LBS Experience
 

Just got back from a grand adventure.

Went out because I needed a suntour freewheel remover, some 27" tires and a few other odds and ends. Ventured out to my closest LBS (which I try to avoid because of horrible customer service and they never have anything in stock) only to discover they had gone out of business. wasn't horribly surprised or upset.

So I next went to the local Performance and they had nothing I needed. The guys there didn't even know what a 27" tire was. They were pleasant to be around though and suggested another LBS to go to.

Went to my 3rd and final LBS and also had nothing I needed. They offered to order it for me but I could do that at home. Which is what I did - went off and got them on amazon for even cheaper than in store.

Anyone else have these experiences? they always seem to happen to me. I've bought 99% of cycling related stuff online because of this.

Well, it is because people buy 99% of cycling stuff online that this happens :thumb:

I'm really lucky to have a shop that caters to people with older bikes. It's not surprising that most shops don't do that though

I'm lucky to have a couple of great LBS fairly close to my house. Both are within riding distance and the customer service has been great at both shops. If you live in the Phoenix, Paradise Valley area you should check them out. One is called Trailhead Bike Shop & Cafe and the other is called Sunday Cycles Bike Shop.

LSB's are a vanishing species and should be on the watch list. It takes a ton of money to stock and have qualify people working in the shop. I would suggest trying bike re-sellers, we have them in Chicago and most likely will have what you need at a reasonable price and sometimes negotiable. Look on CL, there are loads of used LSB's, pretending to be owners to save advertizing money.

I like shopping for bike parts and seeing new things at the bike shop. I have commercial accounts and get stuff the next day but I still buy most of my small parts, tape and cables from the bike shop. They have been in biz for a long time and are able to rebuild a worn Campy skewer with NOS parts "off the shelf".

I like what they throw out also...

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7123/7...64fd725b4e.jpg
29 047 by barnstormerbikes, on Flickr

I rode my bike to a shop in Cleveland last time I was through town. It was a pretty nice 12 mile ride there, and though the staff were friendly enough, they could not comprehend why someone would be riding an old steel Trek when there was such new and lighter stuff available. Then the owner (!) Asked me why my two rings were so close in size, and I explained half-step.

Went and saw a movie, and was riding back to the truck stop when I slowly overtook one of the employees on a long uphill. IT was pretty gratifying to hear him trying to hang onto my rear wheel. Just to rub it in, at the top of the hill, I flipped the lever to engage the generator because it was starting to get dark out.

I imagine the conversation around the shop the next day was interesting.

Yes, that has happened to me also, but there are more good shops than bad in my area. One of the shops has a pair of mechanics that are big fans of vintage bikes, they often invite me into the shop area to show me what they're working on and to talk shop. They don't have stock much of the things I typically need, but I try to spend my money there when I buy locally.

I can think of at least 3 shops that have 27" tires, but they're cheap Kendas for the people who are pulling their bikes out of storage for the first time in 20 years.

Here is what I consider my LBS: http://www.excelsports.com/main.asp?page=1
About a 20 minute drive, but they have great selection, and often very good prices.
I was in there last weekend to try on some Sidi's, and buy them on sale at 20% off.

SAVE THE LBS - BUY LOCAL


I make it a point to ride to my LBS once a week or so and chat with the owner while he wrenches. Yesterday, he showed me a a 24" DL-1 in minty conditon he's getting ready to put up for sal last month it was Mercian! He's usually got something of interest going on, lots of vintage parts, complete bikes. I buy as much as I can from him, and he's usually tossing some cool part into my bag, cable clamps, or any number of vintage parts cast off by a recent customer in exchange for the latest and greatest. The Garden State lives up to it's name,.. LBS wise that is... The Garden of Eden for Vintage Bicycles that is!

Hmmm, as one joisey guy to another, where is this oasis of vintage? Bike Stand in Scotch Plains?

So Far i've found two fairly local shops that are Vintage Friendly. But in Atlanta Everything is 45 min away so that's what i have to consider local.

Step 1: Check out bike shops and qualify one where they have interest (and parts) for vintage bikes. Most shops around here don't want to mess with them.

