Jet-man

uh, try checking the rating of the sellers before you buy anything there champ. I've purchased many items on ebay ('prolly 15-20) and never had an issue w/ any of them.

but yes, supporting a LBS is a good idea - just that around DEN, unless you go to Performance or Excel, the prices are fricking outrageous.

Downshift

I really need to move near one of the magical LBS's. All we have here is overpriced junk that never goes on sale, pushy sales people, poor fittings, and very limited choices (unless you call picking between Specialized, Trek, and Giant a choice). And that is with 3 fairly large stores in town. I'm all for supporting local business, but not when they don't sell what I want or have good service.

DrPete 

Agreed. My fiancee and I had an eye-opening experience with LBS's when we started shopping for a bike for her. She's very new to cycling and doesn't feel comfortable riding on the busier streets around said LBS's, so we asked if we could take a bike out to a more secluded area for a test ride. We offered to leave ID, deposits, etc.. All shops said no. One shop did offer an extensive fitting sesion, but none of them would allow one of their bikes off the lot. On top of that, when both of us went shopping, all of the LBS employees would talk to me... about HER bike. We even had one guy tell us that we'd know everything we really needed to know about a bike's fit with a single ride around the parking lot. Sheesh.

The really ironic thing is that for advice on fit, the ability to take a long test ride, and free stem exchanges/fit guarantees, etc. we bought her a Flyte--online, of course. The guys at Flyte were a phone call away for fit questions, and their online fit guide made fitting the bike pretty easy. And they have a 10-day, no-questions-asked money back guarantee. I had great success with my Flyte SRS-3, and the experience has been excellent with Mollie's bike.

DrPete

crazyb

As an independent retailer, (not bicycles) we are always very interested in what our clientele see as our shortcomings. Have you talked to any of these shops management staff and described what you are looking for? Maybe they sell brands of bikes they don't stock. They may have a special order system that rivals your online stores performance. There is nothing magical about good customer service, don't be afraid to tell the retailer what you are looking for. They might be able to fill your request.

nobrainer440

I have bought about 150 items on ebay, got screwed the very first time cause I didnt know what I was doing. Since then, no problems. I just never buy from anyone with less than a 99% feedback rating.

Bob S.

The thread title is: 17 reasons to shop your LBS.

I prefer to keep things simple & use the time honored male shopping guideline: Frequent the stores where the female sales associates are most attractive. That's the best way to part a man & his $$$. Hooters bikes anyone???

Serpico

my preference is

1) lbs

2) obs


I know how much something is before I go into lbs, if it's a the same price, a slight markup or a markup that is worth it (ie convienience, time saved waiting for shipping, being able to see the product, markup is same as shipping would be) I will always buy from them.

I found Dura Ace pedals at a website new for $181.00, lbs had them for $235.00. I can't justify buying from the lbs in that situation.

jemoryl

Wow - the OP has had some very bad luck with auctions. I have bought a lot of bike gear on eBay (and via mailorder, including overseas) and have never had a serious problem. In one case a seller took his sweet time shipping the item out (it was a new 53t Chorus 10 spd. chainring that I won for about $12 - he may have been POed that it didn't fetch a higher price, but he set no minimum....). And in another case an inexpensive jersey had a rather strange fit; I wound up giving it to a differently shaped friend.

Otherwise I'm really enjoying the bike I built around a $1500 frame for which I paid $600 (new). None of my local shops (and there are many) sell this particular brand, so my chances of taking a test ride were nil. If I had to rely on these shops the caliber of my gear would be much worse and/or my cycling budget would be 2 or 3 times what it is now.

DrPete 

I've also had very good luck on ebay, even with used items. I just picked up an Aliante Carbon for $113 because the tail of the saddle was scuffed up, all very accurately depicted in the auction's pics. The seller also had a 100% feedback rating. I assembled an entire mountain bike from parts bought on ebay, and I had no problems.

17 bum items? It seems almost statistically impossible.

