Cycling UK Forum

i do like a old fashion bike shop, you know the type, the type that will sales you a bolt, not try to sell you bike to replace that bolt,
i now am against all new trendy bike shops, there may have hip colours on the walls, funky logos on everything, matching t-shirts, trendy website,
i have just asked for a price on a selle italia flite saddle gel flow, from stan`s cycles it £15 more than parker international, and parker international is not the cheapest,
stan`s cycles has a larger floor space than parkers, they are making big claims to be the best cycle shop in shropshire,
please do not be taken in by all the fancy stuff, use your mind, have a good clue to the prices before entering,

If you like traditional cycle shops, you need to visit Madgett's in Diss: it is like Alladin's Cave with bikes floor to ceiling that you can just squeeze past, little rooms off the main shop full of goodies, a workshop you can see into, friendly staff and great advice too.

94inchandy wrote:stan`s cycles has a larger floor space than parkers, they are making big claims to be the best cycle shop in shropshire

I know some people who would disagree strongly with the above claim. What a business claims to be and what it really is can be miles apart.

Back in 2007, I raised this topic.
Can't stand "boutique" sort of shops! Drives me out of them!
What's with all the music?
SHUT UP!

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I must say, that the store I was complaining about back then has toned it down now, and it's more like a normal bike shop now.

I was pleasantly surprised by a bike boutique in Chester a few months ago.
We managed to buy some cones for my husband's front hub.

The shop assistant was very helpful. It was a one brand shop.
They did stock some spares. They just weren't on display.
It was helpful that one of the bikes on display had the same hub.

There wasn't any loud music. I'd visit them again.
Mick, I suggest you listen to a song called "Do what?" by the Baron Knights.

I wasn't aware that Stan's had become a boutique . Last time I went in it was a very average LBS with the usual choice of main stream brands, rather than anything noticeably trendy. They didn't have what I was looking for anyway, which is usually the case with most bike LBS's IME.

Any bike shop's better than no bike shop surely?

Don't think that I've ever been in a full on boutique bike shop - my LBS is run out of the owner's garage and is very belt and braces.

Would like to sample a boutique shop - quite like the idea of sitting in a comfy designer seating area, drinking poncy coffee out of a carbon cup , with vids of TdF and Classics being plaid all around. Just as long as my LBS is still there should I actually need to buy anything for the bike (that being my real rub: would it put the proper shop out of business?)

Anywhere that sells overpriced RAPHA clothing will never have me as a customer.
Kelly.

Yep, the secret to retailing success is a manky shop that smells of oil and cat pee with staff that sneer at you because you don't know whether your cranks need ISO or JIS taper and don't ride the local track...

A really smart shop has opened recently near me, I couldn't believe the helpfulness of the staff who even phoned the distributor when I asked a spares question they didn't know the answer to.

Retailing ought to be really easy. I go in a shop with some money, usually because I want to buy something. This involves swapping money for stuff that the shop has to sell. It's amazing how often I leave with my money and nothing bought because this simple idea of swapping money for goods is not widely understood.

I don't expect them to explain I could buy it cheaper elsewhere, but also, I don't expect unsolicited advice, especially if it's only directed at getting me to buy what they stock. When staff are busy, I'm generally prepared to wait or return when I have more time, but I'm sensitive to being ignored.

The true LBS has to have a speciality now surely? Very few people won't buy online now, so the majority of folk just go to shops for services rather than goods, except impulse buys, consumables and small parts. Otherwise it's just to check if you like something or have a better look at it/try it on before you go home and buy online. Major componentry like groupsets is made by virtually nobody but the big 3, so it's hard to find items in a shop that's of better quality or more interest than online, unless it's a niche item. Shops have greater overheads so will always cost more, and the staff undoubtedly get so bored when nobody really buys anything, that they resort to music at a volume they enjoy more than a customer, and conversations with colleagues.

Think of successful shops and they're likely ones with national reputations and loyal customer bases for their services, not the products, unless it is a product based service- Hewitt's wheelbuilding, Mercian's frames, etc. Spa and SJS are nationally renowned for their touring lean, although Spa is more for regular folk with good prices and 'yeah, that'll work, but what you need...' ethos, while SJS are more for them with lofty aspirations with the Thorn association and west country locale. Not that Harrogate isn't posh...

Boutique shops, not that I really know any, (though I suspect Tokyo Fixed and Fresh Tripe, who I've used online, and Brick Lane, are something like that), are very style and trend oriented, and thus market themselves as such, aiming for that crowd. They are not LBS', they are lifestyle/ image brokers. We all like a bit of something pretty, and would look to these places for something glitzy, but there are those that live by this, ride the unridable, wear the unsuitable, spend the unbelievable, because that's their ideal.

The rest of us like to ride or tinker. Enjoy your weekends.