I recently owned a 2023 Aeroad CFR, that I sold and bought a Cannondale SSE. Not having a LBS that is familiar with Canyons killed it for me. I was using Velo Fix but they were really expensive since it was a mobile mechanic and they still messed up a lot with my bike, for example a handle bar swap was a nightmare took about a month to get the bike back. Just a complete headache overall. That being said, I think if they use REI the overall price of their bikes will increase, making them less competitive with bigger brands. Overall I am much happier with the Cannondale and having Mikes Bikes work on it without any issues for a fraction of what Velofix was charging.
There are REI stores just about everywhere. The issue isn't the store, but the quality of the repair person. Many stores claim to have trained staff, but I wouldn't take my current bikes to them for repairs. That's because they have acknowledged trained repair staff. Also, the bikes will still be shipped to you and that isn't a good thing either.
REI here in Pittsburgh isn't too bad, it's about 4 miles from where I live. I had a membership once and I feel I got some good deals on clothing and Gels and things like that. But I still wouldn't trust a mechanic unless they were trained to service that brand. I know Colnago have innovations to their bikes that have made it impossible for me to work on their bikes unless I invested in more tools, and Campagnolo have special parts that are very expensive and hard to get. It's no longer a simple task to work on any bike. That's part of the reason I won't buy brand bikes anymore. I have a custom bike that uses parts that I can get anywhere and I have tools to do the work myself if I want. Watch Mapdec Cycle Works RUclips channel and you'll learn what I'm talking about. I don't think REI are willing to make those kinds of investments, I could be wrong. That is a big expense.
Canyon has proprietary tech on some of their bikes, like their biplane handlebars and 1.5 inch steerer tubes. It would make sense for them to seek out a distributor with a wider footprint than what most local shops can offer. At least now they can do right by their consumers and offer replacement parts and warranty services as well. I see it as a win-win for Canyon and their customers.
REI Folsom, (store 86)has two exceptional mechanics, a German and an Asian guy (me) who are passionate enthusiasts that have been in the bicycle industry since the late 1980’s. Our Service manager is an exceptional ski and bicycle guy that does a great job of providing us with all the tools and parts needed to do our jobs. The Service Manager is a 25 year veteran of REI who has exceptional attention to detail. You are correct that we have many stores (270) so it is tricky to have every REI staffed with exceptional mechanics or technicians as they refer to us. 🤙😎
I have had great REI mechanics before. It just depends on the store, but I can tell pretty fast the competency of the techs. I take my cheaper bikes in first before bringing the big boys
that is aweomse I love to hear it and for sure, I am not trying to generalize and say all the stores can have dodgy mechanics, I just only have one store to go off of down the street who seems ot be more of a cruiser tune up area for locals but the work area looks beautiful and also looks capable to handle alot, just needs to make sure they have similar experiences across there stores
Made me happy reading through comments like this, as I always wondered what the environment is like at other REI shops. Im thankful to be part of a very experienced shop team at store 17, but I’ve barely talked to techs from any other stores so I’ve never had a good read on how other shops look across the company.
@@GCPerformance18you are generalizing them by using the numerous amount of stores across the nation being your point of conflict and having to bring it up. LAME.
The hole that canyon had in their business strategy was assuming that service after the sale would be neglected. They are now trying to address that. In a lot of European countries, they have service centres. You might as well have the same setup in the US - just in every state. Retail in Europe is dying for high end. In the cycling heavy countries like Denmark and Holland, there is still a market for the commuter bikes but the high end stuff is going more and more direct to market. I think these bike shops will end up like the car garages and do service only.
market is flooded with high end second hand bikes and nothing is selling alot of people lease their high end race bike for 3 years at their work and try to sell it afterwards and get a new leased model if it is not a ridiculous price ur not getting rit of ur bike easy
Some bike stores in my area in Austria will not service your bike if you got it online. Even a certified dealer for the bike brand will not touch it unless it's a used bike and older than 2 years. The guy I talked to on the phone said it's their "answer" to direct to consumer.
Not in Belgium. With the lease-bike scheme from your employer, high end gets sold a lot more and all via the LBS (tax free, since you pay it from your gross salary, it's really great) I'm not getting a Canyon for the lack of flexibility. I wanted an Aeroad but needed a longer stem and wanted different wheels, just not possible, not even via the service center. Hopeless.
If I were a Bikeshop owner I would focus on Service instead of selling bikes… less storage space and you can charge 100.- swiss per hour. People are willing to pay those rates because they are lazy
Senior REI mechanic here. We have plenty of passionate and well-trained mechanics, and we're excited to hopefully see more exciting and performance focused bikes in our shop!
Yea I was trying to be as respectful as possible. I’m sure there are a good amount of mechanics there, just have to hope it’s the same experience at every location.
@@GCPerformance18 I think it's probably a lot more consistent than LBS to LBS. We used to do all our training through Barnett's, and a lot of mechanics still have that background
Ah dude. I wish you took a different tack with this. Should be no big deal, we can service a canyon as well as anyone. Canyon sell the parts we need. We can write up warranty emails that the customer can send direct to canyon. We shouldn’t be encouraging Canyon owners to go to a big box store, we should be encouraging them into us independents and grabbing the opportunity to impress them for when they are ready to upgrade.
@@TLa08 I have eleven road bikes, some really nice ones, none of which are from a bike store. Who do you think I take them to get serviced? Sure as hell not someone with this kind of attitude. Most shops that see my bikes appreciate them because they are pretty rare or still considered high end. Give me shit about not buying from you and I'll take my business elsewhere
@@Shadowboost I think before you jump down peoples throats, Maybe it would be good to understand the situation. Maybe this particular shop had difficulties dealing with Canyon in the past so would prefer not to work on them. *BUT,* for the most part. I do agree with you. The shop shouldnt turn the customer away if the bike works fine but only needs servicing. Money is money and even small jobs help keep the lights on. At the end of the day its the business owners decision and you have the right to choose if you wish to support them or not.
My LBS fixed the bike I got DTC at half price due to a specific situation. Saved a few thousand. LBS didn't complain or say anything negative to me at all. Their main MTB brand would have been 3500 more for the same spec. I think they understand... I'd rather go there for anything but $3500 is $3500 🤷🏼♂️
I agree, Paul. Every OEM complete bike I’ve purchased I will (sooner than later) change out handlebars, tires, saddle, add a power meter, etc. etc. Fantastic opportunity for the reliable experts at your LBS.
REI needs to be the place where you can go and get properly fit for your online canyon purchase. Including a fit for your alternative bar and stem choice.
I was (until recently) a crazy enthusiastic REI bike mechanic. I left for the tech industry but we were getting a ton of Canyon bikes in for regular service over the summer in Colorado.
@@GCPerformance18he won't do well because he's moving to a large tech company and large tech companies can't maintain proactive working environments because they're so coooooporate. right?
@@GCPerformance18don't buy from corporations that lower prices to increase sales. That's controlling the market. Only buy from small shops, pay 30% more and deal with the know it all jerk bike mechanic or you're part of the problem.
I like the partnership in the case I want to eventually try out Canyon. I'm an avoid customer of REI. The people who work in their dedicated departments are actually experts or have interest in the department they work in. I was there recently and had a long conversation with a guy in the bike area who is an avoid mountain biker.
I don't understand why there's so much drama about Canyon. It's one brand amidst hundreds in the bike industry. Customers are free to choose what brand and where/how to purchase and service. Canyon isn't killing the industry - just pushing it forward with a great product that's highly competitive on price.
The industry is/was kind of killing itself with how much bikes have increased in cost. People only have limited funds and will go where they can afford/perceive value. Personally I try and buy from my local shop as I love it, but sometimes it's bills vs bikes.
Yep. It's just another brand. People like having some choice in brands. One reason is some comparison shopping, another is brand feel or dedication. The big hole in Trek stores is they only sell Trek. I want to go to a shop with Trek, Giant, and say Canyon. Then I pick the one that I feel like I've been wanting because my favorite rider is on a Canyon, or I like Trek is more american than the others, or I want the Giant because it's the best bang for the buck. Rei selling in house brand, Cannondale, or being a Canyon service center is just fine. Budget, location, service, branding... it's all formula that's different per person.
@@ZenEndurance One of my LBS here sells and services Specialized/Giant/Cannondale. This is where I've been doing the most business lately along with online.
I reckon the shit they get is becayse they're direct-to-consumer. I went into a Trek store to pre-order a Madone SL7 and mentioned Canyon's service model and one of the guys there absolutely shit on Canyon bikes. Turns out they blew smoke up my ass and never contacted me about the bike, so I ordered from Canyon instead (2024 Aeroad SLX). Best decision I ever made because Canada and Germany has a free trade agreement and I didn't have to pay duty to import it. And the bike is amazing--no problems whatsoever.
