Online sales - Deal Central!

 wow, this is exactly what the canadian cycling market needs... more online sales! More people can then take their warranty issues to other bike shops and get pissed off and not understand why they have to pay for service. Pinkbike staff, can you come up with better ways of cutting out the IBD market?

 Not cool..... Please cancel this fabricated promo and push your audience back to their LBS. PinkBike, you have just lost some credit in my books.... Don't get me wrong, the prices are good and these guys support your site, but this is a cheesy sell out... Very disapointed!!!!!!!!!!!

 I'm a bike shop and agree with a lot said here. Only two things I have to say or question. First why so low? Theres no reason to sell more than 40% off because bike shops usually don't go that low because that is below cost. This also devalues the item from a product stand point. Second don't go into your local shop then walk without purchase to come back 4 days later to show what kind of deal you just got online, especially if your looking for us to put the part on. When you crash you don't need someone to stand over you and tell you crashed and what you should have done. How and why these online stores can get product that cheap is the problem, sure overhead is less but their wholesale price is also so much lower.

 Boo to Pinkbike for this one. Advertising masquerading as an article will get old real quick. What happened to the old Pinkbike? Looks like a different website these days. Keep the ads where they belong - in the ad blocks!

 As someone who currently manages and is looking to buy a LBS (Local Bike Shop) I understand peoples frustrations with online sales. I have seen what it did to the ski industry, and now my ski sales are based around online sales. IE I stock very few and charge an arm an a leg to mount the ones purchased online, all the ski shops in my town are doing the same. As for warranty you really need to hang on to your receipt cause if you did not buy it from me, I will not help you "find" one. As well many canadian warranty centers will no longer warranty product purchased out side of canada, so you need to return them to place of sale. Now if we could only convince these same distributors that selling to online stores is short sighted that would be great. What I don't understand are the the stores that started off a independent retailers jumping on the band wagon and trying to cheapen and devalue the same products they sell.

On the other hand consumers dictate our market. So if lowest price is truly what they want then they will slowly realize they have no where to get help or service. You always get what you pay for. If all you want is the cheapest price then online is great, if you want service that costs a little bit of coin. So much of the bike industry is based on service, but most shops have devalued this since everyone offered it. That is slowly starting to change again as good reliable mechanics are becoming harder to find, as well as the specialized tools needed to maintain bikes and parts are making it harder or more expensive for customers to do the work themselves. How much would you pay a shop the next time your bike breaks and you want to go ridding that night or weekend? But they are already busy, can they fit you in as well? Think about that the next time you think about purchasing online.

 I would say it's ok to have a product sale advertised, but please don't pass it off as an "article". Put up a banner that says "BIG SALE CLICK HERE" so that we can tell the difference between content and advertising

 This isn't an article...... This is monthly advertising.... WOW...

 If you are planning on buying online, I would always recommend talking to your lbs first. Even if you are not a customer we know well. I know we have given people great deals on parts just because they said they could get it cheaper somewhere else. Someone came in and said I wanted to buy a Rockshox Totem solo air, "I see you guys would have to order it in and it would be $1350, I would really prefer to support your shop, but I can get it for $1000 online, is there anything you can do?" We dropped the price for him to $1050 and he ordered it, and it showed up the next morning. He then got service from us and continued to shop at our store, and we treat him well. Most shops will bargain, because even if they drop the price of the item, they are still making more money then they would have if they didn't sell one at all. If something is in stock, they may not because the next person that comes in may just pay the full $1350 on it. If they have to order it though, they look at it as, sell a $1400 fork for $1050 and make a few hundred on it instead of $350 more, or make nothing at all and lose a potential customer.

And to Laurie for the comment about all the shops above being real shops, that isn't exactly what we were getting at when we said LBS. Local bike shop means your local bike shop, not the local bike shop of someone across the country. They may sponsor races, but what I think the guys above were getting at was who are the people sponsoring all the local events put on where you live, not where someone else does.

Just keep in mind everyone, you only pay retail at your LBS for so long. A few dozen donuts/cases of beer will decrease this time enormously. If you are a loyal customer and a good person to deal with, your lbs will treat you right, be it customer service, repairs and the price you pay for products.

 All of these online shops have actual storefronts in different cities/countries that you can visit. Purchasing online is not only convenient for people who do not live close to their shop but there is also a larger variety of components and accessories available at a secondary (warehouse) location. Warehouses are cheaper to rent because they are in industrial areas and they are able to stock large volumes of items where as bike shops are located in metropolitan areas and smaller and are unable to have everything in stock due to the size of the shop and high rent. All of these shops are independent bike shops. For example, Calgary Cycle is located in downtown Calgary but they also have a warehouse where they keep excess stock. They are still an independent shop! Same goes with all the other shops listed in the article. By stocking large volumes of products, they are able to deliver the same goods at a lower price. Basically, shops get price breaks when they purchase in bulk quantities. This is a simple prudent business decision. Calgary Cycle sponsors the AFAs (Alberta Freeride Awards), Moose Mountain races, Moose Mountain Trail Day, and the COP DH races. They are putting money back into the local riding scene. E-Commerce is a huge multi-billion dollar a year business. Why wouldn’t shops want to explore their options? What bike shops need is a buyer’s group where all the shops in a city can get together and purchase large quantities of components at low prices direct from the manufacturer and then sell them at a competitive price to that of the shops with online stores. People are very price conscious, especially, in times like this!

