I fall into group one. I don't gate keep or do the snob stuff. Arguably one of the biggest harms to the bike industry has been chasing after group 1's pocket books. Thank you for shedding more in sight into the industry. Another great video.
Me too, and you're right. But the one thing I do need from shops are mechanics who are able to help me maintain my bikes with stuff I can't do. I have been lucky to find a couple where I live.
@stuartdryer1352 that's the biggest thing I need. I try to give them most all the work past changing a chain. I changed my own tires because they couldn't get them. (Schwalbe Alberts).
I love the "everyday rider" approach but I'd love to see more shops also stock more fenders, racks, frame bags, baskets, quick release replacements and mini u-locks. Show people how their everyday, regular bike can also be useful and carry things around like a tiny truck. Also shops that have a winter should stock grippy pedals, gloves, studded tires, winter helmets and show people that they don't have to stop riding and they can keep their legs moving even when it gets a bit chilly out.
Freedom Rider here, and I own a Surly Midnight Special! Also a Karate Monkey and a SC Blur. But the MS is pretty much the only bike I ride since I am no longer close to any MTB trails. Funny thing about roads...there seems to always be one right at the end of my driveway! Dave and Susan are good people. They may be larval-stage Cyclists or Freedom Riders themselves, you never know! We need more folks like Dave and Susan to take up biking. All the best to you, your store, and your channel!
Great video! Work in a bike shop myself, we have the occasional “time suck” customer that talks and talks and talks 🙄. We treat everyone with respect and courtesy but sometimes it’s a challenge to get them out the door. Bike shops tend to attract “interesting” individuals. 😁
I'm a bike snob, former racer. I wouldn't even consider walking in to a 'Dave and Susan' type shop because you likely don't have anything I'm interested in. Maybe if I'm stuck for a tube and you're open and close to my home... maybe. But I'm happy there are shops out there for the Dave and Susans because then I have more time to talk the ear off my elite bike shop staff. 🤣
This comment is meant to apply to all of your videos. While your content is good, what I extra appreciate about your videos is their short form. Love that I can consume the content in a 5 min to 15 minute video. While I like BikeFarmer videos, many nights I just do not have 30 to 45 minutes to dedicate to watching 1 video on RUclips. Thank you for the shorter vids.
You have some great content and a perspective worth considering. I think you've identified a clientele that offers a real opportunity for sustainable growth. Most people just want the wind in their hair and some sunshine. Probably less than 10% are destined to become cycle needs. Make cycling accessible to the masses at a reasonable price and the sport can only grow. You're definitely on to something!
Haha I feel really called out by the "freedom rider" type. Bikes are the most important thing in my life but I don't care about carbon bikes and electronic shifting and the lightest of everything. I even ride a custom belt drive Surly Straggler as my daily driver! I'm glad you cater to the "Dave & Susan" type buyers. They're the ones who need bike shops the most.
I watched the whole video, finally. First off, I would definitely work for you if I still could. Dave and Susan are who I relate best to. Loved watching and subscribing. LOL. Please do a video of the 4 types of Characters working at a bicycle shop. Would be hilarious. Just an old PDX ex bicycle mechanic who got laid off in 2008 after 5 years of wrenching. The shops I went looking for work at were all elitists, snobs, and holier than thou. One even said that it was mandatory to do unpaid group rides promoting the shop in my off hours. I was dumbfounded at the pretentious vanity of these posers. Like they were some highly paid rocket scientist royalty looking down at me from the gates of bicycle heaven. Why they were attracted to this occupation/industry is beyond me. Many riders fall into this same group of weirdos. It's a bicycle, not a road to being a god. Brick and mortar businesses are taking a huge hit. I wish you the best.
lol @ my shop we have the burnt out cool guy who dremeled the inside of my bullhorn bars to make some bar ends fit instead of taking the sleeve of the bar ends off. After that I never took a bike into a bike shop again. Because of bike shops I had to become a legit garage mechanic 20 years ago, wheel building and all. Filled with clueless people that would get fired from Jiffy Lube. The ones that aren't clueless think they are a better rider than you cause they goof off on a carbon mountain bike all weekend, ridiculous.
The person that buys a bike at target, Amazon, then shows up for a fix, tune up. I love working on K mart specials! Then complains about the fix is more expensive than the bike.
UK Freedom rider here - built my own bike, Genesis titanium Croix de fer frame, Jones H loop bars and Rohloff hub gear, got a Son dynamo for lighting and Old Man Mountain rear carrier, 35mm Continental GP5000 All seasons tyres, it's a lovely bike for long distance rides and touring
I’m a 40 year bike shop veteran. There’s one more category which is; “I’m not a racer Lady”. Dave and Susan are the bread and butter of every bike shop. They just don’t want to admit it.
