GaIslander

Went into my LBS, Trek-Electra store, today to plunk down a grand for a Trek Dual Sport 3. They only had 3 new Ebikes in stock, very limited parts and accessories, only one person the owner working, and 2 weeks to get a repair. He don't know when new bikes will be available, maybe next March or April, and he wouldn't take my money to back order one. The owner is a friend as well as fellow cyclist. Wow! It was disturbing even though I have other bikes to ride. I hope all this works out, but I am fearful it may not.

I don't know what kind of business model Trek has for this to happen.

GAIslander

bOsscO

COVID-19 got a lot of new people riding bikes, so if your LBS is sold out of bikes and backlogged with service requests I guess it's a good problem to have?

Reflector Guy

It has been this way for months. probably since April or so when the weather became nice.

The store by me probably has a handful of bikes, when they usually have 100+ on hand or enroute. But of that handful, typically it is a 48cm in one model, a 64cm in another.... Odd sizes. The more-popular sizes are backordered.

Mojo31

Had a conversation with a guy that runs one of our LBSs about all of this. I expressed that it must mean good times for the business, but he said it was not really. He said they had a good month or two until stock ran out, but since then it has not been so good. They can't get bikes, parts, or other things to sell, and are hoping to get through things by doing repairs. But, repairs don't really pay the bills. The "good problem" was only for a short term and is really a bad problem over the long term.

drewtk

Sounds like you haven’t had to buy anything bike related this year. Due to COVID19, the entire bike supply chain is affected, from bikes to bike parts. Repairs are backlogged as well because people are dusting off their old bikes to ride, and they need repair and adjustment.

The largest LBS in my area converted the back third of their showroom into bike storage, in order to hold the bikes they’re working on. I ordered a bike from an online shop because I can’t find it anywhere local. This shop has my bike in stock but won’t be able to assemble for 4-6 weeks because they have so many bikes to build in their queue.

Good time to be in the bike business.

Bob the Mech

The supply chain for both parts and assembled bikes is in a bit of a mess. Air freight was disrupted due to Covid-19 and the same thing has happend to shipping freight. It's not that the factories in the far east aren't making the stuff, they just can't ship the quantities required as their supplies are compromised...add the reduced shipping fleet...and this is the state we are in...

TiHabanero

I came back to the bike biz this past spring, then the virus hit, closed the shop, and a month or so later the shop opened and it was pedal to the metal for May, June, July, August, and started to slow down in late September. We had a record number of repairs come through, parts became scarce as the supply chain was emptied by the end of June. Bikes ran out at the same time.
The bike brands have put all their eggs in one basket and with the economic shutdown world wide, and no domestic production available, it became a problem. Being unable to restock is a problem, not a good one either. No inventory, no sales, no sales, no paychecks.

phughes

Yeah, no.

Milton Keynes

Sounds like the LBS in my area... very few new bikes on the floor, but tons of repair jobs lined up.

indyfabz

Precisely. The guy who builds Engin custom frames also owns a LBS. The custom frame business end of things is the only thing keeping the lights on right now for the reasons you mention.

Retro Grouch 

These are interesting times.
Boreing in under appreciated.

tsmith41094

Interesting convo with my LBS last week (also a Trek dealer). Said at this time last year Trek was backordered by a little over 100k bikes. This year its 1.2mm. And that's just Trek. Crazy times.

Geno929

Our LBS, Wheelhouse Cycles, Creve Coeur, MO has a good bike supply and most repairs, Nathan and Sam can, and does fix right then and there! Guess We're Lucky!

Steve B.

My local shop - Brands in Wantagh, NY (Long Island) is likely the largest LBS in the region east of NYC. They've been in business for decades. They sold out of near everything this past spring, got very little replacement inventory, sold out of parts for the reasons stated above and have been open about 1/2 the weekly hours of past years. So, NO, I don't think business is doing well. I suspect they are only open 4 days per week with more limited hours in order to keep a select staff on the payroll full time. If I had to guess I'd say they laid off maybe 1/2 of their part time employees. Their repair backlog has been 2 weeks or more for 6 mos. now, not seeing that change this year.

capt_velo

Interesting, I was reading that the most bike shops make most of their money off of upgrades and repairs. I wish I could remember where I read that, but this will do, https://www.quora.com/Where-do-bicyc...of-their-money

GlennR

Not sure if the OP heard but there's a pandemic and it's disrupted factories and the supply chain.

