Paul Barnard

There's really no excuse for a bike shop not carrying a few of the most common derailleurs. I used to run an auto parts store for the Coast Guard on Kodiak Island. Before I was allowed to run it I guaranteed my supervisor that I could double sales and profits. It was a tiny store so I couldn't stock much, so I did my homework and stocked the top 50 oil filters, top 25 air filters, top 25 spark plugs and so on. I doubled sales an quadrupled profits in the first year. Bike stores can do the same thing. I'll bet if that store studied the market they could stock 4-5 front derailleurs that would satisfy 75% of their demand. There aren't so damn many bike parts that even the smallest of shops couldn't carry a reasonable stock. A store that doesn't have any front derailleurs isn't trying and isn't worthy of my business.

Myosmith

I must be lucky as heck as I have four LBSs within a few miles of each other (two owned by the same regional chain) and the two I shop most often are usually pretty well stocked with a selection of common parts. The two owned as part of a chain will price match online stores, even Amazon, as long as it is the regular or sale price on the online purchase, not a "only one left closeout" type deal or auction. I've also had them come across NOS or closeout items that they thought I might be interested and actually call me to see if I wanted them at a greatly reduced price. Almost all parts that I've had to order came in within a few days. Only a couple times have I had to wait more than a week.

Burton

Gee - and this is your 'favorite' LBS? Hate to hear what you have to say about the rest of them. Might be interesting to hear their side of things though - like what they think of you as a customer. Personally I don't know of any LBS in my area that doesn't also have an online presence, and I know for a fact that the big name places like JensonUSA also have walk-in addresses, so if you're buying online you're still buying from some store somewhere.
Most stores have to replenish inventories several times a year just to replace parts used to repair bikes for clients. Sometimes the guy ahead of you got the last one. Tough. Most distributors provide retailers online access to their stock. Why should they have to run their own fully stocked warehouse on top of that? They'll stock high volume items and can still sell out of those.

Somehow I'm sure if your LBS had every model of every derailleur ever made on hand - you'd find something else to whine about - like that you cauld get NOS cheaper - or find a better deal on craigslist.

mechBgon

Given our limited capital, we focus first on stuff that turns. I don't have access to my point-of-sale system from home, but thinking back on the season, we haven't sold a lot of FDs. With the change in actuation ratios on Shimano's newest models, that adds yet another layer of complexity to this particular item, on top of clamp types, double/triple versions, various cage-height differentials to account for various chainring combos, color options, target chain width (8sp, 9sp, 10sp)... SRAM, for their part, has changed the program with the new Yaw versions.

So trying to stock a robust selection of an item that sells slowly, and undergoes breaking changes periodically (such as actuation ratios), is not a good use of limited capital in a seasonal business. I have shelf after shelf of FDs at the LBS I work for, demonstrating the pitfalls of trying to do it. They range from mildly obsolete (not compatible with the current-gen shifters) to "what the HECK do we have all THESE for?!" The smart money is on ordering exactly what you want and having it within a week, and if that's not fast enough, by all means call around to the other LBSes or order one yourself.

iamtim

You all who have reported issues with your LBS are going to the wrong LBS.

My LBS has 85% of what I need in stock (and sometimes I need some weird stuff... today I needed an old-school BMX style rear caliper, didn't care if it was new, old, in a parts bin out back, or what... they had one, complete with lever and cable) and what they don't have in stock they get for me. When they order something for me (or when they do repairs for me) it's always in (or done) a day or two earlier than their estimate.

...

Of course, I could just be lucky and have an awesome LBS. Yeah, I think that's it.

chaadster

I think it would be very difficult to run a successful shop in most places nowadays. I'd guess that service and new bike sales are the only place you could make any money. A shop sure as **** ain't gonna make rent or payroll off selling front derailleurs and parts to the local market, particularly in seasonal markets.

For these reasons, I'm not surprised to have witnessed the transformation of the indie LBS into brand stooges. You know those stores that only rep Trek, Specialized, or Cannondale bikes and accessories, along with a couple of other bike brands from the corporate portfolio? It's a long way from the cool shops I grew up with mid-80s to early 90s, when shops were stocked with small builder bikes and distinguished themselves by their parts selection.

Some of the change is due to the Internet, some to the way the industry has developed, some to economic factors, and some to consumer attitudes, and I get that shops need to stay alive, so I understand. At the same time, those shops don't fit my needs in terms of stock items or philosophically, so I don't shop there. I don't want to ride generic, cookie-cutter bikes, and I'm repulsed by the idea of supporting people who have "sold out" to "corporate interests.". Yeah, I still rock a Che shirt!

