Is This The DEATH of The Local Bike Shops?? 

I have been hearing a lot from you all over the years and, it seems split down the middle of who wants to keep the lbs and who is ready for direct to the house sales, I am always curious to hear what you all have to say

I'm a mechanic. A lot of the bikes my shop gets are direct-to-consumer bikes which the customer either didn't attempt to build or built wrong. Bike shops aren't dying until the majority of bike buyers are pro mechanics. Another thing to note - as a bike shop it is easy for us to get defective components noticed and warrantied immediately, and put a spare component on while waiting for the warrantied part. A direct customer probably won't notice it or be able to do that.

Bike shops need to focus on service and accept that sales are gone. Same in all retail. Every bike shop in my area has five 20 year old dudes standing around while one grumpy fifty year old mechanic in the repair bay does all the work.

I’ve had so many shitty experience at bikes shops i bought all the tools and learned how work on my bike myself. Between forums and youtube you can learn how to work on a bike. Bike mechanics will talk down to you while putting grease overtop threadlock. Direct to consumer is the future.

I’ve been buying framesets with separate components and wheels since the mid 90’s. I haven’t purchased a complete bike since the early 90’s. So for folks who are mechanically capable, this is fine. I’m thinking most people struggle with a tire change let alone even a partial bike build.

Trek owns over 200 shops in the United States. I don't know how many dealers... a lot. Kinda wild to think a lot of people would pay $50 MORE... for the privilege of building the bike yourself. They want the Canyon buyer... but Canyons are cheaper because they don't pay all the overhead of owning and operating bike shops.

I'm a fairly new cyclist as an adult, and here is some of my learning pains. My local bike shop is 120 miles round trip, and don't deal with anything modern it seems. I ordered both of my bikes online. The first one was an entry-level alloy gravel bike that turned out to be too small, and bad customer support. The second one was a Surly that fit perfectly. A bike shop shipped it to me and helped with the fit after I provided them with multiple body measurements. Now, I'm looking for a pricier carbon road bike, and I definitely want a hands-on experience for this purchase, no matter how far I need to travel. Imo nothing beats the knowledge of a bike shop that deals with bikes, and people for a living.

I left my LBS years ago. They could never order or be willing to order high-end bikes. Once Specialized started direct to consumer I just clicked add to cart. They even send me a text when size is available. No more excuses of owner didn’t allow us to order. Bike comes in box and I just have to tighten stem, seat, and put pedals on. So easy. Plus I get to build my bike without the hourly employee nicking my paint or crank arm like it’s not a $15k bike.

I love my local Trek store. They've been so supportive to a new rider like myself. I can't buy direct to consumer, I want to support them every way I can.

I worked in the industry for ~30 years and owned a shop for 10 of those. During Covid, I knew that changes were coming and didn't like the direction I saw the industry going. I decided to close my shop in early 2022. I am so glad I did. The bike industry has always screwed the LBS and they are taking more and more control. With the far east companies developing better and better products, these big players need to be looking over their shoulder.

I’m a mom and pop dealer and I’ll be charging anyone that brings me a trek that they had shipped to their house. Honestly Sales is my least favorite part of the job, I love to get bike working, and pretty much anything mechanical! Having to have less cash on the floor is a good thing, since the internet has stolen most of the bike sales that wal mart doesn’t already have. Now I can just get a few styles and size bikes and point them to trek, most people have them shipped to me anyway because they want me to build them. The more I think about this the more I don’t mind it.

My local bike shop sucks. Been riding for years and know bikes and know how to build and fit them for myself. I am comfortable with direct to consumer. For people who aren't mechanical the lbs will be a valuable resource. Also people who are beginners can benefit.

