Abe_Froman

I've read that too about less sex overall.

The general consensus seems to be that society is changing, and not for the better. Increasing inequality is demanding that households have two earners, and that each works harder and longer than in decades past. As noted above, this leaves less time for 'fun,' of various types. It seems social media is having an impact as well that is not completely understood yet.

Abe_Froman

Your previous post, as well as this one, did not dignify a thought out response with counterpoints so much as it required a swift condemnation.

Edit: by the way, thank you for your attempt to insult me based on relative socioeconomic status. You may now consider me put in my place. Thank you for that. Would you care to make any racially denigrating comments about me to make sure I stay there??

downhillmaster

Psimet2001 

FWIW - most shops don't stock much of anything most enthusiasts want that day BUT almost everything can be had within 1 day. It's the main reason I don't stock much.

We've gone the same way as Heritage and Rapha in that we have places to come in and hang out and we have a full service coffee shop in the shop as well. We just don't even bother selling bikes on the floor. We sell bikes but they are special order.

Psimet2001 

Some of the booth/tables are semi-comfy. I've "had" to go there a few times because of my involvement in the larger community and they have begged to have all sorts of events there. I skipped the CCC party last weekend though.

In general I think Rapha is pretentious - but it works for them. I just don't have much of a reason to hang in a store that would never have anything in my size and acts as if the neighborhood values just dropped because I walked in. Also they let Jen go and as a long time supporter of Jen and her efforts I have to greatly oppose that move - even if it was led from Corporate.

Abe_Froman

I have pretty much the same view of Rapha...I generally wouldnt buy their stuff just based on principle alone, regardless of price.

I wish you werent out in East Des Moines, I'd like to stop in lol

Psimet2001 

I hear that all the time even from my own team. If it helps we are on the Fox River Trail.Start a ride from here - end it here. A lot of people from the city do that, but I do understand.

mstateglfr 

This guy! I like this guy. I request to see more from this guy and less from many others.

Abe_Froman

I might this summer. I've sort of resolved to start going further out for my longer solo rides this year. Getting a bit tired of doing north branch trail, Des Plaines River Trail, and Prairie Path over and over again.

mstateglfr 

Ha- if you only knew East Des Moines, this would be a funny reference.
And here I have often wished his shop wasnt out near the North Pole(Santas Village) because when I am in town visiting relatives(west burbs) or where i grew up(Arlington Heights), I would love to see this magical shop. Even though i dont drink coffee and cant afford the wheels. I could shop around for a soft good or two.

Abe_Froman

I think this is 2 votes for Psimet opening up satellite locations and giving wheels away for free

I feel like this is an unexplored business model in the bike world that could use some real world research. Reducing revenues while increasing overhead.

PepeM

The main thing that I like about bike shops is that they are the place where rides usually begin. I also bring my bikes in for repair/maintenance once in a while, since some times I rather pay for someone to do it than spending the time doing it myself. Apart from that, I just buy the occasional consumable in there.

Dan333SP

Correct. For people that ride bikes. I'm pretty sure you do not fit into that category.

PepeM

So true it hurts.

Sy Reene

What's the story with, while not necessarily online ordering, buying a bike from an LBS that may be somewhere else in the country and having them ship it to you?
As a case in point, you have this 'helpful' Giant site (see snip below), that shows me the nearest location of this bike, that is available in chosen size and color, is almost 400 miles away. Per the site, I can add to cart, and think I can pay for it, but do I have to go pick it up as it indicates? Is it allowed by the bike companies for an LBS to sell me this bike eg. over the phone (if not the internet), and then ship it to me?

If not, the manufacturers aren't doing the LBS shops any favors much in helping them ensure that they clear their floor inventory.

