December Online Deals

 Hi, welcome to the world of MTBing, I will be your guide...

I'd like to point out that the GoPro Hero+ is still more expensive than the Session by $20... hahahaha damn they f*cked that one up but great news for the consumer though.

 I just bought Formula T1 brakes from CRC for $280, normally $680. why are these not on the list?

 @csermonet - Because they don't want people to get hurt. If you use 203mm rotors with those and overcook an entry to a wet or a very loose steep, then have faith in God my friend... or simply uninstall the front brake every time it rains since modulation on those equals 0.0000001 out of 100

 i find my experiences to be much different than yours. a firm lever feel does not mean zero modulation. but to each his own.

 Because they're Formulas...

 and your point is what? like i said before, to each his own.

 Yeah now if I could just try to negotiate a better deal with my lbs, hang on a minute I can

 I can get 30% off of anything if I'm armed with a packet of chocolate hob nobs......

 This is what I hate about shopping at the LBS. I shouldn't need to negotiate a deal...I shouldn't need to bribe the workers with beer/food...so because I'm not in the inner circle I don't get discount? I get gouged so their buddies can get discounts

 Yeah but more beer = better buddies = better discount

 Getting a discount at a bike shop means the shop is taking a loss. Trying to get little discounts for yourself is extremely shortsighted. Paying a little more to support your local shop works out better for everyone in the long run. If independent bike dealers go extinct because of mail order, all we'll be left with are the big-box corporate chains staffed by inexperienced employees making minimum wage. Eventually manufacturing quality will have to be reduced to the point where bikes are mostly disposable because there's no one to service them. But go ahead, save a little now. You're special. You don't pay those shop prices for the sport you supposedly love.

 The thing is, most shops can and will give discounts on larger items, because they still stand to make a decent amount of profit from the deal. Buying the smaller day to day things like inner tubes, cables, lubes etc keep the regular money coming in because they make a good margin on them. Asking for discount on sundries like this may be inappropriate, but if it's offered, take it. But even if you get charged full price, still give them the hob nobs!

 No, the profit is not decent on anything. Independent bike dealers barely scrape by.

 Dude... We live in the UK. Things are obviously different here!

 You're headed the same direction if people keep being short sighted by buying mail order.

 so you want to walk into a bike shop where you dont know anybody you dont want to give them beer or a bride you dont even know the gus first name and you want a discount?? what kind of self entitled a*shole are you?? @StanMarsh

 

 stanmarsh, more like stan-darsh.

 I hate when people I don't know want a discount from me at my shop! Do you bargain for your groceries? The reason that the friends get discounts is because they always buy their stuff from that shop and are actually their friends and LOYAL customers. When someone says "discount my friend?" I ask them what my name is to prove that we aren't actually friends. It can be a dick move but it proves a point very quickly.

 Yeah but come on, what's the harm in asking?? The one thing that really gets me with my lbs (in the new area I live) is the way you will pay rrp on something and then get charged shop rrp to fit it. There has to be something to entice locals to use it

 Just a quick question....Does anyone ask for discount ANYWHERE but a bike shop?

For example, do you ask for discount at:

the grocery store?
A clothes shop?
In a pub?
A petrol station?
the post office?
Dominos pizza?
Starbucks?
A hairdresser?

No?
All of the above make huge profits on what they sell.

Bike shops make tiny profits on what they sell. So why the hell does EVERYONE ask for discount in a bike shop? It pisses me off frankly.

These days when people ask if I would like to knock a little bit off the price, I tend to reply

"not really, would you like to pay a little extra? You know, sweeten the deal for me a bit?"

Most people get it. Some people think I'm being really rude. Totally missing the fact that they started it..

 That's a good point. Owning a shop is a challenging business for sure. Margins are super tight especially on bikes and at the end of the day you gotta put food on the table.

The thing that is frustrating (to me anyway) is it seems like every time you go into a brick and mortar shop now a days to purchase something...it's almost like you have to pay a luxury tax to do so. Saint cranks for example, Chain Reaction is selling them for 175 bucks for the 83 mm version without a chainring. If I strolled to my local shop to order them, A.) they wouldn't have them in stock, and B.) if the ordered them for me they would have no problem charging me 299. So by shopping local I have to pay a 125 dollar luxury tax and wait longer to have the part.

