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Why the LBS are dying out ...

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Why the LBS are dying out ...

Old 05-16-19, 05:18 AM
  #351  
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Originally Posted by Mad Honk
mr bill,
I stopped by my local co-op tonight to drop off a couple of reconditioned wheels, and just now am getting your post. If the folks who shop at WM would go to the local co-op and get the free kids bikes, or earn a bikes they won't be affected by the tariffs at all. ha!
So a guy who works all week and has no time to volunteer doesn’t “earn” the bike he buys his kid at Walmart?
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Old 05-16-19, 10:51 AM
  #352  
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
The price of the nut is a pretty silly side-argument, but I have to say referring to it as "obscure" makes me feel really old!

I miss good inexpensive ig bikes. Funny how a little part like that can make me nostalgic. There was a day when any decent shop would have a drawer full of those.
What's weird about that drawer full of stuff comment, I know a shop in town that calls old bike shops and ask if they have stuff in storage they no longer use, if so they ask if they can go and see if they can find anything to buy, if ok'd they go. funny thing is they told me that there are a lot of old bike shops around that as the bikes got newer over the years the old parts got stored in basements, at the owners home, etc, and they've found tons of obscure stuff with most of it NEW condition! This shop goes into that 3 speed stuff too and I bet they have a lot of those nuts.
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Old 05-16-19, 10:59 AM
  #353  
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Originally Posted by greatscott
What's weird about that drawer full of stuff comment, I know a shop in town that calls old bike shops and ask if they have stuff in storage they no longer use, if so they ask if they can go and see if they can find anything to buy, if ok'd they go. funny thing is they told me that there are a lot of old bike shops around that as the bikes got newer over the years the old parts got stored in basements, at the owners home, etc, and they've found tons of obscure stuff with most of it NEW condition! This shop goes into that 3 speed stuff too and I bet they have a lot of those nuts.
The real find is the "matching" nut on the other side, which looks like a regular nut, but has a non-standard thread. That's the one that people probably really complain about the price of.

Example: https://www.thebikeshopstore.com/cat...xoCsIcQAvD_BwE
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Old 05-16-19, 11:30 AM
  #354  
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
The real find is the "matching" nut on the other side, which looks like a regular nut, but has a non-standard thread. That's the one that people probably really complain about the price of.
Just a slight correction. It's a standard thread, but left handed.

-mr. bill
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Old 05-16-19, 12:29 PM
  #355  
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Just my 2 cents..a lot of times I call the LBS's in my area for a part,or accessory,they don't have it and I get the reply"we can order it"and I give THEM a reply,"this is 2019 and I can order it too but I would have rather have it today and see it what I'm buying than ordering".
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Old 05-16-19, 12:33 PM
  #356  
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Originally Posted by mr_bill
Just a slight correction. It's a standard thread, but left handed.

-mr. bill
Thanks, it's been about 35 years since I've had to deal with that, but now that you mention it, I'm remembering all of the left-handed screw jokes.
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Old 05-16-19, 01:58 PM
  #357  
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
The real find is the "matching" nut on the other side, which looks like a regular nut, but has a non-standard thread. That's the one that people probably really complain about the price of.
Originally Posted by mr_bill
Just a slight correction. It's a standard thread, but left handed.
Your correction is incorrect; the threads are right handed for both axle nuts for Sturmey-Archer IGH's at least for the three, four and five speeds. Livedarklions is correct, the threads are some odd English size; I believe it might be Whitworth.

Also the S-A left nut thread material is significantly softer than the S-A axle material and will easily strip if over-tightened. The Right hand nut as shown on the previous picture is made of a harder material and does not strip threads as easily as the left. I used to use the right hand nut (with the indicator chain window) on both sides to assure that the wheel would stay in place. Sometimes I had to add extra washers because the right hand nut can not always be fastened all the way down to the bicycle frame because it is necked down at the one end.
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Old 05-16-19, 02:02 PM
  #358  
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Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
Your correction is incorrect; the threads are right handed for both axle nuts for Sturmey-Archer IGH's at least for the three, four and five speeds. Livedarklions is correct, the threads are some odd English size; I believe it might be Whitworth.

Also the S-A left nut thread material is significantly softer than the S-A axle material and will easily strip if over-tightened. The Right hand nut as shown on the previous picture is made of a harder material and does not strip threads as easily as the left. I used to use the right hand nut (with the indicator chain window) on both sides to assure that the wheel would stay in place. Sometimes I had to add extra washers because the right hand nut can not always be fastened all the way down to the bicycle frame because it is necked down at the one end.
OK, so maybe the left-handed screw thing is a false memory. Can we go on to right nut and left nut jokes now?
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Old 05-16-19, 02:23 PM
  #359  
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
Thanks, it's been about 35 years since I've had to deal with that, but now that you mention it, I'm remembering all of the left-handed screw jokes.
I worked on an S-A SCW-3 two days ago, getting a Schwinn Breeze ready to give away to one of my son's female co-workers. Luckily both nuts were still on the rear axle.

