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In the perfect bike shop...

5K views 70 replies 44 participants last post by  BmoreKen 
#1 ·
Just for fun ! It would be preferable not to mention any names or specific details, just looking to hear some of your input.

I work in a bike shop myself, and like to think we give pretty good service, but you never know where there is room for learning and improvement. Is there any thing you don't like about bike shops? What would you like to see change?

Love to hear some stories, whether good or bad.
 
#44 ·
This is just some advice, I'm sure it's all been done before, but never in a single shop (to my knowledge)

1. Posted service prices, so if I know what I want, I'll know what I'll pay.
for example:
Headset installation - $520
chase/face BB - $10
Build wheel - $40
Complete Tuneup - $65
I know some shops have it, but there are so many that you walk in and ask for service (ok I do all my own service) and the guy eyeballs your bike and gives you an estimate

2. Loaner bikes - for a charge of course. If you tell me you need to keep my bike for a week, I'd like a loaner bike, specially if that's my way of commuting. These guys have the right idea: WRENCH | bicycle workshop

3. Mobile service, ie: they have a van they park at a popular trail head and pass out business cards and have a few mechanics on the spot to fix stuff...and if you get a flat/mechanical on the trail, call the number on the card and they will come to you and fix it (if possible.) All this for a charge for course.

4. Partner with a shop like pricepoint/jensonusa to have dedicated terminals in the shop where a customer can order parts online...any part online.
-No more of this hidden "let me check the computer to order" and then BTI/QBP will take a week for the part to get in etc.
-Or just put your damn QBP/BTI ordering screen online. Add small margin to the prices automatically so if you don't have a part, customer themselves can go to the catalog and order it and shop still gets a (small) margin.

5. Have a demo program, like these guys do: JRA Cycles | 229 Salem St., Medford, MA | (781) 391-3636 - Demo Fleet

6. Provide healthcare to your employees so they can ride (many shops do this, some do not because of costs) and be happier.

7. Make your salespeople actually ride/test every product. Don't hire a**holes as sales people.

8. Two words: liquor license

9. Offer classes for complete beginners...like cyclocross/mountain biking/road biking/commuting to work for complete beginners. People like to take formal introduction classes...make people pay reasonable rates for them.
LL Bean does this with their discovery courses, short 1-2 hour introductions to a sport where they provide everything you will need (and instruction.) Charge something like $40 so people don't feel ripped off. As an adult I don't have the time/patience to dedicate to teaching myself a new activity, having someone introduce it to me helped a lot. And don't give me any baloney about liability, LL bean does a clay shooting course with shotguns with few problems (AFAIK)
 
#47 ·
This is just some advice, I'm sure it's all been done before, but never in a single shop (to my knowledge)
1. my shop does not do that, but I gave them a list just the other day with the dozen or so most common services. we are going to put up such a list/sign soon. good idea.

2. I have been to some shops that do this. I agree that it's a great idea!

3. I think I will pitch the idea of a mobile shop to my managers some time soon.

4. Online ordering- I am not sure how it works, but a lot of shops use a program called Shopatron. Also, Surly has links to buy their products locally as well. many shops have online stores, but customers rarely use them. I don't think you get s discount this way, so there's really no point.

additionally, I find that 99% of customers with whom I speak have no clue what part they need when ordering small parts. most customers don't even know what size tire they have on their bike, let alone whether they need the top-swing, bottom pull, funky swing, swingin' ape, etc front derailleur. allowing customers to order parts online would mean making those customers take responsibility for their choices. a lot of customers are very well informed, but honestly, most of them have no clue and the shop would get stuck with a lot of products they don't need, or pay re-stocking fees to the distros, or just have to tell the customer he/she is wrong , which, of course, is always the wrong answer. something like this could work, but not for every shop.

5. Demo fleet- A lot of manufacturers tour around with demo fleets, but you have to be free that particular day, once a year, and hope the weather is nice. my shop has a 30-day, no-questions-asked return policy on everything, including bikes. that policy is abused occasionally, but usually it works in the customer's favor and ours.