I am the "Freedom Rider" with the Surly, complete with racks and panniers, of which I fill with dumpster dived items that are sold on eBay. Doesn't get more Portlandia than that, but it's totally true. I hate that I AM that guy, just because of the optics and how people perceive such a thing, but it's just how I ended up and I try to be as least annoying as possible. The problem trying not to be annoying is that this keeps me out of the bike shop when I need to be in there. I'm in the midst of challenging myself to learn things, but I'm just not good at teaching myself. Soldering, looking at a circuit board, truing a wheel, tuning a derailleur. There is only so much time in the world.
I had the guys back in the day walk in with a performance catalogue expecting you to have everything in stock he saw in the catalogue and at a better price and then refused to pay sales tax on that item.
Gawd, how that makes me glad I'm not in the bike biz anymore! I'd add a 5th category - "Engineer Bill". This guy's well, an engineer and knows way, way more than you do, no matter how long you've been in the biz, how many miles you've ridden or anything else. He's the "cyclist" on steroids...the guy we used to joke about how fast he'd be...if only bikes could be pedaled with the jaw instead of the legs! We'd try to escort "Bill" out of the store as soon as we recognized him, especially if there were other customers around.
Ive tried working in a bike shop, it is made out to be a fun way to "make a living" ...............its not for everybody, or even mostly everybody. Unless you have inherited money like every bike shop owner around here has, except one. I know all of them and all inherited very large sums of money, some more than twice. So they can afford to own a bike shop. Its not a get rich quick scheme.
lol, don't ever talk to Engineer Bill about waxing your chain for dirty roads. He will be sure to give you a headache praising mineral oil for every situation known to man and how they would never lube a chain with wax in the field on machinery.
I'm a cross between Dave and a Freedom rider, and i do have a bike for each day of the week, and they are all a Midnight Special! Unfortunately for me, I don't have that gold one.
You forgot the fifth character, Discount Des. Des comes into the store once a year at most and always bagels staff into a discount. He has not affiliations with any of the clubs, charities or other groups the shop supports but insists hw is entitled to a big discount.
Cyclist here. I’m not mad about Dave and Susan, they do need a bike shop and they have LOTS of questions when they come to the shop I use because of the sticker shock. Whereas I am thinking “do I want the one piece cockpit and will it fit on my bike”.
I am not sure exactly who I am in that group. I am not exactly a “cyclist,” although I ride a lot. I am also not quite a Dave or Susan. I am way more nerdish than that. You mentioned a Surly Midnight Special. I don’t have one of those; but I do own an All City Zig Zag, which I largely built myself. That’s a similar vibe, but with nicer steel and a carbon fork. I do not have a bike for every day of the week. I am closing in on one for every day of the month. Well, once I get about 10 more, anyway.
I'd say you are a wannabe fixed gear rider. Just get a Wabi and ride that if you are gonna ride that Zig Zag. You might as well go full bike feel if you are gonna ride steel road bikes with light tubesets.
So it's interesting to hear that your bread and butter is the average rider. I keep seeing other shop folks on the youtubes say that the only thing that's moving for them is the high end stuff. Which says to me that the more affluent are the only ones with discretionary income right now. Or maybe it's based more on location rather than the overall economy?
Had a Dave and Susan (so I thought), an older couple. I asked what he rode, Huffy he said. We talked as they shopped. On their next visit they opened up. They were heading to France to watch the Tour, their fourth time. Turns out he had a collection of vintage Colnagosand they both rode new carbon road bikes. They became regular customers and then friends.
I've got a track bike, a dedicated touring bike, a vintage road bike, and a mountain bike retired into a town bike. Decades of experience, I order parts on line and no longer need a bike shop. Freedom rider.
I am not brave enough to let local shops work on my bikes, Ive always done it myself since very long ago. I need it done right the first time, I know what I want. I have a Carbon roadbike, a 1990 MASI roadbike, a reynolds 853/GRX gravel bike, an EMTB hardcore trailbike, an Intense Sniper light XC bike, a KTM 890R, KTM 690R enduro.........................There is no way I can be taking these bikes to shops and dropping them off. Paying 70 to 110 bucks an hour. I fully trust my own work.