DomaneS5

What about Generation X? The forgotten generation.

burnthesheep

A few things:

1. My boomer parents eat at freaking Chilis and my whole life ate box mix trash from the convenience cooking section of the grocery. Both would snub their nose at true "cuisine" with any kind of flavor, technique, or proper prep as being too "uppity". Enjoy your Chilis. We cook using real whole ingredients. We don't eat at chains.
2. The local car club average age excluding Porsches and Corvettes was mid 20's around here for ages. Average age in our local cycling groups is probably about 35.
3. We have kids. It's kind of sad that a generation has to define its self worth by its ability to procreate. Procreation without a thoughtful followup on the parenting is what's getting us further along the path to where we are. Also, the idea that a truly middle class family can have a stay at home mom like the boomers did is kind of dead. I've no problem with people not wanting to raise a bunch of absentee parent daycare kids to cause problems later. No problem with daycare kids, just saying that if given the choice between an involved parenthood and an uninvolved parent set with more money from 2 jobs.............I think its a noble choice to not have kids.
4. Boomers liked joining fraternal organizations that millenials don't. Largely, boomers had more time to do so. Millenials increasingly share a more fair load of the house chores and child rearing than any male boomers I saw growing up that sat on their ass reading the paper and watching TV each night. Millenials also suffer the reverse of boomers. Boomers enjoyed pretty good work hours, increasing wages, increasing productivity. Millenials continued the trend of productivity but the hours and wages are getting worse. Wages have been flat since the late 70s versus inflation, look it up. Productivity peaked in the mid 2010's I think. I was already working and paying taxes by then. So don't blame me. We don't have time to join the local "Lodge" so we can go drink beer all weekend and watch bowling on TV.

Just IMHO. Just remember also, opinions are like ass holes, everyone has one and it usually stinks.

#4 isn't opinion, it's based on facts presented in the statistics and book on human capital "Bowling Alone".

Abe_Froman

Not much to argue with here. I sense this is destined for P/R, but yea as a society, especially in regards to quality of life, we're going backwards. It's a shame, because it's something that can be stopped if we decided to tackle it as a nation.

Seattle Forrest

I bought a set of Enve wheels from a shop 200 miles away from me. In the winter when they close the highway (for up to 7 months a year) it's 250 miles. They offered to ship them to me but I used their arrival as an excuse to go visit the area.

Thomas15

Some, including me, might see the decline in the LBS as apart of the overall decline in western society.

My better half and me raised our two kids mostly on my paycheck, right up until our youngest entered 2nd grade, and then we were home for them when the school bus dropped them off at the curb. As far as bicycles go, we never felt at ease letting them ride the streets in our south jersey semi-rural town. Too many nuts driving like fools. What we did was put the bikes in the car and too them to a park or the school yard. 15 years earlier I was riding my bike literally everywhere. When I was a kid bike riding was fun and adventure and this was how we expressed our freedom. As a parent, bike riding for my kids was a project and a chore.

So what is my crusade? Just look at things like dual purpose riding trails. We have a major rail trail right here where I live, I use it and enjoy it. But the cost? Not just tax dollars but it is the government deciding where you may or may not ride your bicycle. How else do you explain a running/bicycle recreational trail that costs on average $100,000.00 per mile?

Our kids go to public school and if they don't feel like working then they are not held accountable. We spend truck loads of money and get little to show for it except our kids know all about diversity.

Getting our kids outside to ride bikes (or practice a musical instrument, go fishing or learn a martial art) is a real struggle when they rather play video games.

Another thing is both the government and along with society in general is basically sanctioning the excessive use of addictive recreational drugs. There is some kind of rehab program for just about every single abuser situation you can imagine but still there are record number of ODs and OD deaths and it doesn't seem to be slowing down. We call it a disability and send the abusers paychecks, we organize memorial fundraisers in their memory, we blame it on the drug and not the user.

Don't get me wrong I'm not saying that we should do nothing to help but we need to take a good hard look and see what works and what doesn't act accordingly. We talk about loving and respecting our fellow man but our actions suggest something different. We need a reset/reboot.

Abe_Froman

You're right. You are advocating a reboot. Right back to all of the proven as failed crime and drug policies of the 80s and 90s. Going backwards 30 years is not the way forwards.