I've bought three mountain bikes since the pandemic year 2020, two from Transition and one from Cannondale. I ordered all of them online direct and then had them shipped to independent LBS's for assembly. The shops generally charge around $150 for the assembly service. When I need servicing, the shops that assembled the bikes don't mind doing the work (of course, for a standard hourly service rate plus cost of any parts needed). In a similar fashion, during the pandemic year I also bought two used vehicles (a pickup truck and a small car) from Carvana online. After purchasing the two low mileage vehicles, they were delivered to my driveway within a few days. In all cases, there was no haggling with dealers over pricing and selection of product. These were much better experiences than I ever had when purchasing from bike shops and auto dealerships. There will always be a need for bicycle shops for servicing and maintenance of bicycles, as well as auto servicing shops for automobile service and repair. Brick and mortar retail sales seems to be fading away in general, being replaced by consumer direct online sales.

Service, getting really good at service, is what a shop needs to do. This is what i am doing. My local area has several shops that are really moving product; a rarity in this time. However, while several of them can move product, you dont hear the community really talking about who is the BEST service center and who is SUPER capable. You dont need all the UCI trainings, but i certainly recommend going to Shimano, Sram, Rockshox, Fox, Suntour, learning tons of stuff, about everything from shifting to suspension to problem solving the most random problems. I recently went to a local Shimano training on the new Shimano STEPS systems, and while i certainly did things i had never done before, it was nothing out of my comfort zone. Everything we did i felt very comfortable with. If you are extremely capable, then thats enough to go learn from these guys, and then become the most trusted mechanic your area has. Just be the best at what you do. The customers will come. And sadly competition will not make it.

Ive sold like 50 bikes this year thru treks with people buying the bikes online then shipping them to us. Only good thing is that if someone want s have it shipped to their house I can charge an assembly fee, and charge for warranty work. Where if the customer buys from me, or ships the bike to me, we get a piece and I’ll assemble and do warranty work for free. Plus it’s nice for small shops like us that won’t have to go into debt just to have abunch of bikes on the floor. This year has been great for sales but the last 3 weren’t.

A lot to think about here. I feel like the consumer looking for a new bike in the $500-1000 range is less likely to have the mechanical aptitude to assemble a bike, let alone the desire to tackle it themselves if they do. I have encountered auto mechanics who don't want to perform service or repairs on their bicycles because it's such a different animal to them. The LBS is the best bet for these types of customers. In our shop, we have already seen an increase in "can you help me finish getting this bicycle built" as a result of online E-bike sales, mostly driven by the cheaper options available. This is introducing whole new strategies we have to implement as far as what we will build, what we won't build, what we will work on, etc., again as you said, due to liability from many angles. When people bring any e-bike in for service that does not have an e-system from a brand we sell, we don't touch the e-system and we require them to leave the battery at home. This may make sense for higher end bikes, but again, a lot of the time those customers are the type who would never assemble their own bike. The payroll required to take someone out of the shop for that in-home service, as well as the liability, seems like a lot to ask of LBS's that are already operating with shrinking margins and bare bones staff to stay profitable. Will the in-home delivery set up an expectation that you will travel to their home in the future for repairs or to pick up and deliver a bike that is getting work? Interesting times.

From a perspective in a relatively populated part of Sweden. There aren't many dealers that sells bikes and the brands are limited, almost every bike shop are basically giving you a look at one of their display bikes (current to like 3 years old) and then they order one for you. So far I haven't seen any sale since like 2018 so there is no real point of paying an extra premium and also have to get to the store one more time (fuel cost, parking cost and time). Changing any parts that you are not happy with also comes with a premium price + labor cost. I bet more and more online order stores are going to add options for stem length, crank length, handlebar width and so on (like Orbea for example). The traditional mechanic stores are still good though and I bet that it's mainly due to it being a job combined with a hobby rather than being a randomly hired sales person for the job. There is a lot to be said even with my limited experience with bike shops where I live. My gut feeling is that they only give their real "service" to people buying top end bikes. The rest are sold to people with limited knowledge not knowing if sizes are correct and so on. Basically the same as if you went to a HIFI-store, bunch of people working there trying to use their "expertise" (not much knowledge in reality) , trying to get you to buy something you don't need. My guess that this is due to being a small country and thus a limited market and in return not much competition.