IMO, this is less about Canyon going after independent bicycle dealers and more about filling a gap they have in regards to ensuring their customers have proper service.
Yep. I have both a Canyon and a Trek. Trek will go to the Trek shop for service, Canyon will go to REI store for service. And I'll pick up whatever nicknacks or whatever while I'm there. Same as always.
@ZenEndurance I've taken my Canyon to my local Trek dealer before with no issues. Trek seems to have prioritized being agnostic when it comes to service
@@joshuahoover That's true too. What I mean is that a Trek store will be better at working on my Trek Speed Concept than a mom and pop shop that doesn't carry Trek at all and doesn't see a Trek SC all year.
We are extremely lucky to have REI ! I’d be surprised if that many people didn’t know what REI is. Imagine you are in construction and didn’t know what Home Depot is 😮!? Adding Canyon bikes to their line…? Amazing!
I have a local REI in IL that has a nice bike service center. (turns into a ski service center in the winter). Not real interested in the Co-op bikes they sell but I have used them in the past for basic service and wheel truing. You get a discount if you are a REI member. Very good experience. I would not hesitate to get my Canyon worked on there. If they stocked basic Canyon parts and allowed me to sit on one before buying, that would be a total win. Feels like a good partnership for both companies.
I live near an REI and occasionally use their shop for repairs. While they’re efficient, they’re also very corporate and maintain a database of all the bikes I’ve had serviced there. One time, I brought in a set of mountain bike wheels to be set up tubeless, but the clerk insisted on knowing which bike in their system the wheels belonged to. Since I wasn’t prepared to provide that information, I found the experience frustrating and didn’t proceed with the service. On the positive side, I once bought an electric mountain bike from REI online, and it was an absolute blast to ride. Over time, I pushed it to its limits-cracking the rear wheel, damaging the frame, and burning out the brakes. Despite all this, REI stood by the bike. They even submitted paperwork to Ghost to get me a replacement frame and rebuilt the entire bike for me. Thanks to their support, I was able to enjoy several more years on that bike before finally retiring it.
My local bike shops are either bought by Trek, the owner retired (smart), and the other is overpriced for service with ahole mechanics. That drove me to go to REI for a quote and now I have been going to REI for service in the last 4 years - great knowledgable mechanic, friendly, competitively priced. Sticking with REI for my bike maintenance and service and I do my best to shop for cycling great there as well. I understand REI has also been underperforming financially and like all other businesses looking to stay in business drive changes to the business model. I think its a good move for both REI and Canyon.
thats ana wesome story to hear, we dont have to much competition with them ebcause they are pretty far away but they look more of like a cruiser tune up center then a high end area
@@GCPerformance18 I prefer the upfront pricing model that REI has for tuneup/repairs. I used to think the same thing and there are plenty of cruisers and mtb there for service. Also see quite a few high-end road, gravel & mtb recently. I live in a dense populated area of San Fernando valley and there are at least 2 REI stores within 5 miles of each other.
I have a Canyon MTB and I already take it to REI for service. So this is amazing. REI mechanics and all employees, for that matter, are amazing, never pushy and always helpful. This makes me feel even better about owning a Canyon bike.
This is good news for Canyon owners or those that are so remote that they would buy their bikes online no matter the brand. I ride Trek. I like my bike shop. It's a nothingburger for me.
We just became a canyon service retail. (Here in nyc) the amount of canyon bikes that now come to us is crazy. We would see like 1-2 a week or so. The first 2 weeks we maybe saw a dozen warranty and service requirements,
no way??? that is wild, thats awesome but also what I am scared of, just crappy warranty work that is being pre priced work from canyon that is usually not worth it for the shop in the long run, but I would love to hear your experience, how much do they comp the shop per hour for work and is it difficult work?
@@GCPerformance18you sound like a shady car dealership service manager that wants to turn covered warranty, less paying, work into not covered warranty work because it doesn't pay enough from the manufacturer.
Filling that gap with REÍ is amazing. It’s what they are missing. I had a small issue with my Canyon Grizl and they wanted me to take it to a LBS to fix. That shop was not excited. Once REÍ is open for Canyon, that issue is fixed. I also have a recall issue I need sort and will get that done now!
To believe that the local bike shop staffs fully qualified mechanics is a bit of a stretch. Some do , some don’t. And when you find a good one, hold on.
My local Trek store has a sign outside the shop that says, "We love all bikes." When I had problems with my Canyon Grizl they were super helpful, no bike shop attitude. They are glad to have my maintenance business as well as other things I get from them.
I think Canyon just let this out of the bag. I was at my local Oregon REI store about a year, and we were talking about Canyons, and the store rep told me I can have it shipped directly to them, and they will set it up for me and will maintain it. So I there was an agreement awhile back, just under wraps.
GC, I bought a Canyon Aeroad as my first high end road bike, but I don't have an established relationship with any bike shops in my area. I built a carbon track bike before I bought my Canyon so I have a full suite of tools. Bikes aren't inherently complicated so I do all my own repairs, if not with a bit of research--including your channel (I bookmarked the ratchet replacement vid as I plan to upgrade mine from 36 to 54T).
Yea a lot of it is fairly simple. Just the bleeding brakes or the hydraulic cable routing takes time or headset replacement. But it’s more just overwhelming then hard
I have two REIs 20 minutes from me - outside of Philadelphia. Specialized dealer? Nope. The only one by me is “by appointment only”. If REI starts carrying bikes to test ride, they’ll definitely be a force. The bike service section always seems busy with bikes getting picked up and dropped off.
yea I dont see them to have test bikes there or stocking bikes there because this would not be there business model and this would affect the employees there and tie up there time, and rei would not get any profit from this
If I'm physically closer to your store, and I'm confident in your repair skills, I'm taking my bike to you, Grant. I don't need to go out of my way, wrangle my bike past the skis and camping gear, just to have REI fix my bike.
I understand having competitive bike prices is out of local bike shops' hands, but I'm not paying extra €1000 or more for a bike if I don't have to. My 2023 Canyon Spectral 29 AL 6 costs around €2700 (got it for €2150 discounted) and comes with full SRAM GX transmission, Rockshox Lyrik Select+ and Rockshox Super Deluxe Select+. A Specialized Stumpjumper 15 Alloy today is €2850 and comes with Shimano Deore M6100 transmission, Rockshox Psylo Silver fork and a X-Fusion 02 Pro RL shock. Of course the whole chain of supply has to get their share, and retail has a much longer and more complex chain. But especially for someone that knows how to work on their own stuff (which is my case), buying direct to consumer is an obvious choice.
yea that is not a bad price you are getting alot of components similar to tother brands and the bikes are so good now that there is hard to telll the difference but these big name companies have really nice suspension setups and can be night and day when setup right like specialized having there own factory tuned shock for every bike out there
I think this is a good move for Canyon. Walking into a LBS shop with a Canyon feels kinda awkward. I bought a Canyon sent me a bike that needed a lot of work on setup. Fortunately, I had the skills to sort it out.
Long time Canyon user from Germany here. German bike shops are still living the dream of shitting on potential future customers by refusing to work on a Canyon. I understand the short sighted motivation behind it, but that's a bit like deniying climate change. You simply will die out if you're not able to adapt. Displaying your passion and competence on YT is a good way to remain in the foodchain, who would have thought ;) I adapted already. I invested in good tools and educated myself to be able to self service my bikes. And I'm not even the "Home Improvement" kinda guy, it's just a reaction to what was offered to me. Not worried about GC btw., people are willing to pay for a quality product that includes good after sales service. Especially on the high end. That won't go away just because Canyon partnered with a hiking department store.
yea we are always on the move and every single day we look for more way to diversify and stay relavent, there is so much competition around us because it is America and people can keep openeing stores, but we have been here for 40 years
The LBS has already been struggling mightily. Their struggles tend to increase and decrease with the fluctuating commercial real estate market. Post 2008 crash, we saw a TON of bike shops spring up in urban areas. Then once the commercial retail market recovered, bike shops were priced out of the market and closed. And now manufacturers are saying, "wanna deliver our stuff at point of sale and earn 10% instead of 35%?" No thanks. Bike shops can barely stay afloat paying their employees peanuts. And when a shop asks to be compensated for repair work, consumers get offended. And then customers complain the there's "no good help" these days. Classic.
We just got an REI in SW Ohio and ill likely buy my next bike there, reason being is getting parts are pretty easy and the staff are incredibly nice. I dont dislike my local folks but we've basically got one good truly local shop left (K&G) they have to cater to exactly what their normal crowd wants which are typically mountain riders and I dont do that. Service times are WAY better with REI too, turnaround is like, a week vs 2-3 with the shop.