Thankfully there are options for me. Tree Fort is an LBS for me, and their model has been Internet based the whole time, so they're built for the modern era rather than attempting to adapt to it, which gives them freedom. They stock funky stuff, and while they do have brand lines, their bikes and accessories actually feel like a selection, chosen for being good rather than just being part of corporate portfolios. They warehouse and ship from next door, so if they've not got something on the floor, the guys just walk next door. It's great!

I-Like-To-Bike

What is the significance of what the LBS personnel think of the OP as a customer? Should the OP care? Or buy from the LBS/say good things just to stay in their good graces?

ARider2

LBS are going out of business because of the internet and cry-babies like the OP who expect their LBS to have every item they could possibly want on the shelf all the time.

mtbikerinpa

The 5 LBS in my city radius (10 mi) are not struggling even though Lancaster is not all that large of a city. We are a distance from the good mountain bike spots but we have a good roadie contingent. The majority of them are the blow-the-dust-off find it in the backroom type places when you ask for an odd part, but the prices are within a reasonable range from online and its nice to hold the item first. There is one shop that is total sticker shock every time I go in there and they only sell foo foo racy stuff. Since they all sell racing stuff but without the foo attitude, I ignore that one. The other ones are within riding distance from my job so its nice on lunch break to go in and window shop.

conradpdx

Unfortunately what I think the biggest problem is is the fact that bikes are one of the few truly durable goods still in production. I know many of us would shudder at the thought, but really most people could live their entire adult life on one bicycle if they maintained it properly. Coupled with the fact that bicycles are a pretty easy for most people to do most the maintenance on and I wonder how any LBS are still kicking. I'd be hard to make a living selling mainly lube and bearings only.

This I think is why the C&V's are a pain to them. They have to push the latest and greatest (even if they aren't) to make the sales. And we C&Ver's and wrench monkeys not only ask for items and services that they can not or will not provide. But also point out that the latest and greatest aren't necessary to have a good bike. How can they up sale a customer that $800 Electra urban bike, when I walk in buy a $2.00 part to fix the the 40 year old Superbe I rode in on that I bought and fixed up for a fraction of the cost of the Electra? (I like Electra bikes by the way).

Probably doesn't happen all the time, but I'd bet people asking for old bike parts have caused customers the hit CL instead of LBS. I know I've been asked about my ride at the door in front of many bike stores (LBS and chains). What they do with the information I give them who knows I don't stick around to find out.

wahoonc

Huge difference in production numbers between car parts and bicycle parts. Also most of your auto manufacturers used the same filter for multiple years, bicycle component manufacturers frequently change product lines every year or if you are luck two. As an example: I have a 1989 Giant Iguana, it came with Suntour XCM equipment, in 1990 Giant switched to Shimano, in 1991 they were using a totally different gruppo that was incompatible with the previous year. It would be like a car owner having to switch out the transmission because a control cable broke and no cable being available.

Aaron

Retro Grouch 

Do the math. You can't make a living selling bearings and lube or individual spokes. The time that it takes to ring up the transaction will eat up whatever profit is in the sale.

New bikes, accessories and service are what pays the rent. If a bike shop has a significant stock of front derailleurs on hand, they'd better have a big volume internet sales operation.

Sixty Fiver

Good to have input from someone who understands the business... Keeping a large inventory was practical 40 years ago when there was greater cross compatibility between parts and no internet based supply of parts as there is now.

I understand why most shops carry a base inventory and will order specific parts as needed if those specific parts are not something that is going to fly off the shelf, front derailleurs are one of the least replaced items on a bike so do not expect any shop to carry a wide selection of these.

tagaproject6

When I order on line, I am supporting an LBS...it's just not in my locale. Go ahead and order on line...keep them in business

Paul Barnard

Thanks for a polite and informed reply. I realize that I am a bit of an odd duck with what I ride. There are 7 bikes in my house right now, and it would take 4 front derailleurs to cover all of them. But, 2 derailleurs would cover 5 of them. Your store is most assuredly overstocked on front derailleurs, but if you looked at every bike on your sales floor right now, you'd probably see a trend. You could stock one each of the most common ones and have the majority of the market covered. I realize that the configuration, color and price point combos can be dizzying, but I truly believe that with careful study you could stock in a way that doesn't tie up a lot of your precious cash and stands a good chance of meeting your customer's emergency repair needs.

Remember this. As long as you are making excuses, you are denying yourself an opportunity to improve.

