I don't understand the negative stigma that bike shops have w/ "customizers"

[Bicycle808]

I knew it. The high wheel-building prices most shops quote are just to chase us out. $1/spoke? What kind of spokes are these?

The sad reality is, whether you want to or not, your shop is competing with online retailers. So, now, customers are aware of what kind of gouging is going on-- and has been going on for years before online sales of bike parts began. Yeah, make your money on labor b/c that's the one area that niagara and amazon etc can't compete on.... but chargin' a dollar each for spokes that cost you a less than a quarter each is pretty much tantamount to begging your former customers to shop online.

That your 60s middleweight guy was willing to pay for that wheel to be rebuilt, at those viciously inflated prices, is enough to make me wonder why you're complaining about him. He's probably your best customer.

 

[deven_science]

I knew it. The high wheel-building prices most shops quote are just to chase us out. $1/spoke? What kind of spokes are these?

The sad reality is, whether you want to or not, your shop is competing with online retailers. So, now, customers are aware of what kind of gouging is going on-- and has been going on for years before online sales of bike parts began. Yeah, make your money on labor b/c that's the one area that niagara and amazon etc can't compete on.... but chargin' a dollar each for spokes that cost you a less than a quarter each is pretty much tantamount to begging your former customers to shop online.

That your 60s middleweight guy was willing to pay for that wheel to be rebuilt, at those viciously inflated prices, is enough to make me wonder why you're complaining about him. He's probably your best customer.

A dollar a spoke seems to be right on the standard for all the bike shops in my area.

 

[Bicycle808]

Yeah.... and brand-name stainless spokes start at a quarter each, including nips, online. Much cheaper for of-brand, plated stuff.

So why would anyone buy from the lbs?

 

[dracothered]

You are just going to the wrong LBS. We have two near me and the one is way better than the other one. Though this wasn't the case about two years ago, they were both so so. Then I would say about one and half years ago the management changed at the one shop. They are so much better now and Ratt bike friendly to. Though when I am in there just flapping my gums and they get another customer in there I get out of the way and wait. I don't buy much there and mostly just get a few things done there I can't do or haven't taken the time yet to learn. They aren't the typical bike snobs that you find at the LBS.

 

[Bicycle808]

Let's not get it twisted; I used to work at my LBS, which is 2 blocks away, and they don't charge me a buck/spoke. But I think they do charge that kinda price for most customers...which probably explains why they're so slow.

If you try to make ends meet by gouging the few customers you have left, you'll lose those, too... and then what? By acknowledging that most of the bike customers do shop online, and therefore online retailers are in fact among the competition, local shops could possibly do better if they actually chose to compete. I'm not suggesting matching prices, but maybe charging between 3 and 6 times as much for the same item ought to stop? Maybe just charge 1.5 times as much? I've been in that QBP book, so I know what "cost" is. If the rest of your overhead is really that high, and you really have such a dearth of customers, that you can't charge modern prices? Maybe the writing is on the wall, then.

 

[DJ Bill]

With the price of heating a shop, renting the space, employees, and now crazy health care, it is surprising bikes don't cost as much as a car.

Any repair business is going to mark up parts, we used to do 2.5 x the parts price at an engine shop I was in.

And the parts stores we bought from were also marking up parts at least 1.5x......Figure out what a spoke would cost from your local automotive shop. Online prices are wholesale, what a parts store would have bought for.

Then compare the labor rate to your local independent car repair shop.

I honestly can't figure out how any LBS makes money without selling high end stuff and accessories. The local neighborhood Schwinn shop of the 70's would never make it today, even if you adjusted pricing for inflation, if my math is right.

Add to the equation all the hobbyists with 20 bikes on their front lawn on nice days, the Ebay and Craigslist flippers, and the antique shops selling the random cruiser or two, and I think you can see where the neighborhood bike shops of the 70's all went. As well as the neighborhood shoe shop, the local sewing machine guy, the small welding shops, the used tire places, etc. Small business is BRUTAL nowadays. Either you charge the heck out of the few customers you get or you disappear. It's survival, not intentionally ripping off the customers.

 

[American Vintage Bicycle Supply]

I've been thinking about this topic some more and actually went back to the original thread title: "I don't understand the negative stigma that bike shops have w/ "customizers" ", and would like to ask how many people here would go to a new car dealership to get parts for their Rat Rod truck? Or would you go to Best Buy looking for parts for a vintage amp? On the other hand, should that parts guy at Ford be a jerk because he doesn't have window visor for a Model A in stock? Should the Geek Squad laugh in the face of the dude wanting to fire up his tube amp for the first time?
I think the answer to all of these questions is "No".
So what it boils down to is that I shouldn't expect a modern high end road bike shop to have correct parts for my Shelby Airflow. I did resto mod my Flocycle with modern parts, but I didn't waste my LBS's time explaining to them what I had when I needed a chain, I educated myself on what I needed and I just went in and said "I need a single speed chain." They said, "Here you go, they are 12 bucks plus tax." I paid them, said "Thanks" and left with the chain.
I guess my point on this is that its a two way street. If we want our LBS to respect us, we need to have some respect for them as well. Like most people they probably will be impressed with your end results if you build up a quality build, but if you ramble on about why your junker is better than their Cannondales, they probably will turn a cold shoulder to you next time.
If the balance is kept, they may end up on a Rat some day, and you may eventually ditch your rusty Nel Lusso for a Trek.....

Great point. This should be the last point made on this thread. Nothing else needs to be said.

 

[ctaccruiser]

AMEN

 

[Bicycle808]

Nah. If a particular LBS is operating under an unsustainable business model, then maybe they shouldn't fight fate. Rooking their customers at viciously inflated prices won't change the inevitible. I, for one, am not going to pay 4x the prevailing price at a shop out of some feelings of "charity". Fact is, when I donate to charity, I tend to select an actual charity rather than a shop that can't pay it's electric bill without gouging their customers.

 

[American Vintage Bicycle Supply]

Alright...This thread needs to be done. Plenty of opinions to read here without adding anymore.