I own a small business selling and servicing industrial cleaning equipment. Some of these machines are $80,000+ and require high technical expertise to keep operating properly. The manufacturers have not only started selling direct but also decided to saturate markets with multiple distributors. I have invested a lot in vans, parts, training, specialty software but they don’t care. They love to tell us to respect each others customers bases but when you have multiple hungry distributors and one customer, margins disappear. They don’t care. It’s ridiculous!
"They love to tell us to respect each others customers bases " I had that with cargo bicycles....we always did, but were the only ones. We would travel and show the bikes, but the sales went to the other coast. Bike shops would lose interest in our product as they would showroom for others. Very naive of the manufacturer but they saw it as a win for them no matter who sold the bikes. Too bad they didn't understand that they would not gain market share in this fashion. I've watched how other brands gained sales. Oh well,.
A trend in Asian countries with Chinese diaspora is Chinese LBS using their factory connections to produce own brand bikes that are highly competitive within their niche. “Liaoge” brand in Singapore produce a US$222 MTB with Tourney parts and throw-in lots of free-tuning. Liaoge also has folding bikes and his bikes are well-designed as he constantly fine-tune each batch of shipment based on customer feedback. More value than Decathlon! “Catvelo” is new brand setup by a China, Tianjin city LBS (3 outlets I think). They offer US$1440 carbon frame + carbon integrated bar stem + carbon seatpost saddle and mechanical 105 groupset. US$1800 for Di-2 105. The owner also explain how his bike use better quality carbon than typical Chinese carbon frame. Both these brands are by LBS entrepreneurs so they are careful about quality control.
I own a small bike shop in Sacramento. This is the same model others are using and although I'm not a fan, it does kinda work. All the hub drive e-bike companies do this. Basically at checkout the customer chooses where they want the bike sent. So someone will choose my shop and then pay an extra $150 to have it built and ready to go at my shop. Some companies just give you the $150 and some throw in a little extra. Tons of drawbacks for us but also I don't have to purchase and have the inventory in my shop. I've literally had people order the bike standing I my shop from the companies website and have it shipped to me. I make my $150 without hassle, So it can work. Is it ideal? No.
As a recent buyer of a Trek Top Fuel 9.8 AND Slash 9.8 - I like the fact that my bikes got sent to the local dealer of MY CHOICE - and they set up the bike and did all the tweaks and adjusted ‘stuff’ on the spot. And then I left with a bike ready to go. If it got shipped to me - I’d look at a bunch of parts and be left wondering how to put it together!! They def will be shooting themselves if they get rid of the dealer community. Now granted i got a better deal online with the slash I bought just a month after I purchased the Top Fuel. I could have gotten the 2023 Top Fuel (a bit more travel up front - I think is the only difference) for the money I spent for the 2022 at the local bike shop.
That is a HUGE advantage of having their own dealers, you’d be amazed how many bikes I see assembled incorrectly and at least half of the questions on FB groups are DTC bike brands and assembly/setup related.
@@theEVO1VEDMechanic yep, I’m not a bike mechanic, and really don’t care to be one! I’ll pay the extra to have an expert assemble it correctly! I won’t buy a bike unless it’s sent to a local bike shop and assembled. That was a BIG reason why I went with Trek Slash. I don’t feel like having my wheel pop off on a jump - which is probably what would happen if I assembled myself. 😂. And yeah, I could get a different brand (other than trek) and then put it in my truck and ask the local bike shop to assemble for a fee - but that’s a pain in the arse!
The direct to consumer bikes arrive 90% assembled with all the tools in the box. It's really just the bars, seat post, wheels and pedals. Almost anyone can do it.
@@gainknowledgeandinsight if you have a disability preventing you from being able to use a multi tool. If not then you are exaggerating and need to keep higher standards for yourself.
Trek is a Big Brother with a POS (Ascend RMS) that they and their dealers are forced to use. So, yes, they know all the inventory and sales of their stores and in combination with locally owned Trek Dealers. Also, this was the plan since Canyon moved into the US market. Deep margins at their corporately owned locations to direct to consumers. (started with Click and Collect at the location) And their test run with the Red Barn used bikes from Trek. They are just slower or more calculated than Specialized and Pon Holdings. So, in the end. If you are a Trek Dealer and are small....watch out! You are toast.