Just be glad you can get toilet paper these days.

Mojo31

Maybe for some, but not the one I had the conversation with. Plus, think of it this way, if I spend an hour with you and you buy a bike that has $300 profit built in then I made $300. If I spent an hour working on your bike and charged you $45 I didn’t quite do as well.

Then there is this. I bought My wife’s bike from a LBS. I bought mine from a shop 200 miles away. Same bike, different sizes, but my size could not be found locally. I had a problem with mine that required me to take it to the LBS for an adjustment. The guy spent 30 minutes on it, and did not charge saying that they offer lifetime free adjustments. No money made on that, but I go back whenever I need things.

Beach Bob

The problems at the LBS will run much deeper than a lack of bikes and parts. As much as they sold out all their inventories, the shortages and backed up service dates have done a LOT to disenfranchise their core customers (you know... the guys that buy a bike every year or two and a few upgrades through the season).

I've stuck with my LBS out of some form of loyalty, but I know a lot of regulars that moved on to either online sites for parts and/or other LBSs with lesser wait times. I don't think my LBS will be as happy IN THE LONG TERM with all the "one and done" sales as they would have been holding onto the folks that drop $4K+/year on stuff

veganbikes

It Is not a Trek problem it is industry wide. Though at least with Trek they use stores that do well to prop up failing stores which is poor business generally (if a store is not profitable you need to cut your losses) but it does help keep out independents or they will just buy them up so pretty soon all you have is Trek. So it least they can dominate.

However yes bikes are tough to get and nobody is 100% sure when we are going to see them again. Shops who didn't plan and buy right are really hurting and shops like the one I work for are doing a little margin better but we have committed big dollars for next year so we can get bikes back in which is tough going into a generally slower season and even though COVID is still raging and getting worse people are trying to go back to the idea of "normal" so more people at work and school and things like that so less free time.

At least most people have calmed down a bit and we haven't seen any more fights in the line or crazy people losing it because they have 600 people ahead of them for repairs or that we dare to ask them to wear mask and gloves during a global pandemic where experts said "where a mask and gloves" on our property.

Koyote

If you really value your LBS, it's time to step up. If they have (or can get) anything that you need, and/or you need some repairs that don't require back-ordered parts, then do it. They need the money.

genejockey 

My LBS, which deals almost entirely in road bikes, is crammed with bikes, but I suspect most of them are customers' bikes in for service. Talked briefly to the owner, and he said he hadn't had much problem getting bikes for his customers, but he's selling mostly higher end bikes. Occasionally has some problem getting parts.

Generally, he's happy to chat, but while he was still friendly and talkative, he gave off kind of a "Let's not keep this going forever" vibe.

Thomas15

I started about this time last year buying parts for all of my families bikes, enough stuff to do a complete rebuild and repairs, bearings, chains even freewheels and cassettes and tires/tubes on all of them and picked up one at a time all of the tools I might need and even a few I probably don't need. I should get a few BBs that is all. I had no advance knowledge of the virus or anything I just like to be ready as I live at least 30 miles from a LBS, out in the country. Glad I did this and I get a certain satisfaction in knowing I can keep a bunch of bikes rolling for quite a while even if this keeps up.

I decided that I wanted a new pair of road shoes so I stopped at a TREK dealer thursday, a rather big one, they had no new bikes at all, only a few consignment bikes and they didn't think they would have any new bikes until next summer. This place will probably survive but unless TREK and some of the others figure out a way to get the pipeline filled I think they will be in for a rough time. I work in a manufacturing environment, not related to bicycles, and while steel and other metals have gone up in price we have keep everyone employed. It is one thing to use cheap labor it is another thing to rely on one particular country for both raw materials and labor.

downhillmaster

Bike shops were not surviving because they had any appreciable number of regulars dropping $4k+ every year

shelbyfv

^^Yep. I have a cordial acquaintance/riding friend who owns a shop. He's always said "nice" bikes are only a small part of his business.

indyfabz

That’s what it’s like in Philly. The shop I mention above is not even open on Saturday’s now. It’s in the second most affluent area of the city and very close to a wildly popular mountain biking area and would normally be busy from the moment the door was unlocked on a Saturday morning. He can’t get parts. The big shop closest to my home that I use the most has cut hours and staff. When I needed a new chain before a tour I had to wait 4 days for an appointment. The mechanic said he would put one aside for me, presumably because he was worried about running out.