Support Your LBS?

20090113_9060-2Supporting your local bike shop (LBS) versus internet shopping is a hot topic. Over the past few years there have been some online bikeshops that have taken the bike-world by storm.  I don’t think this is as much of an issue in North America because the prices in bikeshops are cheaper due to the economies of scale. Also, the duties and taxes of importing even a small amount of goods doesn’t make internet shopping worthwhile for the consumer.  However, I know first-hand that the situation in Australia is very different.  I was shocked at the prices of bike goods when I moved here 4 years ago.  The prices at some online bikeshops are the same or cheaper than what the retail stores in Australia can get directly from the distributor.  How can a local bike shop possibly compete?

There are vastly different views surrounding this issue.  Today we’ll hear the point of view from a fanatical internet shopper.  Hopefully this will start a good discussion and then next week we’ll hear from a LBS owner to hear his point of view on the challenges and opportunities he faces and what he’s doing to stay competitive.

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The Internet Shopper:

I HATE THE LOCAL BIKESHOP. Every time I walk out of one I feel like I got screwed. On several separate occasions I’ve tried repeatedly taking my business to the same bikeshop to build a relationship and some loyalty.  However, every time I walk in there’s a different kid working so I never get a discount for my patronage.  I get my brakes adjusted and they try charging me $50 for all the extra stuff they did.  One time, a simple spoke replacement cost me $45.   A friend of mine took in his new bike because the gears were skipping and they changed the chain and cassette and charged him $300! The bike was 3 months old!   I’ve been forced by these ridiculous prices to learn bike maintenance myself.

The bikeshops in Australia also charge almost double what most online retailers charge.  A good pair of race tires averages $160 while i can get the same pair for $80 online.  A tube costs $12 when I can get it online for $8.  A set of Campy Zonda wheels will cost $1000 in the shop when I can get them for $500 online.  If something goes wrong with a purchase or if there’s a defect, yeah it’s a pain in the ass to get rectified, but if it’s cheap enough then its still worth it.  Of course if something like a wheel breaks, under no fault of my own,  I’m out of luck with warranty. BUT, I can always buy a whole new one and still be on par with what I would have initially paid locally.

I hear bike shops whinging about the internet screwing their business but from my point of view, the bikeshops need to learn how to adapt to the new world and figure out a way to compete.

- disgruntled shopper

<a href =”http://answers.polldaddy.com/poll/1446707/” >Where Do You Do Most Of Your Bike Shopping?</a> <br/> <span style=”font-size:9px;” mce_style=”font-size:9px;”> (<a href =”http://www.polldaddy.com”> surveys</a>)</span>

Book: “Pedaling Revolution” – How Cyclists are changing American Cities

As our Government bends over backwards to the polluting and lawless motorist, here is a good book from the US that reminds us that the car isn’t always king after all.

From Amazon and recommended by Tom Vanderbilt, who wrote ‘Traffic’

“In a world of growing traffic congestion, expensive oil, and threats of cataclysmic climate change, a grassroots movement is carving out a niche for bicycles on the streets of urban cityscapes. In Pedaling Revolution, Jeff Mapes explores the growing urban bike culture that is changing the look and feel of cities across the U.S. He rides with bike advocates who are taming the streets of New York City, joins the street circus that is Critical Mass in San Francisco, and gets inspired by the everyday folk pedaling in Amsterdam, the nirvana of American bike activists.

Mapes, a seasoned political journalist and long-time bike commuter, explores the growth of bicycle advocacy while covering such issues as the environmental, safety, and health aspects of bicycling for short urban trips. His rich cast of characters includes Noah Budnick, a young bicycle advocate in New York who almost died in a crash near the Brooklyn Bridge, and Congressman James Oberstar (D-MN), who took to bicycling in his fifties and helped unleash a new flood of federal money for bikeways. Chapters set in Chicago and Portland show how bicycling has became a political act, with seemingly dozens of subcultures, and how cyclists, with the encouragement of local officials, are seizing streets back from motorists.

Pedaling Revolution is essential reading for the approximately one million people who regularly ride their bike to work or on errands, for anyone engaged in transportation, urban planning, sustainability, and public health—and for drivers trying to understand why they’re seeing so many cyclists. All will be interested in how urban bike activists are creating the future of how we travel and live in twenty-first-century cities”.

The book is about £10 from Amazon or you get try and get hold of it from your library.

Book: “Pedaling Revolution” – How Cyclists are changing American Cities

As our Government bends over backwards to the polluting and lawless motorist, here is a good book from the US that reminds us that the car isn’t always king after all.

From Amazon and recommended by Tom Vanderbilt, who wrote ‘Traffic’

“In a world of growing traffic congestion, expensive oil, and threats of cataclysmic climate change, a grassroots movement is carving out a niche for bicycles on the streets of urban cityscapes. In Pedaling Revolution, Jeff Mapes explores the growing urban bike culture that is changing the look and feel of cities across the U.S. He rides with bike advocates who are taming the streets of New York City, joins the street circus that is Critical Mass in San Francisco, and gets inspired by the everyday folk pedaling in Amsterdam, the nirvana of American bike activists.

Mapes, a seasoned political journalist and long-time bike commuter, explores the growth of bicycle advocacy while covering such issues as the environmental, safety, and health aspects of bicycling for short urban trips. His rich cast of characters includes Noah Budnick, a young bicycle advocate in New York who almost died in a crash near the Brooklyn Bridge, and Congressman James Oberstar (D-MN), who took to bicycling in his fifties and helped unleash a new flood of federal money for bikeways. Chapters set in Chicago and Portland show how bicycling has became a political act, with seemingly dozens of subcultures, and how cyclists, with the encouragement of local officials, are seizing streets back from motorists.

