Trek To Sell Direct To Customer

'Fart , I was in the Fix not long ago to see if they could manufacture a simple small part for my motorcycle .

could not do it because of terms of lease , business licence , local custom , voodoo , death threats , etc .

it wasn't so long ago that there were only a few companies offering quality products and if you were lucky, a LBS carried what you wanted - if not, you'd gratefully make a sacrifice and settle for whatever they had on the floor.

times are changing and nearly every manufacturer under the sun is making nice bikes these days. Combine that with a more educated, experienced and older demographic as well as access to online reviews and media it's silly to expect someone to make a purchase based on a sales pitch from a shop employee who may or may not have even spent time on said bike vs. an in depth review describing every quirk and chararistic of the bike. I think it's safe to say that nearly anyone who is about to drop $4-7k on a new bike has probably done a fair amount of research and already knows what they want, and we're not willing to make sacrifices any more. If we want a certain brand, a certain model or even if we want a bike with XT brakes but the LBS only sells it with Avid's, it might be a deal breaker. It's no fault of the LBS but that's just the reality of the market these days and the way she goes.

When I was riding in Utah this past winter I found that every bike shop I went to barely carried bikes on the floor, but they ALL carried a great selection of small parts, clothing, tires etc and had great service with enough mechanics on hand to get you back on the trail quickly. IMO as MTB related tourism increases across BC I think the only way for a shop to keep going is to follow suite.

it wasn't so long ago that there were only a few companies offering quality products and if you were lucky, a LBS carried what you wanted - if not, you'd gratefully make a sacrifice and settle for whatever they had on the floor.

times are changing and nearly every manufacturer under the sun is making nice bikes these days. Combine that with a more educated, experienced and older demographic as well as access to online reviews and media it's silly to expect someone to make a purchase based on a sales pitch from a shop employee who may or may not have even spent time on said bike vs. an in depth review describing every quirk and chararistic of the bike. I think it's safe to say that nearly anyone who is about to drop $4-7k on a new bike has probably done a fair amount of research and already knows what they want, and we're not willing to make sacrifices any more. If we want a certain brand, a certain model or even if we want a bike with XT brakes but the LBS only sells it with Avid's, it might be a deal breaker. It's no fault of the LBS but that's just the reality of the market these days and the way she goes.

When I was riding in Utah this past winter I found that every bike shop I went to barely carried bikes on the floor, but they ALL carried a great selection of small parts, clothing, tires etc and had great service with enough mechanics on hand to get you back on the trail quickly. IMO as MTB related tourism increases across BC I think the only way for a shop to keep going is to follow suite.

Probably should be another thread. I've done a lot MTB tourisim over the last few years. Moab, Sedona, Huricane, Oakridge, Cumberland and others. I break something alomost every trip. Every time the shop in what ever loaction deals with the problem quickly and I'm back on the trails within a few hours. I can't figure why in a city of a huge number of shops it can take over a week to have something on a bike fixed.

Treks are gona get sold whether the dealer owns them or trek owns them and its my understanding the dealer doesn't actualy pay for the bikes when he gets them anyhow?

If Trek owns them the dealer doesn't get stuck with a model that doesn't sell well, Trek could adjust price for a model that isn't moving …could be good for everyone

The last bike I bought was a CAAD 8 ordered in october on a factory close out back when they were made in the US and the price actualy dropped between the time we ordered it and the time I got it 2-3 weeks later … I like that

Probably should be another thread. I've done a lot MTB tourisim over the last few years. Moab, Sedona, Huricane, Oakridge, Cumberland and others. I break something alomost every trip. Every time the shop in what ever loaction deals with the problem quickly and I'm back on the trails within a few hours. I can't figure why in a city of a huge number of shops it can take over a week to have something on a bike fixed.

Different situation. A town like Moab survives on tourists with a limited time to ride. Therefore the shops have to be able to repair things in short order. Plus when you don't have new bikes to assemble sell and service, you have more resources to simply repairing them. And those shops have two seasons, spring and fall. I think Chile Pepper closes summer and winter.

