Had a shimano motor go, so bought a one new myselve as it was £300 cheaper, i got in touch with various shimano approved dealers to fit it, and not one of them was interested, learned to fit it myselve as well as setting software on it, from that day on i dont need a bike shop to service my bikes, if i am unsure, i will learn via forums and youtube
Yeah he compares it to a car but it’s much lower than a car as far as skill there’s a reason a bike mechanic on average gets paid less than an auto tech.
@@mikerucker8913 well most good bikes are about the same price as a used car, especially the expensive ones, those owners want their bike repaired by a pro, considering they get complicated with carbon fiber parts and all the newer tech. the rich people tend to not fix stuff themselves since theyre busy working or they just dont have the time to learn to be repairmen themselves
"We ordered the wrong fork" is code for, we forgot to order it. And your La Bomba, they just couldn't care less. They weren't going to make a dime on the recall. So there was no insensitive to get it done.
I called in to a local bike shop turned trek shop recently. And the dude who answered said he was just a guy who does maintenance but he knew the area super well and different trails by name. He was able to guide me in the right direction on what tires to get for the specific trails and terrain I wanted. His enthusiasm and excitement about bikes in general was apparent and made me want to give them my business.
This is why my "local" bike shop is an hour drive away. Shout out The Path Bike Shop in Tustin, CA. They regularly send text updates, and regardless of how much you spend, they're driven to keep you out there on your bike. Their motto is "Love the bike you ride."
Bro, I think that’s just the way things are these days. Customer service at any level has been lost. When I’m actually treated like someone who’s spending hard earned money, I’m blown away and it’s a breath of fresh air.
best advice is learn how to do all your repairs and upgrades yourself. I'm all for supporting your LBS but half of the ones I've been to are just a bunch of potheads anymore.
Hey Matty. I've been riding mtb's for the past 30 years and one thing I noticed about bike shops is that that they cater more to the "ELITE". One bike shop owner made me wait for over an hour for some young punk because his parents were rich and he even told me, "His parent own a plane on the lake". I said, I really don't give a $hit I just want my bike. That's why now I fix my own bike and buy my own parts and just turned it into a hobby. If you make less than 100k a year, you should do the same. It was during the coof when I realized it even more. The old saying goes: Money talks bull $hit walks. I really enjoy your channel, you make reasonable content.
I tried multiple times to buy a specific gravel bike from one of the local shops. I was looking at a $2,000-ish aluminum model equipped with the 10-speed, GRX 400 drivetrain. They wouldn't order one (maybe they can't?), and was told to check back later. The sales person walked away. I went to REI and bought a Cannondale Topstone. This is my second Cannondale. "Why are people buying online, and going to REI?"
I did the same thing. Went to my local bike shop and they were snobs, they acted like my bike was too "cheap", I left and went to REI and they were patient, gave me full attention, and I bought a bike. Very happy with it
@@christopherharmon9336 The reason more and more people are buying online is because a lot of people don't have an REI store near them like you guy's do. That's why when I order the Trek Fuel EX 8 GX AXS T-Type Gen 6. I'll have it delivering right to my door. Cut out the middle man. I'll put it together my self. I'll be waiting till November to order it, to see if it will go down in price.
Don’t go to the big brand bike shops. Go to the independent ones. I’ve loved my experience there unlike the price gouging trek store I went to. REI is one I’ve also been impressed with. They’ve got one tech there at mine that is a retired pro rider that just wants everybody back on their bikes
@@bert3566I'm confused. You were impressed by REI but don't go to big brand bike shop? Isn't REI the biggest brand bike shop in the US? By the way I think REI is awesome too.
There's a bike shop on the peninsula in the SF Bay Area that's apparently quite well-known and apparently respected by many bikers. I tried several times to do business with them, and each time I went into that store, it was easily apparent that if you weren't MALE, and completely decked out in your Spandex bike-clothing, they wouldn't give you the time of day. So if you were a female who showed up in your work clothes during your lunch hour, TOO BAD! All I wanted to do was buy some biking shorts, and it was before the Internet, so no online shops, yet. They couldn't care less! I could've dropped dead in the middle of their shop and they just would've stepped over me. I was just starting to get into mountain biking, and I had a cheap bike I had gotten for free as some sort of a promotion. I rode it a lot, and eventually it needed the brakes adjusted. Not knowing how to do that myself, I brought it in to have the work done, and they just looked down their noses at it and said, "Oh, we don't work on crappy bikes like THAT", and then proceeded to try to sell me an expensive new bike. I left there, and went to a small bike shop a few miles away. Not only did they fix the brakes, they showed me how to do it, and gave me a free water bottle! I remember the guy said to me, "No, that's not a 'crappy' bike, it's an ENTRY LEVEL bike. You're having fun with it, and it's gotten you into the sport, right? There's no such thing as a 'crappy' bike. All bikes are worth enjoying and taking care of." They had my business for many years after that, until I finally moved away.
Been dealing with with this for over 20 years. As soon as I decided to learn how to work on my own bike, It eliminates all the waiting and mis communication. There's no good reason to no know how to set up tubeless or dial in your derailleur. Once you learn how todo it it's a skill you can hone and use for life. The only thing I don't know how to do is build up a wheel. I feel like its is not something I will do very often but everything... Take the time to learn it they will not take care and prioritize your bike like you will 👍
Bike shops need to read these comments & wake the hell up you hear it all the time support your local shop well I can say this if they don’t support you you can forget about that.
A friend said this to me the other day, "The biggest problem with most bike shops is that the people who work there don't actually ride bikes" and he's absolutely right. In most big bike shops, the staff just don't get it, you've gotta find yourself a small independant place where the owners and staff actually ride regularly.
Well more of them would ride bikes if they got paid enough to work there. Yeah let’s work at a bike shop making 15-20 dollars an hour support my family and after 6 years maybe I can save enough for a hardtail lol.
Low pay is one factor. The other is the staff keep customers on their bikes during peak riding season and through long hours. I worked in the cycling industry for years.
A small independent is no guarantee of quality service and care. One I have dealt with in the past were less than stellar, never to be used again. However another I have and continue to use are very good and always make me feel welcome.
Invest in tools. That's the thing others aren't mentioning. You buy the tools, you'll learn the skills; you have skills and tools, you're totally independent.
Good video Matty. As a painting contractor I communicate almost everything with my clients, I make them ALL feel as they are the most important customers. Because they ARE! They'll keep (and have) calling me back because of the customer service I try to provide them ALL. No communication and or bad customer service = no money..
this is why i all the time encourage people to learn how to fix your own bike, DIY, assemble and buy your own tools instead of relying bike shops. they just lack that customer care. most shops think that riders are dependent. one thing that bothers me the most is that if you walk in looking like you aint rich or something, they'll simply ignore you. weird af. BIKES ARE EASY TO FIX.
With the availability of UA-cam videos on how to do most of this stuff and amazon having all the weird tools you could need there is no more reason to take a bike to the bike shop except for really serious stuff and yearly maintenance stuff.
Same here and same experience - local shops suck at being proactive - I was out of the country for two weeks. I sat down with the guy fixing my bike for 30 minutes explaining all the things that need to be done when I get back they were still two days behind, and I had to remind him of a few things, they hadn’t even done yet. They basically had no intention of calling and letting me know I had to go find out on my own.
One problem with bike shops is that they have kids in the back working. This is cause they not paying enough so no real competent adult are willing to work for peanuts. Same thing with auto dealerships, all the experience mechanics leave cause they get paid peanuts and treated bad.
I live in Colorado and recently used a mobile bike repair company. The guy was excellent, fair priced, and communicated great. I’ve also had a lot of good luck with Pedal Pushers in Golden. Very helpful and attentive.
@@mrvwbug4423pedal pushers took over a week to do a suspension service and brake bleed. This was in the "offseason" when they weren't busy and obstrnsively wanted the business. Also, they contaminated my brake disk and didn't install an o ring correctly so on the furar ride the suspension contracted and never equalized and locked up. Lost a whole day of riding.
most bike shops can't afford to keep large inventory. They need cash on hand to pay the bills. Most bike shops have decent inventory for their niche thought.
Car repairs are a poor comparison to cite for justifying not wanting to do your own bike maintenance. It is comparatively much simpler, cheaper, and more accessible to work on a bike than a car especially in this age of being able to look up how do do anything online, it's not rocket science. And if you can't be bothered to learn how, of course you run the risk of dealing with bike shops with poor service
Hey Matty- your absolutely right. Like you I would go to bike shops for parts and service. Customer service is horrible. Now I buy everything online and service my own bikes.