6. I have that, and a 401(K), and dental. what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

7. I would hope so. we get generous discounts from manufacturers. sometimes we even get stuff for free from them. I can sell anyone on some Stan's wheels, Conti tires, Gore Wear, and Nite Rider lights because of this.

bike shops should formally train their employees, something I have only seen at one bike shop so far. at bike shops where I have worked in the past, I found myself making stuff up because I was uninformed but thrown onto the sales floor anyways. informational visits from industry reps should happen whenever possible. more experienced employees should mentor the newer ones daily, and less experienced employees should have no problems asking questions all day.

8. liquor license- I wish!

9. I would love to do that. I will teach any customer how to do basic repairs if they ask, or even invite them to show them how I do it. if they want to buy the tools and learn to do it themselves, I am happy to help them with that. they have to pay me to do it at least once though!
 
#45 ·
I have never been a "hang-out-at-a-bike-shop" kind of customer. As I try my best to support my LBS, admittedly I order most of my stuff online. Usually the bike shops I have around here just don't have the stuff I want, when I want it. And... unfortunately, it's marked up so much that I grit my teeth when I buy something locally. Like $30 lock-on grips... that's a tough one for me when I can get it half that price online.

Even back in the late 80's - early 90's when I was BMX'ing, NOBODY in Santa Cruz, Ca. had a selection of BMX parts - so I phoned in orders from magazine ads (thanks Mom!).

I've been working on my own bikes/building them frame-up since I was in junior high, and quite frankly, my mechanical skills are on par with any bike shop guy (except specialty wheel building). So, I don't need a mechanic.

Tools? I believe in buying my own tools and having them forever - even if it's for just one use at that time. There's been weird instances when I actually did need that strange freewheel remover tool at some point and was glad I had it in my shop.

Bottom line, it comes down to what the receipt is going to say at the end of the day. When I bought a complete for my wife, we did some shopping - and, we ended up driving 30 min. to the next town over to buy it, simply because they 1) had it in stock 2) beat any price around and 3) have a great taqueria across the street.

Admittedly, I buy 99% of my stuff online. Small stuff like tubes, sealant, lubricants and chains, I will buy locally. Unfortunately for LBS's, online purchases with free shipping and no tax is hard to compete with for a bottom-line kind of guy.

So, to answer the question - what I like in a bike shop is to be left alone. Carry the stuff I need at a great competitive price, and I will go there. The "big box" chain bike shop that I go to does just that. They have "mega sales" that I take advantage of, and I'm left alone. I also like sporting goods stores that have a good bike section - I'm not bothered, not hassled, not sold - because I'm in there on a mission to get what I need and to get out.

I don't need to be pampered by a bike shop. Carry what I need for a great price and be nice at the register.
 
#49 ·
I've been working on my own bikes/building them frame-up since I was in junior high, and quite frankly, my mechanical skills are on par with any bike shop guy (except specialty wheel building). So, I don't need a mechanic.
This is what I believed until I actually started working in a shop. Their are so many componet groups out there in different combinations...... I was shocked and felt in over my head when road bikes/commuter bikes/kids bikes/internal geared hubs etc, started showing up on my schedule. When it's your own stuff you are familiar with it. When it is something you have never worked on before, and you are expected to be fast and professional it can get a little scary.
 
#46 ·
I think all LBS should give basic tuning and maintenance classes. I get free tuneup ups and basic service (lifetime) on my bike. I understand the drive behind this because it brings people into the shop... But imagine if you sold 30 bikes in a month. Now you (possibly) have 30 bikes to service. I know most people buy the bike and never come back, but imagine if you had a class that taught 20 of those people how to do the basics. Now you only have 10 bikes to service and 20 people who will come into the shop for tools/gear. Or maybe they'd just buy it online and youtube/ehow the install... Who knows?
 
#48 ·
I think all LBS should give basic tuning and maintenance classes.
Any LBS that did that would be shooting themselves in the foot.

That's like drug companies finding cures for diseases instead of creating drugs to allow people to live with their ailment. Or any service-based job: like a dog groomer. Why would a dog groomer give anybody lessons on how to groom their dog for free? That would write them out of a lot of business once people started become DIY'ers.

Once somebody gives basic tuning classes and maintenance, why would there be a need to bring it in for a tune-up?

Park Tools gives instructional how-to's because, usually, the videos they post requires one (or more) of THEIR tools. Win-win.

Take me, for example. I do all my own wrenching, derived from 25 years of working on my own stuff. By me having those mechanical skills, I am one less customer that needs work done by a shop, and therefore, they don't get my business.

