Cycle Surgery to close . . . . ?

[Pale Rider]

My local bike shop does quite well with 'free' fitting on components and accessories.

The bit might - or might not - be a pound or two more than online, but the customer appreciates being saved the time and trouble of an online delivery as well as any possible fitting aggro.

I've done a few shifts in the shop.

Most customers are not the least bit interested in the various models of a particular component, they just want to get sorted.

If a customer wants a tyre, all he cares about is it's round and black and will stay inflated for longer than it won't.

The shop does well with Schwalbe Land Cruisers, they fit the above criteria, have a bit of tread which the customer likes to see, and can be sold fitted for a sensible price.

 

[roley poley]

It's not just price, it's range. "Standards" have exploded to the extent that a bricks-and-mortar store can no longer carry a meaningful range of parts. Most things have to be ordered in, so we cut out the middle man and order them from a warehouse ourselves.

30 years ago, a headset was a headset and a BB was a BB. 40 years ago, derailleur gear parts were pretty much compatible (6 speed chain, any mechs, any shifters!).

I like the simplicity of a bike and user serviceability over time, the more bits ,the more incompatibility and complexity its nice finding yummy new shiny stuff but the variety blows my mind let alone the tradesman whose spectrum must be much wider with overheads LOVE A GOOD LOCAL BIKE SHOP if you can find one

 

[Fab Foodie]

In contrast, Halfords are doing very well on the back of bike sales....

 

[bladesman73]

You've contradicted yourself there. The second part is true, shops are closing because people are not using them. That would happen whatever the economic system.

What I meant was, shops have to be the flavour of the month, every month, otherwise they end up in trouble. Any slight drop in trade and many are screwed. If rates and rents were lower they would be able to survive times where footfall drops. Larger companies are ruined by greedy shareholders not happy when they need to expect lower returns on their investments. That is why the system is broken.

 

[rogerzilla]

There are "vanity" shops in richer towns that almost certainly make no money. My theory is that a rich spouse buys it to keep his/her (ok, his; they're usually knick-knack or lifestyle emporia) other half occupied and happy. If you own the freehold, business rates are your main overhead and you can exist on a very small turnover as long as the shop isn't too large.

Doesn't really work for bike shops, which need to be physically bigger and are pretty much always run by men without a rich City wife!

 

[Venod]

I find them expensive and have never bought anything there, as pointed out above the one in Leeds in is the wrong place for a bike shop,
I find Evans and Halfords have moderated their prices lately, I have just bought a well discounted bike from Evans + a Gore top it was in the sale and my local Evans had 20% off on top of the sale price, also I needed some Stans Fluid, Halfords was the cheapest by far.

 

[roley poley]

all becoming conglomerates evans owned by sports direct ,cycle republic by halfords . Edinburgh bike co-op not. Many options are out there. You chose the best you can and if you are far from a LBC buy on line. Leeds has many more to pick from than other areas .Ask around

 

[DRM]

I find them expensive and have never bought anything there, as pointed out above the one in Leeds in is the wrong place for a bike shop,
I find Evans and Halfords have moderated their prices lately, I have just bought a well discounted bike from Evans + a Gore top it was in the sale and my local Evans had 20% off on top of the sale price, also I needed some Stans Fluid, Halfords was the cheapest by far.

i think if I had been planning the layout of Cycle Surgery in Leeds, the trainers would have been downstairs & the bike shop where the trainer shop is.

 

[robgul]

i think if I had been planning the layout of Cycle Surgery in Leeds, the trainers would have been downstairs & the bike shop where the trainer shop is.

Ah, but it's all about margin and putting stuff in front of the customer - much higher margin for trainers from a greater footfall, and they just walk out of the shop! IGMC

Seriously - that probably really is the reason for the shop plan.

Shop planning is quite scientific - for example : Sports Direct has the till right at the back of the shed to get you past everything else.

Rob

 

[Nebulous]

Parent company says that the business is unsustainable
https://road.cc/content/news/270347...ed-down-owners-declare-business-unsustainable

Some interesting comments below that article. Is this simply a reflection on what is happening to retail everywhere, with a move online? Or is there something different going on?

Cycling is still very popular and is being promoted to varying degrees by most councils to take cars off the road. I think we may have passed the peak mamil / enthusiast stage, and many people are now looking for bargains. We’ve also had a huge hit to consumer confidence as evidenced by overall retail figures, and high-end cycling gear will be disproportionately affected by that. I read an article recently saying the 10 grand barrier for a bike had now been comprehensively smashed, which seemed a world away from the one I live in.

I’ve gone from moving up from Lidl / Aldi clothing to more expensive stuff, to not feeling the need to buy any more at the moment. I haven’t bought a bike for over 2 years and don’t see that changing anytime soon. The only thing that would tempt me would be titanium for comfort over long distances and Planet X are selling a titanium bike with ultegra for about £1760 at the moment. In the past that might have seemed irresistible, but now it’s just naaahh......

 

[Nebulous]

In contrast, Halfords are doing very well on the back of bike sales....

Specifically e-bikes. That is one very bright light on the horizon. We’ve seen people going from despising them, to taking an interest, to becoming enthusiasts. I’ve seen a forecast of something like 130 million sales in the EU over the next 5 years.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Specifically e-bikes. That is one very bright light on the horizon. We’ve seen people going from despising them, to taking an interest, to becoming enthusiasts. I’ve seen a forecast of something like 130 million sales in the EU over the next 5 years.

Our LBS says they are selling like hot cakes compared to any other bikes....

 

[NorthernDave]

the one we have in leeds is also combined with snow and rock ,its down stairs in the cellar away from direct sight of the street customer nice people behind counter but they could do with a bit more foot fall from passing trade will ask how things are when I next wheel by

The one in Leeds is in a peculiar place, I got my Giant Defy from them, had to shoulder the thing to carry it out of the store cx style, up a staircase with three turns in it, the accessories/clothing seem quite expensive to me.

I also bought my Giant from them, but wouldn't buy another bike there.
Why?
Well when I was deciding, the sales lad was excellent, going through everything etc - I really was impressed by his attitude.
However, they had to order my size and that's where it all went wrong.
I've posted before about their many failings so won't go through it all again, but I was within 30 seconds of telling them to shove it and walking out leaving the bike behind. A matter that wasn't helped by further failings in the set up coming to light later, and their customers relations team failing to follow up when I raised it with them.

Other than that, as said above, the Leeds store is in the wrong place, and in the basement and they were expensive for anything not on promotion.

 

[Nebulous]

Our LBS says they are selling like hot cakes compared to any other bikes....

I know somebody who drives a £500 car, whose last bike several years ago cost £190, who has just spent £1500 on an e-bike.

 

[ozboz]

I never bought anything from cycle surgery, I visited four of them over the years, Fulham closed some time ago , Wandsworth have a Decathlon a hop and skip away so that would not help them, the ones on central London were a bit pricey for my liking , if I needed something in hurry I would go to one of the Evans shops in Central , but going off that two Evans have closed in West London possibly the some of the Central stores may have also gone, I do not work down there anymore. On line sales can save a lot of money if there is no hurry , though I wasn’t impressed with Tredz , they state they will do price match , when I was after a an 11-50t cassette they agreed to it , then reneged on it , Merlin were spot on, and I saved over £ 50 compared to the local shops for the same Item ,