Bike shops discouraging new cyclists ?

[a.twiddler]

And yet...the most I've paid for any of my recumbents was just short of £400, usually less. I certainly would have paid much more at a dealer assuming I could find one. Due to patience, being in the right place at the right time, making silly offers ...and a lot of luck. Unfortunately with recumbents you tend to find out what you want (or don't want) by buying one, due to their rarity. The most I've paid for a used bike was for a Brompton, but they seem to exist by different rules. I'm certainly not in the market for a 1K anything.

People on this forum may scoff at BSOs but something like an older style non suspension mtb sold used would make a good starter for a beginner. Our local recycling centre sells bikes, not sure to what degree they're refurbished or warrantied. Even a local branch of Halfords has started selling pre owned models of their own brand stuff, presumably recent model trade ins from customers upgrading. A local bike shop that I use occasionally, sometimes has a used bike or two in stock too. So the market has responded to some extent to the needs of the impecunious.

 

[Punkawallah]

My FLBS sells only second hand bikes. Does a brisk trade, despite only opening this year. Getting concerned about hitting VAT territory. Much like that American chap, ‘Bike Farmer’, they find that there is a market for bikes that people can tootle about on, and don’t break the bank, rather than the latest, hi tech offerings. They also refuse to deal in e-bikes, sale or repair.

 

[NVR2L8]

1. Bike Shop.
2. Cycling Center.

They are different.

The Bike Shop does under $50 repairs using recycled parts to keep the 85 yo retired Post Man's Schwinn going, keeps small parts on hand and orders the expensive stuff on a cost plus basis for customers. They are the ones that put a mixed take off Sora/Claris set on a young hot shot's 10 yo $300 frame right before he slaughtered everyone on their five figure bikes in the local Crit Series.

The Cycling Centers are doing their best to put the LBS out of business.

Look for the LBS in the low rent district. Not the Mall.

PS If they have an Expresso Bar you are in the wrong place.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

1. Bike Shop.
2. Cycling Center.

They are different.

The Bike Shop does under $50 repairs using recycled parts to keep the 85 yo retired Post Man's Schwinn going, keeps small parts on hand and orders the expensive stuff on a cost plus basis for customers. They are the ones that put a mixed take off Sora/Claris set on a young hot shot's 10 yo $300 frame right before he slaughtered everyone on their five figure bikes in the local Crit Series.

The Cycling Centers are doing their best to put the LBS out of business.

Look for the LBS in the low rent district. Not the Mall.

PS If they have an Expresso Bar you are in the wrong place.

Exactly - last time my bike was in the LBS I said that one of the chain ring bolts was loose and wouldn;t tighten
he just replaced all of them with nice shiny ones and didn;t charge "because we always have them around anyway"

When I mentioned that I had broken a tyre lever fixing a puncture he just gave me 3 new metals ones - again for nothing "because we always have then lying around" - maybe they were from a rep but whatever it keeps me going back and paying for other stuff

I very much doubt that a "famous nationwide big shop" would do that without charging for every nut and bold

 

[Time Waster]

And yet...the most I've paid for any of my recumbents was just short of £400, usually less. I certainly would have paid much more at a dealer assuming I could find one. Due to patience, being in the right place at the right time, making silly offers ...and a lot of luck. Unfortunately with recumbents you tend to find out what you want (or don't want) by buying one, due to their rarity. The most I've paid for a used bike was for a Brompton, but they seem to exist by different rules. I'm certainly not in the market for a 1K anything.

People on this forum may scoff at BSOs but something like an older style non suspension mtb sold used would make a good starter for a beginner. Our local recycling centre sells bikes, not sure to what degree they're refurbished or warrantied. Even a local branch of Halfords has started selling pre owned models of their own brand stuff, presumably recent model trade ins from customers upgrading. A local bike shop that I use occasionally, sometimes has a used bike or two in stock too. So the market has responded to some extent to the needs of the impecunious.

Give me a shout if you find a new recumbent in a bike shop for £400!

i assume that most people in here are talking about new bikes in bike shops since this thread started about the attitude of bike shops to people looking into buying bikes that aren't high in price IIRC.

If you are comparing like for like then what price would the secondhand DF bike equivalent to the £400 recumbent cost?

My SMGT cost £500 IIRC. 20 year old touring bike. So if you look at a 20 year old basic spec tourer DF bike, how much? £500 might have been a little bit less than the original RRP so the DF used equivalent is likely to be less like they were when new.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

What is DF?

You’re new to cycling, hence why you don’t know?

 

[ColinJ]

You’re new to cycling, hence why you don’t know?

I'm not, but also didn't recognise the abbreviation!

 

[Time Waster]

The people on bikes at my old place think £100 for a bikes is expensive. They buy to get to work without the use of a car and cheaper than unreliable public transport. Often seen screeching along needing a bit of lube on the chain. When they take it till get something fixed it's almost cheaper to buy a new one!

They buy secondhand or new from a Smalley in lancaster. A cycle and pram shop in lancaster! Or I think just cycles now. They had one of those posh bikes for sale once, £450!!!!

Mind you, a few just get bikes fit a tenner from a guy in a pub.

There is a used bike shop in Morecambe, they opened a shop in lancaster when I commuted past it. I had a good chat with the guy about buying used bikes. Apparently he has to be strict about paperwork and ID when buying off someone to sell in his shop. As I was there a scrag end of a woman walked past pushing a £2k spesh road bike past. She offered to sell it to him which led to our conversation.