The shops near me are great and love answering questions even though they got bought out by Trek and Specialized. After another 5 years when the old guys retire out I am concerened what the customer experience is going to be like though. The owner who is in his 70s has done almost anything on a bike you can imagine and loves to help out with anything you can think of. He told me the last time I was in there he misses BMX and wishes that Trek had an offering for the people in our area that still do it. BMX in our area is almost totally dead and I wonder if it is a supply problem and there is little opportunity to get into the sport. I'm just glad someone in the shop cares about all the forms of biking and not just hyperfocusing on only road or only MTB for example.
I bought all the tools I needed on AliExpress for dollars each, and I learned to work on my bike myself. It's really not difficult, especially with youtube tutorials. If I need to fix something on my bike, I just go in the garage, put my bike up on the repair stand, put a long youtube video or podcast on the TV, and get to work. No drive to and from the bike shop, no two week wait to drive back to and from the bike shop, no insane labor costs, and best of all... no being spoken to like I'm an idiot by smug bike shop employees!
I go to a Family owned place for stuff i don't know how to do. Super helpful and will teach you how to do things if you want to know. I been to some other shops that are brand specific that i wont go to after dealing with them.
I had a similar experience last May. When the Colorado Cyclist when went out of business, I bought the SRAM GX group set to upgrade my mountain bike. The Tech at the bike shop near my house barely looked at my bike and said it wouldn't fit my bike. He seemed more interested in helping a guy buy a new bike.
18 months ago, I dropped my 2008 Specialized Epic, a total project "labor of love" type bike off at the LBS because I needed an adapter for tab mounts on my 26" Reba fork. It took them 9 days. The bike was really a collector's piece from my POV, but still... All I needed was just the right adapter. They turned it into a $100 bill for me because they did things I didn't want them to. I didn't need a $45 rotor, but that's what they put on and billed me for.
At the end of this video you nailed it. “It all comes down to communication.” Bike shops have always been hit or miss for me, sometimes the service is over the top great, other times I walk away wondering how they stay in business 😂. I try to do 75% of my maintenance on my own.
When I was a kid riding BMX we would ride to the LBS and hang out for hours with the mechanics. They were in there late 20's and early 30's and super busy but still showed us how to fix our bikes and since I cut grass for money they would even save new take off parts (like cranks and wheels) for us when someone upgraded their bike after buying. That LBS vibe is gone and so is the care for the blue collar rider. LBS's now are only focused on the folks dropping $2500+ every few months for the latest and greatest.
I definitely feel you on how some bike shops refuse to communicate. I'm very lucky though because I live minutes away from Worldwide Cyclery in Newbury Park and they do fantastic work and communicate extremely well.
You are spot on , however this is not a issue with just bike shop's it applies to almost every industry in America. No one seems to give a rats ass about the customer or their money.
There's certainly good shops out there, Pedal Pushers in Golden comes to mind, but you also get a lot of LBS that just don't seem to care and then you get the chain stores like Trek stores, Mike's bikes, REI, Epic Mountain Gear where the staff might not even know much about what they're selling.
Matty, stoked to let you know that I just purchased my Roscoe 9 and I've already done a bunch of upgrades to it. Your channel is a huge reason on why I chose this bike and I absolutely love it. One of the comments I was reading mentioned that the biggest problem with bike shops is that the people that work there are primarily not actual Riders and that is so the truth. People just want the job so they can make the money and they'll work wherever but if you had a staff that was fully committed to riding whether it be mountain bikes BMX road gravel whatever the shop would run so much more efficiently and you are absolutely 100 correct it is up to the shop to gain the customer's Trust.
Not to mention how stupidly priced the bikes have gotten. The new Santa Cruz bike STARTS at 7,299! Goes up to 12,799. That's before tax and other fees!
I own a shop. Typically it takes us 1 or 2 days for a normal repair and a week if we need to order a part. It is extremely unusual for us to take 2 weeks on a repair if we are able to get the part on a normal order. No-name e-bikes seem to be the only outlier to this and sometimes the electronics can take a whole month to come in.
I do all of my maintenance and bike builds. I use eBay 98% of my parts if there is something I need now I’ll use one of the local shop it find what I need .
It's too easy and inexpensive to order online, why can I get the part and put in on faster than the bike shop can? Anything I've ever asked at a bike shop it's always seem like I'm an inconvenience 🤷♂️. I've had at least a dozen bikes since 2020 and only 1 was bought at a bike shop. I'd rather it come in a box to my house and ke not have to talk to anyone.
Long story short I think this is bike industry issue as a whole right now, not just LBS’s. It’s especially difficult that some of these things are a niche of a niche of an already niche market. I’ve had the opposite scenario and currently similar issue but with multiple manufacturers on the latter. I tried supporting my local county funded community LBS and they didn’t have tools in the condition to to do the work I needed, they not only let me promptly know but didn’t charge anything. Ever since I’ve donated and sent people there. Currently I’m dealing with a major bike company whose seat post clamping failed and damaged the carbon fiber frame. Even though I followed the torque specs and used the bike as intended they won’t stand by the warranty and are classifying it as crash. The second current issue is that I’m getting a custom bike accessory made and they’re about 40 days past their 60-80 day lead time and they are unable to give a status of where in the process my order is at.
I’ve been a hardcore mountain biker for over 20 yrs bike shops are hit or miss & if you find a good one definitely stick with it. But I remember when I first started I’d bother my brother everytime my bike had a issue & I remember him saying you gotta learn to work on your own bike it was the best advice for sure so I learned to do everything except build wheels I’d build & work on all my friends bikes as well. I’ve had some very bad experiences with bike shops one time I had a shop put on because I didn’t have anytime & I had to redo everything when I got it home it was actually a lawsuit waiting to happen had I rode it the way the gave it back it would’ve failed. And I remember going to a shop & looking around & a shop worker was telling me ya you can’t touch stuff & I had a wad of cash in my pocket so I just left & didn’t come back. Bike shops seem to be very arrogant & have a bunch of know it alls. And shops with higher end stuff are usually the worst. I remember having a wheel built & when I went to but it on it was dished incorrectly & it wouldn’t work so I called the shop & spoke to them & they couldn’t believe it & said it can’t be that’s like the basics of wheel building so I took it back & yep it was dished incorrectly & they just had nothing to say but fixed it & I never had them work on any wheels again. I know there are good shops & it’s usually the ones that are down to earth love bikes & riding & have respect & common sense.
Well, I went in to one of my local shops about a year ago and was asking if they had any Shimano Deore four piston brake sets. The mechanic overheard and started laughing. He said what are you putting that garbage on? Unfazed, I said, my Roscoe 6 (at the time). He said, oh so garbage on top of garbage. He said, we don’t stock them but can order them. Because I know a lot about mountain bikes and how to do all my own wrenching and because I fix peoples bikes as well, I was genuinely curious where he would lead me even though I wanted to walk out and NEVER GO BACK. I asked him what he would recommend and he said Shimano Saints. I said for a 2022 roscoe 6, you’d recommend Saints? Isn’t that overkill for an XC/trail bike? He said no, I used to race DH in BC before I moved here and I always ran Saints and still do! But then he said, I wouldn’t put saints on an R6. Then he said that’s a garbage bike. So I asked, ok, curious, out of all the bikes in your shop right now, which one would you recommend? He said NONE! He said the only way to do it right is to custom build! I said so that’s like 2500-4000 for a bike with custom parts that you’d recommend ? He said not a chance! More like 6-8k and it has to be full suspension. Hardtails suck! I said wow that’s crazy that you couldn’t recommend anything on your sales floor. Then I asked him, so if I came in to buy a bike like a specialized rock hopper, would we have had this type of conversation? He said, yes, honesty is the best policy! Then I asked him, but if I had the cash budget for a rockhopper in my pocket and you deterred me from that bike based on your custom build recommendation and told me rockhopper/hardtails are garbage and not knowing what I know about bikes, do you think I would have bought the rockhopper today like I was planning? He said probably, people are dumb and want what they want and it’s garbage, people like you need to realize that this is a pay to play sport and the more you pay, the better bike you have. I said, basically what you’re saying is if I bought the Deore four piston brakes, I’d be dumb. He said basically. They’re no good. Then he said, do you want me to order them for you. No, I said. Elitists cater to elitists. This is definitely an elitist shop. I go in their website all the time to check there inventory of mtb’s and they never change. It’s always the same bikes every time. Same stock levels and sale prices. Nothing for the current year etc…. Still basically all Covid bikes. I wonder why that is?
it's not only bikeshops. Alot of stores do not communicate. Had it with a bed last year; bought it early oktober, but they didn't have some things in stock, so they ordered it. Would take about 6 to 8 weeks. 9 weeks in I still had not heard a thing, so I called them up and their answer was that the factory made a mistake and it would take longer....oke, but why not call me then? In the end it took to early january till it finally was here.....atm the main issue I have with bikestores is the condescendent way they treat you; stores seems to think they're doing us favors instead of us being customers.
