Lombard

A lot of this could have to do with currency exchange rates. Things may be different now that the English Pound has been hammered recently.

Koyote

The flipside: during the supply chain issues (which still exist for a few parts categories), my fave LBS was indeed charging MSRP while online sellers were selling many items waaaay over MSRP. Examples: I bought two Ultegra rotors from my LBS last winter for sticker price ($59 each) when the best online price was $90 and a weeks long wait (which may have not ever even resulted in actual shipment). And when my 11sp Shimano 105 bike needed a new rear STI lever, my mechanic just grabbed one that he had stashed away -- charged me $110, and this was when you probably couldn't find the part anywhere. So, yeah, LBS's really suck, don't they?

Oh, and yeah, my LBS charged me MSRP for a new Thule hitch rack -- same as reputable online sellers. But my shop unpacked it, assembled it (and disposed of the packing materials), mounted it to my car and made sure I understood how to use it properly, and would've gone to the wall for me if there'd ever been a warranty issue. Yeah, those bike shops are really gouging us.

The really funny part is the sheer number of posts around here from people who complain about their bike shops. In my experience, if you have a good relationship with your shop, you'll never have reason to post about them other than to offer praise like the above.

urbanknight

In other words, the LBS is bent over a barrel. I know some manufacturers have a minimum sale price, but no idea if that would solve anything in this situation. Even then, I know some retailers find ways around it.

Lombard

That's about what I expected considering a thorough tune up and drivetrain cleaning is around $150.

Do Cannondale, Giant or other brands offer any labor credits?

urbanknight

I don't know. PBK has been undercutting the US market for well over a decade now, both when the dollar was strong and when the dollar was weak.

urbanknight

Also funny how half of their complaints are about things that the online stores don't offer in the first place. "Their service department is backlogged by 2 weeks!" but they sure as heck aren't boxing it up to send to a big box store to install new cables. "They never have a variety of helmets for me to try on" but they aren't going to travel to the big box company to try on their vast selection either.

There are a few mobile bike mechanics popping up around here. Probably a good idea. No shop space to rent, and just need to stock the most common tubes, cables, etc. to install whatever the customer buys online.

Lombard

Yikes! That's more than a 25% discount. That might be reasonable on last model year's bikes that might not sell, but on current MY bikes I would show them the door.

FYI, I actually once got a previous MY bike (a 2007 Trek Pilot 5.0 in 2008) for $1,800 that retailed for $2,400. And no, I did not even suggest the discount. They offered it to me for that. Considering what they paid for that bike, they made very little off of it.

bblair

[QUOTE=livedarklions;22696584]There's numerous legal reasons that they can't buy from a retailer--it may violate their contract with the supplier,....

Is that a thing? How can that be legal?

When I had my dental practice, suppliers used to pull that crap on me all the time. "If you agree to buy everything from us, we'll give you the best price." They didn't because now they have you locked in., So, goodbye to you and on to the next vendor.

On my way to the LBS and I'll figure out a polite way to ask him.

Koyote

The post (by wheelreason ) that you quoted was a non-sequitur response to another post. It wasn't even on-topic. He also refuses to accept that selling an item for more than its marginal cost (or COGS) adds profit -- which is kindergarten arithmetic.

Other than all that, great catch!

Lombard

Sure, it's profit on that particular purchase. But there is no way a shop can survive making that small a profit off each bike. When you factor in all of the shop's expenses, they lose money on that sale.

Lombard

I had the hubs in a pair of stock Shimano wheels go south once. The shop was able to finagle a new wheelset from Shimano even though the wheels were over 2 years old and the Shimano warranty was only 1 year. Obviously they wouldn't have been able to do that if they bought the wheels off Amazon. Granted derailleurs are cheaper than wheels, but it all adds up.

That shop that doesn't have a backlog is most probably a shop you don't want to work on your bike.

