Von Stively

My 105 5700 got stuck yesterday and I couldn't get it moving freely. I went to my local LBS, talked with owner who wanted to sell me wrong part??? I needed a 2x 28.6. He suggested a 3x really wide clamp. He then suggests I order one. I think, "okay cool it'll cost a little more but what the heck".
Says. 2x10 105 5700 is a special order direct from shimano. 70-80$.
Online retail price about 25$. Simple google search. I knew this from looking last night. So I was still kind of thinking maybe and asked if for that price he would have it overnighted. Said nope 2-3 weeks ordering from Shimano.

At what point is it in poor taste to ask if one sprinkles LSD on their wheaties?

Cyclist01012

Shimano USA pricing sucks. I have friends who are custom frame builders. and will on occasion have them look up a price for me. It is almost always cheaper to order the same part out of the country then to order it from either QBP or Shimano USA. Last week I was in need of a 10 speed XT mtb shifter and it was cheaper to buy it through Nashbar then it was wholesale..

In a lot of cases its not the bike shops fault. They are just trying to keep the doors open and the lights on.i

smarkinson

I think at the point that he was going to order the wrong part. When you know more than the mechanic then that is the time to walk out.

In his defence though, it probably does cost him $70 to order direct from shimano. They have some whacky pricing which allows big online stores to sell for very low/OEM prices while the little bike shops get charged a fortune. Sometimes the LBS wholesale price is more than the online retailers selling price which must drive them nuts and make it near impossible to compete.

Mobile 155

It is simple, you say no thanks I will look around. At my LBS I tell them what I can order it for and see how close they can come. They get a first shot sot to speak. If they can't get within 10 percent I tend to order it myself.

idiotekniQues

I'm looking to upgrade my hybrid to deore XT hydraulic brakes and rotors. My LBS couldn't match the price and happily told me to order them myself and they would install them for a small charge

MRT2

If you can work out that sort of an arrangement with the LBS, it is close to ideal. I broached the subject with my LBS recently. Some shops will do that, and some will not.

Stucky

"Goodbye".


(The out-dated retail model of 40 years ago that the LBS industry is using is so obsolete, it's no wonder lBS's are dropping like flies. If they don't adapt real soon, there's not gonna be a one left. When we can order stuff online cheaper than what they can get it for wholesale, and even have it faster.....I'd say that old business model is dead!)

MRT2

I suppose the question is, do you feel comfortable installing your own derailleur? If you need your local bike shop, then tread carefully as it is a delicate subject. Maybe ask if you can find the part, will he install it? Some bike shops would do it, others would not. Still others would do it, but would make clear that if there is a problem with the part, the customer is on his own dealing with the online seller should the part fail.

StanSeven

I see you're in Delmarva. PM me and I'll tell you a couple reasonable and good LBS

MRT2

The thing is, I suspect most cyclists wouldn't know a derailleur from a crankset.

While I have seen a few LBS go out of business in recent years, I have seen others open, or expand. Not really sure how they all make it, but I suspect for a lot of folks, bicycle repair is as opaque and confusing as is car repair. I cannot say for sure, but I suspect most cyclists just pay whatever the bike shop charges for replacement parts and is unaware that the identical parts are available online for a lot less.

canklecat

I do some of my own repairs and let the LBS handle others. Depends on whether I have the tools and space.

When I needed a new rear wheel a few months ago I let the LBS handle it for me. The price they quoted was only a little higher than I could have paid through the cheapest vendor. And I didn't have the tools to do it right -- not really worth buying some tools for my one bike. Good value overall.

But when I needed to replace a broken RevoShift grip shifter it was significantly cheaper to do it myself, and not difficult with minimal tools. The replacement shifter was only $10 or so, a third of the price quoted by various local shops.

I had asked a local shop whether they'd install the shifter for me if I supplied it myself, and they somewhat reluctantly agreed. But after watching a YouTube demo I decided it was so easy I could do it myself with minimal tools. Only tricky bit was tweaking the rear derailer to fix a problem with hesitation in shifting. Turned out to be easier than I'd expected and a good experience.

I did have to buy a cable cutter to do the job right, but I'd already planned to trim the other cables on the bike to minimize the oversized loops extending off the front. If I add another bike I'll probably get the tools to do more myself.

fietsbob

.... Thank you for being here Investing your time and money, and trying to keep people's Bicycles running Safely.
And providing a few Jobs within this community. We appreciate Local Owned Businesses " ...



