roadfix

Learn to ride a fixed gear and I will become your friend, regardless of politics....

timmhaan

awwww... and the love never stops. even on the internet. hey, no exit - maybe you're right? maybe there is something to this internet thing. seems as good as meeting someone in person, right?


i kid, kid.

jeff800

So your mad because your mom and pop's video porn business went tits up and you have no place to lay around and drink your frilly coffee mocha locha snuffa cheapo crappy java.

Ok maybe that's not it. I try to support the local small business because I am a small business owner. I also want to see my dollar go as far as it can so I will shop for a good deal. I like good service and when I walk into the LBS he remembers who I am and his prices are pretty resonable. What I don't like is Walfart that place just sucks.

No Exit

does riding an bmx type bike as a kid count?

No Exit

I dont care so much about the blockbuster thing. I rent from blockbuster now. It was merely an example of people valuing different things. And I drink black coffee... maybe some sweetener in it.

About Walmart... i cant stand them either, but if I need something quick that cant be found in an economical and timely fashion, it is my last resort. Im not going 20 miles out of my way, burnin a gallon of gas and spending more just to spite the store. I dont fault others for shopping there, I just dont prefer it for myself. I dont like the crazy lines, the people with their shoeless kids running screaming down the aisles knocking things over and running into me. I dont like the slovenly people and their terrible service. But for those who have a better Walmart in their area or more tolerance for those things, it might be the right place for them to shop

wetjett01

well, i agree... not all LBS's are sunshine and lollipops no matter what others out there might think. the people at the LBS near me treat me like an idiot and snub there nose up at me when i tell them what i'm wanting to do with my bike/current build project. they just make me feel ackward when i'm walking around the shop. i have no idea why but they just don't give me "that i'm here to help you because i appreciate your business" feeling. why would i want to patronize a store where i'm made out to be a fool and spend more money than i would from an online outfit and just get the answers i'm needing from people like there are on this forum or other places on the internet? i'm not saying all LBS's are like this and by no means am i saying to not patronize your bike shop if they're good people and it makes you happy. i'm just saying i understand the other side of the argument and to throw in my own thoughtd

CastIron

Exactly.
I go to my LBS for service. I'm seeking a relationship of sorts and I accept that this level of service may cost a bit more money but have greater rewards. Pity it's such a rare concept of late. OTOH, I ***** about Performance/Nashbar having little to no service but come back for the xx% off coupons.
Bottom line: If I'm expected to pay retail, I better get good old fashioned retail service. Not ass kissing, just proper service.

fmw

It's the same in every business. Around here there aren't any good restaurants. People prefer to go to Applebees or Panera or whatever. Applebees doesn't even cook. They just microwave IQF meals and serve them. That's what people want, I guess. The locally owned restaurants are dropping like flies. I rarely go to restaurants any more.

Bontrager

What about us that see independent films?

fmw

Speaking of the LBS. We have three of them in our area. I went looking for some Shimano 10 speed chain pins and some light tubes for 700X23C tires. I don't think these are rarities. One LBS was closed (why not, it's Wednesday) and the other two had neither the pins nor the tubes. I did buy a new pair of cleats for twice what they were worth at one LBS and then had to go home and order pins and tubes on line. I wish I had ordered the cleats too while I was at it. I just didn't want to waste the trip. Who needs an LBS like that? I don't. It's no wonder I've had to learn how to maintain and repair my bikes myself. Imagine having to depend on one of those. What if they had to take a Shimano chain apart?

fmw

And the coffee is as bad as it is expensive.

warrenevans

Well I beleave that some of the stores that cater to a certain topic be it a bike shop or a pet store or a model train store or a Radio controled car store. they seem to not help someone who dosen't know lots about there topic as much as they do with someone who comes in and knows everything. I don't know if they hate helping noobs or what but this I something I have noticed.......maybe its me.

CPW

Support whomever you want but don't b!tch when you need a tube cuz you just got a pinch flat in your last one and you have to wait for the UPS truck to bring your internet order. It's absolutely a personal choice.
My only problem w/ internet shoppers (I'm one too for l;ots of stuff) is when they go to the LBS, test ride the bike, ask a ton of questions, waste the saleperson's/owner's time, then order it on the net to save $30. That just ain't right.
Personally, I like brick and mortar for most of my purchases.
CPW

KeithA

It all depends on cost, service, availability, credibility, and comfort.

Sorry, but I'm not going to spend literally twice as much for something just to kneel down to a local brick and mortar type store. On the internet, I can find pretty much what I want for a decent price. I have one favorite bike shop. They do all my servicing, but I don't believe they have a road bike in their shop. They're filled with mountain bikes, a couple of hybrids, and a lot of kids bikes. I love the guys though and they provide excellent service as they themselves are roadies. One of the co-owners is the one who told me to get the Motobecane I ordered late last week. He said he could order me a Jamis road bike, but that would be $2600. He's the kind of small shop owner I like. He's honest, friendly, and always happy to see us go in. My 13 year old is going to be graduating from her Trek kid type mountain bike to a Jamis Sport hybrid pretty soon and he'll definitely get my business there, but he knew and I knew that his shop couldn't touch the price I got on the Motobecane. He knows that I'll, with thanks, have them do any servicing or repairs I need on that bike or any of our other five bikes. They've done it for years. We also purchase a lot of things directly from him, pumps, tires, tubes, tools, etc.