I thought they were using the “Locally”program to track inventory? Either way it begs the question if a small dealer is running ads and gets the attention of a customer but a trek shop 1 mile further away has the bike in stock…who gets the sale? This is going to hurt everyone except the actual Trek stores.
This sounds like a carbon copy of the d2c program Kent used to sink Kona's dealer relations... Anyone that was part of that is going to tell trek they don't want commissions on anything below a certain value because shops were losing money or just breaking even on the low end and even some mid range deliveries. Even something like a Roscoe 8 or 9, by all accounts a great bike, that a dealer is going to get something like $300 on to assemble, deliver, and probably provide a 1 month service on, sounds good until you have to cover things like paychecks, utilities, rent, tools and expendables. Oh and that doesn't even consider the fact that most of the bikes will be closer to the Marin range where the cost to the dealer stays roughly the same, but the kickback is cut in half.
Trek should be the ally and protector of mom and pop stores instead they had trek stores conceived by a bunch of fools who didn't get this industry. That's the same thing that sank GT too. Outsiders 😂
I bought a $10k bike from an lbs and they couldn’t even assemble it right. brakes weren’t bled, no carbon paste on the seat post, they didn’t want to adjust my ergonomics. I took the bike in for service a few times where they charged me but didn’t fix the problem. i know several people with similar experiences and various shops. now we all do our own maintenance. i buy everything online. i don’t need the headache.
It's about the bikes. Bring back the 2004 Madone, full mechanical Dura Ace + Rim Brakes, for a reasonable price and people will start to buy again. If I need an app to ride my bike, I don't want it. If I have to load a battery to ride my bike, I don't want it. If my tire pressure must be 100% accurate for my tires not blowing off, I don't want it.
It would cost MORE money to build a bike that's been out of production for 20 years. At that point, it's basically a NEW bike. Where do you source 20 year old dura ace? Who's making wheels with 135 QR hub spacing to fit that frame? Etc, etc.
Price is only one part of it, I currently ride a 10.000 EUR P-Series from Cervelo and apart from the price, this rides worse than the P3 and is a good 1,5 kg heavier. It rides sluggish, a tube change takes longer but most of all, it is slower on my time-trial loop.
@theodorseiz9727 AXS is AMAZING though. Is it really more bothersome to charge a battery or occasionally bleed brakes versus futzing with barrel adjusters constantly? Do you still write and mail checks to pay your bills?
I was recently shopping for a new, upper end, bike and my issue is that bike shops are not carrying these bikes. On one hand, why should they keep an inventory of $5000-$14000 bikes on hand and the different sizes and specs for something out of most peoples price range. Yet on the other hand, if I’m spending $8500 on a Di2 Ultegra build for example, well damn it, I want to see the bike even if I can’t ride it. So, I’m not even sure of the purpose of the retail store anymore……..but I like the retail stores. I like going in and talking nuances with the mechs and sometimes the sales people. But if that’s not the case, send the bike directly to me and rebate that store commission to me and make the bike cheaper.
Not really....bike shops who made a 1/3 off new sales, 1/3 off accessories, and 1/3 off labor. Now they are going to be mechanics with far less overhead. Chances are the mechanics will do well with this future; just keep a small retail footprint if any at all.
Consumer attitudes have changed the vast majority of people are happier buying direct online and Trek just like the other major brands are looking over their shoulders watching the Asian manufacturers and product developers outpace them at a worrying rate you only need to look at how much money they're able to put into product development research compared to Western brands.
Id go out of my way to buy a brand i can hold in my hands and size up before i buy. My current ride is a Orbea for that exact reason, my favorite local shop doesnt carry Specialized anymore. Ive had many of them in the past but not now.
The bike business is a manufacturer, in name only, standing in line at the generic Taiwan factories waiting for their bikes to be built. Then shipping their order to a bike shop who needs to pay the light bill, the landlord, and loads of workman's comp. China decided they would just ship to your doorstep and ask you to find a shop to assemble your purchase. What will survive is a bike mechanic with an Amazon account; not the bike business.