I'm in Ireland so not speaking for North America and I'm not absolutely sure which segment I fit into. I got back into riding a bike about 8 years ago. I had no interest in being a roadie so it was just for the occasional ride for fun or to leave the car at home. The bike was a Christmas gift so I didn't buy it. I soon got a set of panniers from Lidl and then racks, bags and baskets for every conceivable use and then I got a couple of big trailers and suddenly my bike was a real alternative to a car. Then I decided I wanted to go "e". I just took delivery of my first e-bike at the end of July last year. I spent several months going into a lot of different bike shops in a 50 km radius checking out what was available beforehand. I'm 2 metres tall (over 6'6) and 120 kg so I knew I was going to be limited to a smaller selection of what was available and it would probably have to be a special order too. Which is exactly how it turned out to be. I wanted what I described as an all round commuter cargo bike lite workhorse (but not an actual cargo bike) and showed photos and videos of what I was doing with my existing ordinary hybrid to warrant that description. A picture really is worth a thousand words sometimes. I still regularly got directed to the e-road bike and e-mtb sections although that was absolutely what I did not want. Oddly enough for whatever reasons, there seemed to be a pretty large selection of e-road bikes in extra large frame sizes available even though I didn't want one. I rarely saw family orientated or utilitarian bikes at all in these shops apart from kids bikes. And 80% of them who said they'd look into availability for something to suit me never made contact again. They appear to be selling almost exclusively expensive road or mtb bikes for the sport and recreational market or cheap crappy pretend versions of road or mtb bikes for whatever market that is. I ended up buying from a shop that persuaded me to buy a cheaper model with a less sophisticated but more durable and cheaper to repair drive system. Although that was still €3,500! A Cube Kathmandu One. I'm happy with being persuaded now. And I had to wait several months for the manufacturer to actually make more 62 cm XL frames but that wasn't a problem. But absolutely, most bike shops are not showing they are very interested in the utilitarian or family end of the market and are missing out on attracting a market that's ready to grow rapidly with additional encouragement. A long comment and perhaps not entirely relevant but my most relevant experience from dealing with bike shops. I'm enjoying your videos since they popped up and all pretty relevant globally.
It must be tough for any bike shop today. Parts and accessories are sold online, so what used to be a steady revenue stream in the 80's and 90's is nearly gone. Bikes have gotten incredibly expensive, so middle class families that used to buy name brand bikes from bike shops are probably hard to please now. So the bike shop has to either cater to the tech bros buying a new bike every two months, or join the race to the bottom offering bikes made in China with name brand stickers on them. Or ditch sales altogether and focus on service alone. Basically become the Jiffy Lube of bikes. But I doubt most consumers want to pay $100 a year to service a bike they bought for not much more than that. My suggestion is to sell weed out of the back door to supplement your core business. That's how the fish store across the street from my college apartment did it.
Hipness can sell, the salespeople need to be hip, trendy, but not too glib. There's a balance. Manbuns can only be so prominent. Plaid flannel shirts need to be tasteful and very expensive. I dont go to bike shops.
i guess im a freedom rider. i like steel frames, mid tier groupsets like deore, mechancial discs and cantis on some frames. could care less if its a bit heavier or if some ultra spandex bro doesnt like it. i do admit it took many years to get here, spent alot of cash on flash in my younger years :(
"Freedom Rider" here but totally re;late to Dave and Susans and always try to help them out just as an experienced rider. Also being a regular at my local bike shop here for the past 40+ years, I've gotten after my pal the owner, when his staff have treated people I sent to him with that bike snob elitist crap.
A Lot of "Dave and Susan's" will put 200 miles a year on their bikes, its hard to see how they would be back to buy accessories etc but maybe they're different where you live. Lots of bikes are bought with good intentions, rarely is the weather perfect enough to ride them, its a little warm, or slightly cool, or the kids are too whiney, or the tires still flat from 6 months ago. In the time I worked at a bike shop, there was this one guy, Barry. He knew I was captive in that shop all day because I worked there......he would come in, once again very interested in a certain bike, and with more of his life story, and mostly to see how far he could push the idea of "Have to be nice to customers" Could he go over an hour bull$hitting? He would always try. Then there are the people agonizing over a 169.99 bike purchase. Giant used to sell bikes this cheap, there is zero profit in selling one. But if the shop owner has the bike put on the floor, you have to sell them. Complete waste of time and energy.
Probably 90% will. But some will become freedom riders or cyclists. If no new people enter the sport it eventually dies out. Glad there is a shop for them!
I'm a combination of 3 & 1 I need a multipurpose bike & having the better stuff is nice but not if it means over paying when something just as good but not the latest trend works just as well
Most Bicycle Shops cant afford to pay a salesperson who REALLY knows how to sell a bike, if hes that good a salesman he can be selling something else somewhere else and making more than 13.00 an hour. Same deal at Motorcycle shops, I go in, Im looking at a 16,000 motorcycle...........its obvious I know a lot more than the salesman, and all I know is the basics. Hes been there for ever, just never learned anything about selling.
