In the Northeastern corner of this continent, bikes are usually ordered to arrive in the shop between December and February.

By the end of the July, some models are already discounted -- a bit -- because most of the buying season is over. Eventually, shops decide between selling with no profit or even at a slight loss, or wait until the year after.

Typically, after the end of August, buyers are either utility cyclists looking for something cheap (Winter bike, commuting bike, etc.), or hardcore cyclists who have decided they want/need a new bike (some of them were definitely looking for special prices). The latter can't be fooled too much, because they will usually have seen next year's model on the web.

If the LBS waits until the year after, it might sell it in the frenetic period when things start to warm up.

Regards,