Background on this bike:
I picked it up at garage sale about 10 years ago for my wife because it had 24" wheels and she said she wanted to be below to the ground but she didn't like it. The bike has been in my garage for those 10 years untouched. I asked my son if he knew anybody who might like such a bike for free and appreciate a reliable Chicago made Schwinn with 3 speed and foot brakes.
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Old 05-16-19, 03:48 PM
  #360  
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Originally Posted by 79SchwinnWS
Just my 2 cents..a lot of times I call the LBS's in my area for a part,or accessory,they don't have it and I get the reply"we can order it"and I give THEM a reply,"this is 2019 and I can order it too but I would have rather have it today and see it what I'm buying than ordering".
I'm sure they spend every day looking forward to the pleasure of talking to you on the phone. What a mensch you are!
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Old 05-16-19, 04:06 PM
  #361  
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
The real find is the "matching" nut on the other side, which looks like a regular nut, but has a non-standard thread. That's the one that people probably really complain about the price of.

Example: https://www.thebikeshopstore.com/cat...xoCsIcQAvD_BwE
Ok, $3 for an odd ball nut isn't to bad out of line; these companies that make that stuff is simply grabbing cyclists by the balls and squeezing because they can. It doesn't cost anything more to make a LH nut as it does a RH nut, but it's different and it's for bicycles so lets burn people for it. I needed a bolt for a seatpost clamp, I took it down to a hardware store and found a bolt that worked that saved me $8 from getting it from some bicycling source that had them, and I didn't have to wait for it to be sent from the warehouse to the LBS. I rarely need parts like that anyway so in all reality all this talk about small bolts and screws is sort of silly, but it does point out a problem with how much stuff that is related to cycling can cost.

The only really good news in the cost to cycle is that LED lights has made it cheaper to buy a good light that runs longer on batteries and the bulb will last forever, geez back in the day when HID headlights were the brightest thing to get I use to know people who had spent $1,200 for one of those lights, and I thought back then that was insane, now you can get LED lights with as much light and more then those HID's and spend $120 for it. Tires are another huge waste of money, yes of course we need them! but so does our cars, yet in 60,000 miles you spend roughly $480 for a pair of car tires, but you'll replace roughly 20 sets of bicycle tires in 60,000 miles and pay an average of $2,000 for them (based on $100 a pair); and bicycle tires are no where near the technology level of car tires.

All this profit on cycling gear is going somewhere, but it ain't going to LBS's!
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Old 05-16-19, 04:15 PM
  #362  
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Originally Posted by bbbean
I'm sure they spend every day looking forward to the pleasure of talking to you on the phone. What a mensch you are!
I don't think he's being weird at all, I think what he's saying is why wait 2 weeks for the LBS to get it in when you can skip the middle man and get in a few days by going on the internet and ordering it. I'm not sure if I would say what he said to the person on the phone, but if I needed it pretty quick I simply tell them; "ok, thanks, I'll see if I can get somewhere else faster", I think most LBS's understand that. That is the beauty of the internet because if we need something quick and don't mind paying for next day mail service then we'll order from the internet instead of waiting 2 or 3 weeks for the supply chain to get it to the LBS.
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Old 05-16-19, 04:22 PM
  #363  
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Originally Posted by greatscott
You said nut, how long did it take you to find that obscure nut so you could prove your point?
It took me ZERO seconds. Because....this was my first post about it:

Originally Posted by JoeyBike
So between the Internet junkies (who ordered the wrong part or tool) and the complete morons who walk into almost any bike shop, it is incredible to me how most bike shop employees hold it together. Or when someone needs a 3-speed hub nut and freaks out because it costs $3. Yeah. "THREE DOLLARS!!?? THREE DOLLARS!!!!???? WTF???" It really happens.
God I love quoting myself!
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Old 05-16-19, 04:41 PM
  #364  
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Originally Posted by flyjimmy
So a guy who works all week and has no time to volunteer doesn’t “earn” the bike he buys his kid at Walmart?
flyjimmy,
I guess you got me on that one, but free bikes for kids is what we do here at our co-op. And adults who work for three hours of volunteer work can earn a bike. And I get it that paying for bike is the same as earning it. Now help me out and explain how working forty hours doesn't leave any time for volunteer work. If your argument is that he is working 60-80 hours per week, I'll buy into it. But that is a stretch for me, Smiles, MH
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Old 05-16-19, 04:53 PM
  #365  
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Originally Posted by I-Like-To-Bike
Your correction is incorrect; the threads are right handed for both axle nuts for Sturmey-Archer IGH's at least for the three, four and five speeds. Livedarklions is correct, the threads are some odd English size; I believe it might be Whitworth.