On a more positive note. The Trek Trails at Virginia Canyon opened up last week and those new trails are amazing, Drop Shaft might be one of the best trails on the front range. You should get out and ride it before winter comes, it's also reasonably hardtail friendly so the Roscoe would likely do well on that trail. As for difficulty, the main line of drop shaft is about a step above Rutabaga, but easier than Floyd Hill or Hard Money, super flowy with lots of features and lots of optional lines as well.
great vid! Having experienced working in a shop for 5 years, mostly as a mechanic, i sucked at customer service at that time! I remember my manager being really happy with my improved customer service after picking up a second job at a coffee shop. I think it's easy for shop staff to forget about or never learn how to handle (or even be) customers. I just launched my own shop two months ago and it's great to hear what people appreciate or look for in a shop.
A bike shop asked me to drop my bike off and they’d get to it the next week. I explained that I couldn’t afford to lose 7 days of training, I asked if I could just drop off the morning of the day but was scheduled to be repaired…they refused. This has happened with 2-3 shops in my area. It’s like they don’t care.
Your experience is the norm among most bike shops I have experienced. I am in small western town bike desert but do travel to some major cities in cycling like Boulder, CO. I naively expected I was going bike heaven but most of the shops were such niche havens of their own narrow interests that it was dismal experience time after time. My LBS and I get along. It is a young couple and they have had the store for a decade and they have matured into the work and community. I 90% do my own work except wheel building but I am looking for a part that I can wait a 5-7 days for, I use them.
I've taken heat from my friends for this decision, but when I need somebody else to work on my bike I take it to REI. They've been great with communication and they're not snobs at all. They were helpful and gave me good advice when I was learning to wrench and I purchased a number of specialty tools from them. I won't lump all my LBS together, but my experience is they're primarily occupied with selling whatever brands bike they stock and are a bit snobbish if you're not riding a mid-tier name brand bike. The whole industry is in disarray because the big-name manufacturers gleefully abandoned/downgraded the entry-level segment trying to force everyone to spend $1200+ for a decent, trail-worthy XC bike. What's crazy is that it is wholly possible to buy/build very capable bikes for FAR less if you order from an online brand, buy a solid Ozark Trail hardtail from Walmart, or are adventurous enough to source frame & parts online and just build yourself. These bike shops think they can just cater to white-collar dudes willing to pay $6,000 for a bike and wrote off regular working people years ago.
I used to work at REI as a bike mechanic over 20years ago. One reason why they have good service is cause they are well oil machine, organized and well trained, with most specializing in their respective department with proper training. Even the bike mechanics are sent off to bike mechanic school. I didn't have to be sent off to mehcanic school cause I was already a competent one before joining REI. Most LBS don't have the resources to be a well oil machine.
The irony is the bike itself isn't where the real profit comes from. Yes they might make a few hundred. After assembly store space ECT. The money comes from earning a customer who will bring the bike back and buy more stuff.
What a breath of fresh air! I'll try REI next and see how my experience changes. The final straw for me was my local shop got brake fluid on my front rotor and RUINED them.
@@ItalianStallion1415 One of the things I like about my local REI's bike section is that the store exists for a broader purpose and the bike department is just one of many so the staff is helpful but not aggressive. My experience is that they hire people who actually ride and spend time outdoors. The mechanics at REI have been exceptionally good and quite frankly, I think they undercharge me. I became personal friends with one of the older mechanics and discovered that they're generally very happy to answer questions about the bike and glad to give advice if you want to learn how to do your own wrenching. I was happy to buy a number of specialty tools from them and I always solicited their advice. My sense is that they LIKE to see people interested in their craft and are happy to share their knowledge (when their work schedule permits). I've even taken in frames with new groupsets I've purchased from Aliexpress and not only did they not laugh or flinch, they were legitimately interested in the brand, how I researched it, where I bought it, and how much it cost. Unlike most mom & pop stores, REI employees don't seem to be strong armed into upselling, they seem to just be trained bike enthusiasts doing something they enjoy. But that's just my personal experience and I'm sure there are great LBSs the same--I just haven't found one near me.
My Bike mechanic and all the crew were just the best dudes out there. I bought my first fat bike from them and they taught me everything about it and showed me how to do things myself and guided me the whole way to purchasing a higher end model. The bike I mainly ride today. Now the whole crew have left and the other bike shops just don't care.
This is the exact experience I've had with all the lbs in my area. No communication, bad attitudes, I really tried to build a relationship with a few and I have just ended up doing all my own repairs because I had so many bad experiences.
I manage a service department and you really have to be on point 24/7 there are so many details to get right and so many ongoing projects. Even a small oversight can have a huge negative impact on customer experience. Sometimes it feels like we are just constantly making mistakes. 😢😅 You’re right however, no matter what delays or mistakes happen it’s always better to rip the bandaid off and tell the customer what’s going on. Thanks for the reminder to always make time for communication.
Bikes shops olny pay close attention to the customers that they can empty the pockets of. The odered a fork for you they only made $25.00 of or so unless youre super slow they sell you the highest priced item that they've already written and out of theyre inventory. They like used car salesmen now because they almost have to to stay open. Its ugly.
Hey Matty the one thig we have noticed when it comes to service whether its a LBS, restaurant, car dealer, etc. is that people don't care! Ive talked to several business owners who have told me that they still can't get good help anymore! There is a small exception to the rule but overall people just don't care!
Working with a LBS has always been a source of frustration - lack of stock, lack of time. As a result I buy all my stuff from Jensen USA or AliExpress and do all my own work.
This is why I love my two (or probably three) bike shops! My main bike shop, I have all bike maintenance and services done there. I’ve got some parts and a new bike frame from them too! They understand if I get components and bikes from others since they know I’d always return to them and we’re treated just like their high-end customers…
I am a professional mechanic and worked in shops and currently run a community bike hub that teaches people how to repair bikes. I've known many in the industry and have had plenty of experiences in different shops. I have to admit that many who work in shops are pretty judgey, and label customers as soon as they walk into the store. It's unfortunate for some, since not everyone gets the experience they want. The bad thing is that many employees in shops are underpaid and the businesses cannot afford to properly train them. The focus on staff is their technical expertise, not customer service. The culture of the store doesn't help either, because sometimes if a person is hired because of their customer service skills, they are ostracized by other staff due to their lack of technical knowledge. It's a lose-lose situation for sure. If you can find a LBS that you are happy with, stick with them.
I'm totally with you on this, I've been riding since about 1990, I have found bike shops really annoying, really condescending. I do all my own work and wouldn't have it any other way.
I feel so fortunate to have found a great local bike shop. I have been to a few shops around the area, man oh man some of workers are just not great. My favorite shop is West End in Ishpeming. They are freaking fantastic!!!!
I had a bike shop that I bought a Santa Cruz Hightower and a Trek Roscoe 8 + repairs on other bikes say no to doing a recall on my faulty cranks...new shop took me in, gave me a tour of their entire shop and did the recall and got me my bike back quick.
I've had some negative interactions with people in shops that have made me avoid that shop for a period of time. One of the shops I actually went back to for the first time in years was great. But I agree that having better communication and generally treating every customer like their question is worth your time, even if you've heard it thousands of times before.
I sort of have the same problem, I never know who to send people too. I like to do things myself, so I've never actually asked a bike shop to do anything, but I'm nervous about recommending a shop because they have such a reputation.
Once I discovered Aliexpress and UA-cam. I’ve built all my bike and repaired and upgraded parts. All my bike 2 road bikes 1 gravel 1 track bike and mtb bike are all under the price of $3000 all carbon
I have learned the hard way to buy bike stuff online and learn how to fix and maintain the bike correctly myself. Online videos are the key to working on your own bikes. This is one reason why the bicycle industry is in chaos. Poor communication and customer service. The best thing LBS can do is teach us how to fix and maintain our own bikes. Assist us when we need the help.
The reason I go to a bike shop is for in stock inventory. Saying they can order something or waiting for someone to need something before they order the part defeats the whole purpose of the bike shop. Anyone can order their own part online themselves and will also learn to work on their own bike if need be (not rocket science) if the bike shop experience is difficult in any way. If bike shop don’t recognize this they’re doomed
Spot on about lack of communication! I'm about to drop one of the LBS and quit the race team because of the crappy communication. And it's not from lack of giving them more chances than they deserve.