@@Bonky-wonky In a big busy shop they can attract more experienced workers, but the bike industry is in a bit of a downturn. I love bikes but wouldnt want to be around them all day in selling or fixing mode.
Dave and Susan want a bike without a derailleur and that they can stand over the seat. Electra came close with the towney, but no one else has. There needs to be a push from the industry to user freindly bikes. If they can get grown overweight men into lycra anything is possible.
Imagine an industry that can pick and choose the type of customers they choose to cater to. I can’t argue that this is a real phenomenon as I quit patronizing my previous shop for just this reason. My old shop (I had been going there almost exclusively for about 3 decades) was bought out by new owners and they changed the vibe almost immediately. Instead of a welcoming atmosphere it got all upscale and elitist practically overnight. The new salespeople were snooty and condescending and since I don’t present as a typical cyclist even though I have been riding my entire life and ride daily and so I was considered persona non grata and relegated to second class citizen status. I decided to vote with my wallet and take my business elsewhere.
@@bradsanders6954 Surly is made in Taiwan and is a decent bike. All of their bikes are standard 4130 Cro Moly though which is a bit heavy. You can get a nicer tubeset for the same price from other vendors, and you get to not have all the "beer" and "fatty" branding Surly likes.
Dave and Susan will buy those bikes and ride them once or twice and their butts will hurt so bad the bikes end up hanging in their garage for the next 10 years.
Exactly. Look on local craigslist. Those cheap hybrids abound. Bikes require work to ride, there are hills, there can be wind, tires go flat, the kids dont wanna go. E Bikes on the other hand, preferably with a throttle, now that might get ridden more than 2 times a year Its a motorcycle without all the hassle. One local shop, owned by a curmudgen openly ridicules E bikes. He doesnt want the money, he likes the 1990's. E like it or not can be over half the income of a bike shop. Its about making a living.
Fail... CUSTOMER.. not consumer. New age "customer control" rather than Customer Service. You would not be my bike shop and I would not be your customer. Far too formulaic, veiled elitism and your mannerism and presentation are, in my opinion, a deterrent to purchase. Best of luck.
I would think a professional bike shop has to cater to whom ever comes thru the door. Have to be on your game and sell. Not pick and choose what you stock so much. Cannot cater to one "type". I went to the one old school style bike shop here in town, I said "can you order me any kind of good quality full suspension mt bike?" Say in the 4 to 5K area? Not exotic but not a scrapper. His answer, a quick no. He doesnt do that kind of thing. He has about 10 or 12 vintage mt bikes up on a rack, not really for sale, they are all his size. Yeah its cool. Cool to be cool. But its wasted space, hes just showing them off. Main brand is Raleigh. Utterly beige boring non de script bikes. Its why I order parts online, and do all my own work.
Like the BikeFarmer dude said: “Practical bikes for practical people.” That pays the bills.
I fall into group one. I don't gate keep or do the snob stuff. Arguably one of the biggest harms to the bike industry has been chasing after group 1's pocket books. Thank you for shedding more in sight into the industry. Another great video.
Me too, and you're right. But the one thing I do need from shops are mechanics who are able to help me maintain my bikes with stuff I can't do. I have been lucky to find a couple where I live.
@stuartdryer1352 that's the biggest thing I need. I try to give them most all the work past changing a chain. I changed my own tires because they couldn't get them. (Schwalbe Alberts).
I love the "everyday rider" approach but I'd love to see more shops also stock more fenders, racks, frame bags, baskets, quick release replacements and mini u-locks. Show people how their everyday, regular bike can also be useful and carry things around like a tiny truck. Also shops that have a winter should stock grippy pedals, gloves, studded tires, winter helmets and show people that they don't have to stop riding and they can keep their legs moving even when it gets a bit chilly out.
All that costs money. If people don't buy it, they lose a lot of money.
Freedom Rider here, and I own a Surly Midnight Special! Also a Karate Monkey and a SC Blur. But the MS is pretty much the only bike I ride since I am no longer close to any MTB trails. Funny thing about roads...there seems to always be one right at the end of my driveway! Dave and Susan are good people. They may be larval-stage Cyclists or Freedom Riders themselves, you never know! We need more folks like Dave and Susan to take up biking. All the best to you, your store, and your channel!
Let's have a vid about the types of characters found behind the counters at bike shops.
Oooh not a bad idea.
I’m a new bike shop employee, and these videos help me a lot with my mindset at work. Thanks!