Mobile 155

The LBS seems to still be alive and well in most places I go. It does seem like the super stores are doing better or ot least I see more of them. But the small stores have to have a different attitude and clientel. The oldest shop in our area does a lot of work on older bikes and city bikes as well as some entry level Bents and folders. But the truth is they must make most of their money off of servicing Big Box store bikes and BMX. The don't stock many tires but they have a wall full of bags, lights and other commuter and utility items. They are also one of the few places I have seen wooden track wheels for classic track bikes.

On the west end of town there is a LBS that used to do great business in Road and MTBs but they have fallen off and it could be internet sales. The bike store on the east end of town is a Trek store but they also have a machine shop and a complete wheel building staff. Internet sales have very little effect on their business. Performance has two large stores not that far away and they price match their internet prices anyway.

But think about how the internet has effected many brick and morter stores. I can't remember the last time I bought a book from a local store. Most books I read on my Kindle and if they don't have it I order from Amazon. My favorite LBS closed last October but that was because of the owners health issues. It did seem to revive two other LBSs in the area however. Still if I have time I might order something online. But if I need it today I will call one of the shops close to me.

russaroll

if i need something in a pinch like a tube, tire or a quick tune up or if i 'm in not in a rush to get a part i'll go to my LBS. i order most of my parts online, it's just more convenient. the other day i needed a cassette to put on a new wheelset for an upgrade i was doing. i wanted to ride the bike that week so i called an LBS that was on my way home and the had one it was said before, they aren't going to stock everything just things that are going to move more frequently.

Burton

Obviously the OP doesn't care. That certainly doesn't make him a valued customer either. But IMO if this is the OP's 'favorite' LBS and he's just now discovering that they have a limited stock of front derailleurs - they don't have much of a relationship.

But just for fun - there are some customers I'd personally prefer went to the competition so I didn't have to deal with them.
(1) The guy that bought some cheap piece of junk someplace else that's already falling apart and he's still too cheap to bring it to a decent shop for service so he's going to try to fix it himself. And being a totally unskilled bicycle mechanic as well as a cheapscate - the only reason he really comes through the front door is because he expects the mechanics to stop what they're working on just to give him a free course in how to fix his problem. Sorry - we're too busy.
(2) The guy that was stupid enough to drive over his own bike while leaving his own driveway. It was bought somewhere else but he expects that any shop should be simply delighted to write up, free of charge, an inflated evaluation / estimate so that he can collect a ridiculous amount from their insurance company. Sorry - it ain't gonna happen. The store has good relationships with a number of insurance companies and thats based on being fair and reasonable.
(3) The guy that can never get a low enough price. The bike is the last one in the store, already on clearance, already the lowest price in the city and he still wants a better deal - and also doesn't want to pay taxes. Sorry - come back tomorrow - it'll already be sold to someone else who might actually appreciate it.
(4) The girl thats decided to take up bicycling, spent days on the Internet 'researching' what makes a 'better' bicycle, but still has no clue what her own size is or if she really wants a road bike or a hybrid or a mountain bike. Sorry to disappoint you - the importance of graphics on a bicycle's performance is highly over-rated .... even if they do match your shoes.

As for things being sold out - it happens. Particularly with high volume items like chains, brake pads and bottom brackets when repairs are unusually high. Normally replacement stock has already been ordered, and its just a matter of a couple days anyway. Will be recieving another shipment of bikes on Monday and have sold out of one particulaar make and model three times already this year. Next time will be the last time because carrying extra inventory over to next year isn't a great business model. But selling 40 units of that one particular model and keeping hundreds of other brands / models on the floor during peak season should be a good indication of customer service - but it won't be to everyone. If you don't have what they want when they want for almost free - some people will still whine.

I-Like-To-Bike

Establishing a "relationship" with an LBS outside of a credit line seems a peculiar affect of certain LBS personnel with an inflated view of their importance and customers who are members of the LBS sponsored bicycling club.

I know I would have zero interest in ever stepping in a store with an owner with your self righteous attitude; let alone establish a "relationship."

Machka 

+1


And when we travel, and pick up new brake pads at a shop in Utrecht (The Netherlands), as we did the other day ... we're supporting an LBS too. Just not in our "home" locale.

Retro Grouch 

The world keeps spinning around.

WalMart is chipping away at bike shops' lower end sales. Bikes Direct is not only cutting into bike shop sales but also WalMart's better offerings. Trek and Specialized want bike shops to carry only Trek and Specialized stuff. Meanwhile internet dealers offer, US customers at least, an astounding array of parts and accessories at favorable prices with fast delivery times. LBS business plans are evolving whether or not they are aware of it.