Bought a couple Cannondales from REI during the height of pandemic supply chain issues, as they had the sizes i couldn’t find at LBS’s. No issues with my cheapo hardtail, but my wife’s Topstone 1 needed a ton of work to be ready to ride after picking it up. Seems from other folks they’ve had good experiences with their service center, but I’d rather take it to my LBS. I really doubt they’ll stock any parts, but be able to coordinate warranty/service parts directly as a “one stop shop” even if that one stop means leaving your bike with them for 3 weeks.
Agreed. My early days during covid when I didn't know how to work on my own bikes I always depended on REI. Problem is the place I go to had a change of mechanics and the services started to suck really bad. If the store in your area has good mechanics then it'll be fine
As a co-op member, this is a difference without a distinction with regard to the major point, REI has more $$$ to work with than your independent bike shop.
keep telling yourself that 🙄 and I say that as someone who was a member in the 90s. the idea of it being a co-op is intellectually insulting . it’s a corporation that charges membership fees,like costco or sam’s.
@@cityslacker6221it's not really like Sam's or Costco since its not a reoccurring fee. It's a one time payment and you pretty much get that back immediately with discounts
The REI in Denver has a lot of used bikes and everyday purchase things for cyclist. They also sell according to the recreational sports in the area, so tons of mountain gear. I would not consider it just a bike shop and it is more expensive than normal but a lot of people seem to go there as like a head quarters. They have a good location.
thats awesome!!! yea they seem more of like a really high end ot door store but I do not look at them for a place for a major tuneuup on an internal cables bike
Have an REI store real close to me in Chicago that I like to support. Have never used them for bike maintenance or purchased a bike. I think with Canyon REI will have much longer turn around times than my local shop around the corner and Specialized / Trek company stores in the neighborhood that will fix on the spot if they can. Do purchase from REI as I like to support the local brick and mortar store as they have products you can see such as: backpacks / luggage, ski gear, bike gloves / bags and nutrition fuel. REI has membership with annual rebates.
Our REI shop in ohio gets a decent amount of canyon bikes already. But we definitely have to order parts when needed and wait for them. Will say for my shop, we're legit but small. Rei does not see the shops as money makers, just a perk to drive member traffic. As such, only a couple full time mechanics are employed at a time. It's easy to go from a 2 day turnaround to 3 weeks in the summer. It's a very popular shop for the average bike in town. We'll work on any bike.
REI is very well run and owned by its members. They are in no way comparable to Sports Authority. They are an outdoors activity oriented company. They will be unlikely to screw this up. Canyon is the only bike manufacturer I would consider moving from Specialized to, not becasue of price but because people I've raced with switched and said that Canyon bikes were amazing.
yea I was trying to give an example, the one I went to was decent but the shop mechanic there didnt seem the most knowledagble but also people can always learn and be trained
I wouldn’t worry too much. I took my Specialized to official Spesh shop to get warranty part replacement. They had the part in stock, but wouldn’t do 5 min swap. They told me they had to get authorization from corporate and wait for corporate to ship part to them. Took a week. Last time I dealt with them. So I have wait for part anyways, I rather go to better shops
Makes much sense to me. They are going where people go to play outside. Particularly a younger demographic. I’ve been a long time REI member and have enjoyed a great relationship.
it's going to be mostly not a big deal. People that want a more experienced enthusiast-focused bike shop are still going to go to a regular bike shop. REI is going to sell some good bikes just like Public Lands. The REI mechanics are fine and I'm sure they'll be hiring more mechanics. It's not "big box" like Walmart or something.
It’s good to see Canyon investing in the industry this way. If you have a Canyon but your LBS has no link with them and always has to order parts in etc then using REI seems like the way to go. As no shop sells Canyons then in theory it shouldn’t be an issue for other shops. I think the worry will be if other big brands go down this route and sell on line and link with one chain…time will tell but we all know that corporations are driven by profit so if this model improves their figures then it could be very problematic.
I think Canyon - REI is at best a coin toss. I own a Canyon Ultimate -- great bike! -- and am wearing an REI hoodie. Great hoodie! So, the pluses. I think the biggest plus for Canyon is the brand awareness REI brings in the US. Canyon is still viewed in the US, I think, as something of a niche European brand. I think REI will position Canyon in the mid market as providing a good and legitimate service base. So that's for bikes under $3000, I would think. Those buying $3k+ bikes on Canyon are mostly going to be serious riders who are comfortable setting up their own bikes and taking parts to their local bike guy to install. The key to that market, I think, it to ensure quick deliver of easily identified Canyon parts to the customer, presumably ordered online. That's not that big a deal, though, because so much of a Canyon bike is generic, eg, Shimano or SRAM groupset, DT Swiss or ZIPP wheels, etc. To sum up, I think REI will help position Canyon as an 'American' brand from which the consumer can purchase with confidence. I am skeptical, however, that serious bicyclists are going to turn to REI for their Canyon servicing, except in those areas where a REI service center is "local' (eg, within 30-45 min drive). The high-end custom work will remain with the preeminent local bike shops like yours.
yea I dont doubt that the name rei is great to be partnered with canyon, just you have to worry about the mechanics that they hire and the work they put out because usualy a local shop gets to see the work first hand and knwos what they want, here they just have them run free and perform for less money
If REI going to be a true middleman representing the customer for warranty claims, see as big success. But have my doubts that REI will just use it as "another bike in the shop" to push service and upgrades towards the educated Canyon owner.
I always say - if YOU can't be better than a big-box store when it comes to customer service you don't deserve to survive! I say the same thing about online sales (and mailorder back-in-the-day) when it comes to retail bike shops. Canyon must have figured out they need human beings to help with their online sales. Only the helpers can decide if helping them is worth it. We never had that many issues when I was in bike retail but my angle would now be: Labor rate of $X posted on shop wall. Buy a bike from us and you pay special, discounted labor rate for service on that bike forever. Bring in bike you bought elsewhere, you pay $X, no discount since you didn't buy it from us. Customer takes choice - great price to start but no discount on labor when/if he needs service. Or buy from us and save $ over the life of the bike. Works great ONLY if your service is top-notch, otherwise they can take it to the local place with the minimum-wage pimply-faced kid armed with adjustable wrench - meaning your posted rate of $X is worth the money because your techs are that good!
Lesser known brands? You refering to Canyon? One of the top 5 brands (considering annual revenue) with countless World Titles and World Champion riders!
@@66mikkim No I was thinking like Poseidon. In the US, Ribble isn't a big brand, but they seem to have value. There are others. Used bikes are the best value.
I ride a canyon Freeride E bike and love it. I have all the spare parts and order them in advance. I go to the bike shops to get service all the time but would never go to REI. REI is not like a normal shop.
I build and maintain my own bikes, so have never gone to a bike shop for service, but to be an authorized service center, don't they require the mechanic to have certain kind of training to be authorized?
Bike tech peaked with the release of bikes like the Specialized Venge Vias from 2019 or so. That road bike was aero and lightweight carbon, with electronic shifting and a set of TT clip-on bars that you could use to do actual Ironman triathlons with. In fact Gustav Iden used that model to win Ironman 70.3 Nice. Unfortunately, Specialized decided to discontinue that bike, and gave us the Aethos. Which despite being lightweight, looks like a Walmart bike when compared side by side to a 2019/2020 Venge Vias. Idk about you but it seems bike tech of late has gone downhill, with wider and wider tires, unnecessarily wide downtubes (less aero), and just plain unsafe decisions like hookless wheels.
Excellent idea Canyon, REI always has simple parts (chains, cassettes, tools, grease, sealant, etc) And they are open until 9pm. Plus all thier mechanics are tained well. They even hold basic bike maintenance classes. I have used them in an emergency when no LBS could help before a race.They have a full toolbox for sure.
At 72yo, ordering bikes without being fitted is not a good thing. I wonder how many folks new to cycling end up on a fairly expensive bike that does not fit them. Examples, crankarm length, handlebar width, reach and drop without a horribly short stem, and do they cheat on the reach by moving the saddle forward of the optimal position?
so canyon is making it easier by able to swap handlebar width right away when they recieve it but also I think they have ability to return bike up to 30 days but to swap that bar out for a longer or shorter stem is such a pain in the ass
is hard to find good mechanics in big box stores, good luck taking your very expensive bike to big box store, unless they pay the mechanics what they deserve it will be very hard, no one wants to deal with high end bikes, high end expectations and getting payed minimun
Reversion to the mean. Once Canyon has added service centres, assembly services, bricks & mortar presence etc, how will their business model differ in costs?
yea makes sense, if they keep doing this there product price probably will go up, and we are already seeing companies like trek and cannondale putting out mid tier bikes right around the price of canyon, so how much is there to squeeze
Anyone have mobile bike shop in your areas? Bet this will be next big direction for techs that want to have own shop but don’t have the money to start one
If anyone that deeply cares for their LBS and the importance of "rider owned" should carry on as they are, buy from their local, support their local and SHUN sell direct bike entities that do little to support their customers other than through an email. They can try, but for those of us that see through this ruse, will keep going into the local bike shop and help them stay in business. Direct selling cuts the margins of the LBS, thus taking all the profit and not putting anything back into the high st economy.
