015)

[QUOTE 3807903, member: 45"]Like I said, they're in Ireland.[/QUOTE]
I'm confident that when I was in their warehouse showroom last week, I was still in Northern Ireland


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## Smokin Joe (20 Jul 2015)

The old fashioned LBS is indeed dead, and in most cases good riddance. 10% were excellent, the rest varied from adequate to crap. The way forward is to do what Pembrokeshire Bikes did when they opened in Fishguard (Now moved to Narberth) in 2009. Concentrated on high end bikes but offered a service to match, professional bike fits, made a big thing of catering for female riders in a non patronising way (Yeah ok love, we'll see if we can get one in pink for you), organised weekend rides, sponsored a local guy, got fully involved in all the events in the county by providing training rides and advice for newcomers to the sport and mechanics services on the day. They also run regular courses on maintenance and have earned a reputation as THE place to go in Pembrokeshire.

I don't particularly need a cycle shop as I am self sufficient when it comes to the spanners, but I still appreciate having a local shop for things I can't or won't buy online, such as clothing and footwear. In my experience some of the biggest complainers about the prices an independent shop HAS to charge are those who can't remove a valve cap on their own without a trip to casualty and have to run to the shop to get it done. So if you need and value your LBS then accept that they have to charge more than Wiggle and CRC to stay in business, just like your corner shop has to charge more than Tescos and stop whining.


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## vickster (20 Jul 2015)

Got loads of bike shops within say 8 miles of home. Probably 10-15! I do tend to shop online, mostly clothing simply because they don't carry my size in store. I do use local ones for online shopping though. Or those with free returns like wiggle. Parts I just tend to buy wherever is cheapest and then if needed, pay the lbs to fit. Still works out cheaper often!


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## Hyslop (20 Jul 2015)

coffeejo said:


> I do the majority of my shopping at my LBS as I can think of any number of examples of times they've bent over backwards to help me out with a mechanical etc but not charged me for the time, or argued my case for me with manufacturers long after I would have given up. Hell, the manager even lets me know when he's found a new coffee stop or a descent I might enjoy. That side of things is far more valuable to me than savings online.


+1


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## Cyclist33 (20 Jul 2015)

steve50 said:


> I called at my LBS a couple of weeks ago for replacement forks for my project cycle, I was going to get suspension forks and was willing to pay a fair price (£50ish) for a decent set of forks. I inquired at the shop if he would sell me the forks i spotted hanging on his wall (2nd hand) he told me he would sell them to me but only if he fitted them himself incurring labour charges............his take on it was he can make more money than he could selling them to me...............................those forks are still hanging on his wall.
> I then asked about fitting rigid forks to my bike and he was more than happy to sell me lightweight aluminium forks to fit myself?????? go figure............


Try as I might, I cannot follow the logic!


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## Cyclist33 (20 Jul 2015)

[QUOTE 3807554, member: 45"]Chain Reaction are Ireland. Wiggle used to be Southampton. Have they moved?[/QUOTE]

Dunno. But wiggle did do a firesale sell off about six months ago so maybe they relocated their warehousing? 

I think they were in Portsmouth before that BTW, never confuse the two lest their football supporters get wind of it'


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## Cyclist33 (20 Jul 2015)

xxDarkRiderxx said:


> It is a crying shame that the LBS is more or less dead in the water. They are none in my local high street and that is in London. I have to travel a good few miles to Evans, but I am lucky that I got to know the mechanic there and he always sorts me out. I think even labour is on a short time frame. Why pay the cost replacing your chain cassette wheel etc when you can youtube how to do it.. ok so you need the right tools but the initial outlay is well worth it.
> 
> In the past I would have rather used to LBS but there are so few of them around I just order what I need looking for the best deal, and do most of the labour myself.



Yes it is a shame to be sure but on the other hand you are a better cycle mechanic yourself as a result
result...