Great video! Work in a bike shop myself, we have the occasional “time suck” customer that talks and talks and talks 🙄. We treat everyone with respect and courtesy but sometimes it’s a challenge to get them out the door. Bike shops tend to attract “interesting” individuals. 😁
@@robertmcfadyen9156 You see, to the outside world your now sounding like a nerd. Hopefully its a humoresque comment.
All businesses dealing with the public at large have 'interesting' individuals walk through their doors.
I'm a bike snob, former racer. I wouldn't even consider walking in to a 'Dave and Susan' type shop because you likely don't have anything I'm interested in. Maybe if I'm stuck for a tube and you're open and close to my home... maybe. But I'm happy there are shops out there for the Dave and Susans because then I have more time to talk the ear off my elite bike shop staff. 🤣
Same. Bike snob and former racer here too!!! Got back on my bike six weeks ago. Fitter than I realised.....all good 😁👍
This comment is meant to apply to all of your videos. While your content is good, what I extra appreciate about your videos is their short form. Love that I can consume the content in a 5 min to 15 minute video. While I like BikeFarmer videos, many nights I just do not have 30 to 45 minutes to dedicate to watching 1 video on RUclips. Thank you for the shorter vids.
You have some great content and a perspective worth considering. I think you've identified a clientele that offers a real opportunity for sustainable growth. Most people just want the wind in their hair and some sunshine. Probably less than 10% are destined to become cycle needs. Make cycling accessible to the masses at a reasonable price and the sport can only grow. You're definitely on to something!
Haha I feel really called out by the "freedom rider" type. Bikes are the most important thing in my life but I don't care about carbon bikes and electronic shifting and the lightest of everything.
I even ride a custom belt drive Surly Straggler as my daily driver!
I'm glad you cater to the "Dave & Susan" type buyers. They're the ones who need bike shops the most.
I watched the whole video, finally. First off, I would definitely work for you if I still could. Dave and Susan are who I relate best to. Loved watching and subscribing. LOL. Please do a video of the 4 types of Characters working at a bicycle shop. Would be hilarious. Just an old PDX ex bicycle mechanic who got laid off in 2008 after 5 years of wrenching. The shops I went looking for work at were all elitists, snobs, and holier than thou. One even said that it was mandatory to do unpaid group rides promoting the shop in my off hours. I was dumbfounded at the pretentious vanity of these posers. Like they were some highly paid rocket scientist royalty looking down at me from the gates of bicycle heaven. Why they were attracted to this occupation/industry is beyond me. Many riders fall into this same group of weirdos. It's a bicycle, not a road to being a god. Brick and mortar businesses are taking a huge hit. I wish you the best.
lol @ my shop we have the burnt out cool guy who dremeled the inside of my bullhorn bars to make some bar ends fit instead of taking the sleeve of the bar ends off. After that I never took a bike into a bike shop again. Because of bike shops I had to become a legit garage mechanic 20 years ago, wheel building and all. Filled with clueless people that would get fired from Jiffy Lube. The ones that aren't clueless think they are a better rider than you cause they goof off on a carbon mountain bike all weekend, ridiculous.
I am an old Susan with a Gazelle ebike. Ride nearly every day now and am learning more and more. It’s a fun hobby and I use my car very little now!
The person that buys a bike at target, Amazon, then shows up for a fix, tune up. I love working on K mart specials! Then complains about the fix is more expensive than the bike.
Sounds like I’m a freedom rider … go Dave and Susan!
UK Freedom rider here - built my own bike, Genesis titanium Croix de fer frame, Jones H loop bars and Rohloff hub gear, got a Son dynamo for lighting and Old Man Mountain rear carrier, 35mm Continental GP5000 All seasons tyres, it's a lovely bike for long distance rides and touring
FREEDOM rider here. GREAT video. I don’t work at a bike but I’ve definitely seen & meet these people at bike shops….LOL…
"Lol - Cranky Carl - spot on!! Yes, hard to get pleased ! Luckily there are the 3 other groups!
Thats funny, my name is Karl and I run a bike shop which sometimes make me cranky ...
😂 Freedom Rider, guilty as charged. With a fleet of ten (!) bikes, including a few folders and a fat-bike, I plead no contest. 😄
I’m a 40 year bike shop veteran. There’s one more category which is; “I’m not a racer Lady”. Dave and Susan are the bread and butter of every bike shop. They just don’t want to admit it.
What is a “racer lady?”
I am the "Freedom Rider" with the Surly, complete with racks and panniers, of which I fill with dumpster dived items that are sold on eBay. Doesn't get more Portlandia than that, but it's totally true. I hate that I AM that guy, just because of the optics and how people perceive such a thing, but it's just how I ended up and I try to be as least annoying as possible. The problem trying not to be annoying is that this keeps me out of the bike shop when I need to be in there. I'm in the midst of challenging myself to learn things, but I'm just not good at teaching myself. Soldering, looking at a circuit board, truing a wheel, tuning a derailleur. There is only so much time in the world.