Still. A shop in North Van that maybe had a night shift that could do overnight repairs would get a lot more business. Booking a maintenance service like you can at Suspensionwerx is great. I think you can do that at most shops too and continue to ride. But if you need a wheel built because your's has broken you will be waiting in most cases.

^ also shops in those towns have easy access to cheap "mechanics". Lots of kids going to that destination to ride and just ride - willing to wrench on other people's bikes for the privilege and willing to be paid in beer.

Different situation. A town like Moab survives on tourists with a limited time to ride. Therefore the shops have to be able to repair things in short order. Plus when you don't have new bikes to assemble sell and service, you have more resources to simply repairing them. And those shops have two seasons, spring and fall. I think Chile Pepper closes summer and winter.

this is true, but the amount of MTB tourism seems to be really creeping up in BC..I couldn't believe how many people I talked to in the states who had already been to popular riding areas of BC for holidays..squamish, pemby, whistler, rossland, nelson etc. I think places like Moab still get way more tourism, but we can't be too far behind in the next few years, can we?

We have two LBS's in town; when I first moved here 11 years ago I needed brake pads for my girlfriends commuter bike. Not knowing where to go, I walked into the first shop I saw and they straight up told me "I shouldn't bother putting money into such a shitty bike" and tried to sell me some piece of shit cruiser they were flogging to make space on the floor .. I walked away and I've never spent a dime in their shop, and I never will.

LBS #2 has great service, everyone is friendly and helpful and they put alot back into the riding community. While I don't buy much bike gear and I'm not the type to buy a new bike every season they've still always gone out of their way to help me out and that's why if someone asks me which shop to go to, where to buy a bike or whatever I point them in the right direction. It's why I'll buy my next bike from them, and why I think they'll always do good business no matter how bike sales go in the next few years. Good service keeps people coming back..

Probably a huge derailment of this thread but really, just trying to illustrate the point that online sales might not be the end of the world and a good shop will probably weather the storm whereas the shitty shops with angry mechanics and too much attitude for the average-joe will fall off the back - and I doubt anyone will miss them.

this is true, but the amount of MTB tourism seems to be really creeping up in BC..I couldn't believe how many people I talked to in the states who had already been to popular riding areas of BC for holidays..squamish, pemby, whistler, rossland, nelson etc. I think places like Moab still get way more tourism, but we can't be too far behind in the next few years, can we?

We are definitely already there.
For the last many years, I see/meet people on the Shore from spring through summer that are MTB tourists…usually hitting a few locations on the west coast over the course of a few weeks….or short term visitors who take advantage of the locale to do a one or two day session.
Having been to Moab, Crested Butte, Marin, Fruita, etc…I can say that we are easily on par with them for visitors. It's just that it's more obvious in a small town [HTML_REMOVED] it may not be as noticeable in a city our size.
I've seen more cars parked on Mtn Hwy on a Thursday night than at Slickrock or Gothic.

If any of you bike shop guys are reading this, perhaps a Yelp message that you specialize in "visitor repair turnaround" may garner some more business…or perhaps a media savy home-based operation could take advantage?

I walked into the first shop I saw and they straight up told me "I shouldn't bother putting money into such a shitty bike" and tried to sell me some piece of shit cruiser they were flogging to make space on the floor .. I walked away and I've never spent a dime in their shop, and I never will.

I had the same experience with a certain North Van shop when I needed a new 7 speed brifter for my then 15+ year old road bike. After they'd had my bike for almost two weeks, they finally called to say they couldn't get a replacement part and asking if I wanted them to get rid of my bike since it wasn't worth keeping.

Instead, I picked it up, spent 20 minutes online, and had a new brifter from Jenson delivered in less than a week. Took it and the bike to Obsession and had it installed with no attitude in a day. Guess where I take my bikes for any work I need done?

Aren't there automotive tire/wheel places that let you order online and have them delivered to a local shop for installation rather than them carrying stock? Seems like a win-win-win for everyone.