He told me about a senior police officer in uniform offering a bike up for sale to him. He sent him away saying he needed photo I'd, I'd with address and if possible a receipt for the bike. I mean he didn't trust a high up policeman without ID to trace him if it was dodgy.

The second shop shut and he is still doing well in the original shop. Last time I was there few was selling a big end recumbent trike with a lot of accessibility aids for an old guy (I might have misheard but I think the seller had only one leg). He was selling it for the guy not the business. Something to do with the seller buying it when his health deteriorated so he didn't feel safe on a bike but by the time he got it delivered new his health was too bad to ride it far. That was nearer £4k than £3k used!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Aren't new recumbent heading towards £2k plus

Cheaper than basic DF then!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I'm not, but also didn't recognise the abbreviation!

Which goes to show that the non cyclist does not have a clue about DF bikes either. They basically haven’t got a clue and will be guided by the shop assistant should they venture into a bike shop. What they end up getting is often dictated by what the bike shop had, rather than because that’s what they wanted.

The embarrassing thing is that non cyclists are moving about via recumbents virtually every day. They just don’t realise!

 

[PedallingNowhereSlowly]

I think the cycle industry has a lot to answer for. At least when it comes to new bike sales.

Most people don't need a full suspension MTB or carbon framed aero Dura Ace equipped road bike as their first bike or commuting bike. Yet these are the bikes most heavily pushed in their marketing - probably because they are the most profitable.

What the average person needs is something approaching a dutch style bike, that's fully equipped for running errands and commuting. These should be turned out at a good price so that the LBS can sell them. We are sort of getting there with some offerings from the larger manufacturers, but most of the bikes which are equipped and actually good are still too expensive. And these offerings are difficult to get hold of at the minute with most 2023 models in common sizes being out of stock and 2024 stock not being generally available yet. And the uptick in practical e-bikes is helping, but these are also too expensive and not actually necessary for everyone. E-bikes are sadly displacing conventional bikes in the ranges offered by some manufacturers, removing more affordable options.

The Government needs to step up too, cutting the tariffs on 'utility' and 'commuting' bikes imported into the UK and perhaps dropping the VAT on such bikes manufactured and assembled in the UK. It also needs to ensure the cycling infrastructure is really there - more safe and secure cycle parking, more education for drivers, more police to tackle poor driving and more investments in safe routes along key commuting corridors in every major town and city.

Selling and maintaining these types of bikes should be the bread and butter of most LBSes. Achieving a significant modal shift for journeys under 5 miles in a short time would overwhelm cycle centres and legislation could be enacted to give smaller concerns the edge in addressing steeply rising demand.

Larger employers - or at least local authorities and larger public sector employers - with large pools of employees commuting to work locations should perhaps be given financial incentives to provide and maintain bikes for employees to cycle to work with limited personal use - with contracts served by independant bike shops?

 

[a.twiddler]

As @Time Waster says, the non cycling public often think £100 is a lot for a bike. The few that did cycle to work at my last employer seemed to find old bikes for less than £50 and although they had the odd issue they seemed to keep going. Were they nice to ride? Did they change gear easily or make peculiar noises? I have no idea, but as the riders kept turning up come rain or shine they can't have been impossible to live with. Perhaps having the opportunity to ride a £250 Halfords hybrid would have caused discontent to set in, as it would be like a carbon racer by comparison.

I still see the odd old "catalogue bike" parked round town, Townsends and similar so the bar must be set fairly low as far as what people are content to get around on as cheap, reasonably functional, non enthusiast transport. Although we are in Cheshire there are a few stiff hills if you want to get across town, so something like a non suspension MTB or hybrid with a good range of gears seems to be the thing. Our local bike shop closed several years ago so you have to travel now to see bikes, although someone has started up selling what look like refurbished bikes in a small way, open limited hours, recently. I keep meaning to pop in and have a look when they're open.

Inexpensive transport for ordinary people seems a simple idea, but most bike shops, probably caught between a rock and a hard place, seem to have more specialised bikes on show.

 

[Dogtrousers]

I think the cycle industry has a lot to answer for. At least when it comes to new bike sales.

Most people don't need a full suspension MTB or carbon framed aero Dura Ace equipped road bike as their first bike or commuting bike. Yet these are the bikes most heavily pushed in their marketing - probably because they are the most profitable.

I'm going to hazard a guess that "most people" don't buy a full sus MTB or an aero DA road bike as their first or commuting bike.

We hear a lot on here about "marketing" and how it's to blame for this and that, but if I look around I see precious little evidence of it. Where is this "marketing" of which you speak which is baffling first time buyers into shelling out for a carbon framed DA bike when they really need a hybrid.

Actually "most people" aren't all that stupid. They'll go to Halfords or maybe Decathlon for a budget first purchase. Not some niche hipster outfit.

 

[PedallingNowhereSlowly]

TicToc, Instagram, Facebook, e-mail marketing, posters in bike shops.
And it's also present in what the bike shops (and cycle centres) have available. Putting a bike on display in a shop is marketing.

What's in the window of all the local bike shops I've walked past lately is all very high end and competition inspired.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

TicToc

Is that like TikTok but for cyclists?