What do you want from your LBS?

Triathlon Forum
82

i’m lucky enough to have many options near by, i can drive 30 minutes to at least 5 shops. 1 right by me seems to have shifted their focus to family service, which is smart. kids grow. we buy our kids bikes there as its close by and for kids, they are more concerned about the sticker than the bike (guess some adults are like that too). they’re great with kids and do a good job. they do sell things i would need in a pinch, such as tires and tubes, nutrition, etc. the closest multisport shop has gone through some changes for the better. a guy who worked there who had a bit of an attitude is gone. they added a coffee bar and they do a bunch of one off events to get people in the store. lectures from swim experts, group rides (different paces), they offer discounted tune ups for local races, they just added a coffee bar and did a promo on election day to give you a free coffee if you had your “i voted” sticker. they’re a bit pricey with retail items and havent been shy to say “i can order for you but you could get it on amazon faster”. When i’ve left my bike there for repairs, they treat it like an auto repair, they call me and tell me what’s going on and what it will cost before proceeding. when i’ve been in a time crunch, they offered to drive my bike home for me if i couldnt get there. even suggested taking my fit details to shop online and they’d adjust the fit to my specs for me. lastly, a friend opened up a shop recently and from my one time there, looks like a great thing. they want people to be happy so not so much of an upsell process. i’m actually bringing my bike there tomorrow as i’m concerned about potential damage to my drop out. the first shop i mentioned said “i wont touch it, but i can get you another frame”. the second shop said no issue. i want to see what this guy says. want to make sure i’m buying something i need, not something they want to sell.

shops need a reason for you to want to come in. they try the relaxed atmosphere by bringing in the family dog. the day of the snooty sales person should be long gone by now.

83

“Velofix will do what I want if the LBS goes under.”

i cannot find math that supports beeline or velofix. with one exception: corporate programs, where a van can park outside of a corporate headquarters and fix everybody’s bikes. in this case it makes sense for one of these chains to support corporate, and to partner with bike brands with corporate outreach.

but that’s it. and if and when that becomes a viable option, a B&M retailer can become mobile. which it probably should.

but a van that travels around from house to house? i remain skeptical.

not that my skepticism solves problems facing B&M, just, i don’t think mobile repair is the answer. if mobile repair were the only platform, somebody would say, “hey! i have an idea how to fix mobile’s broken financial model! a central location where everyone can bring their broken bikes!”

84

All I want from my LBS is to tune up my bike and install parts that I bought cheaper somewhere else.

Yeah I am one of those guys.

And before I hear “you need to support your LBS and buy parts from them”, yeah well screw that noise. Velofix will do what I want if the LBS goes under.All of that tough talk doesn’t change the fact that the math for Velofix is even worse than the math for the average LBS.

The math is very good for the owners of the company. I can’t see how the franchisees make any money with that 25k franchise fee, 90k van/workshop (sure, they can lease it but how much is a 90k lease cost per month) in addition to ongoing fees (10% plus $90 per month velonet user fee).

85

All I want from my LBS is to tune up my bike and install parts that I bought cheaper somewhere else.

Yeah I am one of those guys.

And before I hear “you need to support your LBS and buy parts from them”, yeah well screw that noise. Velofix will do what I want if the LBS goes under.All of that tough talk doesn’t change the fact that the math for Velofix is even worse than the math for the average LBS.

The math is very good for the owners of the company. I can’t see how the franchisees make any money with that 25k franchise fee, 90k van/workshop (sure, they can lease it but how much is a 90k lease cost per month) in addition to ongoing fees (10% plus $90 per month velonet user fee).

Anybody that buys a VElofix franchise is an idiot…there is zero benefit to having the Velofix name attached to your business. If you want to do a mobile bike repair business, just do it on your own.

86

there’s at least 2 people near me that do a mobile bike service. no reason to franchise yourself, buy a van and use your tools.

87

“Velofix will do what I want if the LBS goes under.”

i cannot find math that supports beeline or velofix. with one exception: corporate programs, where a van can park outside of a corporate headquarters and fix everybody’s bikes. in this case it makes sense for one of these chains to support corporate, and to partner with bike brands with corporate outreach.

but that’s it. and if and when that becomes a viable option, a B&M retailer can become mobile. which it probably should.

but a van that travels around from house to house? i remain skeptical.

not that my skepticism solves problems facing B&M, just, i don’t think mobile repair is the answer. if mobile repair were the only platform, somebody would say, “hey! i have an idea how to fix mobile’s broken financial model! a central location where everyone can bring their broken bikes!”

