Tri JP

So I wanted to hook my bike shop up with some bidness today. I go in to pick up a little somethin' instead of just getting online and ordering it the quick and easy (and probably cheaper) way. I was completely prepared to pay more for it because of the warm fuzzy feeling I get from shopping at the local joint.

They don't have it. They'll have to order it. And they can't order it until "they've got a big enough order" or some junk like that.

I tell ya, folks... This hookin' up the LBS stuff tries the patience sometimes. Instead of getting this part by the end of the week it's going to be more like TWO weeks.

merckx89

Well you can't expect them to stock everything. And to place an order for one item would just be stupid on their part. They have to pay for shipping too, so many times you'll have to wait until they are doing their order already unless you want to pay for the shipping yourself.

dcbikeguy

I like my local shop, but I want what I want - and right now. I would have gotten it online. The dudes at the shop would understand.

IAmCosmo

I'm kind of in the opposite situation. I ordered a bike from Colorado Cyclist on March 7. I haven't received it yet. They haven't shipped it yet. They don't even have it in stock yet. They didn't tell me that when I ordered it, and I wouldn't have known if I hadn't called yesterday to find out what's going on. The guy I talked to was pretty much a jerk when I told him I was upset about it. I asked why nobody called me, and he said "we don't do that". I asked if he could not charge me for shipping or maybe upgrade my shipping no charge since it will be over a month since I ordered it until I get it. He laughed at me and told me I was crazy. I bought the bike there because it was a great deal. I sold my old bike to pay for it. So, at this point I've been without a bike for almost a month, with no end in sight.

My LBS has a bike in stock that is the same price (but lower end components, wheels, etc.). I'm really thinking about canceling the bike from Colorado Cyclist and buying it locally.

I've always supported my LBS in the past, but I bought this bike because the deal was "too good to be true". Turns out that's exactly what it was. I'm only shopping locally from now on.

mattm

out of curiousity, what magical gagdet don't they carry?

i think the "LBS vs. online" argument is really about buying bikes, not accessories.

support your LBS, or be screwed when they close (thanks to scambay) & you need a tube, NOW.

jcbenten

Life is a ***** people. You have to take control. If your LBS does not have the part, find another LBS or order online. Not much else you can do.

If you did not get an expected ship date when your order your bike online, you have no reason to whine. You take risk when you order high $ items online. If you are not willing to accept the risk, buy local.

operator

Most distributors have "minimum orders" to qualify for free shipping. This is why we wait for large orders before making it go through. Either that or you EAT the entire cost of shipping PLUS the cost of the part PLUS markup and you wait for it.

If you can get it cheaper than your LBS can after shipping, duties customs and tax, then by all means order it online. If you have a problem with said part, you're on your own. There's almost no way local shops can compete with places like Probikekit, where some of the prices on their parts is lower than COST to the shop!

JF1

I can't understand how PBK can sell some of their stuff so cheap and still have free shipping to the US. I ordered a tub of ASSOS chamois cream for $15 and bar tape for $4. Shipping from the UK has got to be at least $10 or so, right? I mean, I can't send those items from Salt Lake City to Denver for much cheaper than that. That would mean that I only paid around $9 for the actual goods. I just don't know how they do it.
I just hope they keep doing it!

JMT114

I would cancel the order just because the guy on the phone was a jerk.

skinny

Talk to Gina Flathers. Don't tell her I gave you her name. Look up the local number with google and contact her through that, not their regular toll free number.

logdrum

Best to curtail the need for bike schwag. Then you only buy what you really need from the LBS. If you pay cash, they might even discount the tax which kills most LBS deals.

Ih8lucky13

Wow, I would never order from them ever again.

I purchased a Guerciotti Force Cyclocross frame from Repartocorse.com, five minutes after I checked out the owner Ed called my house to notify me that the size I had ordered was all gone. He promptly offered me a more expensive frame for the same price.

Guess where I do my ordering from.

christama

They buy in large quantities, making their price lower than an LBS. They also seem to have a lot off closeout/offbrand stuff, which is cheap to pick up, even cheaper in large quantities. They just eat the shipping charges. If they can sell something cheap, and eat the shipping and make 15 bucks off a 75 dollar order, sounds dumb huh? Well, how many orders do you think they take a day? If they make a little bit off a lot of orders, its it all works out, where as an LBS needs to maximize their margin dollars per sale to make a profit.

logdrum

Courtesy of the Royal Postal Service, plus their packaging is not that great. Record cranks came in a manila envelope. Nobody does that in the US.

If PBK was selling musical instruments like Musician's Friend they won't survive from the returns on the merchandise.

Falchoon

While we are debating LBS vs online (specifically PBK) has anyone else noticed how low in stock they are of some stuff? There are 3 or more brands of inner tubes that have been out of stock for ages, a backpack I wanted is out of stock, arm warmers in medium nil stock just to name a few things. To be fair a couple of other online shops seem to be out of the same brands of tubes so maybe there is an issue with the supplier. I just hate paying 3 times the price to buy locally.