So what's a successful LBS business plan for 2012? If the answer were clear cut, everybody would be doing it. OP thinks if keeping a stock of repair parts on hand isn't part of it, the LBS is of no use to him. While the margin on spare parts may be good, if the sales volume isn't there, it won't keep the doors open.

I'm thinking that LBS business models are in the process of evolving in three different directions: glitzy high end sales outlets, internet operations in which the store front is actually only a sideline, and dumpy, low overhead, repair specialists. If I were looking to immediately buy a front derailleur, I'd be heading for the low overhead repair specialist. The shop with the latest offerings from Trek or Specialized may be more fun to socialize at, but a major stock of repair parts isn't where their bread is buttered.

Machka 

The world does keep spinning around, and LBSs have to keep up with it. There's no going back or desperately hanging onto old ways of doing things.

Personally, I think that LBSs need to evolve along slightly different lines ...

1) Multi-sports shops. This has been done quite frequently in Canada where a "bicycle shop" becomes a "winter sport shop" for 6 months of the year. But it appears to have been done quite successfully with one particular shop in Edmonton which has several buildings for different sports, including one quite large building for cycling. Interestingly, the stuff sold in the cycling shop seems to cater a bit more to the commuting/touring market than the racing market ... which suits me just fine.

And MEC does a decent job of this. We've both purchased numerous cycling-related things from MEC shops, and have been happy with them.


2) Efficient service centres. Not necessarily small and dumpy ... I envision large and bright bicycle service areas. These won't stock much in the way of parts ... if you want anything beyond basic tubes and spokes etc., you've got to get the parts yourself, or perhaps the shop might order them in ... but they'll fix your bicycle, and they'll be good at fixing bicycles. You'll be able to take your bicycle there and trust that the mechanics will actually know what they are doing ... no matter if you bought the frame and parts from Ebay and want the shop to put it together, or if your bicycle is a 15 year old, well-worn mtn bike, or if your bicycle is a brand new Giant which needs the gears tuned, or if you need a tube or spoke replaced. Sadly, from my experience, this is, for the most part, still a dream ... but I see a market for something like this.

Personally, I've got my own mechanic now (Rowan), but pre-Rowan, I could have used a shop like this. I have been happily ordering stuff online for years, but it would have been great to have a shop where I could take my bicycle for tune ups, repairs, additions, changes, and whatever needed to be done, and know they were going to do a good job.

This sort of shop could train up young bicycle mechanics ... get them started on the quick stuff like changing tubes, and teach them how to be really good mechanics.

3) And shops that focus on internet operations. But even if a shop doesn't focus mainly on internet operations, shops should seriously consider having an online presence. It is so much easier for customers who don't live in the immediate shop area to look stock up on a website, or email the shop and ask if they have this, that, and the other, than it is to travel to the shop or phone the shop. But when the shop refuses to respond to emails ... it gets crossed off the list. And if the shop doesn't have a website with at least some indication of stock ... it gets crossed off the list.

As mentioned before, our nearest bicycle shop was about 100 km away. We would not make the trip to a bicycle shop unless we were sure they had what we needed in stock. And we weren't the only ones in that position. One morning, when our delivery guy was dropping off yet another online order at our door, he made the comment that he delivered quite a bit of bicycle stuff to various people in the area ... he got so he recognised the boxes. And the stuff was usually coming to Australia from the UK or New Zealand, not from a nearby shop, because we knew we could get the stuff from the UK or NZ.

Burton

oh my! Isn't that being just a little judgemental and self righteous of you?
Obviously YOUR concept of a "relationship" and MINE are completely different. No-one in any shop I'm aware of has any issues with anyone just looking or window shopping. And I do that myself because I make it a point to know what other stores are carrying so that if a customer is after any particular item - I'll know where to send them.

And I think you missed the point. There are several convenience stores and groceries in my area and I make it a point to know who carries what and what their hours of operation are - because when I need something on short notice - I need it.

Self righteous? No - that would be like me randomly dropping into the closest open depanneur in my neighborhood at the last minute (one that I wasn't familiar with) and then posting my frustration on the Internet that they didn't have exactly the kind of beer I wanted in the format I was after. Which is pretty much what this post was.

Your LBS is a Local BIKE Shop, whose primary business is selling and repairing bikes. Thats as different from a bike parts store as an automotive dealership is from an auto supply store.

Paul Barnard

You have a certain level of contempt for customers that I find quite disturbing. God forbid you should actually have to work to make your money in situation 4 above. When I was in retail I always enjoyed the challenge of trying to win a difficult customer.

Paul Barnard

That's not what the OP was complaining about. In your fog of contempt for him, you missed what he said. He said they had NO beer.