I think this guy may be Bike Farmer’s long lost brother! 😂 Have you two met? I feel a bromance coming on
I had the guys back in the day walk in with a performance catalogue expecting you to have everything in stock he saw in the catalogue and at a better price and then refused to pay sales tax on that item.
I was hoping for a Charlie Berens style sketch of these customers 😂
That was perfect
So completely correct
Thanks again for another great video 😊
Mark from Maryland
Lmao, hell yeah, Cranky Carl can kick rocks!
Gawd, how that makes me glad I'm not in the bike biz anymore! I'd add a 5th category - "Engineer Bill". This guy's well, an engineer and knows way, way more than you do, no matter how long you've been in the biz, how many miles you've ridden or anything else. He's the "cyclist" on steroids...the guy we used to joke about how fast he'd be...if only bikes could be pedaled with the jaw instead of the legs! We'd try to escort "Bill" out of the store as soon as we recognized him, especially if there were other customers around.
Ive tried working in a bike shop, it is made out to be a fun way to "make a living" ...............its not for everybody, or even mostly everybody.
Unless you have inherited money like every bike shop owner around here has, except one.
I know all of them and all inherited very large sums of money, some more than twice. So they can afford to own a bike shop. Its not a get rich quick scheme.
lol, don't ever talk to Engineer Bill about waxing your chain for dirty roads. He will be sure to give you a headache praising mineral oil for every situation known to man and how they would never lube a chain with wax in the field on machinery.
I'm a cross between Dave and a Freedom rider, and i do have a bike for each day of the week, and they are all a Midnight Special!
Unfortunately for me, I don't have that gold one.
I want a “Don’t be a Cranky Carl” T shirt!
You forgot the fifth character, Discount Des. Des comes into the store once a year at most and always bagels staff into a discount. He has not affiliations with any of the clubs, charities or other groups the shop supports but insists hw is entitled to a big discount.
This was tight. A great layout of our customers. Shop looks great too!
Cyclist here. I’m not mad about Dave and Susan, they do need a bike shop and they have LOTS of questions when they come to the shop I use because of the sticker shock. Whereas I am thinking “do I want the one piece cockpit and will it fit on my bike”.
I am not sure exactly who I am in that group. I am not exactly a “cyclist,” although I ride a lot. I am also not quite a Dave or Susan. I am way more nerdish than that. You mentioned a Surly Midnight Special. I don’t have one of those; but I do own an All City Zig Zag, which I largely built myself. That’s a similar vibe, but with nicer steel and a carbon fork.
I do not have a bike for every day of the week. I am closing in on one for every day of the month. Well, once I get about 10 more, anyway.
I'd say you are a wannabe fixed gear rider. Just get a Wabi and ride that if you are gonna ride that Zig Zag. You might as well go full bike feel if you are gonna ride steel road bikes with light tubesets.
So it's interesting to hear that your bread and butter is the average rider. I keep seeing other shop folks on the youtubes say that the only thing that's moving for them is the high end stuff. Which says to me that the more affluent are the only ones with discretionary income right now. Or maybe it's based more on location rather than the overall economy?
Had a Dave and Susan (so I thought), an older couple. I asked what he rode, Huffy he said. We talked as they shopped. On their next visit they opened up. They were heading to France to watch the Tour, their fourth time. Turns out he had a collection of vintage Colnagosand they both rode new carbon road bikes. They became regular customers and then friends.
I've got a track bike, a dedicated touring bike, a vintage road bike, and a mountain bike retired into a town bike. Decades of experience, I order parts on line and no longer need a bike shop. Freedom rider.
I am not brave enough to let local shops work on my bikes, Ive always done it myself since very long ago.
I need it done right the first time, I know what I want. I have a Carbon roadbike, a 1990 MASI roadbike, a reynolds 853/GRX gravel bike, an EMTB hardcore trailbike, an Intense Sniper light XC bike, a KTM 890R, KTM 690R enduro.........................There is no way I can be taking these bikes to shops and dropping them off. Paying 70 to 110 bucks an hour.
I fully trust my own work.
I've Dave and Susaned the c&o a couple times past few years.. It's a beautiful trail
Is it wrong that all I could think was "I need one of those surly t-shirts"?
I'm in Ireland so not speaking for North America and I'm not absolutely sure which segment I fit into.
I got back into riding a bike about 8 years ago. I had no interest in being a roadie so it was just for the occasional ride for fun or to leave the car at home. The bike was a Christmas gift so I didn't buy it.