I dont trust an rei bike mechanic as far as i can throw em, there is a competency crisis with bike mechanics. side note, my friend who works for sun and ski has to travel around the state to retrain ppl and fix mistakes the incompetent techs are regularly committing.
lmao well this is a different side to things I have had a couple rei mechanics speak up in this comments saying they are well trained lol I mgiht need to do a video
I workd at REI for two years before working at an actual bike shop asa mechanic fir an additional 7 years. REI doesn’t exactly field the most talented mechanics, so I don’t know if I would worry to much about this.
Sorry, but I do not agree with all the hate Canyon gets. Even though they increased the prices for this season's models, their bikes are a big bang for the buck compared to other brands, and you get a pretty good bike for the money spent.
well now we are seeing bike brands like trek and cannondale coming in with cheaper price mid tier road bikes then canyon, and you are goign to see more and more big name western brand companies goign to pre covid prices to move inventory and be more competitive
direct to the customer is atractive as long as the bike shops are still around. as soon as no bike shops are left, they will start to increase the price and be part of the Enshittification process. they already started to increase prices and they are not anymore the worth bike to buy, they are on the expensive side now. no more cheap canyon bikes
Doesn't seem like a fair assessment that Canyon's goal is to kill the retail store. I'm not saying they might not contribute to that happening but portraying it as if it's their primary goal doesn't seem fair. They're trying to make money and deliver what consumers seemingly want in terms of bang for buck. My local bike store recently become a Canyon authorised service centre after they moved to a bigger workshop. They're business seems to be doing better. This is in Spain maybe it's different in the states.
Your shop sounds like an exception, but local bike shops aren’t going to survive. I’ve been buying high-end bikes from a variety of different LBS for over 40 years. It’s always a disappointing experience and has continually gotten worse. Arrogant, disorganized, unprofessional, no parts inventory, bad mechanics, etc, etc. Both the big brands and LBS are bad when you’ve got a problem. They always blame the customer first with any problem. I think brands like Canyon, and RUclips, where you can easily learn how to work on bikes, will be the end for LBS who just don’t add value anymore.
thanks so much for that, I hope we are the exception but it is getting tighter no matter what, we all know this in retail that online would cause a huge fissure in the retail world, and its gonna be something we have to adapt against and see for how long it makes sense instead of just renting out the building lol
I think they just wanted this ot make it easier for there consumers as well, a trusted place they can delegate warranty work to make sure there customer is taken care of
@@GCPerformance18 Frankly, I don't know what the circumstances were and take it with a grain of salt. I have been doing custom tailored frames based on my CAD and blueprints for many years. Why? So they have measurements and angles that perform precisely with my physique. The budget has been lower than the big players that build to a crash test dummy.
to be honest, it wouldnt be worth it, the only people coming here would be with people with warranty issues and the prices they comp us will probablyt be pre set and not worth the time, and they will usually be last result issues to fix that other bike shops could not fix. warranty work like that is not worth it and service center work as well is never fun
REI has a bunch of A-holes working their in my area in Arizona and I own a canyon spectral that I wanted to service with them and the manager was very unprofessional
The market is creating the opportunity for Canyon due to the dramatic and unpalatable increase in pricing of race bikes over the past five years. LBS's need to feedback customer responses to the big bike brands, to help ensure their own survival. Otherwise more innovative bike brands will go direct to consumers to gain a greater price advantage, cutting the LBSs out of the market.
I mean we see companies like trek and specialized already going there while maintaining there high prices, its only a matter of time those companies say its this price in store but if you order strait to your house you get 2000 off and cut off the local bike shop
What is the big deal? Canyon is finding ways to be relevant, competitive and more accessible. Everyone else has access to the same platform and business model, i actually find Canyon doing more with less
I will never buy another Canyon bike. I have a 2022 aeroad and what a POS it is. After three trips to canyon with vibration issues. I finally stripped it and brought a pinarello F.
@@bobjacksob I’ve read your comments across this video GC made. They are clearly signs of oversharing which is a coping mechanism for anxiety, stress, and untreated childhood trauma.
![Digital Circus Episode 4 [TRAILER]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/abZtsmMUbJo/mqdefault.jpg)
Is this the right move for canyon? Or do you think canyon owners will not use REI and just stay in there own ways with there own mechanics
I recently owned a 2023 Aeroad CFR, that I sold and bought a Cannondale SSE. Not having a LBS that is familiar with Canyons killed it for me. I was using Velo Fix but they were really expensive since it was a mobile mechanic and they still messed up a lot with my bike, for example a handle bar swap was a nightmare took about a month to get the bike back. Just a complete headache overall. That being said, I think if they use REI the overall price of their bikes will increase, making them less competitive with bigger brands. Overall I am much happier with the Cannondale and having Mikes Bikes work on it without any issues for a fraction of what Velofix was charging.
There are REI stores just about everywhere. The issue isn't the store, but the quality of the repair person. Many stores claim to have trained staff, but I wouldn't take my current bikes to them for repairs. That's because they have acknowledged trained repair staff. Also, the bikes will still be shipped to you and that isn't a good thing either.
REI here in Pittsburgh isn't too bad, it's about 4 miles from where I live. I had a membership once and I feel I got some good deals on clothing and Gels and things like that. But I still wouldn't trust a mechanic unless they were trained to service that brand. I know Colnago have innovations to their bikes that have made it impossible for me to work on their bikes unless I invested in more tools, and Campagnolo have special parts that are very expensive and hard to get. It's no longer a simple task to work on any bike. That's part of the reason I won't buy brand bikes anymore. I have a custom bike that uses parts that I can get anywhere and I have tools to do the work myself if I want. Watch Mapdec Cycle Works RUclips channel and you'll learn what I'm talking about. I don't think REI are willing to make those kinds of investments, I could be wrong. That is a big expense.
Never buy one now , there just off the peg bikes anyway , no special parts on them , I will build my own bikes as I always have done !
Canyon has proprietary tech on some of their bikes, like their biplane handlebars and 1.5 inch steerer tubes. It would make sense for them to seek out a distributor with a wider footprint than what most local shops can offer. At least now they can do right by their consumers and offer replacement parts and warranty services as well. I see it as a win-win for Canyon and their customers.
REI Folsom, (store 86)has two exceptional mechanics, a German and an Asian guy (me) who are passionate enthusiasts that have been in the bicycle industry since the late 1980’s. Our Service manager is an exceptional ski and bicycle guy that does a great job of providing us with all the tools and parts needed to do our jobs. The Service Manager is a 25 year veteran of REI who has exceptional attention to detail. You are correct that we have many stores (270) so it is tricky to have every REI staffed with exceptional mechanics or technicians as they refer to us. 🤙😎
I have had great REI mechanics before. It just depends on the store, but I can tell pretty fast the competency of the techs. I take my cheaper bikes in first before bringing the big boys
that is aweomse I love to hear it and for sure, I am not trying to generalize and say all the stores can have dodgy mechanics, I just only have one store to go off of down the street who seems ot be more of a cruiser tune up area for locals but the work area looks beautiful and also looks capable to handle alot, just needs to make sure they have similar experiences across there stores
Made me happy reading through comments like this, as I always wondered what the environment is like at other REI shops. Im thankful to be part of a very experienced shop team at store 17, but I’ve barely talked to techs from any other stores so I’ve never had a good read on how other shops look across the company.
@@GCPerformance18you are generalizing them by using the numerous amount of stores across the nation being your point of conflict and having to bring it up. LAME.
It’s a smart move by REI
The hole that canyon had in their business strategy was assuming that service after the sale would be neglected. They are now trying to address that. In a lot of European countries, they have service centres. You might as well have the same setup in the US - just in every state.
