Bike mechanic + cargo bike believer. Getting more families on bikes + building a better bike industry along the way. 📍NC, USA
I owned an electric bike shop and have worked in the bike industry for 20 years. More in-depth sports tech articles: bikeshopgirl.com
MY DISCLAIMERS: Some products are provided at no charge for review. I'm not paid or bribed for reviews. Additionally, some links are to affiliate advertising, which may earn me a few pennies from your purchase.
We have a bike shop in the SF bay area who constantly impress me at their level of commitment to grow the ebike community. They have a strong social media presence reviewing bikes, their staff are always friendly, and after sales support is always on point. You may want to interview the owners at NewWheels in SF/Marin
I stopped going to my LBS because their website is always wrong. I can order for pick up and it will tell me it’s in stock but then it will take them two or three days to fulfil it. If I try to go get it, they tell me oh it’s at the other store or at the warehouse. I don’t go there anymore and just go to Amazon instead because I can get parts the next day. If I really need it today. I can go to REI, but they’re hardly in LBS and their prices are very high, even compared to an LBS.
I'll type this here in case anyone else has the problem I was having and can't find a video dealing with it - my Intuvia display kept switching off every 60 seconds, no matter if it was attached to the bike or not. If I knocked on the Intuvia or gave it a wiggle, it would switch back on, but only for another 60 seconds. It turns out the battery cover on the back of my unit was slightly ajar, which prevented the small switch on the back of the intuvia from being fully pressed in when attached to the bike, so the Intuvia thought it was detached from the bike, so it switched off every 60 seconds. Once I removed and reattached the battery cover correctly, and mounted the Intuvia back on the bike, all was well. I hope that helps someone else!
Ugh! Arrogance! I used to frequent the high end bike shops in the north SF bay area. Great bikes, and great people. One day I happen to be up in Seattle Washington. I went to Elliott Bay cycles (I can call them out by name since they have now closed their doors). Effete snobs in sales, effete snob customers (“yaaas, we just completed a cycle tour of the French vineyard country side, sampling the worlds finest wines every day… yaaaz.”). Snobs in repairs… basically, just a bunch of heady jerks who were above everyone else. So much more I could say after that short visit. Just can’t understand why they are no longer in business….
MAYBE you could be the RU-vid guide for cargo bike accessories / upgrades... There may also be some unaddressed / overlooked nitch items for cargo bikes... I am thinking of your background as more of a factory rep... Scott MOAB UT
My local bike shop has been there for decades, but man the products are overpriced. It has partly to do with the suburb I live in; there is money here. I just don't have much of it. So they have used bikes with rusty chains and chipped paint and torn seats for $800 on display outside. It's kind of ridiculous.
Damn, I would love an Orox on 29" wheels, with a Rohloff and belt drive, but WITHOUT the motor. I was thinking of building a mid/long-tail cargo bike with a Rohloff and a belt drive, but there's no such frame available (except for Surly Big Dummy, but that one has a ridiculously long wheelbase).
Super lucky to have a fantastic Local Shop, all the folks there are helpful and on point, i'm poor so I can't really help with sales much lol, just a bottle of lube and some parts and tools :)
My local store that started out a block away is dead to me. The staff are of the attitude that if i have not purchased a $4,000 or more, bike of late that I am not worthy. I told a friend of mine to be wary of this. He was treated fantastic until about 2 years post major purchase and then he encountered the same attitude. This attitude comes from the ownership level. If you are not supporting non-lifestyle cyclists, or consumers below elite level buying power, you cannot cry when your business hits a bump in the road. Now that i can afford a $100+ dollar mountain bike tire, it is NOT PURCHASED 2 blocks from me. Dead to me.
I test rode one of these in 2020 and 2021. The price was 2,499 and 1,999. The motor didn't have enough newton meters. This looks good with front suspension.
I think there is also a division between casual bike users that will use a bike when it is convenient and typically are only interested in safety, security and easy of use. Not sure they are actually interested in bikes as a hobby/activity at all and would not have any intertest in bike culture or things like meetups or group rides. Probably not returning to the bike shop unless something breaks. Then there is the group that might be interested in biking as an activity or hobby, if they are welcomed at the beginning they may end up buying accessories or upgrading in the future. I imagine that it is difficult to tell which group a customer is in, so in my view you should treat everyone like they are in the second group
My local bike shop is very welcoming. It has a mutually supportive relationship with area bicycle clubs. That said, effective beginner recruitment has depended on individual initiative of either shop employees or club members. As people get more fit they become more interested in lighter and faster and forget the beginners. I've witnessed this in two clubs. Riding slower is an advanced cycling skill few ever learn.
The fact that at some point just about every kid in the US owns/rides a bike seems like the perfect environment for a business to flourish. The cost of admission is buying the bike and helmet and the rest is free....how can you screw that up?
