aka Tom Reingold
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: New York, NY, and High Falls, NY, USA
Posts: 40,503
Bikes: 1962 Rudge Sports, 1971 Raleigh Super Course, 1971 Raleigh Pro Track, 1974 Raleigh International, 1975 Viscount Fixie, 1982 McLean, 1996 Lemond (Ti), 2002 Burley Zydeco tandem
Mentioned: 511 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 7348 Post(s)
I don't think local bike shops are doomed. Evidence? Clothing and shoe shops are not doomed.
I have a very hard time finding shoes that fit. I would never ever buy shoes mail order. Same is true for me for pants aka trousers. Most shoes and trousers which are numerically my size just don't fit me.
Other people have other reasons for going into bricks and mortar shops. Some want personal service. Some want to learn before buying. Some don't trust themselves to choose from a web page.