I am completely sold on Velofix and hope they make it. I live out in the sticks and if I need to bring my bike in for some reason to a LBS it is a PITA. Every time they come out to my house (twice) my neighbours have grabbed them to do things for them.
They also do the corporate thing as well. My Velofix dood was telling me about a company he was at for the day fixing the employees bikes.

88

I would gladly patronize my LBS for kits, nutrition, etc., if they could give me the one thing i really want but can’t get anywhere, at least in Miami: decent tech service.

I’m not saying i want to drop off my bike in the am and have it overhauled and back together by the afternoon. I simply want the mechanics to put out quality work. Time and time again I have taken my bikes in for repairs or thorough maintenance and either the repairs aren’t done as expected or there are new issues that magically pop up once i have the bike back out on the road. just doesn’t seem like they take the time to check their work, even make sure bolts are tightened, etc.

until i feel like i get decent service from the tech department i feel no guilt in turning to amazon, et al, for items that i could otherwise pick up at the LBS.

89

I am completely sold on Velofix and hope they make it. I live out in the sticks and if I need to bring my bike in for some reason to a LBS it is a PITA. Every time they come out to my house (twice) my neighbours have grabbed them to do things for them.
They also do the corporate thing as well. My Velofix dood was telling me about a company he was at for the day fixing the employees bikes.Please don’t take my remark about the “math” of Velofix as being critical of the guys and gals hustling on their trucks. I lost a great employee to Velofix earlier this year. I told him I didn’t think their model was sustainable, but the opportunity was a good fit for him and he took it. That said, he is smart, talented, and a great person - he’ll be successful no matter what happens in whatever field he chooses to work in.

Velofix is clearly filling a niche that many are interested in - bike service that is more convenient than a brick and mortar shop. But I think the model is critically flawed:
The price of repair, in most shops, should be much higher if the real cost of labor and overhead is accounted for. All those products sold at MSRP actually subsidize bicycle repair. Flipping that model requires expensive repair prices that I don’t think the market will tolerate.

The people driving the Velofix trucks are being asked to do more than is reasonable: drive, buy, manage inventory, stock inventory, market, socialize, have a broad knowledge of bikes and product in order to solve problems in a timely fashion, etc. The local Velofix drivers recently went to learn cleat placement from Paul Swift (great guy and smart guy). Does Velofix expect their wrenches to be bike fitters too? Do Velofix customers think Velofix wrenches should be bike fitters?

They’re asking a lot of the people that work for them. We have people in each of those areas that are specialists and are very good at it - I just can’t imagine a model that requires every single mechanic to be a bike shop polymath.

Quality control WILL be a serious issue. Without fail, the highest risk of service quality issues in my shop occurs when the customer wants a repair done while they wait, wants it done within a an aggressive timeframe, or peer review doesn’t occur. But that scenario is the bulk of the repairs done by mobile bike shops. When the shifting on your bike still isn’t right, what do you do to follow up? Either the truck comes back to you, which is expensive, or you are searching for the #whereisbigred hash tag to find the truck.
Even if you have someone that satisfies the last two items, the reality is still that the market won’t tolerate the “real” price of labor that will be required to cover expenses. And since Velofix is powered by investors, they are hoping for more than just sustainability, they are expecting profit! But there will be little or none to be had.

90

I would highly recommend All-4-Cycling. If you want to be ultra safe. Go to their US-1 location and ask for Mario. He’s one of the most knowledgeable and skilled mechanic I have ever met. He’s splitting time between All-4-Cycling’s locations now but you should find him there Tue- Fri. I think they are swamped right now, so please understand if they can’t turn around your service quick enough (they’ll let you know way ahead of time).

I also recommend Myron from Cycleworld. They open Sundays, which is a huge boom in convenience. I can also wholeheartedly recommend CycleDepot in Ft Lauderdale, but it’s a bit further away.

I have multiple bikes and can only do Sat drop-off, then Sat pickups, so I can’t speak about speed.

I would gladly patronize my LBS for kits, nutrition, etc., if they could give me the one thing i really want but can’t get anywhere, at least in Miami: decent tech service.

91

Trent,

How much higher would repair cost be? Let’s say a thorough tune up is $100 (what I have in mind). Do people who bring their bike in for repair buy enough of other stuff (kits, etc) to make this model work?

