The ones I go to in San Diego are all pretty good.. unfortunately, I do almost all my ordering online... but sometimes I will buy some GU from them...

i experienced the san diego shops and I can say, stick to the local ones that started there (moment cycle, C st bike shop), not big chain ones (trek, performance bike).

Not all LBS suck, but I think I can pretty confidently say that all LBS have at least some mechanics that suck and you never know who is going to be working on your bike. I worked for two different shops in college and in grad school, one in the Southwest and one in the Midwest. At the one in the Southwest, I was that mechanic who sucked because I had very little experience and was just learning. I was the only employee and the owner was a former mechanic for a pro team (the shop has grown a lot and has a number of employees now), and if he did the work on your bike, you got top notch work done. By the time I was at the Midwest shop (a big Trek dealer), I was a decent mechanic and there were two full-time mechanics who were awesome. One of them is the best mechanic I have ever known and I would trust him with any bike, from a rare antique collector's item to a $15,000 TT bike. But the shop also had a bunch of college students and other local kids with varying amounts of experience and intelligence.

If I were to have other people work on my bike, I would try to develop a relationship with a really good mechanic and ask to have him/her work on my bike. At the shops where I worked, you paid the same amount whether your bike was worked on by the best or worst mechanic. And the truth is that shops don't pay enough to keep very many good employees. People who are really good bike mechanics normally have the abilities that would allow them to make a much better living doing something else.

I definitely don't want LBS to disappear, but I also rarely buy anything from them other than GU, tubes, cables, etc. and I never have them work on my bikes since I prefer and like to do it myself. But the truth is that a huge proportion of many (most?) shops' business is $300 - $800 hybrids and mountain bikes, with a few low-end road bikes thrown in. It was rare for me to sell a nice road bike (although I know there are shops that specialize in this and sell many of them) so people like me not buying from them doesn't really affect their business that much.

As far as parts/service goes, literally the only thing any LBS sells that I could use is CO2. Their line of tubes suck, they can't get any Profile Design, XLab or Zipp stuff. They don't really even understand tri bikes. I let them adjust my bar end shifters and I had to spend a bunch of time to make them work right again.

I do go to a local LBS for fitting touch-ups but the owner knows I'll buy my parts online because it will take them 10 days to order what I can get in two days from Amazon.

Two weeks ago I asked the owner of a different lbs where the latex tubes were. He laughed at me and said that they don't carry latex tubes because nobody has even asked for them in ten years. I left questioning to myself again, why do I go back.

I couldn't even dream of latex tubes. I can't even get Conti tubes or tires. All anyone carries is Bontrager tubes for $12.99, or "Q-Tubes" which appear to be for mtn bikes despite their labeling.

Definitely hit or miss, but I agree it's mostly miss. I've lived all over and have found some decent shops but the problem is there is such a wide range of expertise within the people at the shop. You've got some guys who have been there for years and others who are straight out of college and have no clue wtf is going on. The worst part is they still try to sell you shit when clearly have no idea what's going on.

If you're ever out in Western NY, PM me. I'll take you to a good shop and you'll see why they are a good shop. They have had the same staff for the past decade. All are capable of working on a bike (no one is just 'sales'). All ride. All understand. Including the tri-bike industry. Right now, they're working on my ride and even tossing in a few extras just because they want me to continue coming back (my power meter is acting up- there's a good chance that they'll fix it for free).

Having said that, I travel about an hour to get there. Sure, there are shops closer but they are pretty much what you discussed in your OP. Most of the people that work at those shops are mostly there as a part-time job and may not even ride much. I don't shop there.

So, to answer your question- No, they don't all suck. But you have to look really hard for the ones that don't. And develop a relationship with the people at the good ones.

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Take a short break from ST and read my blog:
http://tri-banter.blogspot.com/

If you are lucky enough to have more than 1 shop, try the others in your area. I have a few here and finally found the one I trust implicitly. The others.....I wouldn't go to and give them any of my money. I appreciate customer service and if I'm giving my hard earned money to someone, I want good service. I tried the others in town and no go for me, not good work and not worth my time. There are definitely good shops out there, might take a little hunting to find one though.

The target consumer for an LBS is Joe recreational rider. Serious racers know how to wrench on their bike and know what they want out of a bike. When I walk in a bike shop, the majority of the time I know more about the bike than they do. I know the geometry I need (which is one good aspect of an LBS: Fit), thus I am able to buy at LBS or online. I think all my bikes right now have been purchased online. I have no issues showrooming an LBS. I have no social responsibility to support an LBS. It's on the LBS (and any business) to earn my money. It's not on me to give them my money just because they are local. I work too hard for my money to be irresponsible with it. I know others disagree. So be it.

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The curious task of economics is to demonstrate to men how little they really know about what they imagine they can design.

Full disclosure, I work for an LBS. Yes most shops suck, most shops don't pay enough to keep decent people. Most shops survive on the "bread and butter bike" recreational bikes in the $400-$700 range.

Good shops exist, but you have to look for them, my current employer is on it's way to becoming a good shop. We weeded out the poor employees, gave decent wages to the ones that are there and slowly began to rebuild our relationship with the local race and tri groups. Next year we are putting in a fitting studio, and will be carrying more tri gear. That being said, we will never have the space or do enough business to carry everything. I have one guy using latex tubes, we stock the 80mm stem size he needs but no others. We don't stock continental tires, we are a Specialized shop and they make good tires and most people run those around here. I think I ordered two sets of contys this year.

My point is that a good shop will never have everything you need, but it will have 80% of it, knowledgeable staff and be willing to go the extra mile to take care of you.

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Jim

**Note above poster works for a retailer selling bikes and related gear*

The vast majority of LBS completely suck, but not all of them. I've been trying to use the LBS that sponsors my team to support them but I just can't do it any more. They've got me pretty much every time I've gone in there. Most recently I got a new bike there and they wrongly installed the front derailleur cable. I brought it in to have them fix it and they said it would involve hours of work threading the cable through the frame and I would have to leave it there for four days. I took it home and figured out how to fix it myself in five minutes. On the Speed Concept I bought there last year they neglected to tighten the bolts holding the fork to the frame. The bike got speed wobble at 40mph and I nearly had a very bad crash. I have as many stories as times I've been in there. Won't ever go there again.

That said, there are a couple of shops local to me (SF bay area) that are really very good. I think that's rare though. Wish there was a TripAdvisor for bike shops because I think that might help reinforce the good shops and drive the bad ones out.

No, only some of them suck.
I have been using Champion Cycling for close to 2 years now and they absolutely rock. I purchase over 90% of my bike stuff there and they do all my service. They are not triathlon specific but I will not go anywhere else.

Any recommendations for a good mechanic in Houston? I trusted mine in San Diego but haven't found a good one since I have moved back to Texas? Thanks!