I bought a Marlin on the Trek website, and it said pickup available today. I went 45 miles to the store the following day and was told it would be ready within a week. Fast forward ten days still no bike. It was in stock the whole time but not assembled they saud. They never once called and I had to phone them every few days. I finally went back to the store to cancel it and saw they had two assembled bikes in stock on the floor in XL that were the exact color - bike I had ordered. I asked if they were available to purchase and they were ready to sell me one. I then told them I had been waiting on my internet order and one of these should used to fulfill my order. They said the internet orders are handled by a different employee, so I couldn't have one. I told them to cancel my order so I could buy one of the bikes on the floor.
My 2 cents. I just got into cycling. I wanted a bike that's easy to repair. So I bought a used bike online. It's basically a vintage steel frame road bike with "newer" components. All mechanical. Rim brakes. Simple. The people in the cycling community (including the shops) are condescending. They were telling me that I overpaid and that my bike weighs a tonne, that it's a commuter bike etc... I think it's fire. And it's just a little bit heavier than an entry-level aluminum bike. I don't feel like dropping 2 grand on a Canyon bike just to be like everyone else. And I can keep up with these guys on the bike meets.
Had a similar experience at Motocorsa (motorcycles). They fired their manager, the only black employee, Jason had worked there for 20+ years. Jason was cool to me and liked me. Took bike in for first and only repair with them. Brake line explodes right after their new brake pad install (I don’t work in my own bikes either, also my first Ducati). I ask them without placing blame or asking for money back about… they refuse to answer and refuse all further service, won’t even sell me anything. I have never raised my voice, made threats, sworn, asked for money back, I paid full price for my bike I bought there, did NOT negotiate a cent off, (to make Jason the person of color look good, and honor him as a man) … now banned by Motocorsa. The manager who fired the black man and banned me is from Iran and I wonder if my being Jewish has something to do with it, and I am faster than he is, so probably not “allowed to be both” in his mind… most racist work related sh8t I have seen in, possible Jason Wilson being fired by Shahin. Anyways their reason for banning my was my once every 2 week, legally perfect, not threating text messages asking about my exploded brake line and what happens to Jason
I think it’s just America post pandemic in a lot of sectors. Not just bikes but also auto industry and many restaurants etc. I just came back from Japan. Basically 180 degrees different over there.
i totally agree. i once went into a established bike shop with my polygon d7. i needed a headset bearing, something simple. but the staff took my bike brought it to the workstation, few of them gathered around my bike, around 3-4 of them, discussing abt it among themselves, and when I asked they just all looked at me and say they dont have the part and asked me to go elsewhere. like wtf? i waited there for a solid 10 mins. they were discussing for 10 mins, just to tell me they dont have a standard headset bearing? F them. Never ever going back there.
I purchased my first bike and spent $4000CDN on a Fluid FS2 in 2023 and I don't even feel comfortable walking back into the shop I purchased it from. It always feels very condescending and I don't feel welcome at all, hell they didn't help me set up the suspension or anything. Cycling at a level beyond big box stores is a very niche market. I can't imagine these shops are making a ton of money so they should be treating every person who walks through that door like they are there to purchase a $10,000 bike....treat me like gold and when I win the lottery and can afford that dream bike, I'll purchase it with you.
I know not everyone is so lucky, but this is why I try and do as much as I can myself to save the frustration. It also seems they don’t stock a lot so if they can order it, I can order it.
There are 2 shops near me, one claims to be a Doctor and if you don't buy the bike from them they will make you wait forever for even the most minor repairs.I broke a spoke and they told me 2 plus weeks. The other shop is family owned and fixed my spoke on the spot. One will never get a dollar from me.
I think the problem is most bike shops are ran enthusiasts instead of business people. There’s a few shops still out there ran by owners with a business mindset
The bike shop I used to go to hated working on my vintage road bike because they didn't want to deal with square taper bottom brackets. They kept giving me crap about keeping up with the times or something like that.
I used to go to the Oldest Bike shop in Ohio, here in Cleveland and had over 100 yrs of service and they closed recently due to them having a lack of communication, bad service and from the fact that the owner REFUSED to embrace the E-Bike movement. Real old fashioned and set in his ways. Shut down in August and there goes one of the cheapest places of Bike Parts that I know of. Besides, Bike shops while good, sometimes like to think themselves in the mind of an Auto shop to keep customers coming back. Also Bike Culture is viewed from inside as Exclusive, Not inclusive. Me, I can do my own service now and can wheel lace even so I don't have as much need for them except for parts and tools if I don't order online first.
Bike shops cant find good techs these days. They have bike builders, not techs. I started to do my own work after a shop did a "tune up" only to have the brakes rubbing badly when i pushed it to the counter. The real tech took my bike and fixed the brakes, but i never returned again. Workmanship? No one cares these days. Its a check for most of those kids.
Great video Matty. I am in the UK and its an unfortunately similar story. A few years back, I was learning to bleed my brakes. I needed some common Shimano brake fluid. I thought I would support my LBS. Well, They didn't sell it. Only had a big container of it in the back room just for the bike mechanic. They were unhelpful and pretencious. They could have siphoned off a little in a container and gained a customer for life, being helpful and welcoming. Instead all they got is no future customer and now someone that looks after bikes themselves. What a shame.
You're the problem, my guy. It costs a component manufacturer way less money to give some UA-camr free stuff than train actual employees who empower local bike shops with product knowledge. Bike companies simply don't market through the shop like they used to.
Seems like you have the idea that the LBS is there to serve ONLY you. They don't fix your 10 minute problem because they have a line of bikes that were there before you to fix. And they won't care that you are sponsored by a company they sell. That's taking money out of their pocket..
There's A small shop where I live that have dedicated employees that know their stuff but they have almost nothing in stock, the bike shops that have stuff in stock are the ones you want to avoid doing business with, tourist traps with people who don't know things like that wheels have different spokes count sometimes, it's often ridiculous. Working on your own bike, too much time? Price of tools? Nothing compared to not riding because a bike shop screwed you up and then present a bill long as a leg ...
i resent being treated like no matter what i ride or own, its a piece of junk. the attitude of an upturned nose with statements like "this is what you should have bought", or "cheap stuff always needs replacing" , is annoying to deal with. sorry i cannot afford $6K +for a full suspension mtb ride. im just trying to ride and enjoy being outdoors with out being insulted for my gear
The pandemic was brutal for bike shops and the outdoor industry as a whole. Most LBS employees are still exhausted, burnt out or have left all together. a large number of owners have called companies and sold to them as they were done. On top of that, customers have become more demanding then ever before without understanding that when there are 30 bikes in front of them, it may take a bit to get the work done. Instead of understanding, we are cursed at, treated like crap and never thanked. I have been in the industry for a very long time and used to absolutely love and adore what I do. The last four years has been really rough and I now start every day asking myself if I really want to continue to do this and I should just leave. If it was not for the owner of my shop I would have been long gone. Logistics companies delay shipping constantly and we are the ones who have to deliver the bad news. People are used to Amazon and quick shipping. Remember they have tons of distribution centers around the country. Shimano has 2 and SRAM has one so it takes a week to get stuff at times. We know you want to get back on your bikes and most of us try our hardest every day to get things done as quickly as possible but sometimes it is just not easy. What you think may take 10 minutes to get done, yea maybe but if there is not a free person available at that time to get it done, its going to have to wait unfortunately. Give your local shops some leeway and understanding. Most are struggling right now and they are probably not in the best mindsets with what is going on in the industry.
I am over bike shops. Attitude, elitism, and not wanting to work on bikes they didn't sell. Bike tools ae cheap, and bikes aren't hard to fix. I just do it myself. Much happier.
I just got into mountain biking and the condescending attitude I got from lbs is why I started doing my own repairs
You are 💯 correct arrogant & condescending
Had a shimano motor go, so bought a one new myselve as it was £300 cheaper, i got in touch with various shimano approved dealers to fit it, and not one of them was interested, learned to fit it myselve as well as setting software on it, from that day on i dont need a bike shop to service my bikes, if i am unsure, i will learn via forums and youtube
Every time i semd my bike to my lbs they fkn contaminate my brakes with silicone spray 😡
This is why I do all my own bike repairs and upgrades
Yeah he compares it to a car but it’s much lower than a car as far as skill there’s a reason a bike mechanic on average gets paid less than an auto tech.
@@mikerucker8913 well most good bikes are about the same price as a used car, especially the expensive ones, those owners want their bike repaired by a pro, considering they get complicated with carbon fiber parts and all the newer tech. the rich people tend to not fix stuff themselves since theyre busy working or they just dont have the time to learn to be repairmen themselves
The world has forgotten what real service is!
Chick fil a is the ony place you can get service with a smile anymore 😂
My LBS's all had jerks who treated you like you were bothering them and knew nothing. I dont have any LBS's anymore.
