jfmckenna

I need to get me a Titanium seat post bolt

Cant they make Titanium cables too? Hey I know I'll Dirve down to my lbs pick up a copy ov Velo News cause thats what all the racers get and ask

bianchi_rider

Thanks Leggard

regencybrougham

bianchi-rider,

Why didn't you just say this in the beginning? It seems like what you wanted to say, but were waiting for someone else to say it.

RainmanP

I understand what you are saying, but I'm not sure I agree with the premise. I like to stop by my LBS to say "Hi" once or twice a week on my ride home from work. I am very conscious of, and avoid, getting in the way or taking up their time. I definitely do not camp out there or hang out getting in the way. I see other people come in for a quick chat, but not many hang out for any length of time, and most are there to buy something or get a bike worked on. You seem to suggest that everyone who hangs out at an LBS doesn't ride much. The people I see, I know ride a lot, but no one rides 24 hours a day. I commute, riding about 22 miles round trip every day plus often a brisk group ride from 40-60 miles on Sat or Sun. Not as much as a lot of people but more than most people. I guess the attraction of hanging out is getting to talk about your passion with people who understand it, hopefully not monopolizing the shop guys' time but perhaps running into other cyclists to chat. I enjoy smoking good cigars. There are a couple of places I only get to very rarely that I love to hang out for an afternoon comparing opinions with others there and generally enjoying great company. Same concept, different obsession.

When I need something I can get through my LBS I do, but I buy some stuff online, too. Small oddball things I know they will have to special order, for instance, I buy online because there isn't enough profit in it to bother the LBS. I try to buy most stuff through my LBS. The give me a discount on most things that makes the prices close to online, but I would buy from them even if they didn't. Why? Because over the years I have gotten to be friends with most of the people there. I like to give my friends business. Unlike most people who seem comfortable with nickel and diming everyone and especially expect friends to sell to them at cost, I specifically do NOT want my friends to give me special discounts and feel uncomfortable when they insist.

Now let's talk about your obsession with the LBS obsession.

Avalanche325

Bull$hit!!! Most people walk into an LBS and pay what is on the price tag. They feel good when the customary water bottle and cage is thrown in. On the bike I just purchased there was at least $200 to play with on the price. I called every Litespeed dealer in the LA area. The shops varied by $200 on the price just on a quick phone call. So, for most buyers, there was $200 in it right there. AND there was still no way that they GAVE me the bike with the $200 off. Yes, whole bikes are not where the big profit is. But there is still profit in them.

Avalanche325

I do like going to the LBS just to actually look at the goodies. It is also great if you need something now. Even though I have yet to really find that exact matching spoke I am looking for..... I do buy local if they have what I need at a competative price. I buy online if I can save a significant amount.

As far as hanging out there. Well, I guess that is one pack you can't get dropped from.

On a truer note. The amount of incompetance I find in LBS employees is staggering. Obviously around here the idea is to open a few stores and then hire whomever will work for minimum wage. I think the training program consists of. "Bikes over there, clothes over there. Sell what we have in stock. Go get 'em."

There are some good ones out there. But, man they are hard to find. I find that by coming here I can get all the advice I need. And there is not the pressure of the person giving the advice trying to make the sale.

Daily Commute

I don't socialize much at the LBS, other than to talk about how the bike is working. The LBS owner and his one assistant don't have time for meaningless chit chat. But I can see why someone might enjoy hanging out with like-minded people. You can't be riding 24/7 all year. As to obsession, well, everyone has quirks about how they like to spend their time. If people want to hang out in a friendly LBS like men used to hang out in barbershops, no one is hurt.

Diesel

I frequent 2-3 shops to "spread the wealth". I will purchase socks/food/ tubes and clothing. For hard to find items I will purchase online and have my most favored shop mechanic do the install. I actually get good info on training from my LBS contacts for most of them either used to race or cyclocross. Good people.

bianchi_rider

Nope, not what i wanted to say, but glad someone else did, now it kind of makes sence to me, Like I said I want to know what the obsession is, i want to know what it is that i am missing, I want to know why some people are so hard up for their lbs...
I just dont understand....
If i had a bike shop I definately wouldnt want a bunch of guys hanging around not buying anything, I also would treat everyone who walked into my store equally, no matter where they are planning on buying their bike, in hopes of them returning as a potential customer.
no matter if its fitting, tune ups or just a tube, i think the lbs should assist in all aspects no matter who you are, what you ride or where you plan on getting it. the coffee shop would be next door...
Sorry If I offended you, but I am trying to make sence of this whole lbs thing.

