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ref. the 'frugal' comment; I wish this were always the case; I wouldn't have spunked thousands of pounds on all the pretty shiny bike things I don't really need.
However, I do think correct pricing is crucial to the survival of physical shops. There will always be those that just want the absolute cheapest and will seek it out unquestionably. At the other end of the scale there are those who will just pay the asking price for what they want; unquestionably.
But I think most folk sit somewhere in the middle. If I could go to a physical shop where I can see and hold an item and potentially take it home there and then, I (and probably most people I know) will happily pay a little more than internet prices for the privilege knowing that in doing so I'm also supporting a LBS.
However, if I find as I did in one fairly new indie bike shop in Bristol, the owner has basically bought their entire stock from Wiggle and doubled the price, they can do one.
aniki-
However, if I find as I did in one fairly new indie bike shop in Bristol, the owner has basically bought their entire stock from Wiggle and doubled the price, they can do one.
Haha, i had an experience like this in central london recently, Continental GP4000ii's listed as £70 each 'Sorry mate, the way the market is going i simply cant afford to get these in any cheaper'
I'm very much keen on supporting independent bike shops but i felt like that scenario was engineered for someone who didn't know any better rather than the resourcing issue delivered. -
the owner has basically bought their entire stock from Wiggle and doubled the price, they can do one.
Isn't this what all shops do, except in this case LBSes can get cheaper stock from Wiggle than they can from the distributor?
Anyhow, yes, a lot of cyclists are quite tight - whether that's because of its origins as a working-class recreation, certainly trad cycling culture inculcated self-reliance as a virtue, and a certain degree of thrift comes along with that. If a lot of the market has been buoyed up by the whole New Golf/BC Success Machine that is now receding, then surviving on the hard core of cyclists that do most of their own maintenance and buy mainly consumables (perhaps a new bike every decade) is going to be a problem.
mdle
Thrustvector
I feel like 'the cyclist' just does not want to pay full price. There's something naturally frugal and resourceful about a person that wants to ride a bike and this behaviour also exists in their shopping habits.