The death of my LBS

[drcarlos]

I popped into my LBS the today (Berkshire Cycles in Crowthorne) as I'm on the lookout for a FS Trail bike when I get back from holiday and having only bought 1 bike from elsewhere in my life (Halfords for a Cycle to work bike and it was a crap experience) I usually visit them to see what they have in.
Well I went to the area of the shop where the decent MTB's are and i was greeted by a not so huge selection of just 3 regular FS bikes. All of which were massively over my budget, so I took a wander and found nothing else, also nothing really of note in the decent hardtail range apart from a couple of Cubes in low/mid spec. There was however a good selection of massively expensive e-MTB's.
A young sales girl came over and offered her services, so I asked here where the regular FS and hardtails were to which she replied that they don't sell many anymore so don't carry them in stock, they sold more e-bikes so would I be interested in one of those? I did reply with a comment that I was a proper cyclist not some part time no hoper so was only interested in a real bike. They only seem to be able to get sporadic orders now of regular bikes now.
So sadly it's time to try elsewhere, Go Outdoors look favourable (thinking about a Bossnut Evo or BBB) and the Boardmans (team and Pro) have always been decent but the shop lets them down. Mail order is an option and CRC have the Cube I was looking at (I know fit and Cube well enough).
I am not sure if they are setting up for failure with e-bikes, they are bound to get regulated at some point and then I feel the bottom will go from the market.
I may return for the kids bikes and some repairs but serious stuff I'll have to go elsewhere.
Sad.

Carl.

 

[tintin40]

That is sad to read. I try to buy from them as often as poss as they are just up the road. People are getting so lazy with electronic transport. Saw a few segway in Swinley forest today. People can't even walk now!!!! It's far more satisfying to pedal it???

 

[drcarlos]

Re:

They have always been competitive on price and local. Until now they had a great range. I'll still go in for the odd part but I can't help but think they've backed the wrong horse here as this will be a fad and ultimately a small market.

Carl.

 

[mk one]

I should imagine you can still order bikes through them, its just if their best sellers are e bikes then it makes sense for them to stock more of them. Not sure if they get bikes sale or return or have to buy in hope of selling. i suppose smaller shops are more influenced by the current market.

mark

 

[gradeAfailure]

Re:

I did reply with a comment that I was a proper cyclist not some part time no hoper so was only interested in a real bike.

That doesn't make it sound like you're up your own arse at all, definitely not.. :roll: Your bike have gears, does it? Part time no hoper..

Shop in stocking-the-stuff-that-sells shocker.

E-bike aren't a fad; at least I hope they aren't. They represent the best hope of getting more normal people out of cars and onto bikes for short journeys. We need people to look at bikes as another normal form of transport, not just a leisure activity that you have to dress up in daft clothes to do.

Go to Germany, Denmark, Austria, etc - e-bikes are everywhere, and it's a good thing. It means there is an incentive to spend on proper infrastructure. If your LBS has got their finger in the wind then they'll know that it's where things are headed.

 

[cce]

They're catering for the market as it is. Know-all cyclist types like us buy things online and mend them ourselves. We're not a good target for bike shops. People who want hybrids and e-bikes to ride to work are.

Also, you made a tit of yourself.

 

[drcarlos]

Re: Re:

I did reply with a comment that I was a proper cyclist not some part time no hoper so was only interested in a real bike.

That doesn't make it sound like you're up your own arse at all, definitely not.. :roll: Your bike have gears, does it? Part time no hoper..

Shop in stocking-the-stuff-that-sells shocker.

E-bike aren't a fad; at least I hope they aren't. They represent the best hope of getting more normal people out of cars and onto bikes for short journeys. We need people to look at bikes as another normal form of transport, not just a leisure activity that you have to dress up in daft clothes to do.

Go to Germany, Denmark, Austria, etc - e-bikes are everywhere, and it's a good thing. It means there is an incentive to spend on proper infrastructure. If your LBS has got their finger in the wind then they'll know that it's where things are headed.

Very apt user name this (see I can chuck in a personal insult too :roll: ). Your analogy is a total failure. Yes I have gears on my bike, but gears have been around probably 100 years and GT just won the TDF with guess what? A bike with gears :roll: . This is never likely to happen on an e-bike.
Also if you read the OP - I said these bikes were not the sort of mass market commuter e-bikes that are likely to sell in larger numbers, they were hugely expensive FS e-MTB's, think £3k+.
Unless you are completely blind e-bikes are likely to end up with some sort of regulation, that might well include licencing and insurance as they are powered and could likely be classed as a motorcycle. It's only going to take 1 death related to one and it will hit. They could also be banned from trails and off road cycle paths. Then the market is likely to contract massively. By dropping traditional cyclists (sorry to sound so pretentious but hey there are still probably thousands more of us than the fad people who are using e-MTB's) and nailing your flag to that mast they alienate a large amount of their traditional clients.

@cce - We are made to feel like we should support local business' and use our LBS rather than go mail order, so having spent many thousands with them over the years and where they are located (next to one of the biggest trail centres in the south). I feel they have just alienated their traditional user base. So now i have to go online. They still stock a lot of commuter bikes and Hybrids, but have literally just stopped stocking quality MTB's only, in favour of these massively expensive FS e-MTB's. When i spend a lot of money on a bike I prefer to try t first and they always let you take a bike or two for a quick spin across the road. This is one time that online is not necessarily better.
Why should I not let them know that they have alienated their traditional clients? If they get comments to that effect they may reconsider this policy.

Carl.

 

[gradeAfailure]

"I still feel that variable gears are only for people over forty-five. Isn't it better to triumph by the strength of your muscles than by the artifice of a derailer? We are getting soft... As for me, give me a fixed gear!" Henri Desgrange

Ok, I'll accept that I missed your point about the type of E-bikes they had for sale - that's on me. Still, they are selling and are likely to continue to do so. Anecdotally, many people seem to be reporting that their max and average HR are higher on their e-bike rides as the extra oomph up climbs spurs them on to push harder - you just go further and faster.

As long as the assistance stays below a set level and speed, and are pedal-assist, then no, I don't see them being regulated. Above that and they're classed as an electric motorbike, and already fall under current regulation. You say it only takes one death; well, we've had them from "traditional" bikes and they haven't been regulated or banned, and there seems to be no indication that this will happen.

As for your LBS - businesses have to adapt to survive. They'll have a much better handle than you on which way the market is heading and it won't be a decision they've taken lightly. If you're no longer part of their target demographic then so be it. By all means let them know, but I wouldn't hold your breath for them to do anything about it.

If you're in the market for a new FS trail bike, get yourself over to Bird Cycleworks in Eversley. They have 120mm and 145/160mm 650b models, and a 150mm 29er. All frames designed from the ground up in-house, fully customisable in terms of spec and options, and a transferable lifetime warranty on the frames. Quality of service is second-to-none, and they do regular servicing as well. They can be your new LBS Oh, and they do proper demos as well..

 

[shogun]

Getting people onto feeble motorbikes with life-limited bespoke drivetrains is not the 'best hope of getting more normal people out of cars and onto bikes for short journeys'. It's the best hope of getting BSOs with expensive motors onto garage walls for several years before they inevitably go into landfill unserviceable though.

 

[legrandefromage]

I like turtles!