My LBS is walking distance from my house. I didn't buy my last two bikes from them, but still go to them for parts and accessories, as well as servicing. I regularly use click and collect with them. I purchase online or from a another local store, but only if: a. It is not stocked by my LBS (this was the case in my last two bikes purchases.) b. It is substantially cheaper ( which usually means purchasing from overseas). My LBS has given me good service over the years so I'm more than happy to show some loyalty back to them.

Cost of bike maintenance is going to go through the roof to offset the losses from the bike sales. Change a tire? $40 + Material cost.

I have a new Trek on order from my LBS, and it should be here any day. It's a high end Domane and this is what my local bike shop did for me: Swapped out the power meter and credited me the $500 difference Gave me credit for the spec saddle so I can use my own Swapped the Bontrager handlebar for a Zipp bar at no charge Swapped the Bontrager tires for Conti's at no charge Swapped the seat post for a zero setback model Will install a temp stem to confirm fit and then order the correct size Gave me a cash discount My last service bill was $50 total for a spoke replaced on an Easton wheel and a Chris King hub yearly service. I normally do most of my own service, but appreciate the relationship when I get in a bind or just need some pro assistance. I have spent hours talking bikes, cars, and life in the shop, often not buying anything. They host a Monday night group ride, and they are at most cycling events within 45 minutes of the shop providing free service and often door prizes. They have been in business for decades and are a great community advocate, and the same guys stay there for years. I feel bad for people that don't have a local bike shop like this. I don't think owning a LBS is a good path to fame and fortune, but is a nice life when done well!

My bicycle shop is transferring to a bicycle service center. I’m going to focus on repairs and parts. Plus stepping up our website presentation. It’s a new world time to adapt or close.

Bike shops won't die, but they'll certainly need to adapt. Bikes are easy to work on, but the average rider like me is never going to get all the tools required.

There was an article in Bicycling magazine 25 Years ago citing the death of the bike shop. What appears to be happening here in the UK is shops are getting back into custom builds and moving away from highly commoditised brands.

The death of local bike shops would be a huge blow to e-biker owners. Since it is rare that you can buy any spare e-bike parts online. Let alone any diagnostic software. Sending the whole bike back to the manufacturer would cost a fortune. And it takes too much time. After the warranty is gone, you'll be on your own. Also, what if there's a problem with your bike out of the box. What are you going to do? Send it back? And wait a month to get it fixed? What if you are not even qualified to find the problem? Like spokes not been tensioned properly. This happened to my first cannondale. And i had a nasty crash when my wheel suddenly collapsed. We need bike shops. But manufacturers profit more from direct sales. And money always wins in the end.

Returns are lower in mortar-and-brick stores compared to online. I can see brands selling sensitive (“must be pristine!”) items through them. Another point, customization is not explored properly yet: Swap my stem/handlebars/cranks for longer/shorter as part of the sales experience. - There’s still a place for LBS if they move instead of doing business-as-usual out of spite.

Because visiting brick and mortar has become unbearable. Buying a new car is the worst. Then it's a bicycle, then groceries. Always trying to squeeze the last capitalistic penny out of us. How much money should the stores and corporations be making?

If bikes are cheaper online it'll win. Lbs may pick up maintenance for all the customer duff builds

Took longer than I thought it would. Since the internet sales started I thought it would happen like 20 years ago. I worked in a shop in the late 80s early 90s and always wanted direct sales and that was my job! Haha.

Foregone conclusion here. I predicted this years ago. When a DTC bike like Canyon can offer a the same product to the consumer at CONSIDERABLE savings, the traditional manufacturers HAD to respond. I don't like this at all, but at the same time I can't fault tRek or Specialized for doing what they have to do to save their skin. Evolve or perish. I feel HORRIBLE for the IBD. I bought an SLX Ibis Ripley for $6k during Covid. Friend bought an XT Canyon, also full carbon, with DT Swiss wheels for $5k. Thousand bucks LESS for a pretty big step up in bike. Both sold at MSRP. THIS is why tRek & Special Ed have been buying up retailers like mad. It allows them to take the DTC model a step further to head off Canyon and others.