DrPete

Downshift

Sure I've said something to the managers/owners of 2 of the stores. Problem is, they aren't always around or don't care. There are plenty of other people who are willing to put up with their crap.

Here's a few tips if you want my buisness:

1) Don't hire 18 year old kids with hardware in their lips.
a) If you do hire them, make sure they aren't all standing around talking to each other, and ignoring the guy with the checkbook in his hand.

2) Educate your employees. There are other brands out there besides the ones you carry.
a) It will also help you avoid idiotic statements like: "We don't like to sell bikes that have carbon and aluminum bonded togther. They always come apart causing a crash. You should really look at something like this Cannondale Six-13 we have on the rack."

3) Sale shouldn't mean marking something down from $79.99 to $77.99. I mean really, what's the point?

4) Carry a selection of bikes, and allow people to actually ride them further than just the parking lot. I have never understood why everyone says don't buy online, you won't know how it rides. The first few bikes I bought from my LBS, I didn't know how they rode. You take a bike off the rack, adjust the seat a bit, and let me spin around the parking lot? Just what the hell am I supposed to learn from that. I takes months to get a bike tweaked just right, even with a so-called professional fitting.

I could go on for a while, but I'm not trying to argue this LBS/online stuff. I have my mind made up, and I am sure most everyone else does too. All I am saying is that the LBSs in my area lost my business. Rude employees, overcharging for parts ($128 for a 105 RD? c'mon), and lack of selection. If all of them went out of business, I wouldn't care a bit. I can order 2 tubes when I need one so I have a spare. It's not rocket science to keep a stash of stuff around.

oilman_15106

What are you implying? That I work for an LBS or something. I own 3 energy related small companies and have nothing to do with any LBS other than I have found that I could have spent about the same money and assuredly less time shopping there than on ebay. The post about the crap LBS earlier in the week got me thinking about this. Every one of the items I listed is 100% true. I guess if you buy a $400 carbon fork and it comes in a box that is not even taped shut your a satisified buyer? Why would you put up with shoddy service like that? I don't. End of story. The items I listed represent about 15% of the total purchased. A 15% reject rate is about what you expect when you buy like this?

When a seller lists a NWT Jacket it should not mean New With Tear. In this case the seller knew full well about the condition of the item. I ended up with a discount, big deal. Had to get a patch kit. Apparently your time has no value or you don't work and have lots of time.

rvabiker

Wow, way to be an arrogant stereotypical pissy *******. I'm young, have tattoos and probably look like the kind of guy that you'd stay away from at the bike shop. I'm also an eagle scout, college student, and petty officer in the USCG. I probably know more about bikes than most people on this forum. The fact that you'd pass judgement before talking to me reflects very poorly on you (oh and I'd probably have "hardware" in my lip if the Coast Guard would let me).

aadhils

I would'nt bet on it...

VeloLisa

I've only seen one female employee in an LBS ever!

rvabiker

Where as I might know the latest info on the SRAM group, I could school some people here on riding, fixing, and abusing a bike in the real world. There's a lot of hot air here(some of it coming from my direction) and you have to learn to take things with a grain of salt.

roccobike

The central North Carolina area (around Raleigh) is LBS heaven. There must be over 20 LBS's within a 30 mile radius, maybe more. With that kind of LBS population density, there's no room for inept mechanics or sales personnel. I would rate my LBS experiences, over-all, as good to outstanding. Yes there have been one or two wrinkles, but I don't stop doing business with an LBS because of one mistake.
As for ebay. Yes I use it. My first selection when I log on to the cycle section is 'Distance closest'. I try to buy from local cyclists and defer to local pick-up. I've NEVER been burned locally. I've had one terrible experience with an a_ _ _ ole from Texas and a mediocre experience from another, all the rest, I got what I paid for or better.

Downshift

stereoTypical alright. Typical overreaction. The reason the Coast Guard doesn't let you have hardware in your mouth is because it is unprofessional. Plain and simple.

