London bike shops closing

“What do you mean my mech won’t do a 36t cog?! It’s Dura Ace you know, I’ve got a 60 mile SPORTIVE tomorrow and NEED that gear!!!”

how about SBC?

The best IMO.

I can't comment on that there London but some of the comments in here ring very true when compared to the Cardiff bike scene. I volunteer in a shop called Punk Bikes on Saturdays and it's one of 5 independent shops in the area.
I've not worked there long but i have been around the shop for a few years now and in my opinion it's had to adapt to survive. We sell nearly 100% used framesets and probably over 50% used parts. We stock a very small amount new ready to go parts (chains, cassettes, seatposts, tape etc..) because we can't afford to sit on a large amount of stock. We have the suppliers lined up ready to go and just have to explain to the customers that this is the way we do it, and usually it's fine.
We are also the closest independent shop to Evans in town, maybe a 10 min walk. I think it actually helps our business. People walk round to us about 30 seconds after Evans tell them they can bring their bike back in two weeks...
The whole shop is a labour of love. I've not got any money invested but 3/4 of the guys do and i doubt they see any profits, it's more of a public service type of affair, occupying a gap in the market that other shops simply don't cater for. We survive on students, Deliveroo and Uber Eats mainly.
What it does provide though is a great hub for the cycling scene in Cardiff. I got the same feeling following/watching Cycle PS on Instagram. I've not visited them but it does seem to have a community vibe about it, it's a real shame it will be closing.

The best IMO.

That’s what I thought... and as a small shop suffering from the aforementioned threats and challenges, they need all the support they can get.

Talking about idiot reviews, loved this one. “Got breaks fixed and they worked, terrible service! They even offered to check my bike over FOC, BASTARDS!”

1 Attachment

Fuck me. What a joke. Gonna report that as a policy violation or whatever.

Does that mean Evans Dulwich is going to get better? I've always had the worst service in there.

We survive on students, Deliveroo and Uber Eats mainly

What sort of diet is that ? :)

*riders

@TM
we have gone full circle again.
I assume that's a real post.
I dropped a nugget of history in a Rim brake thread the other day, where Shimano got sued lots because the XTR v-brakes worked too well.
Same thing, user error, what state where the riders brakes in when she took them to the shop ? it's scary........ i have to work with people like this........
So she has to do an emergency stop, the serviced brakes actually work very well as they should, she goes over the bars and thats the shops fault ?
Is this a candidate for cycle training.

We do our best to caution people to go easy on their brakes if we’ve sorted them out, by it’s not always possible in busy times.

what sort of broken arm heals in 2 weeks... suspicious

That's all you can do. My car had brake adjustments for the MOT garage stated be careful they will feel very different now.
that's all you can do.
But people are really dumbing down, and can't belive there own action has caused a problem/incident/injury it is getting worse.
Rant over, time to go to work :)

I was chatting to Winnie the LBS owner when a customer came in and told Winnie that his brakes were to sharp and that he kept stopping really suddenly. This was a day after Winnie had serviced the same bike and replaced the near non existing brake pads.

Don't know, I have only been there once to pick up an online order, they were pretty OK with me.

I'd love to know the theories on how Condor has survived.

You not a fan?

They're (were) my go-to in central London for anything more complicated than a brake cable or an inner tube.

not at all, like the place. Just wondering how did it survive being an independent shop for this long.

I worked there briefly, and as much as I hated it I have to say it is a very well-run business. They have a very large amount of stock, both in terms of inventory and volume. Margins are presumably really high: pallets worth of stuff is bought directly from the manufacturer at OEM prices, then sold at full rrp. The Condor-branded stuff is all from cheap manufacturers, like Rodi wheels, Tektro and Kalloy (nothing wrong with the last two, but can be obtained way cheaper).
The whole "custom bike" aspect of the business brings people in but it's absolute bullshit. Staff are instructed to spec bikes with a surprinsingly low number of brands (the one with the big margins). When I was there it seemed like almost every bike sale was a Fratello with 105 / Aksiums + Contis / Deda and Condor finishing kit.
They have very skilled and experienced mechanics that also benefit from the large inventory, since whatever is broken on your bike can be fixed now and then.
So, plenty to dislike but you have to give it to them, they know how to run a business.

I kinda knew all that but how have their customers havent found this out compared to the (same?) customers that go in other shops?

It's a very strong brand, so they will attract all kind of people looking for a new bike, who aren't necessarily clued-up, and/or happy to pay extra for the perceived "premium" experience.
Also choice = convenience, and they have no competition in that respect.
And the shop will also sell to people who would usually buy everything online but need that super rare spare for their 1998 Veloce shifter, or need that Stages cover today etc... There's a lot of last minute purchases in there.

a very strong brand
Also choice = convenience

These are key takeaways for me.

LBK, SeaBass, CyclePS, SBC, HubVelo are strong young independent brands if they sustain.
I am guessing all local shops have abandoned sales (due to online) and focussed on service already.

How do you (not you specifically) explain the growth in general commuter cycling yet closing down of shops? Low spenders?

Also, I have made some panic purchases in Condor too, they tend to stock the most obscure stuff in London.

oh yeah I have actually built a bike with condor paying RRP for Ultegra 6700 groupset in my early #buyer days

my experience is that there was a boom in the buying about 2/3 years ago, a lot of people wont spend money until the bike goes wrong, the amount of folk that would come in the shop pissed off that they had to spend £100-£200 on maintenance after 2/3 years of commuting.

Most commuters are not going everyday so that influx of repairing and maintenance money isnt necessarily coming in, could that be a reason?

I'm off to Condor tomorrow to get wired Rubino G+ at the same price as Wiggle/CRC and I can't find any other shop with them in stock so they are doing something right.

Since the pre-internet retail model is not working anymore, you need a USP and/or an emphasis on service to survive. Capital to buy stock helps too.