Trek probably had to go consumer direct. Let’s face the facts, how many bike shops are getting customers that are real Cycling enthusiast? The majority of bikes sold never go back to the shop for repairs or tune-ups. They are bought and forgot. If the bike shops are going to stay competitive, they need to get more involved with cycling enthusiasts, as many have. They also should consider a marketing strategy that includes exclusive membership to customers who buy bicycle from them that includes priority repair, home repairs and pre-sale deals. Keep in mind, bike shops have been in some communities for 4-5 generations, they can get forced out of business if they don’t fight back and do something that online cannot do.
I just bought a Trek Verve 2 from my local shop. Walked in, decided on what I wanted, went for a ride and bought it. Put it my car and brought it home. I don't understand what your problem is.
Verve is a great bike! No issue with the bikes, just the model could cause some sales interruptions with local shops in favor of a more Amazon like model
@@theEVO1VEDMechanic OK I get that but for the most part I don't think the general biking public is interested in getting their bike in a box and assembling it. Most want to do what I did, at least in my immediate area. There are two main shops here and they both have a nice selection and good service. You can't go wrong with either one.
The quality of Trek's bikes has dropped in the last few years. New overlord cutting costs while trying to boost profit, or did they just lose their way a bit? That's my guesses
If they try to keep there dealers in the loop and be honesty about it and fine tune it as they go it will be good. Many companies don't realize how important it is make sure everybody benefits keeping all that profit at the top doesn't work. Nothing wrong with increasing profit if done right. The question is will they?
@@theEVO1VEDMechanicthere won't be much of an insensitive to do anything other than throw the bike together as quickly as possible and cut the corners. One of the benefits of test riding the bike is that the dealer needs the bike to be working well as it was designed to do. That will include prefixing common problems for a model. Here the insensitive is the better the bike works during the test ride the more likely the sale. If anything goes wrong with the test ride by the potential customer...well the potential probably walks away...that simple. The shop I worked at we did alot of disassembling and reassembling with new bikes so everything was properly reassembled and test riden vigorously by the mechanic so it didn't come back after the owner went out and put it through his regiment. Yeah I would occasionally get one back and scratch my head as to how? Anyway back in the stand and figure it out. Usually a small misadustment or alignment issue. Some times it was a serious component compatibility issue that needs to be fixed .
I want a new Trek, no store around me carries it and I don't even want to deal with a dealership. When I heard this the other day I immediately tried to buy online and I still had to have it sent to a store. Whenever they get this up and going I'll buy right away. And NO I don't want the dealership to bring it to me, I want it to show up in a box from the FedEx guy
every single thing trek says is a lie or manipulation. absolutely despise the company, the people and their offensive business practices, BUT, the gen 7 madone SLR is the best frameset ever made
I guess my response is who cares? This is the first video of yours that I've watched, so I don't know your personality. But do you have something against Trek? I prefer buying d2c. I've purchased 2 bikes from Priority over the last 3 years and it's great. I can't stand going into a LBS anymore. Regarding Trek and inventory: Yes, Trek can manage inventory levels. Have you never looked at a Trek bike online and it will show you what stores have in in stock, in the color/size you want? It's 2024 my man, it's not hard to manage inventory anymore. So I don't get this whole video, sorry. I get what you are saying about which Trek deal will get the commission. I'm in the middle of two Trek dealers. So if I but online which one will get the commission. Maybe they can split it or work that out somehow. But being able to buy a bike and have it delivered to my door in a few days is a win. Most local bike shops close early, and the last thing I want to do on a Saturday is stand around a busy LBS while the one sales person is working with 3 customers at a time who have no intentions of buying a bike. BTW, Ford is moving d2c too. This will start to happen more and more.
I like D2C personally, I just hate seeing Trek flaunt their “support local shops” agenda but then turn around and do the opposite. Their leadership is a train wreck lately with Zero direction just throwing it at the wall and seeing what sticks. At least Giant has the backbone to come out and be direct these days. But I don’t have anything against Trek, in fact I have a whole vintage Trek MTB collection and they are usually what I get people on when they start out.
Trek only want to make money as easily as possible. They don't care about shops, not by a long way. Other manufacturers will do this too and the industry, that's on its knees, will further crash and the owners will run away with their cash. Ridley have said they will never sell direct meaning they support local shops. Be more Ridley.