Just like automation technology eliminated manufacturing jobs, it seems like the internet is making it tougher for small retail outfits to stay afloat. Not saying this is a good thing, believe me I like walking into shops to actually see the new gear in person and it is good to have them in a pinch but...anymore it seems like the only business model that could work for a shop is...carry no inventory other than the basics (cables, chain, brake pads, etc), tell your customers to buy all their stuff online, then have them bring the online goods into your shop and bill them labor to install said parts.

 @gabriel-mission9 yeah I do actually, if I'm buying a car, house or even clothes / luxury items I do. As for groceries, well considering most supermarkets do deals there are no needs. To put it bluntly, if you want people to use the shops instead of the net they need to offer something different and it's got to be either, products, price or service. If you offer good service or would say fit something I bought from you at rrp like cranks etc then fair enough but to get the custom you've got to entice the locals IMO. If you said that to me then I'd just say fair enough and place the order online

 Apples and oranges. You are comparing a company (CRC) that employees people to buy up overstock at the factories that manufacture Shimano, after shimano made a change and says "sorry, we need this model now". CRC runs in and buys up those parts at a fraction of the cost and lets little johny feel like hes getting the deal of a lifetime, meanwhile they are making more margins and laughing all the way home.

Also I would like to point out that CRC retail prices are often not honest to US customers. I just saw a set of Five Ten shoes that have a MSRP in the US of $180, but they had it set to $225 and on sale for 170 (25% off).

Bicycle sales/ service is what keeps bike shops in business. I just tend to stock what I know sells, which is usually something that goes along with servicing a bike. Drivetrain, suspension, etc.

 Well when an online company sells things at half of what it cost for the bike shops there is no way of competing. An SLX cassette cost about 25 USD cost, but when Jenson is selling them at 15 it kind of screws everyone over. We started buying our shops stuff off of jenson becasue of that.

 Short sighted profiteering always wins out over genuine, legitimate businesses. Look at CRC. Biggest name in online bike sales, sells OE stuff as aftermarket. Does dodgy tax things, based in a tax haven, doing grey imports on their dodgy OE kit. Online sales are the future, the bike shop is dead, I don't argue that at all. Just don't come crying to your LBS when you get screwed over by some faceless company. Cos your LBS wont be there any more... And yes you will get screwed. All these little direct sales companies are not as cool and friendly as they seem, naming no names...

 Disagree completely, lbs just need to think different. There's a great business model in Poole called Rockets & Rascalls, they have a bike shop which does club rides and offers a top class service while having a cafe that does great food attached to it in s cracking atmosphere. Somewhere you actually want to go and chat to the guys, bike shops will and should be around but they just need to offer a benefit if going direct to them. Whether that's being a family bike shop or purist / genre specific. If I get a nice welcome and chat to the guys then I'll use the shop but you do get some"where the staff come across like they are doing you a favour by talking to you.

 Personally, I have never been screwed by any online outfit and I do about 5-8K worth of business per year on line alone. I have however been screwed by local bike shops.

Just one for example, I was trying to support my LBS so I brought a manitou circus fork in for a basic service (didn't buy the fork at the shop). I could have very easily just sent the fork out to Shockspital or any one of the service centers Manitou recommends. Shockspital would have charged me 130 for the service. All told with shipping it would have been 150 bucks. So I pull the fork off my bike, bring it to my LBS, it sits there for 2 weeks, then they call me and tell me they can't service it and it needs to be sent out. So, they ended up sending it to Shockspital anyway because there wasn't a wrench there who knew how to service the fork. So I had to wait another 2 weeks for it to be turned around at Shockspital. So 4 weeks later they call me to tell me its ready...and the service cost 170. So I paid a 20 dollar luxury tax so the shop could put it in a box...that shockspital provided.