IAmCosmo

The expected ship date was 3-5 days from when I placed the order. After two weeks of them not shipping it, I called and found out what was going on.

Yeah. This was my first order with Colorado Cyclist. It will also be my last. I just called and canceled it, and I'm heading out to the local shops tonight to do some shopping...

SoreFeet

Do some homework and order from an on-line store that is not a big chain store. It amazes me that there are mom and pop stores that do such good service on-line.

prendrefeu

M5 brakeset, Tune Hubs, Tune Gum Gum, M5 crank arms, Alligator iLink cableset, any parts branded under 'Token', Velocity VeloPlugs, KCNC brakeset, DT Swiss 190s... Lightweight wheelset... SRM Power meters... I could go on. Point being, there are *a lot* of things most LBSs don't stock but someone would want to purchase. Heck, even if it's just a tube: I prefer tubes with a French-style long valve - most LBSs don't have this. (Performance does, actually...) but you get the point.

{another example: in doing an upgrade/rebuild, I wanted a SRAM Force RD. My favourite LBS does not stock this - heck, they barely stock more than the lowest-end RDs from Shimano... because that is the majority of their business. Most LBSs don't stock the individual components because the majority of their customers buy the WHOLE bike, not the components - and the few components they'll have will be 'replacement' type, not 'upgrade' type. So I went to my LBS, negotiated a price which I was satisfied with and worked for them - paid for it + tax, waited patiently for 2 weeks and finally got it. It was a choice I made, but yet another example of a fairly common part that an LBS would not have in stock.}

That's an opinion, and you can have that opinion. I disagree, however.

Support both as necessary to the benefit of all involved - including your finances, your patience, your LBSs prosperity, etc:. It's about finding balance in the whole process, not sacrificing your own needs for the sake of one side that can't readily compete with the other side of the game.

humboldt'sroads

I'm in the same dilemma. I want to replace my 105 25t cassette with an ultegra 27t - $60 online; $99 at LBS. I think I'm gonna buy from the shop, here's why:
1. Immediate gratification
2. Shipping would be $20
3. Installation would be $15
4. If it breaks....

Anything that I don't have to go to the shop to have installed or repaired, I'll buy online.

urbanknight

Although I don't expect them to stock everything, I expect them to have competitive prices on things that have to be ordered. For example, they didn't have a cassette in stock and said I could order it. However, it would take 2-3 weeks and cost full price at $79.99. An online retailer sells it for $49.00 and ships for under $7, $14 is I want it shipped 2nd day. Why would I pay $15-25 more to get it a week or two later? If the LBS is getting THAT crappy of a wholesale deal, they should just tell me they can get it in 1 week for $70, order it from bigbadonlineshop.com themselves, make the customer happy, pocket the extra $5 as profit, and work a better deal with the distributor.

On a side note, if LBSs really do get that crappy of a price break, wouldn't it be smart for them to band together in some sort of co-op to use collective buying power? Just a thought.

GeeBee650

I visited two local bike shops this afternoon. I'm looking to buy a cheap wheelset, possibly the Fulcrum 7s. I can get them online for $175 less shipping, but my LBS had them for $275. I can't justify that big difference.

I WANT to support my LBS, but they just can't compete with the online retailers. I will support them by having them build my bike and fitting me, and purchasing shoes, clothing, and less pricey accessories.

stapfam

Give the lbs a Chance to cut their profit and still make a sale.

Smaller purchases will always come from the LBS but over $100 and I will be looking online for it- Mainly to research what I want- but also to find the best deal. Then back to the LBS and they can normally come near the price online. Take shipping into account and they are not very far out. And on many occasions- they have steered me away from the item I was thinking of for a better or cheaper product.

This does mean the LBS looks after me. Just before Christmas and They knew I was looking for a new bike. The deal they came up with for a Known bike at a with a certain Drive was killer- and the test ride was- "Whats your size?- take the test bike and come back next week." Try getting that online.

JSellers

In deffense of lbs some companies they order from want min order or they charge extra. Some don't but they might not carry what you are looking at. If you are looking at a $50 part for them and min order is $200 they might get charge $40 more for small order. In this instense it is not worth it for them cause it would have to be made up by someone and if you only buy from them on occasion and online the rest go figure their thoughts. So that means more support for them means better support for you.

ezoons

1. True consumer speaketh
2. Chain whip + shimano cassette tool = 20
3. See #2. Takes less than 5 minutes.
4. Get real, it's a bunch of metal plates. Cassette issues are mainly caused by usual wear and tear.

Honestly, unless you can't tell a screwdriver from a hacksaw, you should do most of the easy repairs yourself. Learn your maintenance. It's not rocket science.

christama

Honestly, this debate will never end. People will take one side, others will take another. I myself, support local shops because I work in one, and I know how hard making money in one is. I also support them because since I was a child, I was taught to support local companies because they support you. When someone buys a part in the shop I work in, it helps keep us open. When I get paid, I spend money on local companies (the non-chain grocers and convenience stores and by avoiding Wal-Mart as much as possible). Keeping as much money in my local economy is important to me.