More confusing for the consumer. Perhaps putting the welfare of the consumer first instead of an afterthought would be better. Management/Leadership 101.
YES and TREK like all the rest of 'em can deal with all those clients that have the quality assembly control problems, creaky BB's, bad workmanship, assembly errors and all the rest of that shit to deal with under guarantee. I work for a TREK dealership and I've had enough of complaints and guarantees to file out for because of their shitty work. TREK University? I think Burke himself should get a PHD in that university. They're good at telling others what they should do. But they just see the market and the daily reality through their office windows at wisconsin. They don't have the frontline BS to deal with every day 6/7 days a week. Going online TREK? GOOD LUCK you can take all the hassle that comes with it too. Don't send your unfortunate clients to us dealers to DEAL with your problems. You make 'em? YOU can fix 'em!!! If you REALLY CARE about the high street family business, and want the ecconomy to flourish then stop coming up with ideas that are in your own interests. SUPPORT YOU LOCAL BIKE SHOP PEOPLE, THESE GUYS HAVE MADE MILLIONS OVER THE DECADES, FAR MORE THAN WE'LL EVER MAKE IN A LIFETIME.
@@theEVO1VEDMechanic I have no idea if Trek would take on board any of your solutions, your presentation does not seem particularly sympathetic in addressing the many issues facing the bicycling industry. How we promote good positive communication in this broken world is to focus on solutions.
Dont sit there and try and tell people that people will only buy bicycles online...because thats false, and the ones that do....so what, you think theyll run the shops out of business? Holy cow 🤦♂️. Have shops stopped selling specialized and santa cruz, cause i must have missed that memo. I love watching you and the other "experts" in your garage "bike shops" get on YT and tell the world whats going to happen in the industry. Its very amusing. Now wheres my popcorn.
Yes, it’s actually happening. I’d have at least of one of my regular customers I had a ton of time invested in come into my shop everyday telling me about the great deal they just got online on a new bike for them or their spouse. These were $3-6k purchases. Shops don’t just close up overnight, it takes years for these things to play out.
Back in the 90's you couldn't speak too badly of Trek they had such a strong organically grown brand associated with quality and value, then came the racing craze, and the doping, and LeMond came out ... Some brands like MIPS are built out of marketing and bullsh*t and it will probably fall apart if giro and bell lateral impact tests results are leaked one day but when you have a strong organic brand you keep it genuine and run with it. Trek choosed the MIPS route when they never needed to. Successful story but such a shame they didn't keep the value and quality thing...😂
I own a small business selling and servicing industrial cleaning equipment. Some of these machines are $80,000+ and require high technical expertise to keep operating properly. The manufacturers have not only started selling direct but also decided to saturate markets with multiple distributors. I have invested a lot in vans, parts, training, specialty software but they don’t care. They love to tell us to respect each others customers bases but when you have multiple hungry distributors and one customer, margins disappear. They don’t care. It’s ridiculous!
We will eventually be left with nobody in the field or local to fix anything and be at the will of the brands. Then it will be a disposable model!
"They love to tell us to respect each others customers bases " I had that with cargo bicycles....we always did, but were the only ones. We would travel and show the bikes, but the sales went to the other coast. Bike shops would lose interest in our product as they would showroom for others. Very naive of the manufacturer but they saw it as a win for them no matter who sold the bikes. Too bad they didn't understand that they would not gain market share in this fashion.
I've watched how other brands gained sales. Oh well,.
A trend in Asian countries with Chinese diaspora is Chinese LBS using their factory connections to produce own brand bikes that are highly competitive within their niche.
“Liaoge” brand in Singapore produce a US$222 MTB with Tourney parts and throw-in lots of free-tuning. Liaoge also has folding bikes and his bikes are well-designed as he constantly fine-tune each batch of shipment based on customer feedback. More value than Decathlon!
“Catvelo” is new brand setup by a China, Tianjin city LBS (3 outlets I think). They offer US$1440 carbon frame + carbon integrated bar stem + carbon seatpost saddle and mechanical 105 groupset. US$1800 for Di-2 105. The owner also explain how his bike use better quality carbon than typical Chinese carbon frame.