"We ordered the wrong fork" is code for, we forgot to order it.
And your La Bomba, they just couldn't care less. They weren't going to make a dime on the recall. So there was no insensitive to get it done.
Actually GT has to pay the dealer to build the bike.
I called in to a local bike shop turned trek shop recently. And the dude who answered said he was just a guy who does maintenance but he knew the area super well and different trails by name. He was able to guide me in the right direction on what tires to get for the specific trails and terrain I wanted. His enthusiasm and excitement about bikes in general was apparent and made me want to give them my business.
This is why my "local" bike shop is an hour drive away. Shout out The Path Bike Shop in Tustin, CA. They regularly send text updates, and regardless of how much you spend, they're driven to keep you out there on your bike. Their motto is "Love the bike you ride."
Bro, I think that’s just the way things are these days. Customer service at any level has been lost. When I’m actually treated like someone who’s spending hard earned money, I’m blown away and it’s a breath of fresh air.
This isn’t just the bike industry. It’s almost every retailer.
best advice is learn how to do all your repairs and upgrades yourself. I'm all for supporting your LBS but half of the ones I've been to are just a bunch of potheads anymore.
Hey Matty. I've been riding mtb's for the past 30 years and one thing I noticed about bike shops is that that they cater more to the "ELITE". One bike shop owner made me wait for over an hour for some young punk because his parents were rich and he even told me, "His parent own a plane on the lake". I said, I really don't give a $hit I just want my bike.
That's why now I fix my own bike and buy my own parts and just turned it into a hobby. If you make less than 100k a year, you should do the same. It was during the coof when I realized it even more. The old saying goes: Money talks bull $hit walks.
I really enjoy your channel, you make reasonable content.
I tried multiple times to buy a specific gravel bike from one of the local shops. I was looking at a $2,000-ish aluminum model equipped with the 10-speed, GRX 400 drivetrain. They wouldn't order one (maybe they can't?), and was told to check back later. The sales person walked away. I went to REI and bought a Cannondale Topstone. This is my second Cannondale. "Why are people buying online, and going to REI?"
I did the same thing. Went to my local bike shop and they were snobs, they acted like my bike was too "cheap", I left and went to REI and they were patient, gave me full attention, and I bought a bike. Very happy with it
@@christopherharmon9336 The reason more and more people are buying online is because a lot of people don't have an REI store near them like you guy's do. That's why when I order the Trek Fuel EX 8 GX AXS T-Type Gen 6. I'll have it delivering right to my door. Cut out the middle man. I'll put it together my self. I'll be waiting till November to order it, to see if it will go down in price.
Don’t go to the big brand bike shops. Go to the independent ones. I’ve loved my experience there unlike the price gouging trek store I went to. REI is one I’ve also been impressed with. They’ve got one tech there at mine that is a retired pro rider that just wants everybody back on their bikes
@@bert3566I'm confused. You were impressed by REI but don't go to big brand bike shop? Isn't REI the biggest brand bike shop in the US? By the way I think REI is awesome too.
There's a bike shop on the peninsula in the SF Bay Area that's apparently quite well-known and apparently respected by many bikers. I tried several times to do business with them, and each time I went into that store, it was easily apparent that if you weren't MALE, and completely decked out in your Spandex bike-clothing, they wouldn't give you the time of day. So if you were a female who showed up in your work clothes during your lunch hour, TOO BAD! All I wanted to do was buy some biking shorts, and it was before the Internet, so no online shops, yet. They couldn't care less! I could've dropped dead in the middle of their shop and they just would've stepped over me. I was just starting to get into mountain biking, and I had a cheap bike I had gotten for free as some sort of a promotion. I rode it a lot, and eventually it needed the brakes adjusted. Not knowing how to do that myself, I brought it in to have the work done, and they just looked down their noses at it and said, "Oh, we don't work on crappy bikes like THAT", and then proceeded to try to sell me an expensive new bike. I left there, and went to a small bike shop a few miles away. Not only did they fix the brakes, they showed me how to do it, and gave me a free water bottle! I remember the guy said to me, "No, that's not a 'crappy' bike, it's an ENTRY LEVEL bike. You're having fun with it, and it's gotten you into the sport, right? There's no such thing as a 'crappy' bike. All bikes are worth enjoying and taking care of." They had my business for many years after that, until I finally moved away.
Been dealing with with this for over 20 years. As soon as I decided to learn how to work on my own bike, It eliminates all the waiting and mis communication. There's no good reason to no know how to set up tubeless or dial in your derailleur. Once you learn how todo it it's a skill you can hone and use for life.
The only thing I don't know how to do is build up a wheel. I feel like its is not something I will do very often but everything... Take the time to learn it they will not take care and prioritize your bike like you will 👍
Bike shops need to read these comments & wake the hell up you hear it all the time support your local shop well I can say this if they don’t support you you can forget about that.
A friend said this to me the other day, "The biggest problem with most bike shops is that the people who work there don't actually ride bikes" and he's absolutely right. In most big bike shops, the staff just don't get it, you've gotta find yourself a small independant place where the owners and staff actually ride regularly.
Well more of them would ride bikes if they got paid enough to work there. Yeah let’s work at a bike shop making 15-20 dollars an hour support my family and after 6 years maybe I can save enough for a hardtail lol.
Sadly I’ve seen this happen in small local bike shops as well.
Low pay is one factor. The other is the staff keep customers on their bikes during peak riding season and through long hours. I worked in the cycling industry for years.
@@mikerucker8913I remember a shop owner telling me you don’t open up a bike shop or work in one to make $
A small independent is no guarantee of quality service and care.
One I have dealt with in the past were less than stellar, never to be used again. However another I have and continue to use are very good and always make me feel welcome.
Invest in tools. That's the thing others aren't mentioning. You buy the tools, you'll learn the skills; you have skills and tools, you're totally independent.
They took advantage of the increased demand during the pandemic with price gouging. I don't feel too bad if they start to hurt now.
Good video Matty. As a painting contractor I communicate almost everything with my clients, I make them ALL feel as they are the most important customers. Because they ARE! They'll keep (and have) calling me back because of the customer service I try to provide them ALL. No communication and or bad customer service = no money..
this is why i all the time encourage people to learn how to fix your own bike, DIY, assemble and buy your own tools instead of relying bike shops. they just lack that customer care. most shops think that riders are dependent. one thing that bothers me the most is that if you walk in looking like you aint rich or something, they'll simply ignore you. weird af. BIKES ARE EASY TO FIX.
With the availability of UA-cam videos on how to do most of this stuff and amazon having all the weird tools you could need there is no more reason to take a bike to the bike shop except for really serious stuff and yearly maintenance stuff.
Same here and same experience - local shops suck at being proactive - I was out of the country for two weeks. I sat down with the guy fixing my bike for 30 minutes explaining all the things that need to be done when I get back they were still two days behind, and I had to remind him of a few things, they hadn’t even done yet. They basically had no intention of calling and letting me know I had to go find out on my own.
One problem with bike shops is that they have kids in the back working. This is cause they not paying enough so no real competent adult are willing to work for peanuts. Same thing with auto dealerships, all the experience mechanics leave cause they get paid peanuts and treated bad.
I live in Colorado and recently used a mobile bike repair company. The guy was excellent, fair priced, and communicated great. I’ve also had a lot of good luck with Pedal Pushers in Golden. Very helpful and attentive.
Yeah Pedal Pushers is also my go to bike shop, they're one of the best on the front range.
@@mrvwbug4423pedal pushers took over a week to do a suspension service and brake bleed. This was in the "offseason" when they weren't busy and obstrnsively wanted the business. Also, they contaminated my brake disk and didn't install an o ring correctly so on the furar ride the suspension contracted and never equalized and locked up. Lost a whole day of riding.
Mobile bike man? He's the best!
Most bike shops wait till a minimum order requirement is met by their parts supplier when they don't stock the part required or requested.
Yes for free shipping
most bike shops can't afford to keep large inventory. They need cash on hand to pay the bills. Most bike shops have decent inventory for their niche thought.
The problem is customer service. It has gone down a lot over the years.
yea customer entitlement hasn't gotten worse at all.
Car repairs are a poor comparison to cite for justifying not wanting to do your own bike maintenance. It is comparatively much simpler, cheaper, and more accessible to work on a bike than a car especially in this age of being able to look up how do do anything online, it's not rocket science. And if you can't be bothered to learn how, of course you run the risk of dealing with bike shops with poor service
Hey Matty- your absolutely right. Like you I would go to bike shops for parts and service. Customer service is horrible. Now I buy everything online and service my own bikes.