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## steve50 (21 Jul 2015)

Putting it into perspective, when i had my Raleigh hybrid i took it to my local LBS for two new gear cables fitting, he charged me the princely sum of £35 for fitting two cables!!!
I have replaced the brake and gear cables on my project cycle for less than that!


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## Saluki (21 Jul 2015)

When I bought my Garmin, I was chatting with my LBS owner and Halfords were selling the Garmin Touring GPS for £30 less than he could buy them for wholesale. I do get bits and bobs from my LBS as they are excellent. I nearly bought a CF Bike from them but the offerings they had, at my price point didn't wow me.


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## StuAff (21 Jul 2015)

Wiggle's warehouse operations are in the process of moving to Wolverhampton. Everything else is in Portsmouth.


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## xxDarkRiderxx (21 Jul 2015)

Cyclist33 said:


> Yes it is a shame to be sure but on the other hand you are a better cycle mechanic yourself as a result
> result...



lol Success in removing chain and cassette for cleaning on my Scott Speedster S10. running so smooth... tried to clean the hub on my wifes Raleigh Vixen (cheap) epic fail..... had to order a new rear wheel for her.... online.


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## John the Monkey (21 Jul 2015)

Depends on the bits, really.

I can get (decent - there may well be dodgy ones cheaper) Brompton tyres cheaper locally than I can online. There's usually little, if any difference in the price of Brompton spares generally.

I can get Carradice stuff for the same price, if not a little cheaper, locally, and be that annoying bloke who tries fitting stuff in the display bags to see whether they're going to work or not.

I can get brake pads, cables, cable outers and spokes cheap enough locally that buying online isn't worth the hassle.

Tyres, chains, cassettes, rims - the difference is great enough that the inconvenience of waiting in for a courier is, generally, worthwhile.


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## Brandane (21 Jul 2015)

StuAff said:


> Wiggle's warehouse operations are in the process of moving to Wolverhampton. Everything else is in Portsmouth.



Just as well they operate on-line rather than telephone ordering then! I think (in my Scottish case anyway) that the language barrier could cause some problems. I can imagine it now ..... "No I will not calm down and go and have a nice_ kipper tie_, thanks. Just get my order posted please!".


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## PhilDawson8270 (21 Jul 2015)

Brandane said:


> Just as well they operate on-line rather than telephone ordering then! I think (in my Scottish case anyway) that the language barrier could cause some problems. I can imagine it now ..... "No I will not calm down and go and have a nice_ kipper tie_, thanks. Just get my order posted please!".



When I ran my photography business I banked with Santander, who had a call centre in Glasgow. As somebody whose only Scottish relatives had lived in England long enough to lose a lot of the accent (before beer), it was always quite tedious 

In fact, I avoid all telephone stuff these days.


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## vickster (21 Jul 2015)

I prefer to use the phone if I'm looking for a benefit for me and a quick response...example, last week, two phone calls, one to Sky (well technically two as she had to call me back when I had a coughing fit  and her calling me meant I didn't have to pay for the call) and one to Virgin (free) got me savings of around £26 a month off my TV & broadband for the next year (and Virgin got my upgrade to [approx] 50mb sorted on the same call).  Doing that via email or live chat would have been a far bigger pita!


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## biking_fox (21 Jul 2015)

If I'm gong to fit it myself, I'll hunt about online and get it delivered, unless I need to NOW, when you can't beat a physical shop. (until the drone delivery gets sorted out anyway). But generally that's only the routine easy stuff. If I CBA then I'll give hte bike to my LBS, let them order in what parts they don't stock, fit it, and I'll happily pay. Generally the biggest issue is that their mechanics are backed up with two week+ delay before they can accept new jobs. 

Always a balance between price and convenience. LBS is both more convenient and more expensive. That's fine with me.