Both these brands are by LBS entrepreneurs so they are careful about quality control.
Id rather buy my bike from my local trek dealer. Everbody is friendly and super helpful. The 30 day return / exchange policy is solid as well.
They do typically have great staff
Ima Trek man for many years. Dealership right down town. I'm with whatever they decide... Got no complaints. GO TREK. LOL
I own a small bike shop in Sacramento. This is the same model others are using and although I'm not a fan, it does kinda work. All the hub drive e-bike companies do this. Basically at checkout the customer chooses where they want the bike sent. So someone will choose my shop and then pay an extra $150 to have it built and ready to go at my shop. Some companies just give you the $150 and some throw in a little extra. Tons of drawbacks for us but also I don't have to purchase and have the inventory in my shop. I've literally had people order the bike standing I my shop from the companies website and have it shipped to me. I make my $150 without hassle, So it can work. Is it ideal? No.
Great perspective and seriously appreciate the explanation! going to pin this comment so others can see how it works too!
As a recent buyer of a Trek Top Fuel 9.8 AND Slash 9.8 - I like the fact that my bikes got sent to the local dealer of MY CHOICE - and they set up the bike and did all the tweaks and adjusted ‘stuff’ on the spot. And then I left with a bike ready to go. If it got shipped to me - I’d look at a bunch of parts and be left wondering how to put it together!! They def will be shooting themselves if they get rid of the dealer community. Now granted i got a better deal online with the slash I bought just a month after I purchased the Top Fuel. I could have gotten the 2023 Top Fuel (a bit more travel up front - I think is the only difference) for the money I spent for the 2022 at the local bike shop.
That is a HUGE advantage of having their own dealers, you’d be amazed how many bikes I see assembled incorrectly and at least half of the questions on FB groups are DTC bike brands and assembly/setup related.
@@theEVO1VEDMechanic yep, I’m not a bike mechanic, and really don’t care to be one! I’ll pay the extra to have an expert assemble it correctly! I won’t buy a bike unless it’s sent to a local bike shop and assembled. That was a BIG reason why I went with Trek Slash. I don’t feel like having my wheel pop off on a jump - which is probably what would happen if I assembled myself. 😂. And yeah, I could get a different brand (other than trek) and then put it in my truck and ask the local bike shop to assemble for a fee - but that’s a pain in the arse!
The direct to consumer bikes arrive 90% assembled with all the tools in the box. It's really just the bars, seat post, wheels and pedals. Almost anyone can do it.
@@sevenrats almost anyone - I’m not almost and there are many like me. 😂
@@gainknowledgeandinsight if you have a disability preventing you from being able to use a multi tool. If not then you are exaggerating and need to keep higher standards for yourself.
It worked great for Kona.
Right! But I am stoked for Kona’s future since they are back in good hands
@EVO1CYCLING I am too. Kona has a uphill fight to win back dealer support and buyers who fled to other brands like Norco. It's hard to get trust back.
Trek is a Big Brother with a POS (Ascend RMS) that they and their dealers are forced to use. So, yes, they know all the inventory and sales of their stores and in combination with locally owned Trek Dealers. Also, this was the plan since Canyon moved into the US market. Deep margins at their corporately owned locations to direct to consumers. (started with Click and Collect at the location) And their test run with the Red Barn used bikes from Trek. They are just slower or more calculated than Specialized and Pon Holdings. So, in the end. If you are a Trek Dealer and are small....watch out! You are toast.
I thought they were using the “Locally”program to track inventory? Either way it begs the question if a small dealer is running ads and gets the attention of a customer but a trek shop 1 mile further away has the bike in stock…who gets the sale? This is going to hurt everyone except the actual Trek stores.
This sounds like a carbon copy of the d2c program Kent used to sink Kona's dealer relations... Anyone that was part of that is going to tell trek they don't want commissions on anything below a certain value because shops were losing money or just breaking even on the low end and even some mid range deliveries. Even something like a Roscoe 8 or 9, by all accounts a great bike, that a dealer is going to get something like $300 on to assemble, deliver, and probably provide a 1 month service on, sounds good until you have to cover things like paychecks, utilities, rent, tools and expendables. Oh and that doesn't even consider the fact that most of the bikes will be closer to the Marin range where the cost to the dealer stays roughly the same, but the kickback is cut in half.