Also the S-A left nut thread material is significantly softer than the S-A axle material and will easily strip if over-tightened. The Right hand nut as shown on the previous picture is made of a harder material and does not strip threads as easily as the left. I used to use the right hand nut (with the indicator chain window) on both sides to assure that the wheel would stay in place. Sometimes I had to add extra washers because the right hand nut can not always be fastened all the way down to the bicycle frame because it is necked down at the one end.
I think the point of the discussion is about finding the right nut. The nut is a Whitworth thread and cut at 55* instead of 60* like most standard US and current British and Japanese threaded systems. Every nut and inner race body of the system used those special threaded parts. You could try and find a three dollar nut at Lowes or home Depot, but it would be the wrong thread cut for the job. Sometimes just the knowledge that you need the OEM parts is part of the equation when comparing prices. This discussion could be held in the Vintage section of this forum. However I doubt there are enough of we mechanics who remember how to rebuild these hubs that it matters. Smiles, MH
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Old 05-16-19, 05:24 PM
  #366  
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Here in Pahrump, NV there is only one LBS. The owner has a sign on the counter stating that consultations are $9.95. When I walked in and began talking to him, he walked over and tapped the sign, without saying anything. I played along and paid the fee and was treated to $8 worth of him tooting his own horn. I got two pieces of advice, both of which I chose to ignore. First was don't get hydraulic brakes. Second was don't go tubeless. Also, 4.8" tires don't exist. I visited a couple LBS's in Las Vegas and wasn't happy with their attitudes toward me as a customer. Being a crusty 72 year old may have had something to do with that, I will admit. I walked into All Mountain Cyclery in Boulder City looking for a cable cutter. The guy I spoke with allowed as how they didn't stock them for sale but had me wait until he checked to make sure the shop had two. Then he sold me one of those at a used price. Guess where I bought my wife's Specialized?

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Old 05-16-19, 07:24 PM
  #367  
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Originally Posted by JoeyBike
It took me ZERO seconds. Because....this was my first post about it:



God I love quoting myself!
You must be channeling another BF comrade. Perhaps you might want to change your BF moniker to Joey From New Orleans.
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Old 05-17-19, 04:54 AM
  #368  
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Originally Posted by Mad Honk
flyjimmy,
I guess you got me on that one, but free bikes for kids is what we do here at our co-op. And adults who work for three hours of volunteer work can earn a bike. And I get it that paying for bike is the same as earning it. Now help me out and explain how working forty hours doesn't leave any time for volunteer work. If your argument is that he is working 60-80 hours per week, I'll buy into it. But that is a stretch for me, Smiles, MH
40 hours plus commute time. Add a couple of kids with soccer practice and a host of other activities and time gets pretty scarce. I get that that volunteer work is a nice thing. Some just don’t have time or the choose to volunteer in other areas.
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Old 05-17-19, 08:23 AM
  #369  
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Originally Posted by greatscott
Ok, $3 for an odd ball nut isn't to bad out of line; these companies that make that stuff is simply grabbing cyclists by the balls and squeezing because they can. It doesn't cost anything more to make a LH nut as it does a RH nut, but it's different and it's for bicycles so lets burn people for it.
The nut with the non-standard thread is actually more expensive to produce than a standard one because there is less demand for it. It's a question of economies of scale--the production line producing millions of standard nuts costs less per unit to maintain than the line producing hundreds or thousands of the non-standard even if it's essentially just the same process with the same materials. The costs of the production line are amortized per unit, and the fraction of the cost per unit for the low-demand article has a smaller denominator.
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Old 05-17-19, 08:51 AM
  #370  
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Originally Posted by Sy Reene
Comp Cyclist/backcountry sites though -- I'm pretty sure they ship from their own inventory/warehouse.
They ship from two warehouses. Those warehouses or the one in west valley, Utah have a show room where you can try on products, a bike repair shop, and the ability to buy in person anything in the warehouse. Please note the warehouse is 20,000-30,000 sq ft something the LBS doesn’t have.

I have Rohloff hub on my bike and don’t plan the LBS having the parts or oil for it but the shop I bought the bike from sell 250 Rohloff hubs a year so I would expect them to have both oil and parts on hand.

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Old 05-17-19, 08:59 AM
  #371  
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Originally Posted by JoeyBike
You just made my point PERFECTLY! Thanks! I am soooooo happy to be away from the bike biz.

$8.88 + 2.65 shipping. Go buy one at Home Depot for 50 cents, I dare you.
And I'd spend all day driving around to a dozen different bike shops, and not a single one would have that in stock. Even if one did for $3, I'd rather pay the $10 to know it is coming in a couple days instead of hearing a pile of NOs and ordering it anyways.