Retail in Europe is dying for high end. In the cycling heavy countries like Denmark and Holland, there is still a market for the commuter bikes but the high end stuff is going more and more direct to market. I think these bike shops will end up like the car garages and do service only.
market is flooded with high end second hand bikes and nothing is selling alot of people lease their high end race bike for 3 years at their work and try to sell it afterwards and get a new leased model if it is not a ridiculous price ur not getting rit of ur bike easy
Some bike stores in my area in Austria will not service your bike if you got it online. Even a certified dealer for the bike brand will not touch it unless it's a used bike and older than 2 years. The guy I talked to on the phone said it's their "answer" to direct to consumer.
@@knorkainho Then they will, sooner or later, go out of business.
Not in Belgium. With the lease-bike scheme from your employer, high end gets sold a lot more and all via the LBS (tax free, since you pay it from your gross salary, it's really great)
I'm not getting a Canyon for the lack of flexibility. I wanted an Aeroad but needed a longer stem and wanted different wheels, just not possible, not even via the service center. Hopeless.
If I were a Bikeshop owner I would focus on Service instead of selling bikes… less storage space and you can charge 100.- swiss per hour. People are willing to pay those rates because they are lazy
Senior REI mechanic here. We have plenty of passionate and well-trained mechanics, and we're excited to hopefully see more exciting and performance focused bikes in our shop!
Yea I was trying to be as respectful as possible. I’m sure there are a good amount of mechanics there, just have to hope it’s the same experience at every location.
@@GCPerformance18 I think it's probably a lot more consistent than LBS to LBS. We used to do all our training through Barnett's, and a lot of mechanics still have that background
The biggest jerk mechanics I've met were the little shop, angry, hate the industry now type.
@@GCPerformance18nahh that's a backhanded comment. You don't need to disclaim your judgemental view and think you get a pass.
OK "PoorWorksmanship," I'm sure the work you do is stellar!
🤣
Ah dude. I wish you took a different tack with this. Should be no big deal, we can service a canyon as well as anyone. Canyon sell the parts we need. We can write up warranty emails that the customer can send direct to canyon. We shouldn’t be encouraging Canyon owners to go to a big box store, we should be encouraging them into us independents and grabbing the opportunity to impress them for when they are ready to upgrade.
Wich my LBS acted like you do. They really hate Canyon and refuse to work on them (but had no problem working on my Chinese bike)
@@TLa08 I have eleven road bikes, some really nice ones, none of which are from a bike store. Who do you think I take them to get serviced? Sure as hell not someone with this kind of attitude. Most shops that see my bikes appreciate them because they are pretty rare or still considered high end. Give me shit about not buying from you and I'll take my business elsewhere
@@Shadowboost I think before you jump down peoples throats, Maybe it would be good to understand the situation. Maybe this particular shop had difficulties dealing with Canyon in the past so would prefer not to work on them.
*BUT,* for the most part. I do agree with you. The shop shouldnt turn the customer away if the bike works fine but only needs servicing. Money is money and even small jobs help keep the lights on.
At the end of the day its the business owners decision and you have the right to choose if you wish to support them or not.
My LBS fixed the bike I got DTC at half price due to a specific situation. Saved a few thousand. LBS didn't complain or say anything negative to me at all. Their main MTB brand would have been 3500 more for the same spec. I think they understand... I'd rather go there for anything but $3500 is $3500 🤷🏼♂️
I agree, Paul. Every OEM complete bike I’ve purchased I will (sooner than later) change out handlebars, tires, saddle, add a power meter, etc. etc. Fantastic opportunity for the reliable experts at your LBS.
REI's mechanics in my area are great. They're paid much better than the local bike shops.
As long as REI bike mechanics make a decent wage with benefits, they will attract the best bike mechanics.
yea I knwo they pay out really well I heard
REI needs to be the place where you can go and get properly fit for your online canyon purchase. Including a fit for your alternative bar and stem choice.
and pick up ghey, sweaty, menns.
I really like to see more and more bike brands go for direct-to-customer. My local stores are just not capable of doing an okay job of building bikes.
That's fair, but my shop is great, and I don't want them "Blockbustered".
I was (until recently) a crazy enthusiastic REI bike mechanic. I left for the tech industry but we were getting a ton of Canyon bikes in for regular service over the summer in Colorado.
That’s great to hear!! And good for you moving on to the tech side. It’s the future
@@GCPerformance18he won't do well because he's moving to a large tech company and large tech companies can't maintain proactive working environments because they're so coooooporate. right?
Just bought my first Canyon. To get same build spec on another brand is minimum $3000 more! No one should be surprised Canyon is doing well.
yea I think prices will come down sooon though we are seeing more and more companies coming down to pre covid prices now
@@GCPerformance18don't buy from corporations that lower prices to increase sales. That's controlling the market. Only buy from small shops, pay 30% more and deal with the know it all jerk bike mechanic or you're part of the problem.
I like the partnership in the case I want to eventually try out Canyon. I'm an avoid customer of REI. The people who work in their dedicated departments are actually experts or have interest in the department they work in. I was there recently and had a long conversation with a guy in the bike area who is an avoid mountain biker.
I don't understand why there's so much drama about Canyon. It's one brand amidst hundreds in the bike industry. Customers are free to choose what brand and where/how to purchase and service. Canyon isn't killing the industry - just pushing it forward with a great product that's highly competitive on price.
The industry is/was kind of killing itself with how much bikes have increased in cost. People only have limited funds and will go where they can afford/perceive value. Personally I try and buy from my local shop as I love it, but sometimes it's bills vs bikes.
Yep. It's just another brand. People like having some choice in brands. One reason is some comparison shopping, another is brand feel or dedication. The big hole in Trek stores is they only sell Trek. I want to go to a shop with Trek, Giant, and say Canyon. Then I pick the one that I feel like I've been wanting because my favorite rider is on a Canyon, or I like Trek is more american than the others, or I want the Giant because it's the best bang for the buck. Rei selling in house brand, Cannondale, or being a Canyon service center is just fine. Budget, location, service, branding... it's all formula that's different per person.
@@ZenEndurance One of my LBS here sells and services Specialized/Giant/Cannondale. This is where I've been doing the most business lately along with online.
I reckon the shit they get is becayse they're direct-to-consumer. I went into a Trek store to pre-order a Madone SL7 and mentioned Canyon's service model and one of the guys there absolutely shit on Canyon bikes. Turns out they blew smoke up my ass and never contacted me about the bike, so I ordered from Canyon instead (2024 Aeroad SLX). Best decision I ever made because Canada and Germany has a free trade agreement and I didn't have to pay duty to import it. And the bike is amazing--no problems whatsoever.
@@CycleXplorerbs. all the highest prices bikes in my town are still flying off the shelves.
IMO, this is less about Canyon going after independent bicycle dealers and more about filling a gap they have in regards to ensuring their customers have proper service.
Yep. I have both a Canyon and a Trek. Trek will go to the Trek shop for service, Canyon will go to REI store for service. And I'll pick up whatever nicknacks or whatever while I'm there. Same as always.
@ZenEndurance I've taken my Canyon to my local Trek dealer before with no issues. Trek seems to have prioritized being agnostic when it comes to service
@@joshuahoover That's true too. What I mean is that a Trek store will be better at working on my Trek Speed Concept than a mom and pop shop that doesn't carry Trek at all and doesn't see a Trek SC all year.
We are extremely lucky to have REI !
I’d be surprised if that many people didn’t know what REI is.
Imagine you are in construction and didn’t know what Home Depot is 😮!?
Adding Canyon bikes to their line…?
Amazing!
I have a local REI in IL that has a nice bike service center. (turns into a ski service center in the winter). Not real interested in the Co-op bikes they sell but I have used them in the past for basic service and wheel truing. You get a discount if you are a REI member. Very good experience. I would not hesitate to get my Canyon worked on there. If they stocked basic Canyon parts and allowed me to sit on one before buying, that would be a total win. Feels like a good partnership for both companies.
I live near an REI and occasionally use their shop for repairs. While they’re efficient, they’re also very corporate and maintain a database of all the bikes I’ve had serviced there. One time, I brought in a set of mountain bike wheels to be set up tubeless, but the clerk insisted on knowing which bike in their system the wheels belonged to. Since I wasn’t prepared to provide that information, I found the experience frustrating and didn’t proceed with the service.
On the positive side, I once bought an electric mountain bike from REI online, and it was an absolute blast to ride. Over time, I pushed it to its limits-cracking the rear wheel, damaging the frame, and burning out the brakes. Despite all this, REI stood by the bike. They even submitted paperwork to Ghost to get me a replacement frame and rebuilt the entire bike for me. Thanks to their support, I was able to enjoy several more years on that bike before finally retiring it.