The shops near me are great and love answering questions even though they got bought out by Trek and Specialized. After another 5 years when the old guys retire out I am concerened what the customer experience is going to be like though. The owner who is in his 70s has done almost anything on a bike you can imagine and loves to help out with anything you can think of. He told me the last time I was in there he misses BMX and wishes that Trek had an offering for the people in our area that still do it. BMX in our area is almost totally dead and I wonder if it is a supply problem and there is little opportunity to get into the sport. I'm just glad someone in the shop cares about all the forms of biking and not just hyperfocusing on only road or only MTB for example.
I bought all the tools I needed on AliExpress for dollars each, and I learned to work on my bike myself. It's really not difficult, especially with youtube tutorials. If I need to fix something on my bike, I just go in the garage, put my bike up on the repair stand, put a long youtube video or podcast on the TV, and get to work. No drive to and from the bike shop, no two week wait to drive back to and from the bike shop, no insane labor costs, and best of all... no being spoken to like I'm an idiot by smug bike shop employees!
I go to a Family owned place for stuff i don't know how to do. Super helpful and will teach you how to do things if you want to know. I been to some other shops that are brand specific that i wont go to after dealing with them.
I had a similar experience last May. When the Colorado Cyclist when went out of business, I bought the SRAM GX group set to upgrade my mountain bike. The Tech at the bike shop near my house barely looked at my bike and said it wouldn't fit my bike. He seemed more interested in helping a guy buy a new bike.
18 months ago, I dropped my 2008 Specialized Epic, a total project "labor of love" type bike off at the LBS because I needed an adapter for tab mounts on my 26" Reba fork.
It took them 9 days. The bike was really a collector's piece from my POV, but still...
All I needed was just the right adapter. They turned it into a $100 bill for me because they did things I didn't want them to.
I didn't need a $45 rotor, but that's what they put on and billed me for.
At the end of this video you nailed it. “It all comes down to communication.”
Bike shops have always been hit or miss for me, sometimes the service is over the top great, other times I walk away wondering how they stay in business 😂. I try to do 75% of my maintenance on my own.
This is why I do all of the service myself.
When I was a kid riding BMX we would ride to the LBS and hang out for hours with the mechanics. They were in there late 20's and early 30's and super busy but still showed us how to fix our bikes and since I cut grass for money they would even save new take off parts (like cranks and wheels) for us when someone upgraded their bike after buying. That LBS vibe is gone and so is the care for the blue collar rider. LBS's now are only focused on the folks dropping $2500+ every few months for the latest and greatest.
I definitely feel you on how some bike shops refuse to communicate. I'm very lucky though because I live minutes away from Worldwide Cyclery in Newbury Park and they do fantastic work and communicate extremely well.
You are spot on , however this is not a issue with just bike shop's it applies to almost every industry in America. No one seems to give a rats ass about the customer or their money.
There's certainly good shops out there, Pedal Pushers in Golden comes to mind, but you also get a lot of LBS that just don't seem to care and then you get the chain stores like Trek stores, Mike's bikes, REI, Epic Mountain Gear where the staff might not even know much about what they're selling.
Matty, stoked to let you know that I just purchased my Roscoe 9 and I've already done a bunch of upgrades to it. Your channel is a huge reason on why I chose this bike and I absolutely love it. One of the comments I was reading mentioned that the biggest problem with bike shops is that the people that work there are primarily not actual Riders and that is so the truth. People just want the job so they can make the money and they'll work wherever but if you had a staff that was fully committed to riding whether it be mountain bikes BMX road gravel whatever the shop would run so much more efficiently and you are absolutely 100 correct it is up to the shop to gain the customer's Trust.
Not to mention how stupidly priced the bikes have gotten. The new Santa Cruz bike STARTS at 7,299! Goes up to 12,799. That's before tax and other fees!
I own a shop. Typically it takes us 1 or 2 days for a normal repair and a week if we need to order a part. It is extremely unusual for us to take 2 weeks on a repair if we are able to get the part on a normal order. No-name e-bikes seem to be the only outlier to this and sometimes the electronics can take a whole month to come in.
I do all of my maintenance and bike builds. I use eBay 98% of my parts if there is something I need now I’ll use one of the local shop it find what I need .
It's too easy and inexpensive to order online, why can I get the part and put in on faster than the bike shop can? Anything I've ever asked at a bike shop it's always seem like I'm an inconvenience 🤷♂️. I've had at least a dozen bikes since 2020 and only 1 was bought at a bike shop. I'd rather it come in a box to my house and ke not have to talk to anyone.
Long story short I think this is bike industry issue as a whole right now, not just LBS’s. It’s especially difficult that some of these things are a niche of a niche of an already niche market.
I’ve had the opposite scenario and currently similar issue but with multiple manufacturers on the latter. I tried supporting my local county funded community LBS and they didn’t have tools in the condition to to do the work I needed, they not only let me promptly know but didn’t charge anything. Ever since I’ve donated and sent people there.
Currently I’m dealing with a major bike company whose seat post clamping failed and damaged the carbon fiber frame. Even though I followed the torque specs and used the bike as intended they won’t stand by the warranty and are classifying it as crash.
The second current issue is that I’m getting a custom bike accessory made and they’re about 40 days past their 60-80 day lead time and they are unable to give a status of where in the process my order is at.
I try to go to local bike shops for parts and equipment, though I try to do as much work on my bikes myself.
I’ve been a hardcore mountain biker for over 20 yrs bike shops are hit or miss & if you find a good one definitely stick with it. But I remember when I first started I’d bother my brother everytime my bike had a issue & I remember him saying you gotta learn to work on your own bike it was the best advice for sure so I learned to do everything except build wheels I’d build & work on all my friends bikes as well. I’ve had some very bad experiences with bike shops one time I had a shop put on because I didn’t have anytime & I had to redo everything when I got it home it was actually a lawsuit waiting to happen had I rode it the way the gave it back it would’ve failed. And I remember going to a shop & looking around & a shop worker was telling me ya you can’t touch stuff & I had a wad of cash in my pocket so I just left & didn’t come back. Bike shops seem to be very arrogant & have a bunch of know it alls. And shops with higher end stuff are usually the worst. I remember having a wheel built & when I went to but it on it was dished incorrectly & it wouldn’t work so I called the shop & spoke to them & they couldn’t believe it & said it can’t be that’s like the basics of wheel building so I took it back & yep it was dished incorrectly & they just had nothing to say but fixed it & I never had them work on any wheels again. I know there are good shops & it’s usually the ones that are down to earth love bikes & riding & have respect & common sense.
Well, I went in to one of my local shops about a year ago and was asking if they had any Shimano Deore four piston brake sets. The mechanic overheard and started laughing. He said what are you putting that garbage on? Unfazed, I said, my Roscoe 6 (at the time). He said, oh so garbage on top of garbage. He said, we don’t stock them but can order them. Because I know a lot about mountain bikes and how to do all my own wrenching and because I fix peoples bikes as well, I was genuinely curious where he would lead me even though I wanted to walk out and NEVER GO BACK. I asked him what he would recommend and he said Shimano Saints. I said for a 2022 roscoe 6, you’d recommend Saints? Isn’t that overkill for an XC/trail bike? He said no, I used to race DH in BC before I moved here and I always ran Saints and still do! But then he said, I wouldn’t put saints on an R6. Then he said that’s a garbage bike. So I asked, ok, curious, out of all the bikes in your shop right now, which one would you recommend? He said NONE! He said the only way to do it right is to custom build! I said so that’s like 2500-4000 for a bike with custom parts that you’d recommend ? He said not a chance! More like 6-8k and it has to be full suspension. Hardtails suck! I said wow that’s crazy that you couldn’t recommend anything on your sales floor. Then I asked him, so if I came in to buy a bike like a specialized rock hopper, would we have had this type of conversation? He said, yes, honesty is the best policy! Then I asked him, but if I had the cash budget for a rockhopper in my pocket and you deterred me from that bike based on your custom build recommendation and told me rockhopper/hardtails are garbage and not knowing what I know about bikes, do you think I would have bought the rockhopper today like I was planning? He said probably, people are dumb and want what they want and it’s garbage, people like you need to realize that this is a pay to play sport and the more you pay, the better bike you have. I said, basically what you’re saying is if I bought the Deore four piston brakes, I’d be dumb. He said basically. They’re no good. Then he said, do you want me to order them for you. No, I said. Elitists cater to elitists. This is definitely an elitist shop. I go in their website all the time to check there inventory of mtb’s and they never change. It’s always the same bikes every time. Same stock levels and sale prices. Nothing for the current year etc…. Still basically all Covid bikes. I wonder why that is?
it's not only bikeshops. Alot of stores do not communicate. Had it with a bed last year; bought it early oktober, but they didn't have some things in stock, so they ordered it. Would take about 6 to 8 weeks. 9 weeks in I still had not heard a thing, so I called them up and their answer was that the factory made a mistake and it would take longer....oke, but why not call me then? In the end it took to early january till it finally was here.....atm the main issue I have with bikestores is the condescendent way they treat you; stores seems to think they're doing us favors instead of us being customers.