Most bike shops don’t carry the more expensive bikes (over $4K). They’ll just order it for you just like you can do yourself over the web. This is a major disincentive for me. Especially when there the Canyons out there where you can get a much better kit for the same price as the Mainstream brands.

There was absolutely no need to carry all the bike stock in bike shops in any longer. The save substantial costs the shop, the shop of course can do click and collect for customers when they come in and sell it to them directly but otherwise just stop having stock of the bikes just a few pictures up and turn it into workshop only in the backstreet. Other options to carry a few old-fashioned speeds around town bikes that people don’t realise they’re still available . Having worked in the local bike shop, I understand there’s a lot of Sales staff will push people into things instead of helping them when they ask . All the best for the future, I’m fortunately out of the bike shop business and moved onto other things. This is because there was too many new shops popping up locally trying to undercut everyone else and then going under within a few years just cutting everyone’s throat .

My local LBS(es) all do different things to retain and gain customers. One (where I get my tune-ups and where I got my Trek Checkpoint) makes it clear ordering through them or getting work done there regularly means you don't pay sticker price. They have no qualms about working on direct-to-consumer bikes either, meaning they gain customers through contacts that way. Another (where I got my Mukkluk, they are a Salsa dealer) has a coffee shop, beer, and a snack spot inside. In the winter they set up a Zwift cave and rumor has it with the new Zwift Ride they are going to do a "multiple Zwift cave". The third, a Marlin/Scott dealer, focus on NICA with preset "one and done" packages for new NICA racers. If I was to start a LBS now, I would understand it couldn't be the bike shops of the past. It would have to have mobile service or coffee/beer or Zwift or something to back up the bike end of things.

Direct to consumer can be overrated. - No cost benefit to the consumer - Can't look over the bike to make sure it's in good condition before finalizing your purchase - Can't check the fit or do a test ride before making a decision - People have problems assembling Ikea furniture so not everybody is going to want to assemble a bike, no matter how easy the company says it is - Hit or miss customer service I know lots of people that have tried it and they went back to shopping at their LBS. One guy ordered a Canyon and it arrived with different components than what was listed on the website. When he contacted them, they said that version was discontinued but didn't help him out in any way. I think the only thing they offered was to ship it back AT HIS COST. I understand not wanting to be approached by pushy salespeople but, in my experience, most of the ones I've visited aren't like that because they want people to spread the word and keep coming back, whether it's for service or a future purchase. Any shops that are so bad that they close because of direct to consumer weren't going to last anyway.

This is a good thing, for both consumer and Shops. The shop do not have to accept various model bikes in order to get the best selling model from trek. Bikes shops do not have to hold dead stock, or purchase stock. trek do not have stock returns at the end of the financial year from dealers of bikes that did not sell. Trek Authorized Bike Dealers Will be Sent the Bike to be Built in that person's Area. Every bike sent or built is sold. This again cuts waste materials for trek keeping costs lower for the consumer. With the Customer Collecting the bike once Built, and Registered under warranty with Trek Authorised dealer. This cuts costs for everyone involved. This is a win win for everyone because costs have become too expensive. Love 🇬🇧 🖖

While I race a Giant Revolt, I use Specialized tires (and a 3-D saddle upgrade) which I order online but I pick it up at my local Specialized Dealer. He gets a cut and I get to BS with them and buy various consumables like valvestemd , sealer or rim tape.