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## MontyVeda (21 Jul 2015)

steve50 said:


> Putting it into perspective, when i had my Raleigh hybrid i took it to my local LBS for two new gear cables fitting, he charged me the princely sum of £35 for fitting two cables!!!
> I have replaced the brake and gear cables on my project cycle for less than that!


it's just like getting a plumber to mend a leaky tap or an electrician to fit a new light fitting... if you can do it yourself it costs peanuts, if you get someone else to do it you usually have to pay.


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## jonny jeez (21 Jul 2015)

My LBS (Bromley bikes) seems to be shifting away from general stock, like the stuff we can all buy on line much cheaper than they can stockm

They seem to have dropped cervelo, are getting in less specialized and are focussing on exotic, independent type manufacturers like celio (spelling).

This may be the future, where your lbs trawls the market, with their knowledge and experience, and finds the best quality, low cost manufacturer and sells it to you...like some wine dealers that cannot competed with tescos.

The result is, if you want to buy a frame form an international brand, you go online, if you want bespoke or "different" you go to the high street.

What is tricky is understanding the truth. If you ask the guys in bbikes why they don't "push" cervelo, they say it because they aren't very good.

I struggle to believe that and suspect they simply cannot maintain the licencing commitment demanded by cervelo (£200 k a year in sales) to retain the right to stock them.

Chap in Hayes folded because of this. this.


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## Hyslop (21 Jul 2015)

Brandane said:


> Just as well they operate on-line rather than telephone ordering then! I think (in my Scottish case anyway) that the language barrier could cause some problems. I can imagine it now ..... "No I will not calm down and go and have a nice_ kipper tie_, thanks. Just get my order posted please!".


Youve got no chance-Im only 8 miles south of the Border,and naturally,I didnt understand a word of that


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## Justinslow (21 Jul 2015)

DCLane said:


> An LBS needs to change; one of my local ones has just put in the cafe and I'd agree they need to become a workshop fitting key items. The good example I've seen is Green Jersey Cycles in Clitheroe - good cafe, workshop next to it and items. They can do the whole package.


We've got one near me, cycle shop, workshop, etc, lovely cafe good car park and bike park and a CX track in the field next to the premises which is a converted country pub!


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## ayceejay (21 Jul 2015)

I buy online from the UK, USA and Japan - the prices and service varies the big difference comes when things go wrong and then youare in the hands of the same troop of fairies as the one who sends punctures. The American ones are ace and take a complaint personally and fix it personally, the UK ones work on the basis that if we ignore it it will eventually go away, the exception being Planet X and perhaps PBK, all the others Merlin, Wiggle, Ribble and CRC assume that the customer is always wrong.


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## bpsmith (21 Jul 2015)

Never understand people saying they "avoid the hassle of buying online"!

I can order online with zero hassle, quickly and easily, from my phone anywhere I happen to be. Order at 2pm and get it delivered to my local Collect+ convenience store and collect the next day up until 11pm. Saves considerable cash and hardly a delay, or the need to wait in for delivery.

Hassle? I think not!


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## SpokeyDokey (21 Jul 2015)

bpsmith said:


> Never understand people saying they "avoid the hassle of buying online"!
> 
> I can order online with zero hassle, quickly and easily, from my phone anywhere I happen to be. Order at 2pm and get it delivered to my local Collect+ convenience store and collect the next day up until 11pm. Saves considerable cash and hardly a delay, or the need to wait in for delivery.
> 
> Hassle? I think not!



Agreed.

I tend to use Wiggle. Often the cheapest or thereabouts. Don't appear to advertise stock that they don't have (or maybe I have always been lucky). And the delivery is ridiculously fast.

About a month ago I bought a torque wrench from them. Ordered late Sunday pm and with free delivery (via SW Regional Distribution Centre and Preston!) it landed on my 'doorstep' 9.30am Tuesday morning. Not a one-off either. They always deliver real fast.

I don't even have to be in as where I live parcels just get left in a designated safe spot which is great.


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## fabregas485 (21 Jul 2015)

I have always brought online as this is the age I was brought up in. Cheaper prices and I can easily check reviews for example. Last Friday however, I went to my LBS as I wanted to buy a new bike. I was fed up of buying from Halfords where I am given terrible advice (I was sold a 58cm bikes when I needed a 52cm) and build quality is terrible.