I soon got a set of panniers from Lidl and then racks, bags and baskets for every conceivable use and then I got a couple of big trailers and suddenly my bike was a real alternative to a car.
Then I decided I wanted to go "e".
I just took delivery of my first e-bike at the end of July last year. I spent several months going into a lot of different bike shops in a 50 km radius checking out what was available beforehand.
I'm 2 metres tall (over 6'6) and 120 kg so I knew I was going to be limited to a smaller selection of what was available and it would probably have to be a special order too. Which is exactly how it turned out to be.
I wanted what I described as an all round commuter cargo bike lite workhorse (but not an actual cargo bike) and showed photos and videos of what I was doing with my existing ordinary hybrid to warrant that description. A picture really is worth a thousand words sometimes.
I still regularly got directed to the e-road bike and e-mtb sections although that was absolutely what I did not want. Oddly enough for whatever reasons, there seemed to be a pretty large selection of e-road bikes in extra large frame sizes available even though I didn't want one.
I rarely saw family orientated or utilitarian bikes at all in these shops apart from kids bikes.
And 80% of them who said they'd look into availability for something to suit me never made contact again.
They appear to be selling almost exclusively expensive road or mtb bikes for the sport and recreational market or cheap crappy pretend versions of road or mtb bikes for whatever market that is.
I ended up buying from a shop that persuaded me to buy a cheaper model with a less sophisticated but more durable and cheaper to repair drive system. Although that was still €3,500! A Cube Kathmandu One.
I'm happy with being persuaded now. And I had to wait several months for the manufacturer to actually make more 62 cm XL frames but that wasn't a problem.
But absolutely, most bike shops are not showing they are very interested in the utilitarian or family end of the market and are missing out on attracting a market that's ready to grow rapidly with additional encouragement.
A long comment and perhaps not entirely relevant but my most relevant experience from dealing with bike shops.
I'm enjoying your videos since they popped up and all pretty relevant globally.
It must be tough for any bike shop today. Parts and accessories are sold online, so what used to be a steady revenue stream in the 80's and 90's is nearly gone. Bikes have gotten incredibly expensive, so middle class families that used to buy name brand bikes from bike shops are probably hard to please now. So the bike shop has to either cater to the tech bros buying a new bike every two months, or join the race to the bottom offering bikes made in China with name brand stickers on them. Or ditch sales altogether and focus on service alone. Basically become the Jiffy Lube of bikes. But I doubt most consumers want to pay $100 a year to service a bike they bought for not much more than that.
My suggestion is to sell weed out of the back door to supplement your core business. That's how the fish store across the street from my college apartment did it.
I'm not a collector of bikes. I have a few. I still want a Surley though. It's just which one.
I was just in REI flagship store in Denver. Their bike shop seems to cater to the Freedom rider, from my observation.
Hipness can sell, the salespeople need to be hip, trendy, but not too glib. There's a balance.
Manbuns can only be so prominent. Plaid flannel shirts need to be tasteful and very expensive.
I dont go to bike shops.
Damn. So many Cranky Carls..."I SOAKED MY CHAIN IN GASOLEEEEEN NOW IT MAKES A TERRIBLE SOUND...YOU SOLD ME A DEFECTIVE CHAIN!"
I'm mostly category 3 with a little bit of category 2.
i guess im a freedom rider. i like steel frames, mid tier groupsets like deore, mechancial discs and cantis on some frames. could care less if its a bit heavier or if some ultra spandex bro doesnt like it. i do admit it took many years to get here, spent alot of cash on flash in my younger years :(
My name isn't Dave or Carl so it puts me into the Freedom Rider group although I need 2 more bikes to cover the last 2 days of the week 😅
"Freedom Rider" here but totally re;late to Dave and Susans and always try to help them out just as an experienced rider. Also being a regular at my local bike shop here for the past 40+ years, I've gotten after my pal the owner, when his staff have treated people I sent to him with that bike snob elitist crap.
The fifth would have to be the tweeker that can’t get a license and won’t go back to jail.
A Lot of "Dave and Susan's" will put 200 miles a year on their bikes, its hard to see how they would be back to buy accessories etc but maybe they're different where you live.
Lots of bikes are bought with good intentions, rarely is the weather perfect enough to ride them, its a little warm, or slightly cool, or the kids are too whiney, or the tires still flat from 6 months ago.
In the time I worked at a bike shop, there was this one guy, Barry.
He knew I was captive in that shop all day because I worked there......he would come in, once again very interested in a certain bike, and with more of his life story, and mostly to see how far he could push the idea of "Have to be nice to customers" Could he go over an hour bull$hitting? He would always try.