I love my local bike shop. The group rides have changed cycling for me. I hate that items are never in stock, the exact item I’m looking for is almost never I stock but “we can order it” that’s the reason I purchase online. Trek corporate stores despite how much I hate them, do a better job of keeping property inventory with a wider selection of items. They’re just better business people. This won’t have an Amazon effect on the industry unless they price products similar to Canyon. But it will still shake things up a little for local retailers that aren’t keeping up with the times. It’s unlikely that a white glove service will go anywhere. It’s only viable in big cities, or with retailers that may want to specialize in this kind of service similar to TireRack.

I'm personally not a fan of the vibe at bike shops. I'll buy something at a bike shop if it's the best deal I can find, but that doesn't happen often at all. I get that bike shops need to charge quite a bit to keep the lights on, and many have the sentiment that us cyclists should support our LBS, but it's simply a lot more expensive and inconvinient than buying the tools/parts myself and learning how to work on my bikes. Bikes really aren't that complicated to work on, and I'd rather pay $20 for a tool I can use for years to come, instead of paying $20 to leave my bike at a shop for two weeks to have something fixed once.

I for one will always need a LBS. For all the weird little bike related stuff. Maybe there's less and less of people like me.

A few years ago i bought a $10k bike from a shop. They didn’t bleed the brakes properly, didn’t put carbon paste on the seat post and didn’t even want to adjust my cockpit ergonomics. If I can save 20% and buy direct id much rather do that than deal with bs service from a shop.

When I was a kid, I don't remember there being bike shops in the area. Bicycles were either used or obtained from Sears & Roebuck or Montgomery Wards. Maybe, this isn't so new to some of us.

I enjoy shopping so I like going to my local bike shop. I like buying a frame and shopping for all the parts talking to salespeople to see what they suggest. I have done this with two of my last three bikes and it is just part of the enjoyment of cycling.

Bikesdirect led the way.

I believe that any sort of brick and mortar retail can survive, however customer experience has to go way beyond the current experience. When there is not enough value for customers to make a visit, customers will divert to online as the pain to a transactional relationship will be largely improved by online.

I think this is great! as much as I love to shop local, that just isn't an option for a lot off people. I have 2 bike shops within an hour of me and they only deal with +$1500 bikes and when it comes to adult Trek bikes they only have they $2500+ bikes. This will force them to carry a wider selection that is more realistic to most rider or focusing more on services. The bike shops in the area are keeping people away from cycling because they will not cater to beginners and people that do not want to spend thousands of dollars on a bike. In the end cycling is a niche market and there isnt room for the snobbery that most shops have, I really am hoping that this kind of stuff will knock that down a peg or start weeding out the unfriendly bike shops.

Lbs will manage but the focus on service and limited revenue from sales will decrease the overall revenue and number of lbs.

I will always support my local bike shop and even one out of state that I do business with, because of the relationships I’ve built with them and the staff throughout the years. I like that in person experience and always enjoy just talking bikes while I’m in there. The only time I would resort to ordering something online is if it’s a hard to find or limited edition item, and I need to order it elsewhere.

I can't overstate how beneficial it was for me to ride several different bikes in different sizes from different brands when I purchased my bike last year. I walked out with a completely different bike than I was convinced I was getting when I walked in. I probably paid more than on line but I'm far more confident I got the "bike for me"

I dont know too many people who can assemble a bike , Hydraulic brakes, suspension, ect. Whatever your agreement was with Trek to assemble their bike because you are a dealer should be null and void. Charge more.

Consumers are now more educated these days, I've been cycling for 4 years now mainly for exercise, but I ride every evening and my diet is right. I was close to 300 lb, at 5'9'' and now I'm 246. I was just at a bike shop, and 2 of the salesmen were trying to convince me to get rid of my bike and get a TREK Modone Gen 8! They tried to make me feel bad about my Religh Merrit 2, which I purchased new, and it has served its purpose. I don't compete in any races, and if I did, these much fitter guys would kill me. Why waste my time going to a shop, when I can buy online?

If I’m a bike shop, I’m advertising public prices to assemble Canyon bikes, why wouldn’t you want that business, and have those clients in your store? The shops that adapt the quickest to the direct to consumer platform are the ones that will flourish.