My LBS spent the time to talk though with me the many options, and when it came to choosing a bike, I was helped to pick a bike that was in my budget and something that best suit me. I expected to have the most expensive kit pushed towards me, but this did not happen. I could have brought a similar spec-ed bike for cheaper, but the service to me was worth the extra. I used to doubt LBS as all the ones I had been to previously were greatly more expensive, and seems to not worth if they got your service or not.


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## PhilDawson8270 (21 Jul 2015)

ayceejay said:


> I buy online from the UK, USA and Japan - the prices and service varies the big difference comes when things go wrong and then youare in the hands of the same troop of fairies as the one who sends punctures. The American ones are ace and take a complaint personally and fix it personally, the UK ones work on the basis that if we ignore it it will eventually go away, the exception being Planet X and perhaps PBK, all the others Merlin, Wiggle, Ribble and *CRC* assume that the customer is always wrong.



Just to put a fair defence to CRC, I thought I saw a potential issue with a chain. So emailed their customer services, turns out there was no problem, but they still sent another one FoC, and told me to keep the other. "Just in case".


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## Philh (21 Jul 2015)

My LBS price matches to CRC so I get the best prices with great service.


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## Bianchi boy (21 Jul 2015)

my LBS was selling a bottle cage for £8.99, same thing in a sports shop in Calpe, Spain ......1 euro


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## ayceejay (21 Jul 2015)

PhilDawson8270 said:


> Just to put a fair defence to CRC, I thought I saw a potential issue with a chain. So emailed their customer services, turns out there was no problem, but they still sent another one FoC, and told me to keep the other. "Just in case".


Good for you Phil I have an ongoer with them that is nothing short of Kafkaesque.


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## Smokin Joe (22 Jul 2015)

fabregas485 said:


> I have always brought online as this is the age I was brought up in. Cheaper prices and I can easily check reviews for example. Last Friday however, I went to my LBS as I wanted to buy a new bike. I was fed up of buying from Halfords where I am given terrible advice (I was sold a 58cm bikes when I needed a 52cm) and build quality is terrible.
> 
> My LBS spent the time to talk though with me the many options, and when it came to choosing a bike, I was helped to pick a bike that was in my budget and something that best suit me. I expected to have the most expensive kit pushed towards me, but this did not happen. I could have brought a similar spec-ed bike for cheaper, but the service to me was worth the extra. I used to doubt LBS as all the ones I had been to previously were greatly more expensive, and seems to not worth if they got your service or not.


When the dust settles it is bike shops like this who will still be standing. If you can't match online prices you have to make up for it with the type of service that will have customers happy to come back.


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## fabregas485 (22 Jul 2015)

Smokin Joe said:


> When the dust settles it is bike shops like this who will still be standing. If you can't match online prices you have to make up for it with the type of service that will have customers happy to come back.



I am so happy, the shop has become my go to place on everything cycling.


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## subaqua (22 Jul 2015)

0-markymark-0 said:


> I've bought 4 bikes from my LBS and am about to buy some wheels. I buy some bits from them and other bits online.
> 
> Luckily I'm in a position where money is not critical and convenience wins. I also value their knowledge and expertise.
> 
> I think good LBS will survive, others will go. But this is true of many high street stores.


what is your LBS. I used to love the Bikeworks at the bottom end of Leytonstone but the rent got too much for the return. Bike Trax in Wanstead has always been iffy - 2010 I went in asking about a new 5 speed freewheel ( not a cassette ) for my aged bike and they tried to sell me a new bike- I don't mind upselling but that takes the biskwit. and last visit for a wheel truing and broken spoke replacement they had to retrieve the tyre from the bin out the back and then struggled to find skewer . not the best service .

the bike shop in Leyton on York Rd junction is OK , but charging to use the pump FFS guys .