My local bike shops are either bought by Trek, the owner retired (smart), and the other is overpriced for service with ahole mechanics. That drove me to go to REI for a quote and now I have been going to REI for service in the last 4 years - great knowledgable mechanic, friendly, competitively priced. Sticking with REI for my bike maintenance and service and I do my best to shop for cycling great there as well. I understand REI has also been underperforming financially and like all other businesses looking to stay in business drive changes to the business model. I think its a good move for both REI and Canyon.
thats ana wesome story to hear, we dont have to much competition with them ebcause they are pretty far away but they look more of like a cruiser tune up center then a high end area
@@GCPerformance18backhanded again.
@@GCPerformance18 I prefer the upfront pricing model that REI has for tuneup/repairs. I used to think the same thing and there are plenty of cruisers and mtb there for service. Also see quite a few high-end road, gravel & mtb recently. I live in a dense populated area of San Fernando valley and there are at least 2 REI stores within 5 miles of each other.
I have a Canyon MTB and I already take it to REI for service. So this is amazing. REI mechanics and all employees, for that matter, are amazing, never pushy and always helpful. This makes me feel even better about owning a Canyon bike.
Only time I visit a bike shop mechanic is when I need them to use an expensive facing tool or bearing, headset tool that I don’t want to purchase
yea we got them in stock for a reason lol
This is good news for Canyon owners or those that are so remote that they would buy their bikes online no matter the brand.
I ride Trek. I like my bike shop. It's a nothingburger for me.
We just became a canyon service retail. (Here in nyc) the amount of canyon bikes that now come to us is crazy. We would see like 1-2 a week or so. The first 2 weeks we maybe saw a dozen warranty and service requirements,
no way??? that is wild, thats awesome but also what I am scared of, just crappy warranty work that is being pre priced work from canyon that is usually not worth it for the shop in the long run, but I would love to hear your experience, how much do they comp the shop per hour for work and is it difficult work?
if you pay benefits and a good wage to your mechanics, then you're not a real shop.
@@GCPerformance18you sound like a shady car dealership service manager that wants to turn covered warranty, less paying, work into not covered warranty work because it doesn't pay enough from the manufacturer.
loved the clarification "I love my kid." @2:50 haha.
lmaooo
Love Canyon, hopefully the whole industry follows them
Filling that gap with REÍ is amazing. It’s what they are missing. I had a small issue with my Canyon Grizl and they wanted me to take it to a LBS to fix. That shop was not excited. Once REÍ is open for Canyon, that issue is fixed. I also have a recall issue I need sort and will get that done now!
To believe that the local bike shop staffs fully qualified mechanics is a bit of a stretch. Some do , some don’t. And when you find a good one, hold on.
My local Trek store has a sign outside the shop that says, "We love all bikes." When I had problems with my Canyon Grizl they were super helpful, no bike shop attitude. They are glad to have my maintenance business as well as other things I get from them.
Yea I have seen that a lot, it seems like some are scared of direct to consumer, and others are just glad to have your business.
I think Canyon just let this out of the bag. I was at my local Oregon REI store about a year, and we were talking about Canyons, and the store rep told me I can have it shipped directly to them, and they will set it up for me and will maintain it. So I there was an agreement awhile back, just under wraps.
wow that would be crazy as well, I think this might affect there price of the bikes over time but I mean that will be nice as well
GC, I bought a Canyon Aeroad as my first high end road bike, but I don't have an established relationship with any bike shops in my area. I built a carbon track bike before I bought my Canyon so I have a full suite of tools. Bikes aren't inherently complicated so I do all my own repairs, if not with a bit of research--including your channel (I bookmarked the ratchet replacement vid as I plan to upgrade mine from 36 to 54T).
Yea a lot of it is fairly simple. Just the bleeding brakes or the hydraulic cable routing takes time or headset replacement. But it’s more just overwhelming then hard
I have two REIs 20 minutes from me - outside of Philadelphia. Specialized dealer? Nope. The only one by me is “by appointment only”. If REI starts carrying bikes to test ride, they’ll definitely be a force. The bike service section always seems busy with bikes getting picked up and dropped off.
yea I dont see them to have test bikes there or stocking bikes there because this would not be there business model and this would affect the employees there and tie up there time, and rei would not get any profit from this
GC: " Did CANYON just KILL Retail Bike Stores?"
FBI [Federal Bike Investigators]: "We're on the case"
hahahahah
If I'm physically closer to your store, and I'm confident in your repair skills, I'm taking my bike to you, Grant. I don't need to go out of my way, wrangle my bike past the skis and camping gear, just to have REI fix my bike.
hahahah why thank you
you sound like a high maintenance complainer. ENJOY, SMALL BIKE SHOP OWNER.
I understand having competitive bike prices is out of local bike shops' hands, but I'm not paying extra €1000 or more for a bike if I don't have to. My 2023 Canyon Spectral 29 AL 6 costs around €2700 (got it for €2150 discounted) and comes with full SRAM GX transmission, Rockshox Lyrik Select+ and Rockshox Super Deluxe Select+. A Specialized Stumpjumper 15 Alloy today is €2850 and comes with Shimano Deore M6100 transmission, Rockshox Psylo Silver fork and a X-Fusion 02 Pro RL shock.
Of course the whole chain of supply has to get their share, and retail has a much longer and more complex chain. But especially for someone that knows how to work on their own stuff (which is my case), buying direct to consumer is an obvious choice.
yea that is not a bad price you are getting alot of components similar to tother brands and the bikes are so good now that there is hard to telll the difference but these big name companies have really nice suspension setups and can be night and day when setup right like specialized having there own factory tuned shock for every bike out there
I think this is a good move for Canyon. Walking into a LBS shop with a Canyon feels kinda awkward. I bought a Canyon sent me a bike that needed a lot of work on setup. Fortunately, I had the skills to sort it out.
Long time Canyon user from Germany here. German bike shops are still living the dream of shitting on potential future customers by refusing to work on a Canyon. I understand the short sighted motivation behind it, but that's a bit like deniying climate change. You simply will die out if you're not able to adapt.
Displaying your passion and competence on YT is a good way to remain in the foodchain, who would have thought ;)
I adapted already. I invested in good tools and educated myself to be able to self service my bikes. And I'm not even the "Home Improvement" kinda guy, it's just a reaction to what was offered to me.
Not worried about GC btw., people are willing to pay for a quality product that includes good after sales service. Especially on the high end. That won't go away just because Canyon partnered with a hiking department store.
Die out? Bold prediction, considering we are utterly terrible about predicting anything. Be real, lefty.
@@Janthonyx hehe, don"t be stressed out by a comment on a biking channel. And I have no Cannondale.
yea we are always on the move and every single day we look for more way to diversify and stay relavent, there is so much competition around us because it is America and people can keep openeing stores, but we have been here for 40 years
The LBS has already been struggling mightily. Their struggles tend to increase and decrease with the fluctuating commercial real estate market.
Post 2008 crash, we saw a TON of bike shops spring up in urban areas. Then once the commercial retail market recovered, bike shops were priced out of the market and closed.
And now manufacturers are saying, "wanna deliver our stuff at point of sale and earn 10% instead of 35%?"
No thanks.
Bike shops can barely stay afloat paying their employees peanuts.
And when a shop asks to be compensated for repair work, consumers get offended.
And then customers complain the there's "no good help" these days.
Classic.
We just got an REI in SW Ohio and ill likely buy my next bike there, reason being is getting parts are pretty easy and the staff are incredibly nice. I dont dislike my local folks but we've basically got one good truly local shop left (K&G) they have to cater to exactly what their normal crowd wants which are typically mountain riders and I dont do that. Service times are WAY better with REI too, turnaround is like, a week vs 2-3 with the shop.
really?? what bike though? like a cruiser or a hybrid?
@@GCPerformance18 I test rode their house brand gravel bike and loved it. My store has a mix of gravel, road and mountain bikes.
@@GCPerformance18 No cruisers, nobody sells those around here.
Bought a couple Cannondales from REI during the height of pandemic supply chain issues, as they had the sizes i couldn’t find at LBS’s. No issues with my cheapo hardtail, but my wife’s Topstone 1 needed a ton of work to be ready to ride after picking it up. Seems from other folks they’ve had good experiences with their service center, but I’d rather take it to my LBS.
I really doubt they’ll stock any parts, but be able to coordinate warranty/service parts directly as a “one stop shop” even if that one stop means leaving your bike with them for 3 weeks.
Agreed. My early days during covid when I didn't know how to work on my own bikes I always depended on REI. Problem is the place I go to had a change of mechanics and the services started to suck really bad. If the store in your area has good mechanics then it'll be fine
REI is not a corporation. It is a co-op.
EXACTLY!