Some dealers I've met, though, have only tried to get the cash from my hands. We've all read threads by people who have been treated like crap by dealers, some whom they've dealt with for years including purchasing their bikes there. I'm sure this isn't the norm, but it still exists.

For the record, I am already stashing away money for a couple of years down the line to make a bike purchase at another local dealer should I feel the urge to upgrade. It would be from a very high end bike shop and I fell in love with one of their bikes. I've been into his shop a few times and he fully understands my situation and that a future purchase is a big maybe. Still, on a bike like that, I'd want to have someone local who really babied it...and I trusted.

KeithA

I can't tell you how strongly I agree with this.

USAZorro

That would really stink. My advice - look for the shop that's been around the longest with the original proprietor still there.

I agree with your original premise though - no point in supporting your LBS if there isn't something in it for you. That just isn't reality in my neck of the woods. Where I shop, it isn't hard to notice that my business is appreciated, and that I can get great advice and guidance from the guys who work there. I'm happy to drive twice as long to get there and pay a little more for tubes and tires in exchange for that. In return I get to pick stuff out of the catalog to special order if they don't have it in stock, and get to rummage through the boxes of spare parts in the back when I need replacements.

lisitsa

[QUOTE=No Exit]
It wasnt an analogy. It was an example of businesses that gave way to newer things that had more of a demand.
QUOTE]

Isn't that why all our bike shops are full of comfort bikes and dual suspension mountain bikes? Its not always good for an LBS (most being a specialty store) to conform to demand, cause demand in this case is for people who don't know much about good quality bikes. If the LBS's fully conformed to demand, they'd have kmart specials and lowriders.

My area is heavily demanding singlespeeds and fixies, but frankly theres no shop yet that caters for that category of bikes.

Looneytuna

I am a big internet purchaser.. for electronics, bike clothes, bike parts ets.. but when I purchase a complete bike, I buy it from my local LBS.. not to support him, but because they service me and treat me as a good customer. I have friends that buy bikes and stuff from a higher priced ship in NYC, but they do it for the service.. the guy drops the stuff off at their work offices, and sometimes doesn't worry about getting paid on the spot. An LBS is for convenience and service and as a customer we should be be able to walk in and be serviced. I have gone to other LBS's and they rarely make an effort to help customers.. so they didn't get my business..

On one of my group rides are 8 guys with 8k bikes each.. 6 were bought from the LBS in NYC and 2 from my LBS, but the local LBS where the group ride takes place didn't get the sale.. WHY? because is just wasn't interested in catering to a bunch of Roadies with little knowledge at the time.. Now he sees us quite often ride by his shop and it has to eat at him that he lost out on 65K in bikes.. Oddly I was in there a week ago getting some clothes as a gift and he was real nice and offered me a discount.. I geuss he realized that being nice is the way to get customers to return.

Totoro

Let's see if I got the analogy right. LBS=porn shop. Performance=blockbuster.

BTW: I wonder if our local bike shop has a Swedish section in the back. LOL

Longhorn

I often do just the opposite -- research various products online and then go to the LBS to buy. Whether I buy online or at the LBS depends more on convenience. If I want the product sooner and I'm headed to town, I'll go to the LBS. I don't think I would buy a bike online, though. I don't know enough about them.

TexasGuy

Probably the best example of supporting your local business, one that does not exist in San Antonio.

I need a 4 inch PVC pipe.
I could drive out to my local hardware shop and ask if they had anything lieing around. Chances are they probably would and I pay next to nothing because I come in and buy stuff all the time. I can't just go to Home Depot or Lowes and do that.

It really is up to the small business to create that atmosphere and community however. I know lots of small local businesses that are as bad or worse then the big boys. I don't shop there and would sooner see them go belly up to avoid seeing them rip off more people.

FatguyRacer

The Internet.

Dinstee

I shop at my LBS for several of the reasons mentioned above. To me it just feels good to have a strong customer-business owner relationship with my LBS and also a good personal relationship as well. Heck, who else is gonna serve me margaritas after a good night ride? Sure isn't gonna be Nashbar or Performance!

Alekhine

I get bike parts from the internet because most LBS shops don't stock valid loaded touring bikes or touring bike parts - we're just fringe customers to them because we're really atypical riders. So if I have to wait a week to (go) get a Brooks saddle that costs $20 more than one that I can get online in 3 days (delivered to my home), well...you figure out the rest. It's just classic middle-man stuff. Grow your own.

One of the beauteous things about bicycles is that they are really pretty simple mechanically. If you practice wheelbuilding and tinkering and you buy the Park tools megakit and maybe get hold of a Barnett manual or Sutherland's, you can (and should) figure out just about anything. I don't feel like I need an LBS at all now unless I'm buying odd trinkets or emergency items, and even then I go to REI half the time.

Do I feel some ethical obligation to go to the LBS? No. As I said, their whole marketing racket has excluded my type of riding from the equation, so I in turn shall continue to exclude them due to simple efficacy. Nothing personal. If that changed, though, I might consider using them more.

glade

I buy my biking equipment over the internet because I don't have an LBS. The closest bike shop to where I live is 35 minutes away by car, and its not even local, its a chain store. The closest true LBS is about 50 minutes from my house. Therefore, I can't justify the drivetime, gas expenses, etc, to support an LBS that isn't truly local. There's a guy in my town that does repairs, tune-ups, things of that nature, but is not a shop. He gets my business for repair type things that I can't do myself, but for gear purposes, 99% of it will be bought online. It's just simpler that way.