Trek should be the ally and protector of mom and pop stores instead they had trek stores conceived by a bunch of fools who didn't get this industry.
That's the same thing that sank GT too. Outsiders 😂
I bought a $10k bike from an lbs and they couldn’t even assemble it right. brakes weren’t bled, no carbon paste on the seat post, they didn’t want to adjust my ergonomics. I took the bike in for service a few times where they charged me but didn’t fix the problem. i know several people with similar experiences and various shops. now we all do our own maintenance. i buy everything online. i don’t need the headache.
Blizzard is right.
i love my local trek dealer, the service is great. ill stay buying in person
Yes! Support the GOOD shops!
It's about the bikes. Bring back the 2004 Madone, full mechanical Dura Ace + Rim Brakes, for a reasonable price and people will start to buy again. If I need an app to ride my bike, I don't want it. If I have to load a battery to ride my bike, I don't want it. If my tire pressure must be 100% accurate for my tires not blowing off, I don't want it.
It would cost MORE money to build a bike that's been out of production for 20 years.
At that point, it's basically a NEW bike.
Where do you source 20 year old dura ace? Who's making wheels with 135 QR hub spacing to fit that frame? Etc, etc.
Even if you go aluminum only, it's not like the raw materials or the labor cost is going back to 2004 prices magically.
Price is only one part of it, I currently ride a 10.000 EUR P-Series from Cervelo and apart from the price, this rides worse than the P3 and is a good 1,5 kg heavier.
It rides sluggish, a tube change takes longer but most of all, it is slower on my time-trial loop.
@theodorseiz9727 AXS is AMAZING though.
Is it really more bothersome to charge a battery or occasionally bleed brakes versus futzing with barrel adjusters constantly?
Do you still write and mail checks to pay your bills?
Talks about how high prices are and then says Dura Ace😂, Dura Ace was expensive in 2004.
I buy my Trek Rail half year ago from local shop. I can have chance to try bike before buy... I will never buy bike online, just like car...
I recently bought a Lauf bike DtC and it was so easy. The bike i got has Zipp 303s carbon wheels and Sram Force AXS... For under $5k.
Working on the "thinking"part.....
I was recently shopping for a new, upper end, bike and my issue is that bike shops are not carrying these bikes. On one hand, why should they keep an inventory of $5000-$14000 bikes on hand and the different sizes and specs for something out of most peoples price range. Yet on the other hand, if I’m spending $8500 on a Di2 Ultegra build for example, well damn it, I want to see the bike even if I can’t ride it. So, I’m not even sure of the purpose of the retail store anymore……..but I like the retail stores. I like going in and talking nuances with the mechs and sometimes the sales people. But if that’s not the case, send the bike directly to me and rebate that store commission to me and make the bike cheaper.
All about the local shops getting the sale.
You raise a great point on how this model will create a lot of confusion for consumers and bike shops. What is right?!?
Right!
Bike shops will be a thing of the past soon. Good luck getting your bikes fixed folks. Buy some tools and start learning now
Not really....bike shops who made a 1/3 off new sales, 1/3 off accessories, and 1/3 off labor. Now they are going to be mechanics with far less overhead. Chances are the mechanics will do well with this future; just keep a small retail footprint if any at all.
Local shop would win for me
Right!
Consumer attitudes have changed the vast majority of people are happier buying direct online and Trek just like the other major brands are looking over their shoulders watching the Asian manufacturers and product developers outpace them at a worrying rate you only need to look at how much money they're able to put into product development research compared to Western brands.
It’s wild how behind we are and the scale at which they can produce
Id go out of my way to buy a brand i can hold in my hands and size up before i buy. My current ride is a Orbea for that exact reason, my favorite local shop doesnt carry Specialized anymore. Ive had many of them in the past but not now.
What do think, I’m pissed. I’m mechanic at a bike we pick trek about 2 years ago. F’ John Burke
Damn that sucks!
The bike business is a manufacturer, in name only, standing in line at the generic Taiwan factories waiting for their bikes to be built.