I was a DELL computer reseller for almost 5 years and then they did the same to the point that sometimes I was getting better prices on domestic than reselling. The customer has to deal directly to DELL under warranty, so I will not sale extended warranties from DELL to catch up after the 1st year

I was manger at a bike shop. And if the customers would see what the owners would try to have us do. I totally agree with this new process. And you touched on good points. Thank you for this video.

This Trek model doesn't make much sense IMO. If a bike is still going to cost $14K online or in store, there is very little benefit to buying online. I'd rather buy in store to get the right fit, etc. Canyon's model works because you pay $4-5K less for a top spec.

When I buy a bike, I want to go to my LBS. I have a relationship with them, I know that they aren't going to steer me wrong and, most importantly, I know that by supporting them, if a few years, when I have a problem, they will be there to help me. TBH, the cost of direct to consumer is not worth the extra $$$ I pay later

It's another nail in the coffin for IBD. I think specialist shops, custom builds, and workshops will be fine but your core family-run bike shop will struggle to compete with sales of new bikes. Competition is fierce and the margins are low and being squeezed more and more. After leaving the bike industry I am now a customer for the first time my first place to look for a new bike would be Canyon.

This does not sound like the Canyon model he referred to. Canyon offers more value because they are truly DTC. This sounded like no price break for cutting out the middle man. In fact it costs more and it really muddies the water for any warranty issues the buyer brings up.

Ive never bought a bike i couldnt put my hands on before i bought. Ive even bought brands id never used before because its what i could physically grasp. Thats the story behind my current Orbea. I want a new Canyon, but i just can't be sure... Canyon would have a $8000 sale on their hands if i could try one out first basically.

I'm just tired of driving to any store just for them to tell me they don't have any and I need to go online to get it. They won't even order it for you anymore.

I got a Scott box from a LBS to pack my bike. Box was enormous. I've seen unboxing videos of trek bikes, where it looks like the bike comes almost fully built. I guess that's why the boxes got so big. Basically a ninety degree rotation of the bars and voilà. If it works with canyon, I can see why it would work with Trek. Pinarello is also justifying its pricing (factor too) with paint customisation. That, and the disaster of inventory management when going through bike shops. Bottom line: it you can order to your door the exact spec you want, and there's hardly any assembling required, then, happy customers?

My local bike shop is nice to your face, but if you ask them to order anything in they won’t do it. I’ve waited weeks for the phone to ring after ordering something and they appear to have just forgotten. I no longer shop with them, it’s like they don’t want my business.

I wanted a Specialized SL Creo Carbon Expert eBike about three years ago. My LBS, Specialized owned, was able to find one and when it arrived, they set it up to my size, etc. Cost around $10K plus. It has been in and out of the store several times since with various problems and mods. When I need service, they usually do it that day. Good bunch of employees. When I buy another bike, I'll have it shipped to them, gladly pay for that option. 🙆‍♂

My colleague purchased a Canyon endurance bicycle. He complains about back pains when riding which he attributes to the ergonomics of the specific geometry of the bicycle. A few centimeters here and there can make a significant difference in comfort so the test ride that a LBS offers may be worth the additional cost compared with the cost from a direct-to-consumer seller for some people. An alternative however might be to get fit for a bicycle professionally which would allow for selection of the correctly sized bike from a direct-to-consumer seller.

I bought my bike on the net because my store tried to sell me a bike I didn’t want, and didn’t even fit. It was an old stock Giant and they were a Cube dealer but refused to order me the bike. Thankfully the online retailer are brilliant which is a relief because Cube have been awful with the warranty claim.

Driving costs more than shipping in many cases. I live in Bergen, Norway. Driving and parking into the city is 2 dollars road toll and parking is at least 15 dollars. Even if I don’t add the cost of extra mileage on my car, shipping is usually cheaper than driving. That’s why I order online more and more frequently now.

