Trying to correlate some assumed downward economical turn from an entire market segment based on one lousy visit to some unknown bike shop sounds a bit off.
I have a local bike shop that I don't go to unless I have to.
I also have a local bike shop where the owner would do just about anything to help out the community.
You just gotta find the right place.

I am lucky to have 2 LBS's in my rural area of PA that both are very knowledgeable and very helpful. These types of shops should be supported even if you pay a little higher price than Amazon. No one should have to be treated poorly.

Op. The dealer was right. Don't be a fool and fall into the color match stupidity that many fall into.

He was doing you a favor but as usual no good deed goes unpunished.

My favourite bike shop is run by a pair of old curmudgeons. I know enough about them to know what their triggers are, and what topics what to avoid. So if I walk in and start talking nonsense about upgrading my road bike to '10-speeds' or 'disk breaks' or whatever; this will invariably lead to a torrent of abuse about 'planned obsolescence' and wasted money etc.

But they are the best mechanics and wheelbuilders in the region.

Worst shop: shiny and sterile staffed by friendly & chipper no-nothing Millennials. Overpriced and useless, with no inventory more than 5 years old.

About the second time, I'd probably offer the guy a $10 nylon tarp with the ends Gorilla taped to make a bike cover. Other stuff is still going to need fixing, but I could do without all the extra rust when I'm trying to do a repair.

Because then you turn into one of those PITA fixie queens that just can't handle the grips being a half shade lighter than the colored tires. Then your LBS has to go to all the extra hassle of hiding your body.

Online selling has brought about a significant change in retail, that is a fact. There are a great number of businesses that are refusing to adjust to the changes. Bike shops are one of those businesses. They will continue to suffer until they adjust or perish. Service is now more important than ever.

Don't lump them all together. Not all are the same. However, you're right, the world IS a different place and every local retail shop, whether bike related or not, has to change. Heard a great quote once:

"Keep doing the same thing you've always done, in the same manner in which you've always done it, and the world will change around you and leave you behind."

Yes, where you live means your local shop is different from mine.. Location, Location, Location ..

You bought A New computer? not a Bicycle?

I agree completely with this comment. The majority of posters here are men, and if riding for a while, are knowledgeable about mechanical matters. However, judging by the number of women I see biking around my town or showing up regularly at our club rides, many women are cyclists also and my guess is they would appreciate competent and friendly service from a bike shop. If a LBS can't provide this they are losing current business as well as positive recommendations for future customers. It would be interesting if the women who post here would address this. We all might learn something.

I'm that guy! I appreciate all you do for me, but I didn't know you were silently judging me for it.

Just kidding!! I actually do own and ride a Trek 830 as my primary bike though. I've converted it to a hybrid, only ride on the street, MUPs and rail trails.

I'll go to an LBS to pick up a specific tool that I don't want to wait days for, or a tube every now and then. My favorite shop might get my business in the future should I ever want to buy a brand-new bike*, and I will recommend them to friends and family. Otherwise I do the work and maintenance on it myself. I dealt with some attitude at another shop when I was first starting out but, judging by it's reputation even among competent male mechanics as I have since discovered, that was not necessarily because I am a woman. I learned how to work on bikes by myself with help from here, Sheldon Brown, Zinn, GCN, Park Tools, and Youtube. An LBS is a convenience for the majority of issues for anyone, and not a necessity for women. I also agree wholeheartedly that service is now more important than ever for B&M stores.

*I emphasized "might" because their options are very limited due to floor space and regional interest, and I haven't discussed the possibility of ordering other brands through them.

Except for the last sentence this.

I find it funny when someone complains about an LBS people try to make excuses for them. They are either good, or not.

I think people should attempt to deal with local bike co ops.
Ain't one starvin' bike shop in my area. They all make out like bandits. Mostly selling bikes.

I'll agree to an extent, but bike co-ops simply serve a different niche of the biking world. They're no better or worse for any generic person's need, until that person can evaluate whether the co-op can be of value to them. I've gone into the ones around me a few times, they may be great for rebuilding a commuter ten speed or digging through boxes looking for those Campy parts covered in so much gunk no one knew what they were. Go in there looking for electronic shifting Dura Ace and TT wheels, and you're probably going to get as helpful of a response as if you walk into a shop serving triathlete cyclists wanting help finding a cottered crank and a Swiss bottom bracket.

I bought a '17 Specialized Diverge on CL, the owner had ridden it only a hundred miles or so. He had just done his free 90 day tuneup done at the shop and gave me the receipt to prove it.

I had a creak in the front that I couldn't track down, nor could I get the headset adjust perfectly, so I dropped the fork. As soon as the fork came out I saw the lower bearing race was loose so I instantly knew what the problem was. Whoever assembled the bike did not press the race on all the way before he dropped the rubber seal around it, and it got pinched underneath the race. And before anyone gets PC on me, with the BF climate being what it is now, I know it was a "he" because I know the shop. So between possibly two and at least one professional mechanic, I was the one who discovered the headset was incorrectly installed.

Just another reason why no one but me has ever touched my bikes and never will.

Good thing that you are perfect, know everything, and never make mistakes!:innocent:
Edited to fix typo mistake, I don't claim to be perfect.:)

Are you?

:rolleyes:

I knew an older guy who typically dressed similar to Jed Clampett - work pants, flannel shirt, old floppy hat, always seemed to have a 2-day beard. He went into an auto dealer looking for a car for his daughter. As the story was told to me the sales person made it clear he didn't think they had anything in his price range. Guy picks up on the saleman's dismissive demeanor, goes to the dealer across the street and buys a brand-new car - paid for in cash and makes a point to drive it over to the original dealer and let the salesman know - sort of a "Pretty Woman" moment, except he was a scruffy guy in his 60's.

To all those who persist in calling the OP stupid for wanting to change a component based on color; You do what you do for the reasons you do it, and let others do the same. Most of what YOU do is for vanity also. I can pick apart any of your decisions and deem them stupid as well. We'd hardly ever do anything if it were based on necessity. And for an LBS not to cater to it...........RIP.

Unless it was an aftermarket fork, headset races are installed at Specialized, not at the LBS.

Yep, but if I botch something up, it is on me. I didn't pay someone to botch it up, nor do I have to go back and accuse them of shoddy work and have them fix it. I learn and don't do it again. Plus, I can have work done whenever I want and for free in my bike room.

While I have little doubt most mechanics can do things quicker than me, I doubt any are giving it as much attention and care as I would, nor do I think they can really do it better. Bikes are fairly simple things, if you are halfway competent mechanically, you can easily learn the skills to take care of nearly anything.

And.....you are going to fare better in your LBS? Maybe, and that's a big maybe. C'mon, electronic shifting?
And you are generalizing about co ops. As I am sure you know you are.
I have had an LBS do some minor things for me, but they will not give advice. Unless they are trying to sell you a bike.
The shops around here are in the business of selling bikes. And they sell a lot of them. One just opened up that has several locations. They are constantly selling bikes. Expensive bikes. LBS aren't hurting around here.

With modern top of the line components? I am absolutely going to fare better at the LBS than the co-ops that I have been to.

I'm generalizing to the extent of the couple I have visited (which, I am sure you are too), which mostly exist to fund and run their community cycling program. No, there isn't a heck of a lot "modern" to be found there. They can be a great resource for my vintage bikes, but if I am looking for a new bike or parts that go on one they are not where I want to go. Even the pricey stuff the co-ops sell tends to be nice old vintage stuff.

What was your thought process when you thought "hey, this would be a cool reply"? Or was there a thought process?