As a co-op member, this is a difference without a distinction with regard to the major point, REI has more $$$ to work with than your independent bike shop.
keep telling yourself that 🙄
and I say that as someone who was a member in the 90s. the idea of it being a co-op is intellectually insulting . it’s a corporation that charges membership fees,like costco or sam’s.
Did you forget the irony?
@@cityslacker6221it's not really like Sam's or Costco since its not a reoccurring fee. It's a one time payment and you pretty much get that back immediately with discounts
The REI in Denver has a lot of used bikes and everyday purchase things for cyclist. They also sell according to the recreational sports in the area, so tons of mountain gear. I would not consider it just a bike shop and it is more expensive than normal but a lot of people seem to go there as like a head quarters. They have a good location.
thats awesome!!! yea they seem more of like a really high end ot door store but I do not look at them for a place for a major tuneuup on an internal cables bike
Have an REI store real close to me in Chicago that I like to support. Have never used them for bike maintenance or purchased a bike. I think with Canyon REI will have much longer turn around times than my local shop around the corner and Specialized / Trek company stores in the neighborhood that will fix on the spot if they can.
Do purchase from REI as I like to support the local brick and mortar store as they have products you can see such as: backpacks / luggage, ski gear, bike gloves / bags and nutrition fuel. REI has membership with annual rebates.
very nice
Our REI shop in ohio gets a decent amount of canyon bikes already. But we definitely have to order parts when needed and wait for them.
Will say for my shop, we're legit but small. Rei does not see the shops as money makers, just a perk to drive member traffic. As such, only a couple full time mechanics are employed at a time. It's easy to go from a 2 day turnaround to 3 weeks in the summer. It's a very popular shop for the average bike in town. We'll work on any bike.
REI is very well run and owned by its members. They are in no way comparable to Sports Authority. They are an outdoors activity oriented company. They will be unlikely to screw this up. Canyon is the only bike manufacturer I would consider moving from Specialized to, not becasue of price but because people I've raced with switched and said that Canyon bikes were amazing.
yea I was trying to give an example, the one I went to was decent but the shop mechanic there didnt seem the most knowledagble but also people can always learn and be trained
I wouldn’t worry too much. I took my Specialized to official Spesh shop to get warranty part replacement. They had the part in stock, but wouldn’t do 5 min swap. They told me they had to get authorization from corporate and wait for corporate to ship part to them. Took a week. Last time I dealt with them. So I have wait for part anyways, I rather go to better shops
Makes much sense to me. They are going where people go to play outside. Particularly a younger demographic. I’ve been a long time REI member and have enjoyed a great relationship.
Only the ones who refuse to adapt, or the ones who turn their noses up at service/etc on Canyons.
it's going to be mostly not a big deal. People that want a more experienced enthusiast-focused bike shop are still going to go to a regular bike shop. REI is going to sell some good bikes just like Public Lands. The REI mechanics are fine and I'm sure they'll be hiring more mechanics. It's not "big box" like Walmart or something.
I think once they have more stores in place it should be nice for canyon customers
Great video. Interesting topic.👍😉
I was not but I would love too one day hopefully 2025 I make some trips for bike expos and everything
It’s good to see Canyon investing in the industry this way. If you have a Canyon but your LBS has no link with them and always has to order parts in etc then using REI seems like the way to go. As no shop sells Canyons then in theory it shouldn’t be an issue for other shops. I think the worry will be if other big brands go down this route and sell on line and link with one chain…time will tell but we all know that corporations are driven by profit so if this model improves their figures then it could be very problematic.
Probably completion with Decathlon, now their biggest rivals in Europe.
I wonder when decatholon will come to america
@@GCPerformance18 they already did. Then closed their two pilot US stores in 2022.
I think Canyon - REI is at best a coin toss. I own a Canyon Ultimate -- great bike! -- and am wearing an REI hoodie. Great hoodie!
So, the pluses. I think the biggest plus for Canyon is the brand awareness REI brings in the US. Canyon is still viewed in the US, I think, as something of a niche European brand.
I think REI will position Canyon in the mid market as providing a good and legitimate service base. So that's for bikes under $3000, I would think. Those buying $3k+ bikes on Canyon are mostly going to be serious riders who are comfortable setting up their own bikes and taking parts to their local bike guy to install. The key to that market, I think, it to ensure quick deliver of easily identified Canyon parts to the customer, presumably ordered online. That's not that big a deal, though, because so much of a Canyon bike is generic, eg, Shimano or SRAM groupset, DT Swiss or ZIPP wheels, etc.
To sum up, I think REI will help position Canyon as an 'American' brand from which the consumer can purchase with confidence. I am skeptical, however, that serious bicyclists are going to turn to REI for their Canyon servicing, except in those areas where a REI service center is "local' (eg, within 30-45 min drive). The high-end custom work will remain with the preeminent local bike shops like yours.
yea I dont doubt that the name rei is great to be partnered with canyon, just you have to worry about the mechanics that they hire and the work they put out because usualy a local shop gets to see the work first hand and knwos what they want, here they just have them run free and perform for less money
If REI going to be a true middleman representing the customer for warranty claims, see as big success. But have my doubts that REI will just use it as "another bike in the shop" to push service and upgrades towards the educated Canyon owner.
Canyon is not cheap as what you think. Once you owned it you’re on your own.
truth
I always say - if YOU can't be better than a big-box store when it comes to customer service you don't deserve to survive! I say the same thing about online sales (and mailorder back-in-the-day) when it comes to retail bike shops. Canyon must have figured out they need human beings to help with their online sales. Only the helpers can decide if helping them is worth it.
We never had that many issues when I was in bike retail but my angle would now be: Labor rate of $X posted on shop wall. Buy a bike from us and you pay special, discounted labor rate for service on that bike forever. Bring in bike you bought elsewhere, you pay $X, no discount since you didn't buy it from us. Customer takes choice - great price to start but no discount on labor when/if he needs service. Or buy from us and save $ over the life of the bike.
Works great ONLY if your service is top-notch, otherwise they can take it to the local place with the minimum-wage pimply-faced kid armed with adjustable wrench - meaning your posted rate of $X is worth the money because your techs are that good!
Seems like lesser known brands often offer better value these days.
Lesser known brands? You refering to Canyon?
One of the top 5 brands (considering annual revenue) with countless World Titles and World Champion riders!
@@66mikkim No I was thinking like Poseidon. In the US, Ribble isn't a big brand, but they seem to have value. There are others. Used bikes are the best value.
I ride a canyon Freeride E bike and love it. I have all the spare parts and order them in advance. I go to the bike shops to get service all the time but would never go to REI. REI is not like a normal shop.
I build and maintain my own bikes, so have never gone to a bike shop for service, but to be an authorized service center, don't they require the mechanic to have certain kind of training to be authorized?
Many Canyon riders are self sufficient regarding servicing their bike(s).
First! and yes, esp the Carlsbad Canyon Showroom in Carlsbad!
I want to make a road trip to it.
hell yea!!!!
Bike tech peaked with the release of bikes like the Specialized Venge Vias from 2019 or so. That road bike was aero and lightweight carbon, with electronic shifting and a set of TT clip-on bars that you could use to do actual Ironman triathlons with. In fact Gustav Iden used that model to win Ironman 70.3 Nice.
Unfortunately, Specialized decided to discontinue that bike, and gave us the Aethos. Which despite being lightweight, looks like a Walmart bike when compared side by side to a 2019/2020 Venge Vias. Idk about you but it seems bike tech of late has gone downhill, with wider and wider tires, unnecessarily wide downtubes (less aero), and just plain unsafe decisions like hookless wheels.
Excellent idea Canyon, REI always has simple parts (chains, cassettes, tools, grease, sealant, etc) And they are open until 9pm. Plus all thier mechanics are tained well. They even hold basic bike maintenance classes. I have used them in an emergency when no LBS could help before a race.They have a full toolbox for sure.
thats nice to know I know they pay well to
At 72yo, ordering bikes without being fitted is not a good thing. I wonder how many folks new to cycling end up on a fairly expensive bike that does not fit them. Examples, crankarm length, handlebar width, reach and drop without a horribly short stem, and do they cheat on the reach by moving the saddle forward of the optimal position?
so canyon is making it easier by able to swap handlebar width right away when they recieve it but also I think they have ability to return bike up to 30 days but to swap that bar out for a longer or shorter stem is such a pain in the ass
is hard to find good mechanics in big box stores, good luck taking your very expensive bike to big box store, unless they pay the mechanics what they deserve it will be very hard, no one wants to deal with high end bikes, high end expectations and getting payed minimun
yea thats what I was saying but from I have heard, I heard REI is pretty competitive and pays them pretty well
@@GCPerformance18 thank you bro, what is the range of a bike mechanic in your area? take care brother, sending people your way this season
Reversion to the mean. Once Canyon has added service centres, assembly services, bricks & mortar presence etc, how will their business model differ in costs?
yea makes sense, if they keep doing this there product price probably will go up, and we are already seeing companies like trek and cannondale putting out mid tier bikes right around the price of canyon, so how much is there to squeeze
THANK YOU REI and CANYON
Anyone have mobile bike shop in your areas?