I am 30, have a partial body suit, and a Lt. in the US Navy by the way, so please don't get preachy.
I don't stay away from your type, I am your type, but it doesn't change the fact that unprofessional, ill-kempt employees reflect poorly on your business.
And no one is passing judgement on you. Are we a little defensive? It seems you are the only one passing judgement.

Besides, if you go back and look, I said these are my reasons that I choose not to shop at these stores. I am entitled to make any judgement about anything I'd like to.

sctrackboy

Bike shops around my area are pretty good about fixing your bike. There are about 7 or so LBS in my area so prices aren't really high and the mechanics really know their stuff. I try to shop between the 3 local bike shops and tell them that this item is x amount at the other, they will call to verify, give me the item for that price with a discount usually! Shopping around LBS has an advantage. If you want to buy an expensive item, shop at a few LBS to compare prices and tell the salesman that what you can get it for somewhere else. They do not want to lose business to a another local LBS so they usually match the price (if you are nice to them and shop there alot, they will usually give a discount on top of that). that is the best advice I can give to you guys!

Bob S.

That's the benefit of knowing where & when to shop. Bob

Jet-man

I'll bite RV. If you choose to look like a punk, then you cannot be surprised that people will treat you like a punk - or not even give you a chance. It's called reality dude - like it or not - so don't act all surprised.

The tats and S on your face are likely a cry for help - I'm sorry for whatever happend to you as a child - the good news is that you'll someday get over it.

rvabiker

A Lt.? It all makes sense...

Downshift

That's too funny!

ViperZ

That is a serious Charlie Brown Ebay experience... Unbelievable

I have had good luck on Ebay, and it's one of my main bicycle shopping centres. My Litespeed Project was built with a high percentage of sellers from Ebay (frame, wheels, saddle, CPU...) with no negative experiences. I have bought clothing, Home electronics, car parts, Photography equipment, Astronomy equipment, Computer parts.... With only 1 negative experience from a car parts dealer.


Maybe you are just finding the wrong sellers. Feedback alone does not guarantee a good transaction. You have to read between the lines, study the photos closely, and read each word carefully.

That said, I would gladly buy at my LBS, if they were not 50% higher in pricing (most times they are) and if they had the selection the WWW had (most times they do not).

patentcad

The only reason to shop at your LBS is because you WANT to. You owe them nothing. If they do their job right (like mine does) you'll give them ALL your business. Out of loyalty and wanting to support them. Because ultimately a great LBS beats Colo Cyclist hands down, and can get you anything they can - and match or beat their prices. Which is what mine does. So why NOT support them? On the other hand the local bike shops closer to me are run by guys that are dropped on their heads. So I buy the occasional inner tube there just because it's convenient.

There are good LBS's and awful LBS's. Shop the good ones. And I still buy some stuff (not much) mail order.

Here are my biggest gripe with the LBS's that suck around here:

• Rarely having anything you want in stock. Like 90% of the time. No matter how routine (I've had this happen with everything you can imagine at one shop, that's why I never buy there) "But I can get it for you". Great. I can get it via UPS from Nashbar myself you idiot. I want it NOW - that's why I'm HERE.

• Never budging on price whatsoever, even though the mail order places are cheaper. Throw me a bone *******. I'm here with my money spewing wallet to leave some with YOU.

• Not helping you out in a pinch - when they know you're a hard core daily cyclist - because they're 'all backed up'. Duh. Every bike shop on the planet is 'all backed up' with repairs in May. The good LBS's (like the one I frequent) will slip my bike in there for 15 mins. when I really need it and want to get my rig back on the road.

Having stuff in stock, cutting you a slight break on price (my LBS gives m 15% off everything) and helping with quick repairs - THAT's the kind of thing that engenders customer loyalty. Gee. I've spent about $10K at my favorite LBS (Shop A) over the past 18 months. And a few hundred bucks here and there at the ones that I don't like (Shops B). So who gets it here A or B? Catering to the customer's needs. What a concept. But an elusive one for MANY LBS owners.

HPS

Unless your a qualifies mechanic, who do you get to install, repair, and maintain all the "stuff" you buy online? Please don't tell me you take it to your LBS.