funny, i read that screed and agreed with everything he said. though i think he overstates the severity of crc's impact on the retail bike industry, big box stores, whether they use the internet or not, have a distinct advantage over smaller retailers on many fronts - the prices they offer, the stock they carry, flexibility to use advantageous tax regimes, a size that allows them to take advantage of or in some cases demand favourable business policies, low overhead, not having to use loss-leaders to generate business, subsidized shipping costs through public carriers, no need to invest in the local community, etc. - that allows or causes (depending on how you look at it) them to drive out small scale competitors. these smaller scale businesses usually beat their bigger aggressors on many fronts - service, local job creation, community investment, etc - that factor into their higher prices, but "value minded," short sighted consumers who take the bottom line above all are happy to externalize those and precipitate the decline of businesses that are part of the fabric of their local economy and build resiliency, using all of the excuses listed above and more. go to (m)any small community in north america and you're likely to see them at the end of or on the same track: few(er) local businesses, more and more chains popping up to take their place. there's often talk about a changing retail landscape and what bikes shops need to do to retain customers and remain relevant (service damnit!) but the environment for these businesses is getting harsher and less stable - a nice economic analog to how global warming is going to effect us all - and big box and online retailers, and the increasing number of customers who blithely support them (some of whom do not need the expertise and service of the shops but come on how many idiots post up in the gear section with obviously no clue how to install or trouble shoot something they bought on line and are inevitably directed to "go to your lbs") are at the end of the day responsible for that, and the outcomes of this trend, whether they accept them or not. /rant
"Nobody really gives a shit that you don't like the thing that you have no firsthand experience with." Dave