Originally Posted by greatscott
Ok, $3 for an odd ball nut isn't to bad out of line; these companies that make that stuff is simply grabbing cyclists by the balls and squeezing because they can. It doesn't cost anything more to make a LH nut as it does a RH nut, but it's different and it's for bicycles so lets burn people for it.
It actually does cost more. You are correct the tooling, materials, and labor cost the same, but you are using the tooling far less frequently than the tooling for the RH thread, meaning the amortized cost onto each part must be higher. Couple that with shutting down production, switching over the line, and starting it up for a limited run of LH thread nuts also costs money.

You'll quickly find anything outside the norm in the fastener world costs money, and lots of it.
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Old 05-17-19, 09:41 AM
  #372  
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Originally Posted by jefnvk
And I'd spend all day driving around to a dozen different bike shops, and not a single one would have that in stock. Even if one did for $3, I'd rather pay the $10 to know it is coming in a couple days instead of hearing a pile of NOs and ordering it anyways.



It actually does cost more. You are correct the tooling, materials, and labor cost the same, but you are using the tooling far less frequently than the tooling for the RH thread, meaning the amortized cost onto each part must be higher. Couple that with shutting down production, switching over the line, and starting it up for a limited run of LH thread nuts also costs money.

You'll quickly find anything outside the norm in the fastener world costs money, and lots of it.
I once got a tour of the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard nuclear submarine maintenance shops. An incredible amount of that shop was equipment to actually produce the non-standard fasteners and valves for the boats and torpedoes one piece at time. I'd hate to think about the amortized costs of each of those parts.
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Old 05-18-19, 10:39 AM
  #373  
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Originally Posted by jefnvk
And I'd spend all day driving around to a dozen different bike shops, and not a single one would have that in stock. Even if one did for $3, I'd rather pay the $10 to know it is coming in a couple days instead of hearing a pile of NOs and ordering it anyways.
Every bike shop in the world would have that nut in stock. But I get your point. You could always call the nearest one before you set out anyway, unless you live in an RFD far from the nearest one.

I was just using that nut example of how irritating it can be to operate any brick and mortar retail store. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it. Many here think bike shop employees are rude and elitist, and I can assure you that for every rude and obnoxious bike shop employee on Earth there are legions of rude and obnoxious customers who have never worked retail or as wait staff in any restaurant.

That door swings both ways. And...some customers just don't want to be happy. Bike shop employees I have known are more than happy to oblige them.
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Old 05-18-19, 11:59 AM
  #374  
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Originally Posted by freegeek
[RANT] I try to do as much maintenance work on my bike not because it's cheaper but simply because dealing with a LBS is a frustrating experience. My bike needed some minor stuff done , and when I say minor I really mean minor (new chain + new hydraulic disc hose). Because I didn't have time myself over the weekend I decided to bring my bike to the LBS last week thinking that after the weekend I would have my bike back. My bike is still in the shop because they didn't have a friggin bleeding kit. When I asked if they are serious that my bike is still in the shop because they don't have the $20 Shimano bleeding kit they give me the "annoying customer" look. They told me it will take until the end of the week for the part to arrive (seriously!). I can go online, order and have the damn thing delivered next day. In total my bike will be in the shop for a full week for what is essentially a 30 minutes job. Last time I tried to buy a big ticket item in a LBS was my power pedals (Garmin Vector), they told me it would take 6 weeks (I'm not kidding), I went home, ordered online, had them delivered next day. Both of these experiences are good reminders why I avoid LBS as the plague. [/END RANT]
I really think it depends on the LBS in your area.. In The Tampa Bay area of FL.. there are LBS all over the place.. Nice weather = great biking environment..

Now there are a few LBS that would turn off anyone to the LBS experience.. I have had HORRIBLE experience with one shop called Neptune in Tarpon Springs FL if any of you are in the area.. avoid that place.. Holy shiza.. whoa..
But... There are other shops that are very nice and have worked with me on many things and will even work with you on discounting prices.. their bike mechanics are very adept in their field. Outspokin in Clearwater FL really goes above and beyond for their customers.
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Old 05-18-19, 12:24 PM
  #375  
jefnvk
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Originally Posted by JoeyBike
Every bike shop in the world would have that nut in stock. But I get your point. You could always call the nearest one before you set out anyway, unless you live in an RFD far from the nearest one.

I was just using that nut example of how irritating it can be to operate any brick and mortar retail store.
I get your bigger point, but I think people vastly overestimate the number of shops who stock such things. There are only two shops in the Detroit area I would even think to try for such a thing, and both their answers would likely be they do if they can remember what loose parts drawer it is in. I have a hard enough time finding things in stock like a threaded headset, a square taper triple crank, an Octalink bottom bracket, Kool Stop pads, let alone a non-wear item from a hub not widely used.

FWIW though, if they stock it I'm more than fine paying a premium to walk out the door with it now.
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