bianchi_rider

You dont have an obsession, I understand stopping looking, buying and so on, hell I do the same thing but not on a weekly basis...
okay my obsession about the lbs is:
I read these posts, I look at what they say, I even replied to one today check it out it was in the the thread opening a bike shop or something like that.
someone stated , get munchies, coffeee, more chairs magazines etc...
I am a business owner, and believe me I know about mark ups and taxes and payroll and so on, so I guess my point is I wanted to know why some of these guys talk so much about their lbs, how perfect it is and so on. I just think there are just as good ways to buy a good quality bike and if your lbs isnt going to service it for you then why bother having a lbs, especially for someone who is begining, he gets taken advantage of by the lbs, i have seen it, in fact a guy was talking ebay or lbs, he got his bike at the lbs, no problem, but apparently they didnt even fit the bike for him because in a later post he was asking about seat height and handle bar height and so on, so my obsession is lbs arent all they are cut out to be, maybe I am just trying to open some eyes, maybe even my own if I knew what the lbs obsession is besides sitting in a bike shop and talking, I would rather ride with friends make new friends and talk to them during or even after the ride... dont know if I am making any sence I probably sound like a broken record, but i really think lbs are being made out to be more than they really are..
Thanks for your input, I appreciate it,

GreenFix

I really like supporting my local shops, but I have had mixed experiences. There are four of them around me that I have tried.

Two of them are sports stores. These shops are pretty much hit or miss. One of them is a chain ski and skate shop. They have a couple of people in there that know about bikes and they are friendly, but their prices are rediculous, and I am not comparing them to mailorder.

In the second sports store/LBS there are two people in that really know their stuff, and like to tlak cycling and have helped me a lot in learning about the sport. Their prices are high, but not high enough to keep me from buying from them. However, if you get the wrong person in there, you are in a a heap of trouble. Some of the "mechanics" are real butchers. I bought my first road bike from them.

The third LBS is about a 30 minute drive, and they absolutlely know their stuff inside and out. They only sell bikes and parts, but they have little patience for the uninitiated. They pretty much treat you like an idiot if you ask a question. I haven't been back since I tried to buy a bike from them.

The fourth bike shop I have only found recently (unfortunately after I bought my bike). There is a guy that runs it out of his basement. He has a limited selection of bikes (none on the "showroom" floor), but he is a fantastic resource. He has excellent prices (compared to anywhere), and is willing to spend time with you letting you use his tools, his stand, and his skill to learn about bikes. Other than the lust factor of looking at new equipment, the only time I spend in shops is to learn about a sport I am relatively new to (2.5 yrs), and completely obsessed with. Luckily I have found a shop that shares my enthusiasm. Oh yeah, The owner of the fourth shop has also offered to take me along on his group rides.

bianchi_rider

There is a mark up on bikes, think about it, a dealer is not going to buy a bike at price, mark it up 20% and make a 20% profit. he has labor charges to pay his associates, he has overhead, meaning his building rent, electricty, water and so on, not to mention taxes, and what if he has a sale, 10% off, how much is left of the remaing 15% on that bike will go into his pocket, bikes as anything is marked up more than people know and your lbs wont tell you that, but its true, and I hope the complimentery water bottle at least matches, because tho it was free, there is the advertising fees that paid for that bottle, guess it came from the percentage of the mark up also... something to think about....
Thanks for your input on both replies, i appreciate it

RainmanP

So let's see if I understand some of you correctly (I'm not talking about you at all Bianchi). On the one hand we basically want the LBS to sell us bikes and everything else at or below cost AND we want them to pay employees enough to hire experienced, knowledgable people in their shops so they can advise us what we need so we can go buy it for even less online. Is that about the way we need it to work? I mean it does irritate me to think that a guy pays rent, stocks every part we could need, hires a big staff AND expects us to pay something over his cost AND even expects us to pay LABOR to install something we bought for almost nothing on eBay. What a bunch of jerks those LBS owners are! I don't know about you, but I am ready to boycott the whole lot until I need for them to fix something for me that I screwed up and not charge me for it.

bianchi_rider

Nope, not at all, but if you read some of the posts in this thread you will see a lbs owner said that there is not a high mark up, I think that may have been a typo on his behalf... As I pointed out all the expenses into running a bike shop, so its a proven that the bikes are marked up, no biggie, its everywhere on everything we buy.
But what i am saying is, "IF" you could buy something a bike, a bib, a jersey, a cassette, a wheel and so on cheaper brand new wouldnt you?
My biggest part of this is I dont understand why the bike shop is such a big deal... like some people said 60% of the riders just talk about their bikes, if thats the case then why brag about the bike shop because apperently they are only using it as a hang out...
I support any professionally run bike shop, I have to go there for my tune ups and such as I have already said. I expect to pay their prices, If I can find it cheaper elsewhere I will buy it there. My problem is not with the LBS in general, other than poor sales staff that have no product knowledge and are only concerned with their paycheck and commission rate. My problem is understanding WHY people insist that the bike shop is the only place you can get what you need, and why some insist its the best place to hang out, as I said shed some light, open a door, enlighten me on what i am missing

Avalanche325

Rainman, I agree with parts of what you are saying.