On a more positive note. The Trek Trails at Virginia Canyon opened up last week and those new trails are amazing, Drop Shaft might be one of the best trails on the front range. You should get out and ride it before winter comes, it's also reasonably hardtail friendly so the Roscoe would likely do well on that trail. As for difficulty, the main line of drop shaft is about a step above Rutabaga, but easier than Floyd Hill or Hard Money, super flowy with lots of features and lots of optional lines as well.
great vid! Having experienced working in a shop for 5 years, mostly as a mechanic, i sucked at customer service at that time! I remember my manager being really happy with my improved customer service after picking up a second job at a coffee shop. I think it's easy for shop staff to forget about or never learn how to handle (or even be) customers. I just launched my own shop two months ago and it's great to hear what people appreciate or look for in a shop.
A bike shop asked me to drop my bike off and they’d get to it the next week. I explained that I couldn’t afford to lose 7 days of training, I asked if I could just drop off the morning of the day but was scheduled to be repaired…they refused. This has happened with 2-3 shops in my area. It’s like they don’t care.
It's not just bike shops.
It's everywhere.
If I get good service \ communication , it's a pleasant surprise.
Your experience is the norm among most bike shops I have experienced. I am in small western town bike desert but do travel to some major cities in cycling like Boulder, CO. I naively expected I was going bike heaven but most of the shops were such niche havens of their own narrow interests that it was dismal experience time after time. My LBS and I get along. It is a young couple and they have had the store for a decade and they have matured into the work and community. I 90% do my own work except wheel building but I am looking for a part that I can wait a 5-7 days for, I use them.
I've taken heat from my friends for this decision, but when I need somebody else to work on my bike I take it to REI. They've been great with communication and they're not snobs at all. They were helpful and gave me good advice when I was learning to wrench and I purchased a number of specialty tools from them. I won't lump all my LBS together, but my experience is they're primarily occupied with selling whatever brands bike they stock and are a bit snobbish if you're not riding a mid-tier name brand bike. The whole industry is in disarray because the big-name manufacturers gleefully abandoned/downgraded the entry-level segment trying to force everyone to spend $1200+ for a decent, trail-worthy XC bike. What's crazy is that it is wholly possible to buy/build very capable bikes for FAR less if you order from an online brand, buy a solid Ozark Trail hardtail from Walmart, or are adventurous enough to source frame & parts online and just build yourself. These bike shops think they can just cater to white-collar dudes willing to pay $6,000 for a bike and wrote off regular working people years ago.
I used to work at REI as a bike mechanic over 20years ago. One reason why they have good service is cause they are well oil machine, organized and well trained, with most specializing in their respective department with proper training. Even the bike mechanics are sent off to bike mechanic school. I didn't have to be sent off to mehcanic school cause I was already a competent one before joining REI. Most LBS don't have the resources to be a well oil machine.
The irony is the bike itself isn't where the real profit comes from. Yes they might make a few hundred. After assembly store space ECT. The money comes from earning a customer who will bring the bike back and buy more stuff.
What a breath of fresh air! I'll try REI next and see how my experience changes. The final straw for me was my local shop got brake fluid on my front rotor and RUINED them.
@@ItalianStallion1415 One of the things I like about my local REI's bike section is that the store exists for a broader purpose and the bike department is just one of many so the staff is helpful but not aggressive. My experience is that they hire people who actually ride and spend time outdoors. The mechanics at REI have been exceptionally good and quite frankly, I think they undercharge me. I became personal friends with one of the older mechanics and discovered that they're generally very happy to answer questions about the bike and glad to give advice if you want to learn how to do your own wrenching. I was happy to buy a number of specialty tools from them and I always solicited their advice. My sense is that they LIKE to see people interested in their craft and are happy to share their knowledge (when their work schedule permits). I've even taken in frames with new groupsets I've purchased from Aliexpress and not only did they not laugh or flinch, they were legitimately interested in the brand, how I researched it, where I bought it, and how much it cost. Unlike most mom & pop stores, REI employees don't seem to be strong armed into upselling, they seem to just be trained bike enthusiasts doing something they enjoy. But that's just my personal experience and I'm sure there are great LBSs the same--I just haven't found one near me.
I perform my own repairs and upgrades and order my own parts. I have no time to wait. Great learning experience.
My Bike mechanic and all the crew were just the best dudes out there. I bought my first fat bike from them and they taught me everything about it and showed me how to do things myself and guided me the whole way to purchasing a higher end model. The bike I mainly ride today. Now the whole crew have left and the other bike shops just don't care.
This is the exact experience I've had with all the lbs in my area. No communication, bad attitudes, I really tried to build a relationship with a few and I have just ended up doing all my own repairs because I had so many bad experiences.
I manage a service department and you really have to be on point 24/7 there are so many details to get right and so many ongoing projects. Even a small oversight can have a huge negative impact on customer experience. Sometimes it feels like we are just constantly making mistakes. 😢😅 You’re right however, no matter what delays or mistakes happen it’s always better to rip the bandaid off and tell the customer what’s going on. Thanks for the reminder to always make time for communication.
Bicycle shops are an outdated business model. The ineptitude of most shops is astounding.
Bikes shops olny pay close attention to the customers that they can empty the pockets of. The odered a fork for you they only made $25.00 of or so unless youre super slow they sell you the highest priced item that they've already written and out of theyre inventory. They like used car salesmen now because they almost have to to stay open. Its ugly.
Hey Matty the one thig we have noticed when it comes to service whether its a LBS, restaurant, car dealer, etc. is that people don't care! Ive talked to several business owners who have told me that they still can't get good help anymore! There is a small exception to the rule but overall people just don't care!
Many people don’t care because the wages aren’t worth caring for. There’s no shortage of quality labour. You just have to pay for it.
@@alistermccallumit’s more than just pay
Working with a LBS has always been a source of frustration - lack of stock, lack of time. As a result I buy all my stuff from Jensen USA or AliExpress and do all my own work.
This is why I love my two (or probably three) bike shops! My main bike shop, I have all bike maintenance and services done there. I’ve got some parts and a new bike frame from them too! They understand if I get components and bikes from others since they know I’d always return to them and we’re treated just like their high-end customers…
Facts! You are not lying.
I am a professional mechanic and worked in shops and currently run a community bike hub that teaches people how to repair bikes. I've known many in the industry and have had plenty of experiences in different shops. I have to admit that many who work in shops are pretty judgey, and label customers as soon as they walk into the store. It's unfortunate for some, since not everyone gets the experience they want. The bad thing is that many employees in shops are underpaid and the businesses cannot afford to properly train them. The focus on staff is their technical expertise, not customer service. The culture of the store doesn't help either, because sometimes if a person is hired because of their customer service skills, they are ostracized by other staff due to their lack of technical knowledge. It's a lose-lose situation for sure. If you can find a LBS that you are happy with, stick with them.
I'm totally with you on this, I've been riding since about 1990, I have found bike shops really annoying, really condescending. I do all my own work and wouldn't have it any other way.
I feel so fortunate to have found a great local bike shop. I have been to a few shops around the area, man oh man some of workers are just not great. My favorite shop is West End in Ishpeming. They are freaking fantastic!!!!
I agree with you on communication. It takes no time at all to send a text.
I had a bike shop that I bought a Santa Cruz Hightower and a Trek Roscoe 8 + repairs on other bikes say no to doing a recall on my faulty cranks...new shop took me in, gave me a tour of their entire shop and did the recall and got me my bike back quick.
No one but myself touches my bikes,but I do have about 35 years working in shops as a mechanic
I've had some negative interactions with people in shops that have made me avoid that shop for a period of time. One of the shops I actually went back to for the first time in years was great. But I agree that having better communication and generally treating every customer like their question is worth your time, even if you've heard it thousands of times before.
I sort of have the same problem, I never know who to send people too. I like to do things myself, so I've never actually asked a bike shop to do anything, but I'm nervous about recommending a shop because they have such a reputation.
The 2 day over wait time isn't crazy but the 7 months wait is crazy, WOW
Once I discovered Aliexpress and UA-cam. I’ve built all my bike and repaired and upgraded parts. All my bike 2 road bikes 1 gravel 1 track bike and mtb bike are all under the price of $3000 all carbon
I have learned the hard way to buy bike stuff online and learn how to fix and maintain the bike correctly myself. Online videos are the key to working on your own bikes. This is one reason why the bicycle industry is in chaos. Poor communication and customer service. The best thing LBS can do is teach us how to fix and maintain our own bikes. Assist us when we need the help.
