sure retail is really tuff
in the bike industry there is money to be made with service

Maybe I luck out with my local LBS (although since I moved it takes me an hour to get there).

I'm treated like a king there, they beat any price I bring them by nearly 10%, and they even give me free yearly tune-ups on a bike I didn't buy there. (Was bought out of town when a bike I did purchase there was destroyed being hit by a drunk driver). I buy a few odds and ends online, but my LBS experience is beyond awesome and I won't buy things anywhere else.

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I talk to myself because mine are the only answers I'll accept - George Carlin

Amazon is why.

Quality service is the name of the game. That is your margin for a LBS.

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website/blog | Instagram

Didn't we just have this discussion?

Did something prompt the need to start over?

You didn't mention that you better have everything that I'm looking for and all mfgs and options so that I can compare them. I've been buying a lot of stuff lately. There has been several things that I really wanted to touch/feel/measure for fit, etc. A BTA setup for instance. I wrote down the relevant measurements from my bike. I had an idea of my preferred option. I went to the local shops, to compare/contrast the variations. I fully intended to pay full retail price for the privilege of being able to use my tape measure and be sure it would fit right. But, nope, they didn't have choice #1 or #2. And my #3 choice they only had in black, and I don't want solar heating for my hydration.

Further, no one offered me any overpriced coffee or avocado toast. So I left with my wallet in tact, and headed over to athlete's lounge and bought option #1.

Most of my LBS trips end the same way.

I think a pure bike service store is the way to make money at it. Screw all the retail stuff where margins are bare you're just a storefront for people to go look on the internet.

We have lots of LBS where I'm at and I see them already going that way. A few folks have even broken off and are just service only shops that can order parts you might need at a discounted price.

Not really. It is a common misconception.

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Trent Nix
Owned and operated Tri Shop
F.I.S.T. Advanced Certified Fitter | Retul Master Certified Fitter (back when those were things)

i have been doing this for awhile and we have a heathly balance of new bike sells,bike fits and a slight upturn in bike service.

I literally just wrote the same thing in the Trek direct purchase thread.

READ THIS SLOWMAN -- we know what we want, we don't need a store. REI will always be around for the beginners.

We are doing great, business-wise, in both categories. We do lots of bike fits and are packed to the gills with bike service.

But I don't think it's a very profitable model. It can keep a guy or two employed, but if the future of the IBD is a two-room one-or-two man show, there is big trouble ahead. And that trouble will result in fewer riders and fewer races.

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Trent Nix
Owned and operated Tri Shop
F.I.S.T. Advanced Certified Fitter | Retul Master Certified Fitter (back when those were things)

shhhhhhhhhhhhhh! :)

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Anne Barnes
ABBikefit, Ltd
FIST/SICI/FIST DOWN DEEP
X/Y Coordinator
abbikefit@gmail.com

i dont think you can really totally take out the human factor out of the process.Cyclist from newbies to experts like to see and touch the products and also like to talk to someone about it.

Go to the other thread. Demo bikes. Then sell for cost when the new models come out.

There is no one solution. REIs of the world will step up for beginners, Velofix B&M for the masses and maybe a store with demos but I don't think they will be the case in the future. We're talking about bikes valued at $5k. The market isn't there to keep a large LBS with mass inventory going... at least not down the road.

i hope this was supposed to be in pink. because the trek direct buy lady passed up the shop everybody loves, and eschewed the bikes sold in that shop, to buy a trek. because she wanted a trek. and decided to buy it online. and then balked at the notion of paying $200 for a service plan for that trek.

so, no, she couldn't buy it at REI because REI doesn't sell trek. and she isn't interested in paying for labor only from a labor only shop because she had that option and turned it down.

are you going to work on this lady's bike for her?

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

I agree with this. I'm in my LBS about once every two months and it always seems to be on a busy weekend. The newbies are treated like kings and I'd guess that for a lot of them it's the introduction to the sport/lifestyle that hooks a lot of them. I'd imagine this has crossed the minds of Trek/Specialized. Yet, basic game theory will lead them to direct to Consumer like moths to flame.

i dont see demo bikes as a real profit or leader, more of a time labor hassle,most people want a New bike.

velofix as a repair and new bike sale deliverer depends on the market. the logistics has to to be spot on other wise its a whole lot of wasted time($)

i agree with the 5k bike the sweet spot is 1500.00 -3500.00 and at point of sale " accessorys "is the topping.

Trek will soon have lots of Trek-owned stores. The process is already underway. They are hedging in all directions.

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Trent Nix
Owned and operated Tri Shop
F.I.S.T. Advanced Certified Fitter | Retul Master Certified Fitter (back when those were things)

I'm curious to see how this affects someone like David's World Cycle which has ~16 locations throughout Florida. Are they buying someone like him out?

So far, they've found shops on the brink that were big Trek dealers and bought them out with debt forgiveness and a little cash, I'm guessing. I don't know the terms of any of the sales, but that's what I've heard through gossip. So take it with a grain of salt.

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Trent Nix
Owned and operated Tri Shop
F.I.S.T. Advanced Certified Fitter | Retul Master Certified Fitter (back when those were things)

Not to mention that the Trek Direct Buy thread was only started because it transpired that the LBS would have sold the customer the same frame for $100 less in store than the online direct buy price!

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There are 10 types of people in the world. Those that understand binary and those with friends.

^^This.

I went through three shops until I found one that didn't make me feel like an idiot because I didn't know shit about bikes.

I finally found a good one and even though I have to drive past two others to get to it, he gets all of my business.

Sell e-bikes. You're welcome.

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Next races on the schedule: none at the moment

Quote for truth. Nothing wrong with my 2011 Speed Concept. I want the new Super Conmuter!!

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/kj

http://kjmcawesome.tumblr.com/

That would be a sensible strategy.