back in the 70s my LBS (in Belgium) had a sign in the window proudly saying he would not service bikes he hadn't sold. Didn't last long of course
A local shop has survived on that principal for more than 30 years near me.
back in the 70s my LBS (in Belgium) had a sign in the window proudly saying he would not service bikes he hadn't sold. Didn't last long of course
The cycling scene has changed in the last decade. Shops that move with the times will thrive, those who don't will die. You've got to do more than just flog bikes and bits now, proper bike fits for one, catering for female cyclists in ways other than just offering them a pink bike and getting involved in popular activities like sportives are the way forward.
Seems like these old family bike shops will continue to die out as long as the living is so meagre because nobody wants to inherit a struggling business. I know of one that has closed recently in Clitheroe and another that's about to close in Ramsbottom, the latter because the owner simply isn't making a living in the face of competition from the internet. To add insult to injury people often buy parts on the web then ask him to fit them. On top of that he can't get any decent bike brands because there are already bigger local dealers.
Only the bike supermarkets will survive thanks to economies of scale and a few independents that make a really big effort like Green Jersey in Clitheroe, or shops like Harry Hall in Manchester or Ride On in Rossendale who benefit from high footfall. .
it kinda summed up the impression I had from my dealings with the shop (whether rightly or wrongly) that it was just there to cater for the 'proper' cyclists, bit of an elite shop. If you asked me to explain why in all honesty I couldnt, just an impression formed :-(
Still sad to see any LBS hit the wall tho...
My only experience of M Steel as a customer: I walked in wearing all the gear and wheeling a £3500 mountain bike (which were few and far between in the North East in 1995) I wandered around. Twice. Even loitered next to the counter, in an effort to capture some eye contact, but all four of the staff members studiously avoided engaging with me. Not so much as a glance in my direction. It wasn't even that they were a road bikes only shop, they had a line up of custom built Yates' mountain bikes.
Obviously you can't judge 20 years of a bike shop's existence on the basis of one snapshot visit. But it stuck with me. I use the experience in bike shop retail staff training to this day.
Looking more to the future, where I live (Skipton, North Yorkshire) there are two small, independent, cycle maintenance operations within 3 miles of me. Neither do much in the way of sales (although they will order components for you) and neither sell complete bikes or accessories. However, the spanner wizards (they are so much more than "mechanics") who operate them really, really, know their stuff and are happy to fit and service components you have bought elsewhere.
Maybe this is the future of the LBS in the UK?
I’ve said similar on this site before.
I don’t really get the ‘pop into your LBS for a coffee and a chat’ thing. I’d draw an analogy with barbers shops - when I go there I want my haircut, I’m not bothered about drinking coffee, free wi-fi and playing computer games.
It’s so easy to buy bits via the internet, from anywhere in the world, normally at well under the price a LBS would charge, then fit them yourself. If, for whatever reason, you need / want someone else to fit them, then the small bike repair places that are opening up are now filling the void left by the relatively large LBS’s.
There’s one such place near me. They sell a few secondhand bikes and keep stock of basic consumables, but will happily do repairs and fit parts purchased elsewhere. Which is just what I want from a local shop.