Then there are the people agonizing over a 169.99 bike purchase. Giant used to sell bikes this cheap, there is zero profit in selling one.
But if the shop owner has the bike put on the floor, you have to sell them. Complete waste of time and energy.
Probably 90% will. But some will become freedom riders or cyclists. If no new people enter the sport it eventually dies out. Glad there is a shop for them!
I'm a combination of 3 & 1 I need a multipurpose bike & having the better stuff is nice but not if it means over paying when something just as good but not the latest trend works just as well
1:24 you mean you can’t sell them bs because they know more about bikes than most of your staff?
Most Bicycle Shops cant afford to pay a salesperson who REALLY knows how to sell a bike, if hes that good a salesman he can be selling something else somewhere else and making more than 13.00 an hour.
Same deal at Motorcycle shops, I go in, Im looking at a 16,000 motorcycle...........its obvious I know a lot more than the salesman, and all I know is the basics. Hes been there for ever, just never learned anything about selling.
@ usually it’s the bottom of the barrel that ends up working at bikeshops, which is why I avoid them like the plague.
@@Bonky-wonky In a big busy shop they can attract more experienced workers, but the bike industry is in a bit of a downturn. I love bikes but wouldnt want to be around them all day in selling or fixing mode.
I'm a cyclist and I do like talking to the owner if he is around. 😂
Dave and Susan want a bike without a derailleur and that they can stand over the seat. Electra came close with the towney, but no one else has. There needs to be a push from the industry to user freindly bikes. If they can get grown overweight men into lycra anything is possible.
Imagine an industry that can pick and choose the type of customers they choose to cater to. I can’t argue that this is a real phenomenon as I quit patronizing my previous shop for just this reason. My old shop (I had been going there almost exclusively for about 3 decades) was bought out by new owners and they changed the vibe almost immediately.
Instead of a welcoming atmosphere it got all upscale and elitist practically overnight.
The new salespeople were snooty and condescending and since I don’t present as a typical cyclist even though I have been riding my entire life and ride daily and so I was considered persona non grata and relegated to second class citizen status. I decided to vote with my wallet and take my business elsewhere.
Freedom Rider cyclist hybrid I guess. My bikes tend to look like that surly, but no way I'm using standard cro moly and heavy parts like surly does.
Surly. American made, but cheaply in China or southeast asia. They are heavy bikes.
@@bradsanders6954 Surly is made in Taiwan and is a decent bike. All of their bikes are standard 4130 Cro Moly though which is a bit heavy. You can get a nicer tubeset for the same price from other vendors, and you get to not have all the "beer" and "fatty" branding Surly likes.
looks like im the third, cool
Dave and Susan will buy those bikes and ride them once or twice and their butts will hurt so bad the bikes end up hanging in their garage for the next 10 years.
Exactly. Look on local craigslist. Those cheap hybrids abound. Bikes require work to ride, there are hills, there can be wind, tires go flat, the kids dont wanna go. E Bikes on the other hand, preferably with a throttle, now that might get ridden more than 2 times a year Its a motorcycle without all the hassle.
One local shop, owned by a curmudgen openly ridicules E bikes. He doesnt want the money, he likes the 1990's.
E like it or not can be over half the income of a bike shop. Its about making a living.
I am cranky Carl and I do all my bike shopping on Amazon because they have my prices and my sizes always in stock. Surly Rocks!
@@robertmcfadyen9156 You do that. Amazon is the best!
So I just found out. i'm a freedom rider...
Just saying if you can't tell a looky loo from a cyclist or collector you are in the wrong business.
Freedom Rider channel, Freedom Rider views.
Fail... CUSTOMER.. not consumer.
New age "customer control" rather than Customer Service.
You would not be my bike shop and I would not be your customer.
Far too formulaic, veiled elitism and your mannerism and presentation are, in my opinion, a deterrent to purchase.
Best of luck.
@jeffh ...you sound like the BikeFarmer guy who forgot to take his meds...
Thanks for the feedback, Cranky Carl!
I would think a professional bike shop has to cater to whom ever comes thru the door.
Have to be on your game and sell. Not pick and choose what you stock so much. Cannot cater to one "type".
I went to the one old school style bike shop here in town, I said "can you order me any kind of good quality full suspension mt bike?" Say in the 4 to 5K area? Not exotic but not a scrapper. His answer, a quick no.
He doesnt do that kind of thing. He has about 10 or 12 vintage mt bikes up on a rack, not really for sale, they are all his size. Yeah its cool. Cool to be cool. But its wasted space, hes just showing them off. Main brand is Raleigh.
Utterly beige boring non de script bikes. Its why I order parts online, and do all my own work.