 As someone who has worked in a LBS for years I have just one request for all you dudes who like to save your pennies and shop online. When you see something you want, print it out, head down to your local bike shop and say here's what I'm looking for and here's what its selling for online. 9 times out of 10 your LBS will do their best to match that deal. They may not be able to beat it, but sometimes they can get you close and personally, I'd pay a slight premium on a product while knowing I'm supporting a local business. If they cant get close enough for you, at least you gave them a shot. So try that, see what your LBS can do for you, who knows maybe they can get you something comparable on closeout from a distributor. All we're asking for is a shot at some business.

 I find it interesting that everyone is pissed about the fact that these are online shops. I think the real issue here is that they call this an article when clearly it is a monthly advertisement for these shops. Ads are supposed to be off to the side not pretending to be articles that the author had to write, like a review or interview.

 This is lame! Integrity anyone? Advertising does not belong in the "New - Article" Format. BTW let all these people buy stuff for -10% after shipping online if they want. It takes an understanding of local economy to drive people to support their local economy and bike shop. They will care less until they have to, i.e. economics. I'm sure someday their jobs will be outsourced or someone younger and smarter willing to work for less will take sweep their job out from under them. Full Circle will be O so ironic. There's a place in hell for everyone.

 I personnaly do not have any issue with Pink Bike outting up this kind of thing as "content". We are the consumers of this product and I think most of us are intelligent enough to recognize this for what it is, Pink Bike supporting those business' that support them through advertising dollars.
As far as the OBS vs. LBS debate goes here is my humble opinion. I agree with the above comment that OBS's are the equivalent of big box stores, and we as the consumers have asked for this business model. As a business owner who has to compete directly against a traditional big box store, all I can say is that if your LBS wants to remain in business and justify higher prices, all they have to do is offer GREAT SERVICE! Service is the one and only thing that small business can ALWAYS beat big box store on and it is the only thing that will keep the customers coming back!

 Seeing as how this threads talks about the questions i have for my LBS maybe one of you guys can help me. Ive bought two bikes in the last 2 years from my LBS totaling about 2100 all together. My latest bike I have upgraded the fork,pedals,bars,and stem. I know that supporting the LBS is the only way to keep it going, but If i can save 400 dollars on a fork online, why would i buy it at the LBS. Also is it ok if I got them to order a derailleur and pay them to put it on, even though I have upgraded other parts myself?

 I support my LBS and all but most of the time i buy stuff online, My LBS wouldnt have none of the stuff i wanted in stock and if they could order it could take like a week? when online i can get it with in 2 or 3 days and cheaper. Everyone likes a saving or bargin...

 As an environmentalist, I don't like the thought of all that air freight and couriers and non-renewable energy being used just so I can get $20 discount when I could just ride to the LBS and pick it up for a few bucks more. I bought something super cheap from an OBS once and found it came from New Zealand! Mother Nature is crying.

Specailized is as experienced and hard-nosed business-like as any company out there - and they won't touch OBS. If an LBS even tries to sell old stock on the internet they will get a call and a visit from Specialized and the LBS won't ever do that again. Seen it happen.

 To be honest i'm not all that impressed with the "deals" that calgary cycle and dunbar offer on their sites..... A lot of other shops, including the one i work at, offer prices that are just as good or better....
Not trying to promote where i work, it's fact...... At the end of the day, it's up to the consumer to shop around and make their own choice. Anyone can find the best deals if they shop around enough. If people think all the best deals on online, I've checked and that's not always the case.

 We shouldn't knock Pinkbike for trying to get some bucks to help host the second best website on the planet (after youtube IMHO).

Just because I would prefer to support my LBS, I also like the service and the entertainment provided by Pinkbike. I don't think they've ever asked for a subscription price or asked me to donate. I know that server space/rent/support is not cheap - and the amount of space that all our videos and photos and data must be enormous. That money has to come from somewhere.

I can't bite the hand that feeds me, especially when it feeds me for free.

Or I am deluded, but I am happy and content with that delusion.

 OMG £300 for fox forks!!!! thts cheap considering the prices for them these days!

 Is this going to be run by a not-for-profit organisation?
Err no.

Seems like I'm not the only one who is completely NOT fooled by this.
What a joke

 way to go pinkbike, you rock. I think you should change the title of this article to "Stop supporting you local IBDs"

 why are the atlas's on sale for 80bucks? are you kidding