Why going to your LBS in January and February is the greatest idea in the history of the world!

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I go to see the newest products out there and usually to buy tubes and tires to support the store how I can. But I can not afford their prices on bikes.
If Local Bike Shops want to get their prices down on purchases. They could start and join a Bike Shop Association. Buy in larger yearly amounts in the form of their own CO OP. If someone does not understand that concept , Sorry.

I also enjoy looking at the bikes in the repair row. ready to be sent back out to the customers. Some of those are Really cool.
 
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I go to see the newest products out there and usually to buy tubes and tires to support the store how I can. But I can not afford their prices on bikes.
Well, the socio-economic angle is yet another incentive for going to your LBS; the lines are shorter for that reason too!
 
You can typically get some good deals around this time of year, too. I gotta stop by the LBS (oops, sorry, let me type that out for the sensitive ppl: "el bee ess") soon, and see what's what. I missed out on some good deals on some SE bikes, last year....

BTW, I struggled so danged hard trying to figure out what a "CO OP" was. Why can't ppl--oops, people-- just type out "cooperative", so we can understand? :rolleyes: The internet is replete with abbreviations. You get to this site, which many refer to as RRB, by going to www.ratrodbikes.com; guess what? The "www" stands for world-wide web. The "com" is short for commercial. You're on the interwebs; congrats! You've finally stepped into the 90s. Most of us got used to the lingo, jargon, and abbreviations in a hurry... almost 20 years ago. :android::113::rockout:
 
I have to imagine that this thread probably applies a bit more to us northerners :D.

But yeah, I was talking to a guy at my LBS just before the start of winter and he said "I'll just be happy to make enough to pay my bills this winter". That said, this has been the nicest winter I can remember, so I'm sure he's done alright for himself.
 
Good point, plus it seems to me that there are more and more year-round commuters. Winter is a good time to sell accessories like fenders, cold/wet-weather clothing, and parts that get killed by the salt (eg, chains).
 
And don't forget their biggest guns in the winter, ie (id est) fat bikes. The giddiness on their faces when they stock those up in the fall is almost scary, because they know they've got a few nice paychecks on the way.
 
And don't forget their biggest guns in the winter, ie (id est) fat bikes. The giddiness on their faces when they stock those up in the fall is almost scary, because they know they've got a few nice paychecks on the way.
Yeah? That's cool, although it's not (yet) the case around here. I don't see many fatbikes, and the ones I do tend to be bikesdirect versions. Maybe that'll change, but South Jersey hasnt gotten a whole lot of snow these past few years....
 
A couple of days ago the LBS owner told me that three years ago he ordered five Fat Bikes, it took months to sell all five (he thought he was going to take a loss on them) – fast forward to this year and his shop has already sold 50 of them – just before Christmas when his shipment of twelve more came in he sold most of them still in their boxes!

There is nothing like riding a bicycle in the snow – although she’s not a Fat Bike, Miss Fit is a phat bike to ride in the snow! :)

MissFititllbeawhile001_zps2544176b.jpg
 
Yeah? That's cool, although it's not (yet) the case around here. I don't see many fatbikes, and the ones I do tend to be bikesdirect versions. Maybe that'll change, but South Jersey hasnt gotten a whole lot of snow these past few years....

Yeah, and the interesting thing is that we don't have that middle ground here (the bikesdirect-level fatbikes). Which is especially surprising since Sun makes a mid-price-level fat bike, and everybody here stocks through J&B Importers.

But in any case, you can go to Wal-Mart and buy a Beast, or you can go to the LBS and grab a $2,000 Surly. One end of the spectrum or another. And you just know the LBS's aren't stocking these top of the line fat bikes because they anticipate people wanting to do really technical winter riding. They just know there are people out there with the wallets for an expensive new toy. Thing is, the market is definetely there now for people who don't have that kind of wallet. And unless the LBS's start stocking those mid-price-range fat bikes, people are just going to skip the LBS altogether and go to bikesdirect.com.
 
In Bike Shops and every related business, all are different.
I find many different things in this USA. Different sense of humor, slower pace, polite or not so polite comments, etc.
West Coast may be different than East Coast, . Its not where you live now, But how you were brought up and set your values and attitude of life.
Different generations are also very different in values and attitudes.
 

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