Brompton moving to Halford

[rogerzilla]

Brompton must have made a mint from Cyclescheme. The price of an M3L very quickly crept up to the max voucher value.

 

[Kell]

It's an interesting point about the British Cycling discount. I'm sure I read that Brompton are very aggressive towards dealers trying to give any form of discount on the bikes.

Also, as others have said, with all these things, different stores have lots of different pluses and minuses. My Brompton dealer seems good on the surface, but the only major work I've had done was rebuilding the rear wheel and they got that wrong as they laced it incorrectly.

It's also currently a month and a half wait to get a bike serviced there, so it's impossible to book anything in if you need your bike on a daily basis. AND they don't take in bikes on a weekend or open early or late so it would require me to either be very late for work or take a day off.

They have very little stuff in stock and it seems to take an absolute age for them to order it in. Whereas I can go online to Brilliant Bikes and get it delivered the next day.

I really want to use them and help support local business, but they're not making it easy to do it. It's really no wonder so many local businesses are closing as they've failed to keep up with modern life.

With a lot of this stuff, it's just as easy to watch a youtube video and learn to do it yourself. Going back to the reference about headlights, our old Audi A6 was a pig to remove the bulbs and if one went on the driver's side, it meant the airbox had to come out to gain access. One Halfords did it, but I took it to another and they couldn't figure it out. I ended up doing it myself. Took a good hour the first time, but once I knew what I was doing, it only took about 15 minutes.

 

[FolderBeholder]

It's an interesting point about the British Cycling discount. I'm sure I read that Brompton are very aggressive towards dealers trying to give any form of discount on the bikes.

Also, as others have said, with all these things, different stores have lots of different pluses and minuses. My Brompton dealer seems good on the surface, but the only major work I've had done was rebuilding the rear wheel and they got that wrong as they laced it incorrectly.

It's also currently a month and a half wait to get a bike serviced there, so it's impossible to book anything in if you need your bike on a daily basis. AND they don't take in bikes on a weekend or open early or late so it would require me to either be very late for work or take a day off.

They have very little stuff in stock and it seems to take an absolute age for them to order it in. Whereas I can go online to Brilliant Bikes and get it delivered the next day.

I really want to use them and help support local business, but they're not making it easy to do it. It's really no wonder so many local businesses are closing as they've failed to keep up with modern life.

With a lot of this stuff, it's just as easy to watch a youtube video and learn to do it yourself. Going back to the reference about headlights, our old Audi A6 was a pig to remove the bulbs and if one went on the driver's side, it meant the airbox had to come out to gain access. One Halfords did it, but I took it to another and they couldn't figure it out. I ended up doing it myself. Took a good hour the first time, but once I knew what I was doing, it only took about 15 minutes.

Sounds like this LBS is crowded with service work on bikes sourced elsewhere (internet?). Not everyone can, or wants to DIY, so in my estimation the LBS’ business model needs change to service only, or mostly, and thrive within that realm vs. doing a mediocre job in service AND sales.

Im a major DIY’er but for certain things Id rather part with some money, vs. time (and knuckles) to have done. The seat-post packing would be one of those things for me. My closest Brompton dealer BTW is over an hour by freeway away....

 

[steveindenmark]

I am now going to do a complete U turn and support the Halfords move.

I went to an authorised Brompton dealers in Arhus Denmark today. In the shop was the owner and the mechanic. The owner started to serve me and then his phone went off and he spent the next 10 minutes chatting to a friend. In the meantime the mechanic was handing over a new Brompton to a customer. He was clueless as to how to fold it. When the boss got off the phone I wanted 3 innertubes. They had one Brompton inner tube in the entire place. I cannot see how Halfords could do it any worse. Give them a chance.

 

[mjr]

I am now going to do a complete U turn and support the Halfords move.

I went to an authorised Brompton dealers in Arhus Denmark today. In the shop was the owner and the mechanic. The owner started to serve me and then his phone went off and he spent the next 10 minutes chatting to a friend. In the meantime the mechanic was handing over a new Brompton to a customer. He was clueless as to how to fold it. When the boss got off the phone I wanted 3 innertubes. They had one Brompton inner tube in the entire place. I cannot see how Halfords could do it any worse. Give them a chance.

Clearly someone who hasn't enjoyed a halfords where the staff are on those flaming headsets all the time!

 

[rogerzilla]

I went in a Brompton dealer this morning and, again, no inner tubes. IME the Schwalbe AV4 tubes aren't that good - they just spontaneously let go at the seam and are unpatchable then - so I always need a couple of spares in.

 

[steveindenmark]

I wonder if Brompton send people out to do spot checks. I doubt it.

 

[further]

Clearly someone who hasn't enjoyed a halfords where the staff are on those flaming headsets all the time!

What ?

 

[Ming the Merciless]

I reckon this deal will fold.

 

[mjr]

What ?

Local halfords branvh has staff wearing headsets when I last went in to buy car headlight adjusters. They might be talking to each other. They might be on the phone. I can't tell. Awfully rude.

 

[further]

Local halfords branvh has staff wearing headsets when I last went in to buy car headlight adjusters. They might be talking to each other. They might be on the phone. I can't tell. Awfully rude.

OK