I bought my last bike online. I have a pinarello dealer here, but I don't like they're work or wait times. I ordered from a R&A out of NYC. The first bike the frame had something wrong so they sent it back to pinarello. I was able to customize the bike and have the steerer cut. To me all I want is the bike built how I want it and to be free of any defects. Experienced cyclist know what they want. I use my local shop for repairs and upgrades. Thats what they should concentrate on

Trek bought our local LBS in 2021 I think to make it a trek store. And they’re closing it this week now due to lack of sales.

You need to see a bike in person and also get the right size! Plus the in store service for me personally is super important.

I like the ability to goto my LBS to look at the bikes and test ride them to determine which one fits my body....can't always trust the size guides.

I've been to a few LBS to try out a bike for size. They weren't prepared to let me ride their nice, clean bikes, so I might as well buy the thing on line and hope for the best.

A huge part of the pleasure I get when I receive a new ride is the unboxing and build out process. I've had.bikes shipped to me for 30 years. The only complaint ive had over those years is shipping times. Id rather wrench my own bikes and dial them in myself. That does require a copious tool set, but tools are fun. Bike shops aee for guys and gals that aren't that into it. I've saved hundreds if not thousands over the decades, not to mention the downtime involved in bringing my bike to the nearest lbs and having to come back when its repaired. No thanks. A serious rider ought be able to maintain and service their ride.

It's a weird situation IMO. The pure D2C brands make sense. For example with Canyon you lose out on some of the benefits of buying from a store, but in most cases you save money. AFAIK Specialized and Trek are not offering lower prices for people who buy online. They just want to take more of the revenue. If the price is the same I would rather go through my LBS. I can only see a benefit if you live in an area where there is no store selling that brand.

When a customer can order a bike online and then have it shipped to their local dealer, who already had the same exact model and size on the showroom floor, you know the current direct-to-consumer system is completely broken... There's no reason there shouldn't be a better functioning order system between dealers and manufacturers so product can actually move off showroom floors when customers order SKUs online that are available locally.

I want to see the bike, ride the bike and ask questions about it before I buy it. I also want to build a relatonship with the LBS so that I can get good service if and when I need it. No online bike buying for me!!

Not a problem there are no bikes available in the shops (at least in my area)and if you need proper fit you need to custom built bike anyway as ready built are sucks

Specialized and Trek are NOT really DTC if they offer ridiculous LBS prices with it

Where I live in Ireland trek used to hand out bikes to any local shop that would sell them. I think we had 6/7 shops not far away from each other who could sell trek. About 2 years ago they stopped supplying them and give one of the shops a trek superstore franchise. All they sell is trek and bontrager stuff so they’ve been trying to phase out the local bike store for a while.

Trek sold me one online. Cheap. Delivered it to the trek dealer who built it for nothing and I picked it up there. Pretty efficient.

Thankfully this is happening ! I recently purchased a bike directly and the process was seamless, fast delivery, great online support and minimal assembly that anyone could accomplish. LBSs are great for service if one doesn’t have the time,skills or tools. Sales via a LBS has rarely been a pleasant experience. I hope that all manufacturers move to direct to consumer sales.

Today I bought a Roval Rapide handlebar directly from my LBS because I did not want to pay the extra 15$ to have it delivered from Specialized to the same LBS in 7 days. I'm all for direct to consumer and online sales but we have to be pragmatic when it's time to get stuff. I don't want to have a 5-10k$ bike dropped at my house when I could be at work so I would say that Local bike shops will keep on seeing me for a long time.

Retailers will lose the customers who know what they want and know how to fix their own bikes. Those customers will buy directly from the manufacturer. For all other costumers retailers will still be in business. Those customer will want to test ride different bike, ask what bike they should buy etc. Those customers are not comfortable buying directly from the manufacturer online as they don't really know what they want and how to assemble parts together.