I think their has to be an understanding by the consumer - MONEY needs to be made by the bike shop. They just can't do a bunch of stuff for free - there's no profit in that. Great for marketing, but they still have to have a return in some form or another.
 
#50 ·
Not necessarily. I've taken a 4-night course at my local. I did it with a friend partly for something fun to do and because I learn better that way. I took a similar one in high school but that pre-dated suspension and I wanted a refresher. Plus, my friend's shop was just getting off the ground so paying him for the course was advantageous for both of us. I got my bike good to go for the season for not quite 2x what I might have paid anyway, and had fun hanging out and drinking beer.

I still have some jobs that I don't want to do or can't be bothered to do. I live in a condo, so my workspace is pretty limited. Dragging my bike and my repair stand up the stairs in the winter is a pain. I don't mind supporting the local for some jobs, although what I do myself keeps increasing.One of the major reasons I wanted to take a course like that, even knowing I'd keep paying for some service, was to increase my working knowledge of the various systems on the bike with an eye towards backcountry repairs. I asked a lot of questions about how you would handle this breaking or that breaking.

To return to the topic at hand, one thing I like about my local is that it aspires to be a hub (pun not really intended, but not avoided) of the local bike culture. Hanging out is welcomed and encouraged. There's a fridge and a kegerator. There's a lounge with sofas, a TV and a DJing table. There are parties there every couple months.

They don't really want to get into retail too deeply, since it's a losing game against the internet. So the business model is service and custom builds, and that gives them a good local niche. They're working on building up a stable of used bikes to sell on consignment. They do have a shop bike / loaner, but only one at the moment. It's a Chilcotin with a CCDBA, so most people are pretty happy to take it out.
 
#52 ·
To the the perfect bike shop is as follows

Knowledgeable - not just in one aspect either, but having people there who excel in all areas of the sport (have staff who races and have other staff who trail rides and other staff who dirt jumps ect.) That way there is always someone who is knowledgeable about the specific area or niche you are looking to get involved with.

Inventory - having proper inventory is key but far to often a shop will try and fill their store with something that moves quickly or maybe just have high end stuff to try and cater to a more mature(for lack of a better word) audience. This is not how it should be done IMO. There is a company Ideal with for my motorcycle racing called sportbiketrackgear. They have a saying that if they wont use it they wont sell it. What I find intriguing about them is that there are many products I see other companies carry that then do not even if it is something that sells popularly. They will only stock a part if they feel its a good part but they cater to all levels of need, meaning they carry one brand of race glass for example that is a little easier on the wallet than others they carry but the fit is decent and its relatively strong in a crash but it has some downsides like flexibility and weight which can be had by purchasing one of the better sets. Basically have options that are realistic and even on a budget are not crap.

Be Inviting - I hate walking into a store just to have the people that work there look at me like I dont belong/fit in. I recently went into a skate shop that opened up in my area that is owned by one of the largest mail order skateboard companies in the country whom I have used for the last 15+ years of my life. What I was presented with was people who ignored me because I didnt look the part, even after I went up to the guy and said what I was looking for he was reluctant to help me as if he was better than me. At this point I laughed at the guy and said you know what kid I have been skating since you were in diapers, Im sorry if that is not good enough for you and turned around and left. I later called the mail order company to let them know what I thought of their stores service towards me and they were very displeased to say the least. On the other hand I walked into a LBS recently to discuss my desire to cross train utilizing MTB and the guy was super inviting and honestly seemed like he just wanted to hang out. Even offered me a drink from the fridge. I went back to that shop and bought my bike from him even though it was cheaper elsewhere because to me dealing with good people is worth the extra money. The personal experience is what separates local businesses from internet shops and yet there are so many companies that forget this, if I wanted to be treated like a number I would get online.

I think that those three things are key to creating a good culture for a bike shop to thrive.
 
#53 ·
Some shops are eager to help you find a trail (print outs, maps on the wall, etc), and other want you to buy a 12 dollar pamphlet. I don't want a book for a place I might only visit every few years, but when I'm helped out for what seem like for free, I'm compelled to spend a little money even if its just a bar.
 
#54 ·
I would like to see a bike shop with a demo course. Some rocky terrain, roots, slippery moss...etc. So I can actually test out the bike instead of riding around a flat paved parking lot.
 
