Originally Posted by
RonH
Haven't seen many bike shops close up.
My experience with the corp stores (Performance and REI) when I lived in Atlanta was that they aren't always friendly, aren't always as knowledgeable as my LBS, and don't always have the bargains people may be looking for. The only bargains I ever found were for bikes or clothing that I wasn't interested in.
Bike shops on the other hand have friendly, helpful people. I'd rather spend a few extra dollars getting what I want while supporting a friendly neighborhood shop.
Aren't we confusing the corp store with chains? Performance is a N. Carolina chain store, (REI is a 75 yr old co-op). Mike's Bikes (Marin) and Performance (N. Carolina) are putting the pressure on our LBSs, two new ones closed locally. It seems the LBSs selling high end bikes have a real problem with the chains and perhaps the corp stores, those selling low end bikes & MTB to the rec crowd do much better locally.
All and all, seems like a terrible business to invest in to me: small margins and competition coming from everywhere.., including Walmart / Bikes Direct / Amazon / Chains / Corp Outlets / eBay, etc..