"what we have here is a failure to communicate" -cool hand luke
Cool Hand Luke Quotes. QuotesGram

Stucky

I suspect you are right. Just like we see things (Not just cycling things, but everything!) on Ebay priced higher than what you can buy them for from a reputable etailer, or even other Ebay sellers. Are some people really THAT lazy?

Von Stively

No problem. Working on bikes is a pleasure. Some of you guys make a crazy point. If they indeed have to pay that much, why don't they order from online retailers and add $10? I'd pay the extra just to keep the bike shop open. Another good point made by someone was that I an enthusiast knows more than them. It's a strange world.

Stucky

I've actually heard of at least one shop doing just that. the usual excuse as to why many don't, is that "The distributor will cut me off". Who cares??!!!- If the distributor is charging prices which make it impossible to sell the merchandise in today's world. And the bike brands which prohibit their bikes from being sold online need to change that, or they're going to lose a big percentage of their market. Adapt or perish!

Von Stively

$25 vs $75? 300% is one hell of a thank you. And just to add something here. If you guys can't assemble a bike then the world has some serious issues. Wheel building? Yes skill needed and special tools. Pretty much everything else since cartridge bearings came along a 7th grader can do. Give me a break.

rydabent

I dont know. I actually think that people that ride a lot end up knowing quite a bit about their bikes. The fact is a bicycle is a VERY SIMPLE machine.

bakes1

No offense but why did you go to your LBS in the first place?
If you have the expertise and tools to do the job yourself what were you doing there?
Especially since even after going there you felt the need to price check them online.
Or do you not know how to work on your own bike?
No biggie if you dont btw. Just wondering.
Because I would then compare it to someone bringing their BMW car to their local dealer for a transmission repair and then price checking the parts cost online and complaining.
Doesn't make much sense either way to me.

jefnvk

So is most anything you can do on you car's brakes, yet I find most people incredibly unwilling to tackle the job themselves.

In any case, why even bother with the LBS then? Buy the part and do it yourself (although, I'm having a hard time understanding why you needed them to diagnose it). As to your questions, all I say is thanks for looking it up.

molten

My analogy: Von Stively lives in the high-end, San Diego area. What "LBS" did you go to? There are those that will NOT match, nor even go close to inet prices.* San Diego bike shops don't want to lose their misc reasons in how profit be made. Like using the multiple climates (coast, inland, mtn, desert); choices of riding, misc environment issues, ETC.
San Diego, as a county ---- being a narcissistic area. Of cyclists. As the great majority of cyclists are just off-duty car-owners/drivers. Showing off their possessions.
*As tech advances in components, there are those LBS in SDcounty that will choose to NOT mount and/or repair certain make/speed/group components ----- as time further goes on. It would be interesting, with the excessive immigration that been going on: if the acceptance/non-acceptance of who move in -- would be done the similar as to how a LBS accept/not-accept which components to work on.
How many LBS tried selling you the 11-SPEED groupset, once it came out? Selling it to you --- w/o your asking about it.
If not that, speaking in context of 11-speed components being advanced from yours.

This been done against one who I know, but rather of Campagnolo components.

Stucky

Right??!! I mean, I've been fixing my own bikes since i was 8, with little more than a pair of pliers and a screwdriver back then!

Abu Mahendra

Quite a few dreamer types on these boards, and this thread.
Type 1: Asking reasonable, competitive pricing is unreasonable.
Type 2: Supporting local business and employment, even if pricing is uncompetitive, is the over-riding consideration

molten

Like it is said in USA: "free market."
What you say of "Type 2" : what sacrifice of distance is a "local business" --- to where you are from?
In USA, many cyclists have to sacrifice the distance/time --- for commuting to a better business.

indyfabz

I do No. 2 because, well, I want to and I can. Guess that makes me a dreamer. But I get things in return. For example, when I buy new tubeless tires from the shop that built my custom bike they are installed while I wait and I am never charged for sealant. I pay more for the tires, but I get something in return.

Cheap people don't realize that time has value. They'd rather sit in front of the computer trying to find the absolute lowest price possible. It's as if they consider it a shame to buy something from somewhere when they could have gotten it cheaper elsewhere. Some are not that mindset and have the means to live a different way.

bakes1

Dreamers?
Nobody is saying you should blindly support anyone.
Just use some common sense.
As was stated earlier, if you can't or won't fix your car you bring it to a local shop and pay their price. Maybe after getting a couple quotes even. Do you then go online and research the parts/prices they used so you can whine and complain?
I highly doubt it.
So why do that with your LBS?
Makes no sense.
Fix it yourself if you have issue with markup. Buy the tools needed and spend the time doing the work.