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## Markymark (22 Jul 2015)

subaqua said:


> what is your LBS. I used to love the Bikeworks at the bottom end of Leytonstone but the rent got too much for the return. Bike Trax in Wanstead has always been iffy - 2010 I went in asking about a new 5 speed freewheel ( not a cassette ) for my aged bike and they tried to sell me a new bike- I don't mind upselling but that takes the biskwit. and last visit for a wheel truing and broken spoke replacement they had to retrieve the tyre from the bin out the back and then struggled to find skewer . not the best service .
> 
> the bike shop in Leyton on York Rd junction is OK , but charging to use the pump FFS guys .


It's one of those! The service I get seems very different to yours.


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## subaqua (22 Jul 2015)

0-markymark-0 said:


> It's one of those! The service I get seems very different to yours.



I guess its the Wanstead one then 

have always been sneered at by the young guy in there, who is full of BS and seems to think most of us have no idea about anything mechanical. I thought it was just me but I watched the way he dealt with 2 people in front of me.


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## Hacienda71 (22 Jul 2015)

I have found two types of LBS's around here. Some are happy to help with parts and repairs and tend to be run by local long time cyclists and give good advice, others are only interested in repairs if you bought your bike from them. They will sell you parts but don't seem bothered that you are a customer. They are run by business men and are trying to compete with the multiples like Evans. At least one of the latter has gone out of business and one I know struggles.


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## Sandra6 (22 Jul 2015)

My not so local bikeshop has a dog, you don't get that on the internet. 
I've never bought bits and pieces from the lbs I get a better deal at work, but when choosing a new bike I've found they're much more generous with adding in extras. With the two cubes for example we got two cateyes, bottles and cages, a pair of gloves and a rather nice altura jacket " thrown in"


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## vickster (22 Jul 2015)

I'm trying out a new LBS tomorrow for a service of my bike in preparation for ride London. I would have taken it home to Pearsons but they couldn't fit it in before the 5th August, 3 days late. Chap on the phone was helpful, I've looked at stuff there but never bought anything. Fiver cheaper than Pearsons but I'll have to drive there to drop off and collect the bike while the other is a 15 minute walk from home

Just bought some mitts in Evans ludgate hill. Good service, nice chap took the security tags off so I could try them on. And apparently I can use them and return within 90 days if not happy! My mitts are usually walking off by themselves after such use!


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## coffeejo (22 Jul 2015)

Sandra6 said:


> My not so local bikeshop has a dog, you don't get that on the internet.
> I've never bought bits and pieces from the lbs I get a better deal at work, but when choosing a new bike I've found they're much more generous with adding in extras. With the two cubes for example we got two cateyes, bottles and cages, a pair of gloves and a rather nice altura jacket " thrown in"


There was A PUPPY!!!! at my LBS in the winter. Belonged to one of the lads who I think was called in for an extra shift but said the pup had to come too. It fit perfectly in my rack pack but I was caught redhanded.


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## Sandra6 (22 Jul 2015)

First time I met willow she was a pup, she's all grown up now and still goes to work with her owner. She's always been too big to smuggle out though


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## SpokeyDokey (22 Jul 2015)

Sandra6 said:


> My not so local bikeshop has a dog, you don't get that on the internet.
> I've never bought bits and pieces from the lbs I get a better deal at work, but when choosing a new bike I've found they're much more generous with adding in extras. With the two cubes for example we got two cateyes, bottles and cages, a pair of gloves and a rather nice altura jacket " thrown in"



Which pretty much flies in the face of the poor LBS not having any margin to play with - mixed message really.


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## MacB (22 Jul 2015)

Smokin Joe said:


> When the dust settles it is bike shops like this who will still be standing. If you can't match online prices you have to make up for it with the type of service that will have customers happy to come back.



This - it's a chain(excuse the pun) and if they don't add value I don't use them. Am happy to spend more for any additional value I perceive. Parts and bits, I can spanner myself so will generally be online.