Pedaling Revolution is essential reading for the approximately one million people who regularly ride their bike to work or on errands, for anyone engaged in transportation, urban planning, sustainability, and public health—and for drivers trying to understand why they’re seeing so many cyclists. All will be interested in how urban bike activists are creating the future of how we travel and live in twenty-first-century cities”.

The book is about £10 from Amazon or you get try and get hold of it from your library.

Book: “Pedaling Revolution” – How Cyclists are changing American Cities

As our Government bends over backwards to the polluting and lawless motorist, here is a good book from the US that reminds us that the car isn’t always king after all.

From Amazon and recommended by Tom Vanderbilt, who wrote ‘Traffic’

“In a world of growing traffic congestion, expensive oil, and threats of cataclysmic climate change, a grassroots movement is carving out a niche for bicycles on the streets of urban cityscapes. In Pedaling Revolution, Jeff Mapes explores the growing urban bike culture that is changing the look and feel of cities across the U.S. He rides with bike advocates who are taming the streets of New York City, joins the street circus that is Critical Mass in San Francisco, and gets inspired by the everyday folk pedaling in Amsterdam, the nirvana of American bike activists.

Mapes, a seasoned political journalist and long-time bike commuter, explores the growth of bicycle advocacy while covering such issues as the environmental, safety, and health aspects of bicycling for short urban trips. His rich cast of characters includes Noah Budnick, a young bicycle advocate in New York who almost died in a crash near the Brooklyn Bridge, and Congressman James Oberstar (D-MN), who took to bicycling in his fifties and helped unleash a new flood of federal money for bikeways. Chapters set in Chicago and Portland show how bicycling has became a political act, with seemingly dozens of subcultures, and how cyclists, with the encouragement of local officials, are seizing streets back from motorists.

Pedaling Revolution is essential reading for the approximately one million people who regularly ride their bike to work or on errands, for anyone engaged in transportation, urban planning, sustainability, and public health—and for drivers trying to understand why they’re seeing so many cyclists. All will be interested in how urban bike activists are creating the future of how we travel and live in twenty-first-century cities”.

The book is about £10 from Amazon or you get try and get hold of it from your library.

Book: “Pedaling Revolution” – How Cyclists are changing American Cities

As our Government bends over backwards to the polluting and lawless motorist, here is a good book from the US that reminds us that the car isn’t always king after all.

From Amazon and recommended by Tom Vanderbilt, who wrote ‘Traffic’

“In a world of growing traffic congestion, expensive oil, and threats of cataclysmic climate change, a grassroots movement is carving out a niche for bicycles on the streets of urban cityscapes. In Pedaling Revolution, Jeff Mapes explores the growing urban bike culture that is changing the look and feel of cities across the U.S. He rides with bike advocates who are taming the streets of New York City, joins the street circus that is Critical Mass in San Francisco, and gets inspired by the everyday folk pedaling in Amsterdam, the nirvana of American bike activists.

Mapes, a seasoned political journalist and long-time bike commuter, explores the growth of bicycle advocacy while covering such issues as the environmental, safety, and health aspects of bicycling for short urban trips. His rich cast of characters includes Noah Budnick, a young bicycle advocate in New York who almost died in a crash near the Brooklyn Bridge, and Congressman James Oberstar (D-MN), who took to bicycling in his fifties and helped unleash a new flood of federal money for bikeways. Chapters set in Chicago and Portland show how bicycling has became a political act, with seemingly dozens of subcultures, and how cyclists, with the encouragement of local officials, are seizing streets back from motorists.

Pedaling Revolution is essential reading for the approximately one million people who regularly ride their bike to work or on errands, for anyone engaged in transportation, urban planning, sustainability, and public health—and for drivers trying to understand why they’re seeing so many cyclists. All will be interested in how urban bike activists are creating the future of how we travel and live in twenty-first-century cities”.

The book is about £10 from Amazon or you get try and get hold of it from your library.

Former national team standout Vande Velde wins Paris-Nice stage 4

Olympian and former USA Cycling National Team standout Christian Vande Velde broke away in the last 20-kilometers of the fourth stage of the classic Paris-Nice road race. Thirty-two year-old Vande Velde was one of the original members of USA Cycling’s early development programs, racing under the young national team banner for the first several years of his career.

Former national team standout Vande Velde wins Paris-Nice stage 4

Olympian and former USA Cycling National Team standout Christian Vande Velde broke away in the last 20-kilometers of the fourth stage of the classic Paris-Nice road race. Thirty-two year-old Vande Velde was one of the original members of USA Cycling’s early development programs, racing under the young national team banner for the first several years of his career.

Why do I insist on

complaining about the weather. I did move to New England from NJ (a much nicer climate) years ago by choice. Not forced or coerced. I spent my life up until about 9 years ago living in NJ, (I even went back once for a job) and only left due to the shit lifestyle you lead [...]

Mountain Bike National Ultra-Endurance Calendar Standings:March 9

The third event on the 2009 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Ultra-Endurance Calendar, the Spa City Extreme, saw John Mylne and Rebecca Rusch earn wins in the pro men’s and women’s contests at the Spa City Extreme in Hot Springs Arkansas.The next event on the 2009 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Ultra-Endurance Calendar will be the 12-hour race at the Dirt, Sweat and Gears in Fayetteville, Tennessee on May 9.

Mountain Bike National Ultra-Endurance Calendar Standings:March 9

The third event on the 2009 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Ultra-Endurance Calendar, the Spa City Extreme, saw John Mylne and Rebecca Rusch earn wins in the pro men’s and women’s contests at the Spa City Extreme in Hot Springs Arkansas.The next event on the 2009 USA Cycling Mountain Bike National Ultra-Endurance Calendar will be the 12-hour race at the Dirt, Sweat and Gears in Fayetteville, Tennessee on May 9.