Then shipping their order to a bike shop who needs to pay the light bill, the landlord, and loads of workman's comp.
China decided they would just ship to your doorstep and ask you to find a shop to assemble your purchase.
What will survive is a bike mechanic with an Amazon account; not the bike business.
Trek probably had to go consumer direct. Let’s face the facts, how many bike shops are getting customers that are real Cycling enthusiast? The majority of bikes sold never go back to the shop for repairs or tune-ups. They are bought and forgot. If the bike shops are going to stay competitive, they need to get more involved with cycling enthusiasts, as many have. They also should consider a marketing strategy that includes exclusive membership to customers who buy bicycle from them that includes priority repair, home repairs and pre-sale deals.
Keep in mind, bike shops have been in some communities for 4-5 generations, they can get forced out of business if they don’t fight back and do something that online cannot do.
100%
I just bought a Trek Verve 2 from my local shop. Walked in, decided on what I wanted, went for a ride and bought it. Put it my car and brought it home. I don't understand what your problem is.
Verve is a great bike! No issue with the bikes, just the model could cause some sales interruptions with local shops in favor of a more Amazon like model
@@theEVO1VEDMechanic OK I get that but for the most part I don't think the general biking public is interested in getting their bike in a box and assembling it. Most want to do what I did, at least in my immediate area. There are two main shops here and they both have a nice selection and good service. You can't go wrong with either one.
A great show. We're doing a live stream about Trek this evening. Check it out and the future Would love to have you on our lives show.
Can’t wait to see it! I’m down, drop me message on IG @evo1cycling and let’s set it up.
Every Tuesday? I need to somehow remember. Have a super weekend!
The quality of Trek's bikes has dropped in the last few years. New overlord cutting costs while trying to boost profit, or did they just lose their way a bit? That's my guesses
My trek feul ex 8 is solid. I don't know about other models ;)
@@mattmorrison9379 I see it across the range, it's good your particular bike is solid though.
If they try to keep there dealers in the loop and be honesty about it and fine tune it as they go it will be good. Many companies don't realize how important it is make sure everybody benefits keeping all that profit at the top doesn't work. Nothing wrong with increasing profit if done right. The question is will they?
There is a lot of trust involved going forward so I’m sure it will be a learning process. Hopefully not at the expense of the shops
Trek sued our local shop out of business over a contract issue. Big corp’s are predatory. Nothing they do is for YOUR benefit period.
@@theEVO1VEDMechanicthere won't be much of an insensitive to do anything other than throw the bike together as quickly as possible and cut the corners. One of the benefits of test riding the bike is that the dealer needs the bike to be working well as it was designed to do. That will include prefixing common problems for a model. Here the insensitive is the better the bike works during the test ride the more likely the sale. If anything goes wrong with the test ride by the potential customer...well the potential probably walks away...that simple. The shop I worked at we did alot of disassembling and reassembling with new bikes so everything was properly reassembled and test riden vigorously by the mechanic so it didn't come back after the owner went out and put it through his regiment. Yeah I would occasionally get one back and scratch my head as to how? Anyway back in the stand and figure it out. Usually a small misadustment or alignment issue. Some times it was a serious component compatibility issue that needs to be fixed .
The whole bike business model is broken. It needs an overhaul, but not in the direction they are going.
Exactly!
I want a new Trek, no store around me carries it and I don't even want to deal with a dealership. When I heard this the other day I immediately tried to buy online and I still had to have it sent to a store. Whenever they get this up and going I'll buy right away.
And NO I don't want the dealership to bring it to me, I want it to show up in a box from the FedEx guy
every single thing trek says is a lie or manipulation. absolutely despise the company, the people and their offensive business practices, BUT, the gen 7 madone SLR is the best frameset ever made
Right!
I guess my response is who cares? This is the first video of yours that I've watched, so I don't know your personality. But do you have something against Trek? I prefer buying d2c. I've purchased 2 bikes from Priority over the last 3 years and it's great. I can't stand going into a LBS anymore. Regarding Trek and inventory: Yes, Trek can manage inventory levels. Have you never looked at a Trek bike online and it will show you what stores have in in stock, in the color/size you want? It's 2024 my man, it's not hard to manage inventory anymore.