Bet this will be next big direction for techs that want to have own shop but don’t have the money to start one
We have one that is certified to work on Canyon in my area
yea there are os many mobile techs and business in our area
If anyone that deeply cares for their LBS and the importance of "rider owned" should carry on as they are, buy from their local, support their local and SHUN sell direct bike entities that do little to support their customers other than through an email.
They can try, but for those of us that see through this ruse, will keep going into the local bike shop and help them stay in business.
Direct selling cuts the margins of the LBS, thus taking all the profit and not putting anything back into the high st economy.
I dont trust an rei bike mechanic as far as i can throw em, there is a competency crisis with bike mechanics. side note, my friend who works for sun and ski has to travel around the state to retrain ppl and fix mistakes the incompetent techs are regularly committing.
lmao well this is a different side to things I have had a couple rei mechanics speak up in this comments saying they are well trained lol I mgiht need to do a video
From my experience, most REI staff are extremely un-knowledgeable about bikes. This shouldn’t be a concern for Independent bicycle dealers.
thats what I have heard and seen for myself but I knwo there are ton of exceptions
Canyon Bikeshops are not everywhere especially here in Portugal 🇵🇹
yea I know
REI mechanics are solid and they sell the cheapest butyl tubes you can find
What price? We are 7.99
@ $6.95 and most local stores in my area are $8-$10
I workd at REI for two years before working at an actual bike shop asa mechanic fir an additional 7 years. REI doesn’t exactly field the most talented mechanics, so I don’t know if I would worry to much about this.
thats what I heard but also I heard they pay pretty well for being like a big box store for the mechanic position
If it’s not a grand slam in the first inning then Canyon won’t be having it.
lmao
Sorry, but I do not agree with all the hate Canyon gets. Even though they increased the prices for this season's models, their bikes are a big bang for the buck compared to other brands, and you get a pretty good bike for the money spent.
Jealousy is what. They absolutely clean up on world tours They're not bad bikes--quite the opposite.
well now we are seeing bike brands like trek and cannondale coming in with cheaper price mid tier road bikes then canyon, and you are goign to see more and more big name western brand companies goign to pre covid prices to move inventory and be more competitive
So Canyon agrees (admits) they DO need a dealer network for consumers.
Just not a dealer network who should get any money.
Interesting.
exactly, people want a networkf for support
direct to the customer is atractive as long as the bike shops are still around. as soon as no bike shops are left, they will start to increase the price and be part of the Enshittification process. they already started to increase prices and they are not anymore the worth bike to buy, they are on the expensive side now. no more cheap canyon bikes
Doesn't seem like a fair assessment that Canyon's goal is to kill the retail store. I'm not saying they might not contribute to that happening but portraying it as if it's their primary goal doesn't seem fair. They're trying to make money and deliver what consumers seemingly want in terms of bang for buck.
My local bike store recently become a Canyon authorised service centre after they moved to a bigger workshop. They're business seems to be doing better. This is in Spain maybe it's different in the states.
Your shop sounds like an exception, but local bike shops aren’t going to survive. I’ve been buying high-end bikes from a variety of different LBS for over 40 years. It’s always a disappointing experience and has continually gotten worse. Arrogant, disorganized, unprofessional, no parts inventory, bad mechanics, etc, etc. Both the big brands and LBS are bad when you’ve got a problem. They always blame the customer first with any problem. I think brands like Canyon, and RUclips, where you can easily learn how to work on bikes, will be the end for LBS who just don’t add value anymore.
thanks so much for that, I hope we are the exception but it is getting tighter no matter what, we all know this in retail that online would cause a huge fissure in the retail world, and its gonna be something we have to adapt against and see for how long it makes sense instead of just renting out the building lol
I live next to an REI. Wish I had not bought a trek now.
lmao well I am sure you got a nice bike and also the store can take care of you
Cannondale and Rapha both made the jump to REI. Didn’t do anything for either of those brands.
yea true, when I go to the rei that is down the street from me it is literally just hybrid cannondales there and cruisers
@ that is their clientele
This is what happens when local bike shops refuse to compete
"Refuse" is a strong, wrong word buddy. At least "we the people" know where you stand this Nov. 5th.
@@paulvanreesch2493you have to go with the time or just get you usp thats what superdodoe means i guess
@@paulvanreesch2493what are you saying, pal? You either believe in our market based economy or you don't.
@@paulvanreesch2493 they decide to sell overpriced shit. That's what I call refuse
I think they just wanted this ot make it easier for there consumers as well, a trusted place they can delegate warranty work to make sure there customer is taken care of
I LOVE REI, just not for cycling stuff. I prefer to be local bike shop.
Same here. We went there and the store is awesome but not a threat for the bike part
I have seen some poor reviews of Canyon, regarding warranty handling.
Yea I get messages directly to me saying this. But we always hear the bad way more then the good
@@GCPerformance18 Frankly, I don't know what the circumstances were and take it with a grain of salt. I have been doing custom tailored frames based on my CAD and blueprints for many years. Why? So they have measurements and angles that perform precisely with my physique. The budget has been lower than the big players that build to a crash test dummy.
How about you also become a Canyon service provider? Wouldn’t that bring you more customers and work into the shop?
to be honest, it wouldnt be worth it, the only people coming here would be with people with warranty issues and the prices they comp us will probablyt be pre set and not worth the time, and they will usually be last result issues to fix that other bike shops could not fix. warranty work like that is not worth it and service center work as well is never fun
I’m not a REI fan we have one near us! They are over priced and have a lousy selection!
there store looks reallyt cool and fun to walk around
Have you dealt with Canyon? Terrible. Not sure how their bikes are. I opted for a local specialize turbo comp carbon.
If their mechanics are good, this will destroy bike sales in small shops. Canyons are so much cheaper
yea I think so too but also it could hurt them by paying for this and the mechanics under performing
REI has a bunch of A-holes working their in my area in Arizona and I own a canyon spectral that I wanted to service with them and the manager was very unprofessional
wow that is never good to hear I am sorry about that
The market is creating the opportunity for Canyon due to the dramatic and unpalatable increase in pricing of race bikes over the past five years. LBS's need to feedback customer responses to the big bike brands, to help ensure their own survival. Otherwise more innovative bike brands will go direct to consumers to gain a greater price advantage, cutting the LBSs out of the market.
I mean we see companies like trek and specialized already going there while maintaining there high prices, its only a matter of time those companies say its this price in store but if you order strait to your house you get 2000 off and cut off the local bike shop
Aeroad 6.8k; SL8 5.6k
now the shop is better…the advantage is gone
yea I think you are going to see more and more ocmpanies going cheaper prices to compete for pre covid prices
that's great news! Love REI.
Me too.
What is the big deal? Canyon is finding ways to be relevant, competitive and more accessible. Everyone else has access to the same platform and business model, i actually find Canyon doing more with less
yea this is good for them, thats what I said in the video
I will never buy another Canyon bike. I have a 2022 aeroad and what a POS it is. After three trips to canyon with vibration issues. I finally stripped it and brought a pinarello F.
hell yea!!!! I am sorry to hear this but also I love hearing stories like this lol I usualy hear people loving theres
Had seriously considered a Canyon Grail until LeFraud James bought stocks in it. No more Canyon bikes for me.
lebron got the marketing touch
Love REI but no way in hell I would ever take my bike for service there
lmao good to know
Why doesn’t REI just carry their own bike line?
They do have their own bike line
they do it is called co op but more hybrid bikes and stuff for liek family shit
They killed themselves making a pressed fit bb frame
lmao wait for them to have a t47 soon lol, but I think this makes there frames lighter and also eaiser to make
Trek has already been doing this for years
yea I knwo
Here in Malaysia, Canyon isn’t moving the needle. The two best selling brands are Spesh and Polygon 😆
specialized is always strong but over here in america people love ordering online
nobody cares about the place that's like the Phillipines but worse.
@@bobjacksob I’ve read your comments across this video GC made. They are clearly signs of oversharing which is a coping mechanism for anxiety, stress, and untreated childhood trauma.
yes
yes you
Canyon has Lebron James allover their site... no thanks
hahahahha I know!!! they are a hard sell for him
Most REI STORES bike dept. Are horrible.
I have heard this from a few people