I've got a garage full of bikes, not looking to upgrade just maintain what I have. Buy from Aliexpress, Ebay, Amazon and online retailers. I go in one bike shop because they are also a pub/cafe. Do all my own bike building/maintenance. A chap at my cycling club said our most local bike shop that he bought his bike from refused to fit a new bottom bracket for him because he bought elsewhere, I'll never go there again.

Bike shops imo should work with direct to customer brands rather than going against. They should offer a service to have direct sales bikes go be delivered to shop for assembly and maintenance, with additional service fee. Bicycles have almost standardized parts that will be familiar across the shelve, unlike cars.

Thank goodness - LBS been overpriced for too long!

Local bike shops will be just fine as long as they were service oriented to begin with. Someone is going to have to assemble and maintain the online bikes since the vast majority of customers lack the skills and/or time to do their own work.

20-30% margin - I think Trek is missing that their bike are overpriced... They can do DTC all they want but if the prices don't reflect a change then people will still go to canyon website click on the link and buy the bike a lot cheaper than other brands (canyon just an example)

I wouldn't worry. I bet most customers wouldn't know one end of spanner from the other ,especially with the complexity of modern groupsets

A) local bike shops will ALWAYS be there. It's all about the SERVICE. B) I just purchased a new Trek from a local trek shop and STILL had to order without test riding it because they didn't have my frame size (6'3") ... so ording online is natural. .. local bike shops are needed for services

The problem I run into is the LBS has very thin stock, so most parts I am after have to be ordered. Dealers quote a week for the part, while online is 2 days. Also LBS’s in my area are aligned with a bike company and only carry their brand parts.

Just bought a bike online. Just don’t have time to shop.

No more middle man! 😂😂😂

Another thing I notice are all of the up charges that happen. If you want to know if the bike is the right fit , you get the old standover and see if it hits your crotch bit or you are told to get a $200 bike fit. If the stem is not the right length, you have to buy that at retail then end up with a stem you will never use. So, I fail to see the advantage of going with a LBS.

Wow. From reading the comments it is clear there is no universal LBS experience. My LBS is a Trek dealer and has been in business for 50 years. The service at this shop is fantastic and cheerful. I do most of my own maintenance but they are happy to pick up the slack if I have some trouble. They always let me watch and I always buy the tool from them if that was the issue. I order parts from them even if it costs a little more. They know if they treat me well that I can and do tell other people about the shop. I have recommended them to dozens of newcomers to town.

My experience as a consumer is that shops live and die by their mechanics. A good service department will keep me coming back over and over. I think it's a mistake to have kids running the counter (and I see this a lot) unless the owner trains them to grab a mechanic when the detailed technical questions start. My LBS lost a sale the other day because the kid at the counter couldn't answer my questions and didn't try to get any help. But they have a killer service department so I'll be back next time I need a repair, regardless of where I got the bike from.

You should have compared the car dealership industry. Cell phones kind of the same, but the car industry is more accurate. You have not only salesmen looking to prop you up not only on something different than what you went to look for, but out of their budget, then they start telling the customer. “Oh don’t worry, we have finance available. Get your dream bike.” Knowing dam well the guy is a weekend warrior, they trying to saddle him on a 8k bike And I know I know, if people had a spine and priorities straight these days, they would simply say, no thanks I want this bike and that’s it. The other thing is disparity in prices that be in complete bikes or parts. Going direct takes the worry out about the prices along one LBS and another.

bike shops are only for millionaires who can afford high prices. the used market and youtube for repairs and maintenance is for everyone else.

I honestly don’t remember independently owned “mom & pop” cell phone stores? Was that ever a thing? All cell phone stores or mall kiosks were carrier branded.

compensating LBSs for online sales sounds dodgy: sounds like a way to ameliorate LBSs initially but you know that the compensation will drop to zero over time and LBSs will be edged out.

LBS will be service mainly. Only sales will be spare parts.

It's insulting to buy from a local store when everything is double the price of online. Online is their competition. That's what price they need to beat.

These bikes are getting extremely complicated to build, this will be interesting 😮