Ha! It would probably take me at least a half hour to remove all that cr@p! And what some are probably missing here is that more often than you might think, parts of the bike that were assembled at the factory have to be re-done due to eff-ups. When I took delivery of my 2014 Cannondale Synapse, it had some shifting problems. Turns out the two internally routed shifter cables were crossing each other inside the frame causing excess friction for each one. They had to take the time to troubleshoot the problem, find out what it was, then remove and re-route the cables which takes time even for experienced mechanics.

At the shop where I used to live, I don't think the owner ever left the shop less than 2 hours after closing time. Most of the mechanics would say "I'm outta here" and the owner would be working on bikes.

Koyote

Agreed, as I repeatedly acknowledged. That was not the point.

Lombard

That is precisely the point. "Kindergarten arithmetic" as you put it is not the point.

Koyote

You can read the whole thread, or you can make uninformed posts like this. Your choice.

bblair

Update: just got back from the shop and talked to the owner. More than happy to install parts purchased elsewhere; they do it all the time. And echoed the above: Shimano has seemed to be the big problem, allocated most of their shipments towards new builds. And yes, online stock may have been older inventory (esp stuff like tubes and tires), but still ok despite note being the most current version.

Now, as to "price gouging." That is a total B.S. accusation for anyone who has ever taken a course in business or economics or run a business. Prices are set by willing seller/willing buyer. If I didn't like the price, I go elsewhere. If I don't want Shimano, I buy Campy or SRAM. If I don't like the price of Continental tires, I buy Vittoria. If I don't agree with the lawn service cost, I find another or do it myself.

Bottom line: I have my bike back and paid a fair price for the service. And when I go on the group ride tomorrow, I am going to tell everyone how Ric took great care of me.

urbanknight

Well yeah, screw-ups took quite a bit of extra time to fix, and then I had to make my case to the manager as to why I didn't get all 3 of the Rockhoppers done within the hour.

Koyote

For the most part, I agree with you on this -- a consumer almost always has a choice, including the choice to simply walk away. To willingly pay a price, and then claim you were 'gouged,' in nonsensical.

Things get more complicated in less competitive industries, esp those which produce goods with low price elasticities of demand -- what most people consider to be "necessities." Patented pharmaceuticals come to mind. When the alternative (to paying excessively high prices) is to, say, die, then I'm a bit more sympathetic to the term "gouging," though better terms exist.

livedarklions

Yeah, my nieces would have something to say about "willingly" paying the inflated costs of insulin over the past few years.

LarrySellerz

You were doing great until this, you can't expect people to believe you are making this comparison in good faith

bblair

Of course I would agree with that. But they are not the same.

Shimano does not have a monopoly, like some drug companies. There is no substitute for insulin, but there is for bike parts. And labor. Including taking up a different sport.

Nobody has died for lack of an Ultegra shifter.

"What aboutism" is not a good argument.

Lombard

This may be true. But there is no doubt that Shimano has a death grip on the components market vs. others like SRAM and Campagnolo. After all, how many new bikes are equipped with groupos other than Shimano?

mstateglfr 

Cool. Thats aside from what I posted, but cool.

TugaDude

From the OP..."Update: just got back from the shop and talked to the owner. More than happy to install parts purchased elsewhere; they do it all the time."

You indicated in the original post that your were told they would do that. Now the question is how much do that charge and how do they determine it? Is it based on an hourly rate? Is there a minimum involved?

Koyote

oof. Have you been in a bike shop lately?

prj71

I'm not sure I ever said they are gouging me on price. But I have stated that my local bike shop prices are always higher than what I can buy the same items for online. And that includes the shipping fee to my house and they are still cheaper.

For example. I just purchased this tire. Free shipping delivered to my house for $68.56

https://www.scheels.com/p/bontrager-...iABEgINqfD_BwE

Bike shop after tax will cost me 73.84. Plus gas and wear and tear on my vehicle. Round trip to LBS is 60 miles. Truck gets ~20 mpg so that's 3 gallons of gas. 3 x $3.75/gallon = $11.25. So now that tire has cost me $85.

Might not sound like a lot but imagine doing that a few times a year and $$$$$ adds up.