I don't randomly visit shops if I am looking for something in particular. Now I will stop in a a shop if it is convenient, see if they have anything laying around, odd parts or whatever.

If that shop was a Performance Bicycle shop, I am surprised, as Performance stocks and sells a couple of different versions of 27 inch tires. Sounds like the sales person was a nitwit.

Ding...Ding...Ding, we have a winner!

Modern bicycle retailers have high overhead costs and lots of capital tied up in inventory. They are strong-armed by bicycle vendors into very heavy pre-season orders which minimize their open-to-buy capital. You can't get the margins you need unless you order heavy and deep, and if the vendor thinks your order is still light, they'll talk about opening up another dealer nearby. It's hard enough to order/stock enough of the parts/accessories that sell in quantity, there is little money left for things that sell in very small quantities. Then they face considerable price competition from online vendors on all parts, accessory and clothing items. Most can't afford to stock items that are primarily of interest to classic & vintage fans. It's also difficult to find/afford seasoned staff that knows about freewheels and dt shifters and etc, etc, yadda yadda yadda.

There are clearly exceptions to this, and none of this excuses poor customer service, but I can understand why most shops can't/don't stock a variety of vintage-specific product. I don't think less of them for it, and I do value those that still keep our flame burning.

Steve Willis is a winner. As we're seeing in this thread, there aren't a lot of retailers with vintage knowledge, product, time and the ability to sell it profitably. He's one of them who manages to pull this off.

If you read his web page, you'll see one of his choices is to not carry the big brands that strong-arm dealers into placing heavy preseason orders. The advantage is he has more control of his destiny, the down side is he probably spends a lot of time explaining why he doesn't sell T/G/S/etc, and he'll miss calls/visits from consumers who only want to see the big brands. That's not an easy row to hoe, takes confidence and cojones, and also tends to limit staff size and growth. Hard to become a 12-employee store or multi-store retailer if you're not carrying the Big Guys. Not impossible, but kinda improbable.

Our local LBS's have done a lot for us keeping our vintage kids bikes running. Aside from getting shoes (the local shops didn't have my size and suggested I go there) i haven't been in a chain bike shop for years.

New hoods for 70's small campy levers? No problem. :D

my diamondback apex frame was just chilling on the floor of my LBS for a few months before i asked about it.. now it's my favorite bike. so i like my lbs, though i don't go there much any more

There are few decent shops near to me in Logan Square, Chicago -but buying tools that are beyond the simple/ordinary stuff there can be frustrating. They are not set up for that kind of thing. Freewheel remover? Freewheels are old tech, just buy a new bike! M'kay?

LOL

My local shop is better than most and even has a few dyno head and tail lights -but no dyno hubs for sale. So I consider Peter White to be my LBS when it comes time for that sort of thing :-D

Kozy's?

I'll almost always spend a few extra bucks and buy from the LBS if they have or can get me what I need. I love the prices online, but I'd hate to live in a world where I can't go down to the bike shop and talk to the guys about bikes. I'm far from an expert mechanic, and I love the idea that there is a place where more knowledgeable people will work on my bike or tell me what I need to do.

I found a tiny lbs in a strip mall who has vintage parts, does not charge an arm & a leg for them and seems pleasant. I walked in one day and asked if he had any french threaded 1" headsets. He returned w/ a Campy NR complete w/ bearings. "How much" I asked. "$20" he replied. It was a good day.

I have since gone back and purchased a new children's bike from him for my daughter and had him do a wheel true and replace a broken spoke. I could have done all of it myself but figure I need to help where I can, so he can stick around.

Patronizing your LBS is cool. Do it.

yeah i needed a 126mm rear wheel.. my lbs guy said he might have one in his garage.. went back next day and he sold me wheel with a Sante hub on a nice mavic rim for $40..

Fortunately for me, Scott Mackey, the Owner of Pedal Play Bicycles in Baton Rouge, just happens to be a rider/collector of C&V racing bikes (which are hung up in his shop for all to admire when he's not out riding them). I know that if I need some wrenching done on my Ciocc that I'm not up for that Scott and his bunch can handle the job. I don't know about 27" tires, but Pedal Play sure has a fine selection of tubulars.