#58 ·
The LBS near my house has high school aged kids working in there that don't know the inventory and have under-developed people skills, to put it mildly. Also, I was talking to the owner of the shop about the local trail scene and he went off on a minor tirade about the timber company owner of a local riding area starting to require a yearly permit fee to enter their property (we're talking $45/year). He was advocating ignoring the permit as a protest, etc, blah blah blah. I just want to talk about good trails I haven't riden yet. Not a ration of politics and protest.

I drive across town to a place where everyone is a little older and deeply into the biking scene themselves. They are down to earth and friendly. Even their shop dogs are super friendly. They charge me for things that take a while or certainly for new parts, but they drop what they are doing to help me out for free if it is minor. They know the trails and are happy to share what they know. What it comes down to is a relaxed and friendly vibe. If I have to give my bike related money to someone, it is definitely going to be them.
 
#63 ·
Faster special orders - I will buy from a LBS, but I am not going to wait 2 weeks and pay more for something I can order online and have in 2 days. Understand the online thing - understand that the SRAM XO derailleur you are asking $200 for is only $130 online. I am not saying price match, but be realistic if you want folks to order from you b/c you don't have it in stock. I like the comment above about a special-order kiosk! Put your already-marked up prices on there and then there is no hassle, no "let me check", not showing the customer the wholesale price etc. Finally, keep a stock of the basic stuff so you don't have to do special orders. I have argued before in these LBS threads that customers will pay more to buy local and get it now. Note - I worked in a shop for 4 years.
 
#64 ·
Avoid personal politics being a binding-point for Customer relations, and do not have others poach upon public trail networks for personal gain.

Me, I'd found that I was watching someone who'd been an acqaintance of sorts up-end a local riding-center to interject a warped personal politic into the community. Through operating a business, a bike shop. Contending w/ it while blissfully unaware, and then when rudely made aware, it rapdily became a nightmare-scenario. And sustained an already disproportionate ego.

Any effort such as this on company time really do place any & all customer base at high risk for losing their own identity; as a valued customer, or as a bike nerd, or even for a hopeful friend.

Simply, when in the postion of influencing potential customers decision making, leave it to the reason they chose your sales-radius to begin with. If people wanted muscle they'd join a gym.
But keep it up, it stinks like Laundered Money.

This is an extreme example, but when Public and Private Land allows the ability to generate revenue anyone who has a business that supports the persuit of these activities should really choose their manners wisely.

'Silent' and 'Listen' have the same Letters of the Alphabet. :rant:

End Rant.
 
#67 ·
Just read it - wife got it for me for Christmas. Its *OK*. I think he missed a lot of the "tribes" within the mountainbike community, but the shop part is good.
 
#71 ·
I am very close to parting ways with the LBS closest to my house. The latest is a charge of $50 to install a headset (I was expecting $20 or $30, if they would have told me it was going to be $50 I would have done it myself). I regularly visit the shop (i.e. I'm not a stranger at this point), yet I always feel like I should have either done the repair work myself or ordered the product online. Trust that I would much rather see a local business thrive than to support a nameless/faceless internet shop, but when you walk out of the store with a $90 tire that you could have bought online for $60, AND you feel like a sucker (that is, not appreciated), then why go back? I think I've finally decided that this shop really just wants to suck the teat of the local doctors and lawyers, and they don't care at all about the real riders in the area (I regularly lead rides through local advocacy group, etc.)

Meanwhile, the bike shop 10 miles away is awesome: 1) they make me feel like an old friend the instant I walk in the door (even if they don't remember my name), 2) they regularly provide small parts "on the house" (small bolts, even a used seatpost clamp, whereas I was once charged $5/ for a pair of seatpost clamps from the other shop), 3) mechanical or training advice is regularly shared (once adjusted derailleur for no charge, whereas the other place charged me $20), and 4) prices are competitive enough with online ($5 or $10 more for LBS is good, $40 more for LBS is ridiculous). For these reasons I often make the trip, even though the other shop is right down the street from my house, and I don't hesitate to recommend to others to check them out.

Like I said, I'd like to see a local business do well, but it's very hard for me to justify stepping foot in there anymore. Friends have sworn off the place years ago because of the very same reasons.
 
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