Why don’t commuting/touring bikes in America come with mudguards? Doesn’t anyone ride in the rain? And imagine buying a car, then having to find and fit lights that will operate for more than an hour of continuous use. Mirrors are nice, but please people, remember to keep your head swivelling and listen to what’s going on around you too. I think it’s called ‘situational awareness’.
This was always a non issue for me. I've only parted ways with my money in places where everything was up to par: the customer care, the niceness, the honesty. Even in "emergency situations" where the shops were the only ones with specialty tools to sort things out, I didn't mind "waiting" until I've found some lbs that had the best service. For me its a hobby and I'm a customer when needed, so the last thing i would ever do is suck up to some kids that think that having a bike shop with overpriced stuff is a big deal. I can't remember rhe number of times ive walked out of a bike shop, "bike in hand", because of some ignorant Ahole. And the bikes, parts and components prices?! God!
Very cool but to expensive and the phone mount doesn’t come with phone case everything is separate. Nothing worse than getting nickel and dime on everything
What a bunch of garbage this is to make such broad generalizations. The issue with the bike industry isn’t attitude - that’s an in house shop issue that varies like everything else place to place - it’s expense. That’s what’s prohibitive. Most if not all bike communities where some form of cycling is avid, have lots of community classes, outreach, and invitations to be inclusive. It’s the sticker shock that prohibits the final decision to get involved and grow the consumer base
I live in Southern California where we (generally) enjoy very nice weather, say, 9 months of the year and usually the other 3 months are still rideable depending on your tolerance for 50ºF weather. I've found my tribe and I tend to ride with people who are younger than me, but we tend to take longer rides (50+ miles) and ride elevation, but no one is a racer and it's not competitive. I visited DC this summer and was struck by all the bikes (and bike lanes) I saw. There were tons of riders on the road,. But in my week there, I don't think I saw one drop-bar road bike. IMHO, the bike scene varies greatly by geography. The shops I frequent tend to have 2-3 group rides during the week (mostly road, maybe some with gravel--gotta push that category!). Between Road, MTB, Gravel, Urban/Hybrid, BMX, e-bikes, cargo bikes, touring/bikepacking bikes--there are so many categories it would seem nearly impossible for an LBS to be all things to all riders. I'm a bit of a gear head and I'm often disappointed that with a little reading, I know more about product than the shop employees. That's not a brag, just a fact. I would appreciate it if the shop was educating me on the tech instead of the other way around.
Thanks for your helpful review. I was planning to buy a set for my Surly Big Easy, but it seems the max load on the Schwalbe site is 115 kilos. That''s less than i carry with me and cargo, which is around 150-75kilos. Have you used it on your cargo bikes with heavier loads? thanks ,Jovan
@@BikeShopGirl Thank you. they are 26 x 2.15 and the spec says the max load is 115 kg. I think it will be just over so should be fine, thanks for your advice!
It’s easy to dunk on the LBS, but the fundamental problem is that the pay is garbage, especially considering the insane breadth and depth of knowledge one is expected to have. It’s basically a dead end job so the lbs is left with a labor pool consisting of hobbyists working for the pro deals, not all of whom are good with customer service. Added to that is the problem of bike companies cranking out new bikes every year and forcing big orders on shops with the threat of taking away their dealer status. So then there’s a bunch of discounting that has to happen to clear out stock for next year, eroding profitability and making it harder for shops to retain good talent.
A lot of opportunity is squandered as you rightly observe, although any discussion on this topic is incomplete without mentioning big box store “bike-like objects” and their exploitative nature: the false expectations they elicit as well as their hidden costs. I also think newbie cyclists are uniquely vulnerable due to how much proper fit requires close attention to each rider’s unique physique, I would say to a greater extent than either running or skiing. Each new bike is potentially both a life-changer and the last bike they will ever buy.
The simple answer is “The corporate takeover of mega bike brands” by hedge funds, etc! The solution: Do your own thing, don’t follow the crowd, learn to fix up bikes and maintain them, too many people want ‘turn key’ solutions and just want to ride the bikes, but not maintain or fix them. By learning to maintain your bike, you can make subtle adjustments to enhance your riding experience & improve your bike’s efficiency! It’s up to you, you WILL get out what you put in, but if you don’t put the effort in, what more can you expect? watch RU-vid videos and pick peoples brains. There has never been more information and how to guides in the history of bicycles! Do you want to enjoy your cycling or do you just want a Participation Trophy & moan about stuff? Just do it, learn about maintaining & fixing a bike, you might even enjoy it!🤪👍 Sheldon Brown’s website is a goldmine of information, start there….
There are no longer any bike shops in my town, except for one guy that has a bike repair shop, and another guy that repairs bikes in his garage. Both are doing well, and used to work for a the last LBS.
I just upgraded to hydraulic after my rear mechanical pads wore out at 3700kms on my ebike. Feels so smooth. I would do my front but its lever has a built in bell & is wired to control my motor(shut off).
Depends on your grip strength and what you are carrying. I have pretty good grip strength and need 2-3 fingers when braking with my 3 kids and 100# bike