Personal opinion here - It is EXTREMELY RUDE to go into a shop and borrow tools. Tools of the trade are something the shop or mechanic has to buy. If you want to work on your own bike, buy your own tools.

There is no problem with buying a part online and having the bike shop install it. As long as you don't expect them to do it for free. You should be happy to pay the labor charge. If you don't want to pay for labor, see the paragraph above.

Getting a free fitting and then going online to purchase is theft. If you have no intention of buying from the shop either pay for a fitting or get your fitting online (pleanty of calculators out there). I am not talking about a quick "you need about a 56" standover.

The bike shop should make money when they sell a product. However, they have to compete. The mail order places are not giving things away either. Sticking to full MSRP on a higher end bike is crazy. I went to an LBS and got a quote for a new bike and a change to a triple chainring. They quoted me FULL MSRP + full retail for the parts and a labor charge. No credit for the double parts. Talk about gouging. For the $550 differance, I took my business elsewhere.

As far as staff goes. An LBS needs a KNOWLEDGABLE staff. If I had listened to the various people while shopping for a new bike, I would have gotten everything from a 53cm to a 59cm. I more often than not knew more about the bikes than they did. So, I am willing to pay a little more to deal with a knowledgable staff, but not just a bunch of guys that are in there collecting a paycheck.

I went into one shop where they sell big ticket bikes. I was stradled over a nice $2000 bike, talking with the shop owner. I was serious about buying. A guy walks in, that obviously had a very deep wallet, asking about some gloves that he bought last week. The shop owner drops me in mid sentance, and rushes over to this guy like a dog in heat. When I heard them just chatting about 10 minutes later and realized that the guy had totally forgotten about me, I took my measly 2 thousand dollars and walked out. I don't think he noticed.

So, let's get off the holy place, "please have my money" thing that I keep seeing. You should pay a fair price and get fair service. It is a business.

wheelerw

instead of all this complaining, you could be riding!

midwestmntnbkr

Avalanche325

I can get away with popping out to the forum once in a while at work. But, if I set my trainer up at my desk, I think the boss is going to get upset.

midwestmntnbkr

That's a pretty good summation of the whole deal. It takes time to find a "good" shop that will treat you fair and will appreciate you for what you are worth. At the same time you must show them the respect they deserve and be willing to pay a fair price for the goods and services you receive.

It all works out if you have patience and aren't too hard headed. Its like anything else "give and take"

khuon

Ahhh... the advantages of working from home...



Of course, when I do have to commute (2 days every week)... it's a plane flight across 2 states without my bike and thus my evenings are filled with staring at the TV in a lonely hotel room.

Avalanche325

That is just tooooo funny

dexmax

LBS? ok I go to the LBS (2 of them now) at least twice a week (on both LBS's). How much time do I spend in the LBS each visit? about 30mins to 1 hr.. And most of the time, I'm not looking to buy something.. We just chat, we are friends..

And because we are "friends", they work on my bike for "free". Although they tend to refuse to get my money, I force them to take it... I know, I'm a businessman myself, in more or less the same situation(computer sales, repair and service)...

On weekends, I ride with the mechanics, LBS owner, and some sales people..

cyclezealot

Can't say I am obsessed with a LBS.Coffee. I have not experienced that yet.I am not that obsessed... IT does seem to be sort of a hang out for cyclists..IT sort of is our candy store.No? I have encounted some that sponsored clubs..That would draw avid cyclists who can't find a club.. ..
Just maybe this is good for business...Wonder if LBS like us to hang around.?. We do find other cyclists where we talk bike business.
Do think maybe on one, two ocassions I just might have sold a cycling item for them by my talking about how much I liked a given item..
It is one possible place where we might meet one another, no? But coffee, magazines.I have not expereinced that..

halfspeed

Tell these guys:
https://www.oneononebike.com/home.php

They're putting a coffee bar and art gallery in their shop. After all, if people aren't in your shop, they aren't buying bikes.

slvoid

HAHAHAHA... do you seriously have a mousepad on your bike....?