Originally Posted by TiHabanero

I never miss a legitimate reason so slam Specialized. I worked in a shop that carried SBC bikes from 1994 to the present. In the beginning as they were in the infant stage of development the company was a pleasure to work with. As they grew into a big corp, they became a brand we had to deal with as, much like Trek, the name on the door sells bikes. The first time I met Sinyard he was very pleasant and genuinely nice. He was also hungry and needed us little dealers. The second time I met him around 2010 he was a different person. Someone I would never invite to dinner.
Over at least the last ten years SBC has been working on direct sales models but was unable to dial it in until Canyon paved the way. Trek has also been playing with direct sales models for years and will soon be doing the same thing. I do believe speculation about forcing the larger stores to become SBC stores has merit. Trek is doing the same thing. As time goes on they will buy the successful ones for corp ownership.
Unfortunately the entire retail industry is going to go this way. Look at the auto industry if you think it is impossible.