I don’t usually buy much but send in my bike for repair / tune up frequently. Am I causing my LBS to lose money?

The price of repair, in most shops, should be much higher if the real cost of labor and overhead is accounted for. All those products sold at MSRP actually subsidize bicycle repair. Flipping that model requires expensive repair prices that I don’t think the market will tolerate.

92

Trent,

How much higher would repair cost be? Let’s say a thorough tune up is $100 (what I have in mind). Do people who bring their bike in for repair buy enough of other stuff (kits, etc) to make this model work?

I don’t usually but send in my bike for repair / tune up frequently. Am I causing my LBS to lose money? It really just depends. What’s in that $100 tune up? New cables and housing? Bike wash?

We just had a Cervelo P2C in the shop that had a headset so rusted the rust had bonded a steel bearing to the aluminum mount that is bonded to the frame. It took HOURS to get it cleaned up and taken care of. The rider rode the trainer a lot, sweated into the headtube a lot, and made it a huge mess. Had we charged him the actual labor that went into the job, the price of the service would have exceed the value of the bike.

On the flip side, some bikes come in and that same tune up is a derailleur adjustment, bike wash, brake adjustment, torque check, and all is well. It can take 45 minutes to an hour to handle it from end to end.

Most people think their bike is the second type. Most bikes are somewhere in the middle.

93
  1. Organize road rides
  2. Help build maintain trails
  3. Organize gravel rides
  4. Support a race team
  5. Hold clinics
    I really like to buy everything from a store that has invested in cycling
94

Mostly just good wrenching as i can buy most things online.

95

Trent,

How much higher would repair cost be? Let’s say a thorough tune up is $100 (what I have in mind). Do people who bring their bike in for repair buy enough of other stuff (kits, etc) to make this model work?

I don’t usually but send in my bike for repair / tune up frequently. Am I causing my LBS to lose money? It really just depends. What’s in that $100 tune up? New cables and housing? Bike wash?

We just had a Cervelo P2C in the shop that had a headset so rusted the rust had bonded a steel bearing to the aluminum mount that is bonded to the frame. It took HOURS to get it cleaned up and taken care of. The rider rode the trainer a lot, sweated into the headtube a lot, and made it a huge mess. Had we charged him the actual labor that went into the job, the price of the service would have exceed the value of the bike.

On the flip side, some bikes come in and that same tune up is a derailleur adjustment, bike wash, brake adjustment, torque check, and all is well. It can take 45 minutes to an hour to handle it from end to end.

Most people think their bike is the second type. Most bikes are somewhere in the middle.

I am going to derail this for a minute. When I ride the trainer, I just through a towel across the head tube for my sweat. Is there anything else I should be doing to protect the bike?

96

Trent,

How much higher would repair cost be? Let’s say a thorough tune up is $100 (what I have in mind). Do people who bring their bike in for repair buy enough of other stuff (kits, etc) to make this model work?

I don’t usually but send in my bike for repair / tune up frequently. Am I causing my LBS to lose money? It really just depends. What’s in that $100 tune up? New cables and housing? Bike wash?

We just had a Cervelo P2C in the shop that had a headset so rusted the rust had bonded a steel bearing to the aluminum mount that is bonded to the frame. It took HOURS to get it cleaned up and taken care of. The rider rode the trainer a lot, sweated into the headtube a lot, and made it a huge mess. Had we charged him the actual labor that went into the job, the price of the service would have exceed the value of the bike.

On the flip side, some bikes come in and that same tune up is a derailleur adjustment, bike wash, brake adjustment, torque check, and all is well. It can take 45 minutes to an hour to handle it from end to end.

Most people think their bike is the second type. Most bikes are somewhere in the middle.

I am going to derail this for a minute. When I ride the trainer, I just through a towel across the head tube for my sweat. Is there anything else I should be doing to protect the bike?That’s a great start. I think you are well served to get the bike fully serviced (complete disassembly, reassembly, and cleaning) at least once a year and maybe twice a year depending on where you ride, how you ride, and how much you ride.

Every year we do a great deal of service for people that race Ironman Texas 70.3 in Galveston. The bikes come back coated in salt and it can be very, very corrosive, so a thorough service is highly recommended afterward.

Some bikes require more service than others as well (the Scott Plasma3 headsets were notorious for collecting rust and gunk). Does every bike need it done that often? Probably not, but an ounce of prevention and all that…