FlashBazbo

Nobody necessarily forgot about Gen X. Gen X is like the middle child. Nobody cares about them.

FlashBazbo

Wow, there's lots of self-pity going on in this thread. And lots of "the old days were so much easier!" Every generation feels they've got it the worst and every generation feels the previous generations had it so much better. Neither is true. (Do any of us really want to live in the "median" middle class house from our parents' or grandparents' generation? What? No central heat and air conditioning? No Internet? No "smart" devices? No, we don't. We consider them beneath us -- substandard housing, now.)

It's all a matter of priorities. If you want something badly enough, you will make the sacrifices necessary to see it happen -- whether that's raising your kids yourself on one income or owning all the latest gadgets or taking a European vacation every year. Not many people can afford to do everything. Something has to be left out. No generation has EVER been able to have everything they wanted. So, to accomplish anything in life, every generation has to establish its priorities -- what to leave in and what to leave out. And, quite naturally, those priorities change from one generation to the next. In one generation it might mean foregoing that second income and the nicer home, newer cars, better vacations that two incomes can provide -- in order to raise their own kids. In another generation, it might be downsizing the family in order to be able to afford the better things in life. That's all we're seeing here. How people spend their money and their time is the best indication of what's really of paramount importance to them.

The LBS has benefited from the Boomers for a very long time, in part, because Boomers made sacrifices to be able to buy bikes for the kids. Now, the Boomers' kids have flown the coop and the Boomers can afford the luxury of nice bikes for themselves. They sacrificed to be able to afford kids and now (hopefully), that sacrifice is over. They can splurge -- and, let's face it, for nearly all cyclists, any bike is a luxury item. Boomers, for decades, supported the LBS (or the hardware store that sold bikes) as a side-effect of making kids their priority.

The Millennial generation is now in the midst of their "what's really important in life" sacrifice. So most Millennials are spending their income on other things -- dogs, experience travel, technology, student loans, etc. (One thing the Boomers and the Millennials have in common is a "Yuppie" culture that liked/likes to spend money to impress their friends. We would never have heard of BMW if the Boomers hadn't had their indulgent period, too. The Millennials are still spending like Yuppies.) And bikes -- a luxury item -- haven't overcome those higher-priority, higher-cultural gravitas items yet.

DomaneS5

Proud member of Gen X here.

Old enough to remember record stores when they stocked vinyl and 8-track tapes
Seeing Star Wars episodes IV-VI as a kid
MTV when it played music videos 24/7
Vividly remember life without cell/smart phones, internet, GPS
Atari 2600, Intellivision, ColecoVision and Nintendo game systems
Arcades of the early 80's
Commodore 64 computers
Was college-aged when last good revolution in rock music occurred

CliffordK

Bike shops are a tough business.

I've done all of my bike repairs since... I don't know, back in the mid 1970's. I used bike shops as a source to purchase bike parts. And, occasionally an "emergency purchase". But, even back then, we had Bike-Ecology, and Bike Nashbar, big paper catalog companies to drool over.

But, I really don't think I ever got "good service" from the local bike shops. I mean, it was OK, but nothing that was ever exceptional, and some of that may have been on me using the LBS as a parts store.

If only we had E-Bay back in the mid 80's. Bike Forums (or a bicycle online newsgroup).

The biggest shortfall... I've always been a masher (getting better lately). But, I could never buy the right gearing at a LBS.

What I have discovered is that I can get better service for my needs on the web (that is, if companies didn't spend so much effort in trying to make their products unavailable to consumers).

With the imports, bikes have become a disposable product. Ride it until one gets a flat tire, toss it and get a new one.

The bike shops that will survive will be those that cater to a wide variety of customers, from those on a shoestring budget, up to those who wish to hire someone else oil their chain on their $10K bicycle.

If only bikes can make that leap to being mainstream for the college professors, doctors, & etc. The professionals who have more money than time.