So I don't get this whole video, sorry. I get what you are saying about which Trek deal will get the commission. I'm in the middle of two Trek dealers. So if I but online which one will get the commission. Maybe they can split it or work that out somehow. But being able to buy a bike and have it delivered to my door in a few days is a win. Most local bike shops close early, and the last thing I want to do on a Saturday is stand around a busy LBS while the one sales person is working with 3 customers at a time who have no intentions of buying a bike.
BTW, Ford is moving d2c too. This will start to happen more and more.
I like D2C personally, I just hate seeing Trek flaunt their “support local shops” agenda but then turn around and do the opposite. Their leadership is a train wreck lately with Zero direction just throwing it at the wall and seeing what sticks. At least Giant has the backbone to come out and be direct these days.
But I don’t have anything against Trek, in fact I have a whole vintage Trek MTB collection and they are usually what I get people on when they start out.
Just glad we don't sell them . ! ! !
Trek only want to make money as easily as possible. They don't care about shops, not by a long way. Other manufacturers will do this too and the industry, that's on its knees, will further crash and the owners will run away with their cash. Ridley have said they will never sell direct meaning they support local shops. Be more Ridley.
Always been a Ridley fan! Thanks for being here!
More confusing for the consumer. Perhaps putting the welfare of the consumer first instead of an afterthought would be better.
Management/Leadership 101.
Fewer and fewer masters.
True!
YES and TREK like all the rest of 'em can deal with all those clients that have the quality assembly control problems, creaky BB's, bad workmanship, assembly errors and all the rest of that shit to deal with under guarantee. I work for a TREK dealership and I've had enough of complaints and guarantees to file out for because of their shitty work. TREK University? I think Burke himself should get a PHD in that university. They're good at telling others what they should do. But they just see the market and the daily reality through their office windows at wisconsin. They don't have the frontline BS to deal with every day 6/7 days a week. Going online TREK? GOOD LUCK you can take all the hassle that comes with it too. Don't send your unfortunate clients to us dealers to DEAL with your problems. You make 'em? YOU can fix 'em!!! If you REALLY CARE about the high street family business, and want the ecconomy to flourish then stop coming up with ideas that are in your own interests. SUPPORT YOU LOCAL BIKE SHOP PEOPLE, THESE GUYS HAVE MADE MILLIONS OVER THE DECADES, FAR MORE THAN WE'LL EVER MAKE IN A LIFETIME.
AMEN!
Your video identifies problems. does your sarcasm afford solutions?
Let’s be honest, do we really think Trek would change course if I offered a solution?
@@theEVO1VEDMechanic I have no idea if Trek would take on board any of your solutions, your presentation does not seem particularly sympathetic in addressing the many issues facing the bicycling industry. How we promote good positive communication in this broken world is to focus on solutions.
Dont sit there and try and tell people that people will only buy bicycles online...because thats false, and the ones that do....so what, you think theyll run the shops out of business? Holy cow 🤦♂️. Have shops stopped selling specialized and santa cruz, cause i must have missed that memo. I love watching you and the other "experts" in your garage "bike shops" get on YT and tell the world whats going to happen in the industry. Its very amusing. Now wheres my popcorn.
It’s a basement… I’m too fat to survive the heat in the garage 😅
Yes, it’s actually happening. I’d have at least of one of my regular customers I had a ton of time invested in come into my shop everyday telling me about the great deal they just got online on a new bike for them or their spouse. These were $3-6k purchases.
Shops don’t just close up overnight, it takes years for these things to play out.
Back in the 90's you couldn't speak too badly of Trek they had such a strong organically grown brand associated with quality and value, then came the racing craze, and the doping, and LeMond came out ...
Some brands like MIPS are built out of marketing and bullsh*t and it will probably fall apart if giro and bell lateral impact tests results are leaked one day but when you have a strong organic brand you keep it genuine and run with it.
Trek choosed the MIPS route when they never needed to.
Successful story but such a shame they didn't keep the value and quality thing...😂
Couldn’t agree more, that is a perfect comparison!
One day talking bikes, the next in the Ukraine
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Sounds like a marketing dogs#$t scheme...
It does indeed