The reason I go to a bike shop is for in stock inventory. Saying they can order something or waiting for someone to need something before they order the part defeats the whole purpose of the bike shop.
Anyone can order their own part online themselves and will also learn to work on their own bike if need be (not rocket science) if the bike shop experience is difficult in any way.
If bike shop don’t recognize this they’re doomed
Spot on about lack of communication! I'm about to drop one of the LBS and quit the race team because of the crappy communication. And it's not from lack of giving them more chances than they deserve.
I bought a Marlin on the Trek website, and it said pickup available today. I went 45 miles to the store the following day and was told it would be ready within a week. Fast forward ten days still no bike. It was in stock the whole time but not assembled they saud. They never once called and I had to phone them every few days. I finally went back to the store to cancel it and saw they had two assembled bikes in stock on the floor in XL that were the exact color - bike I had ordered. I asked if they were available to purchase and they were ready to sell me one. I then told them I had been waiting on my internet order and one of these should used to fulfill my order. They said the internet orders are handled by a different employee, so I couldn't have one. I told them to cancel my order so I could buy one of the bikes on the floor.
My 2 cents. I just got into cycling. I wanted a bike that's easy to repair. So I bought a used bike online. It's basically a vintage steel frame road bike with "newer" components. All mechanical. Rim brakes. Simple. The people in the cycling community (including the shops) are condescending. They were telling me that I overpaid and that my bike weighs a tonne, that it's a commuter bike etc... I think it's fire. And it's just a little bit heavier than an entry-level aluminum bike. I don't feel like dropping 2 grand on a Canyon bike just to be like everyone else. And I can keep up with these guys on the bike meets.
Had a similar experience at Motocorsa (motorcycles). They fired their manager, the only black employee, Jason had worked there for 20+ years. Jason was cool to me and liked me. Took bike in for first and only repair with them. Brake line explodes right after their new brake pad install (I don’t work in my own bikes either, also my first Ducati). I ask them without placing blame or asking for money back about… they refuse to answer and refuse all further service, won’t even sell me anything. I have never raised my voice, made threats, sworn, asked for money back, I paid full price for my bike I bought there, did NOT negotiate a cent off, (to make Jason the person of color look good, and honor him as a man) … now banned by Motocorsa. The manager who fired the black man and banned me is from Iran and I wonder if my being Jewish has something to do with it, and I am faster than he is, so probably not “allowed to be both” in his mind… most racist work related sh8t I have seen in, possible Jason Wilson being fired by Shahin. Anyways their reason for banning my was my once every 2 week, legally perfect, not threating text messages asking about my exploded brake line and what happens to Jason
I think it’s just America post pandemic in a lot of sectors. Not just bikes but also auto industry and many restaurants etc. I just came back from Japan. Basically 180 degrees different over there.
i totally agree. i once went into a established bike shop with my polygon d7. i needed a headset bearing, something simple. but the staff took my bike brought it to the workstation, few of them gathered around my bike, around 3-4 of them, discussing abt it among themselves, and when I asked they just all looked at me and say they dont have the part and asked me to go elsewhere. like wtf? i waited there for a solid 10 mins. they were discussing for 10 mins, just to tell me they dont have a standard headset bearing? F them. Never ever going back there.
I purchased my first bike and spent $4000CDN on a Fluid FS2 in 2023 and I don't even feel comfortable walking back into the shop I purchased it from. It always feels very condescending and I don't feel welcome at all, hell they didn't help me set up the suspension or anything.
Cycling at a level beyond big box stores is a very niche market. I can't imagine these shops are making a ton of money so they should be treating every person who walks through that door like they are there to purchase a $10,000 bike....treat me like gold and when I win the lottery and can afford that dream bike, I'll purchase it with you.
The only thing to do is to learn how to fix your bike. I knew nothing, but 6 years later I know how to fix almost anything.
I know not everyone is so lucky, but this is why I try and do as much as I can myself to save the frustration. It also seems they don’t stock a lot so if they can order it, I can order it.
There are 2 shops near me, one claims to be a Doctor and if you don't buy the bike from them they will make you wait forever for even the most minor repairs.I broke a spoke and they told me 2 plus weeks. The other shop is family owned and fixed my spoke on the spot. One will never get a dollar from me.
bike shops in my area have been great. East Pennsylvania.
I think the problem is most bike shops are ran enthusiasts instead of business people. There’s a few shops still out there ran by owners with a business mindset
The bike shop I used to go to hated working on my vintage road bike because they didn't want to deal with square taper bottom brackets. They kept giving me crap about keeping up with the times or something like that.
I used to go to the Oldest Bike shop in Ohio, here in Cleveland and had over 100 yrs of service and they closed recently due to them having a lack of communication, bad service and from the fact that the owner REFUSED to embrace the E-Bike movement. Real old fashioned and set in his ways. Shut down in August and there goes one of the cheapest places of Bike Parts that I know of. Besides, Bike shops while good, sometimes like to think themselves in the mind of an Auto shop to keep customers coming back. Also Bike Culture is viewed from inside as Exclusive, Not inclusive. Me, I can do my own service now and can wheel lace even so I don't have as much need for them except for parts and tools if I don't order online first.
Are bike-shops destroying themselves..
- YES!
Bike shops cant find good techs these days. They have bike builders, not techs. I started to do my own work after a shop did a "tune up" only to have the brakes rubbing badly when i pushed it to the counter. The real tech took my bike and fixed the brakes, but i never returned again. Workmanship? No one cares these days. Its a check for most of those kids.
This is why I work on my own bike. I work on my own car too. I just can’t afford to pay someone else to do it these days.
Great video Matty. I am in the UK and its an unfortunately similar story. A few years back, I was learning to bleed my brakes. I needed some common Shimano brake fluid. I thought I would support my LBS. Well, They didn't sell it. Only had a big container of it in the back room just for the bike mechanic. They were unhelpful and pretencious. They could have siphoned off a little in a container and gained a customer for life, being helpful and welcoming. Instead all they got is no future customer and now someone that looks after bikes themselves. What a shame.
You're the problem, my guy. It costs a component manufacturer way less money to give some UA-camr free stuff than train actual employees who empower local bike shops with product knowledge. Bike companies simply don't market through the shop like they used to.
Seems like you have the idea that the LBS is there to serve ONLY you. They don't fix your 10 minute problem because they have a line of bikes that were there before you to fix. And they won't care that you are sponsored by a company they sell. That's taking money out of their pocket..
There's A small shop where I live that have dedicated employees that know their stuff but they have almost nothing in stock, the bike shops that have stuff in stock are the ones you want to avoid doing business with, tourist traps with people who don't know things like that wheels have different spokes count sometimes, it's often ridiculous.
Working on your own bike, too much time? Price of tools?
Nothing compared to not riding because a bike shop screwed you up and then present a bill long as a leg ...
i resent being treated like no matter what i ride or own, its a piece of junk. the attitude of an upturned nose with statements like "this is what you should have bought", or "cheap stuff always needs replacing" , is annoying to deal with. sorry i cannot afford $6K +for a full suspension mtb ride. im just trying to ride and enjoy being outdoors with out being insulted for my gear
The pandemic was brutal for bike shops and the outdoor industry as a whole. Most LBS employees are still exhausted, burnt out or have left all together. a large number of owners have called companies and sold to them as they were done. On top of that, customers have become more demanding then ever before without understanding that when there are 30 bikes in front of them, it may take a bit to get the work done. Instead of understanding, we are cursed at, treated like crap and never thanked. I have been in the industry for a very long time and used to absolutely love and adore what I do. The last four years has been really rough and I now start every day asking myself if I really want to continue to do this and I should just leave. If it was not for the owner of my shop I would have been long gone. Logistics companies delay shipping constantly and we are the ones who have to deliver the bad news. People are used to Amazon and quick shipping. Remember they have tons of distribution centers around the country. Shimano has 2 and SRAM has one so it takes a week to get stuff at times. We know you want to get back on your bikes and most of us try our hardest every day to get things done as quickly as possible but sometimes it is just not easy. What you think may take 10 minutes to get done, yea maybe but if there is not a free person available at that time to get it done, its going to have to wait unfortunately. Give your local shops some leeway and understanding. Most are struggling right now and they are probably not in the best mindsets with what is going on in the industry.
I am over bike shops. Attitude, elitism, and not wanting to work on bikes they didn't sell. Bike tools ae cheap, and bikes aren't hard to fix. I just do it myself. Much happier.
Steel-shop, with a welding tool...
No BULL-SHIT.
Keep-It-Simple...