the local bike shop will never be able to compete on price with...

....the huge on-line / mail order retailer that is making money on volume of sales rather than profit/sales unit, and enjoying more competitive margins due to mass purchasing from suppliers, or even going direct to Asia and buying end-of-line stock or previous years stock

if a local bike shop tries to compete on price, they will kill themselves as they have to make enough margin to survive

if you cut your margins you can "retail" at the same price as the on-line / mail order retailer but you cannot "compete" as you are running at a tiny margin...this is one thing that killed Wades Cycles


there are things that a local bike shop can offer, that an on-line retailer (or mail order retailer) can never offer due to their location being far away from the person placing the order:

1)special orders - making sure you get the EXACT item you need for your bike (i.e. chain device)

time and time again, I have seen people place their own orders and get the wrong chain device or part for their bike, then have to send it back and get another one, which adds to the cost. then you have to pay the LBS to fit it, as not all chain devices are easy to fit, especially if you are kack handed with the spanner, this then eats into any saving you initially made!


2)workshop - fitting headsets, cranks, chain devices (often bought from the on-line retailer!)

you can guy a chris king headset cheaper, but then you get charged to fit it, and the cost is sometimes higher or the same as if you had bought it from the local shop!!

or you have to buy a tool to fit the item you bought on-line, which again eats into your cheaper price you got the item for

if you buy a product at retail price, many LBS will fit it for free. if you buy it from your LBS at a discounted price, bring beer and cake, otherwise don't expect it fitted for free!

buying a discounted item from a LBS and expecting a free fitment, kills their margins as they have already discounted the item..workshop time costs additional money!


3)wheel building - with free re-true / tension check after a month.

you can buy wheels mail order, but who will re-true them after the first few weeks of riding? your local shop, which you have to pay to do this work. most good wheel builders will offer a free check after a month, with your mail order wheels you then end up paying more to have your LBS do this work


4)warranty back-up (try mailing your frame back to the on-line retailer).

I would never buy frame / forks / wheels from mail order / internet as these are more complex items that can develop problems and require workshop time / warranty.

if you have to send a frame back to the mail order place...costs $$ eating into any savings you have initially made, and the time / hassle compared to taking it in person to your LBS and having someone to moan at when it takes weeks...rather than email / telephone!


5. operating a local club / building the scene

a good LBS can be a focal point for local riding scene, they may sponsor riders in your area or the club itself, offer discount and workshop services to the club, build trails (like Freeborn did with Esher Shore), help organise trail building days, etc.

LBS invests in the local scene because that helps the LBS grow, your mail order / on-line retailer doesn't even know where your local scene is!!

What makes a good LBS?

Forget prices, they can't compete. When you buy something from your LBS, you should be paying for the item, the chance to see and hold the item before you hand over money and the assistant's knowledge of the item. That's what makes it better value than anything the online stores offer.

IE, if the local bikeshop doesn't have the stock or the expertise, they're removing my incentives for going there. My good LBS has both in buckets.


Being friendly, welcoming. I have three local bike shops. One is a large chain that employs the gormless. A seance would be a better way of communicating with thier staff than having a conversation.
  One local bikeshop who were at one point very good have fallen out of favour of late because they're simply rude. The owner is a really nice bloke, but his son and wife are so far up themselves that it beggars belief.
  My good local bikeshop is always friendly, employs friendly staff who know thier beans and are never rude.

Workshops:

If my bike leaves your workshop with the same problem i sent it in for, i will be angry. If you charge me double what windwave charged you for what amounts to a warranty issue, i will be angry. If my bike comes out of your workshop with grease on the brake rotors, i will be doubly angry.
If however, my bike leaves your workshop with the requested work carried out properly for a fair price, with possibly a note or an explanation detailing any immenent maintainance issues that i wasn't aware of, i'll not only be pleased with the attention to detail, i'll probably send the business your way.

Wheelbuilding:

If i'm going to pay a premium for your wheels over say, chain reaction's (whos wheels have gotten damned good in recent times) then you had better be known as a good wheelbuilder. If i find out my wheelset was built by the shop boy cause he needed something to practice on, i'll be upset.

Giving something back:

Even if it's just bringing cake to the trailbuilders, or helping the local club get team gear. They've got to give something back. Doesn't take a lot, but it instills goodwill.

My LBS IS the best LBS in the WORLD (probabaly).

He'll price match any site, free fitting on everything, keeps great stock, ben, the guy who runs / owns it is 19 and always up for a laugh, he rides himself.

And theres a room in the back with a sofa, DVD player, stereo ETC for if you just wanna go and chill.

Think everything has been said. Fortunately Glasgow seems to have a lot of good bike shops.

There's the chain shop which has loads of kit and decent staff but takes workshop bookings a week in advance at times.
There's the smaller shops with one brand as their principle high end brand and other stuff to keep the money coming. Easier to get into the workshop. One operates a club.
Lastly theres the shop out in the hills where I take my wheels, does some MTB stuff but it's mostly wheels or road oriented.

You would think with that many shops in the one area they would be tripping over each other but I can't say I've ever personally noticed this. The staff generally know someone from another shop (all being riders) and send you on to a competitor if they can't help you or you're in a rush. Any will happily give you advice over the phone when you make a stupid mistake rebuilding your bike and you can usually get a decent chat when you wander in.

Cheap/ handy as the online guys are thats just something they can never offer...

In cardiff this place is called Cyclopedia!

Fantastic!

I wish my local one was like that, all i get out of them is a look down the nose as i dont run a High end mega expensive bike but i still spend alot (in my wifes terms) on my bike!

knowledgeable staff who are willing to help and give advice, wide range of availible goods or the ability to get alot of products when you want them and not ripping you off for a service!