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## tyred (23 Jul 2015)

[QUOTE 3807903, member: 45"]Like I said, they're in Ireland.[/QUOTE]

Here's an experiment to carry out. 

Go to Sandy Row in Belfast, enter a pub and tell the locals you are in Ireland.

I'll even give you a piece of advice - phone the ambulance in advance


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## tyred (23 Jul 2015)

The last time I used an LBS, I wanted a replacement headset for my Carlton. They didn't have any in stock, they'd order me one, Stronglight A9 okay, fine. Hopefully will be in tomorrow.

It took about 5 weeks before I got my headset.

I could have sat in the comfort of my own armchair without the hassle of going anywhere, ordered a Stronglight A9 headset, had it delivered directly to me within a day or two, paid less money for it for the same product with better service and would have avoided the hassle of constantly calling in/phoning the shop to see if the part that would be there tomorrow actually was.

Online every time for me.


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## Dave7 (23 Jul 2015)

I want a new sprocket fitted (11-32 as against the 11-28 I have).
Went into LBS for a price and said yes. Phoned Thursday and was told "bring it in Monday and it will be ready by Wednesday".
Took it in Monday to be told it will be 7 days for them to get the sprocket


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## SpokeyDokey (23 Jul 2015)

Dave7 said:


> I want a new sprocket fitted (11-32 as against the 11-28 I have).
> Went into LBS for a price and said yes. Phoned Thursday and was told "bring it in Monday and it will be ready by Wednesday".
> Took it in Monday to be told it will be 7 days for them to get the sprocket



Wiggle:

Chain whip, cassette extractor (piddly chunk of metal that you use with a handy wrench that you already have) and a new cassette. Probably cheaper to get that lot than have your LBS do it.

NB: you may need a new chain (longer). Get that and a chain splitter.

Whole job will take 20 minutes tops. Feel like a hero!


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## Milkfloat (23 Jul 2015)

SpokeyDokey said:


> Wiggle:
> 
> Chain whip, cassette extractor (piddly chunk of metal that you use with a handy wrench that you already have) and a new cassette. Probably cheaper to get that lot than have your LBS do it.
> 
> ...



You may also need a new rear mech too. Medium cage.


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## Dave7 (23 Jul 2015)

SpokeyDokey said:


> Wiggle:
> 
> Chain whip, cassette extractor (piddly chunk of metal that you use with a handy wrench that you already have) and a new cassette. Probably cheaper to get that lot than have your LBS do it.
> 
> ...


Soooo tempting.
But really............my nickname at home is Mr Bean 
I am just so worried it would end in chaos.


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## Pale Rider (24 Jul 2015)

As with all buying to resell, it's the buying that is the skilful bit, not the selling.

Many of the carded accessories have very good margins - if the shop buys at the right price.

To use tyres as an example, at the start of this season the manager of my local bike shop agreed a forward stocking plan with Schwalbe in return for extra discount.

On the flip side, he would rather be 'out of stock' on something for a few weeks than pay too much for it.

The shop gives me - and I'm sure many other customers - a bit of discount here and there, so the prices are about the same as online, sometimes a bit cheaper.

A lot of bits - tyres, chains and the like - are offered with fitting included.

Valueless to those who like to do it themselves, but an attraction to me.

There's no doubt the arrival of the internet has been a challenge to the shop, but as with any business, those who know what they are doing are capable of adapting and will survive.

Running a local bike shop will not make you a millionaire, but there's still a decent living to be had.


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## mythste (24 Jul 2015)

I work outside of what I would consider my "local" area, and the Liverpool LBS' seem to be between okay and good as far as my experience goes so far.

Having said that, A shop thats local to my work (wild rides in stockton heath) caught wind that some of the staff were doing a charity ride so agreed to come and do free services for anyone at my work as long as they could have a small stand saying that they accepted cycle to work vouchers. Stellar business and wonderful service. I know were I'm going first next time I need anything.


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