Another example, I went to a different lbs for some basics. Bought 4' of shifter cable housing, 4' of brake cable housing, 2 road brake cables, 2 shifter cables, 6 cable ends, about a dozen ferrules, and 2 standard 700c road bike tubes. The shop charged me 70 bucks! I literally almost left all the stuff on the counter and walked out. I could have purchased all that on line for 1/2 the cost after shipping!

Maybe it is just shops in my area but...at the end of the day I feel that shops in my area turn the screws to people who don't show loyalty to their store. I'm sure it is different state by state and country by country and there are some actual decent shops out there, they just don't seem to exist here. Frankly the "Fraternity" mentality is chasing customers away to big box stores or online shopping. Ultimately it will be to the demise of LBS.

 If you complain about customers not willing to pay expensive prices then don't open a fucking bike shop

 @scbullit36 it sounds like your LBS isn't that great. It should be about 6 per cable and 2 per foot of housing. I give the ends and ferrules away when they buy the housing and cables. Unless you are buying the high end Shimano or Sram cables which I think are like 12-13 it still shouldn't have been that much.

 I'm in the same boat as you @scbullit36 any time i have ever gone to any of the local shops in the area I've gotten screwed. it pays these days to know how to fix your own stuff and have a set of tools. now i only use the bike shops for "emergency tubes" because god knows they dont carry 27.5's in anything over 2.1"

 It's like your employer asking you to take a pay cut... You wouldn't willingly do it would you?

They're in business, that's how it works. Repeat customers are worth having, hence sweeteners.

 they made Jesus' first bike

 Got a Steelhead carcass in the garage. Loved that bike. Dont hate.

 Yes Azonic made some badass frames
No they were never worth $700

 agreed!!!

 On sale too!

 you could easily say that for any MTB pieces tbh

 I got my zee for $60 bucks. However, if I had the money I would definitely get the x01. Don't hate on things just because you can't afford them.

 that would essentially be a downgrade on a dh bike...

 I tried all kinds of expensive derailleurs and the zee works the best.oh yeah...and I don't have to worry about smashing it on rocks and wasting $200-300.

 Friend of mine broke x01 shifter and had to buy new one: 180€. I'm soon buying xt m8000 11speed "group" (derailleur, shifter, casette, xtr chain) for approximately 210€ posted

 High end expensive shit is for people who can afford it and people who work in shops, not pinkbikers who are so broke they patch tubes instead of replacing them.

 Nah probably affiliated so any clicks through gives them commission

 Yes. "NOTE: This is a sponsored news piece for Pinkbike advertisers."

 I run the online store for one of the above mentioned stores, and yes we do have to pay to have ads on here.

 I go straight to the comments for the best deals.

 Just like the computer industry. FORCED UPGRADING!

 YEAH BUT THEY'RE STILL AVAILABLE, RIGHT? RIGHT?????

 Yesterday I picked up a 750 lumen light for $89. Sure, it's not pretty machined and anodized AL, but it's bulletproof and has all the features I need.

 No offense Brah, but you overpaid. Just got a 1200 lumen magicshine from amazon for $65. Free shipping to boot.

 I got mine fron 30€ with 2 batteries, is 1900lm 1led and performs astonoshing

 30 Euros 2 Batteries 1900 Lumen I predict fire...

 Been using my 800 lumen flashlights I bought 5 years ago for $22 ea (including battery and charger) every week and no issues. I'll never understand why you would spend more than 10-$15 these days for something like this.

 Whoa! That's a lot of cock swinging over who's is the brightest!!
(P.S. I built a 2800 lumen lamp myself for £40, it has a li-po battery on a compound Cree led in a home made case, with digital voltage display)

 6000 lumens from china for 35 with batery, beat that

 I just picked up a TANSOREN 4000 Lumens Eagle Eye on amazon for $39 + free shipping.

 @winko 6001 Lumens from China for 34 with battery, ha! Just kidding, I don't have lights... (Sad face)

 Do you not get rotors with that?

 Nope. Just the front and rear levers and calipers prebled too. Cheapest ive ever seen for a pair new.

 No. Sliding dropouts = sliding IS brake mounts

 Haha I was referring to those new v brakes the bike industry is trying to shove down our throats