[Closed] Anyone not use LBSs at all, ever?

Am I missing something by not using bike shops?

Apparently, they will do anything...and I mean ANYTHING...for biscuits and cake. Never seen it first hand myself, but reading STW it appears to be a carbohydrate fuelled industry.

Jaffa Cakes are an alternative currency in the bike industry, but my saddest day was when the off license next door closed...

completly agree. I started buidling my first bike at the age of 14 (was a racing bike from the dump!) as i simply did not have the money to pay the lbs.

Then as i got the money through working I has already caught the bug and satifaction of doing it yourself. Plus, if your on the trails and it goes wrong, you know what to do!

Same as you, I have done everything on a bike accept service forks. my bike shop is a rip of. Period. The products cost double what CRC does and then the labour is so costly. I use them for desparate times when I need a certain bolt or summin but dont let them near my bike!

LOL at biscuits.

As if we can pay mortgages with them.

It's very rare for me to use lbs too (I currently work in one), but it's a fact of life that they will never be able to compete with CRC etc. I like to buy the odd thing to try to stop them disappearing.

I don't think I've ever used for services or repairs, just to buy the occasional spare part or clothing. Maybe 3 times a year.

Not for repairs - do that all myself. Same with the car, apart from big job (like cam belt).

I occasionally buy things in them, like clothes or inner tubes.

Not in the past 10 years.

Anyone not use LBSs at all, ever?

I've not made any special effort but the lbs seems to recognize me and even know my name (which is embarrassing because I can't remember all of theirs :-))

Have surprised me on a number of occasions by matching or beating online prices. They have a web store which despite having the same name and contact details is apparently not related in a business sense to the physical shop and they quite often try to undercut the webbos

Nope, have collected all the tools I need to pretty much do any bike related spannering. If I want a wheel built, I order one from JRA. Don't have any need for a LBS.

I use my excellent LBS for when I can't or don't have time to do some spannering. I don't buy stuff from LBS unless there's a sale on clothing. May pick up come consumables (muk off, stand fluid etc).
I won't ask them to price match web prices as apparently that's rude (according to people on here).

As if we can pay mortgages with them.

Not your house then, Al?

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With the exception of fork servicing and hydro disc brake set up (which I'm just crap at) I do all my own spanner work, so my parts get sourced from the cheapest supplier, each time every time.

We don't owe LBSes a living, they need to earn it - the good will (and do) thrive and the weak buck up their ideas or ship out. Most do a poor job IME, hence my self-reliance.

I never used to really as I didn't see why they were worth the extra over CRC, Wiggle etc, but now it seems that, at last, I have one of 'those' LBS's; friendly, flexible, knowledgeable and accomodating. I'm therefore using them more for the bits of stuff that I'd previously have gone online for and at some point will hopefully be putting some actual money their way (like buying a bike).

I still do most of my own fettling/bodging though.

A big shout out to Sean and Jim at Independent Bikeworks in Cirencester 🙂

I tend to use them when A) I cant be arsed to do something B) make an arse of something that i could be arsed to do. So i use them a fair bit.

I get everything from my LBS.
Mainly because they're good mates, sees me right on price, gives me free run of the workshop & will sort out any issues no worries at the drop of a hat.
I can fix most things & save a buck online. But i'm not popping into CRC to talk shit over a Guinness on friday afternoon.

Minimal from LBS. I would have spent 50 – 75% more over the last 10 years if I did.

I buy bikes second hand.
I buy parts from crc/wiggle etc. Fix everything I can myself.

Only emergency purchases, things I can’t fix such as wheel truing or when trying things on is critical but even then I might take a punt on it.

I only use them for those last minute type necessities (my last two 'urgent' purchases have both been tyres, to replace split ones, <24hrs before a biking holiday!)

Each time I've come away feeling slightly deflated and uninspired from them! Case in point - most recent purchase was from a local shop where I [b]should[/b] get 10% discount from them... The tyre came off a display wheel (which I know is good as I got the tyre I was after etc etc), AND I was charged slightly OVER RRP for it!!!!

I didn't raise a fuss as I found the whole experience impressively gaul-full and amusing (at my expense) to say the least!

Online/eBay, and my onw "biek skillz" every time!

DrP

I service my own bikes - that saves a huge amount of money.

Except for clothing, which I mostly buy from LBSs, I have no rules regarding buying from internet or high street retailers. Price is often but not always the determining factor. My LBS recently beat the big internet guys on price for a set of 2013 Ksyrium Elites. I thought that was most decent of them. I can also confirm that my LBS mechanics will readily accept biscuits in return for bike/wheel boxes.

Since it was my Dad who taught me the basics of bike repair when I was a kid, it never occurred to me to use a bike shop for repairs.

When you've done an engine transplant on your first car, fixing a bike seems trivial...

I'll use them to true wheels, then when I'm there I'll buy a couple of things or if I need something quickly.

As for forks is it better to send them off to the 'approved' service centres or would an LBS do as good good a job?

I usually discount when asked, to at least get close to competitors' prices.

It is annoying when someone pulls that out of the bag after you've spent an hour or more with them.

Often the LBS will send the forks to a 'service' centre

A lot less since the only LBS I trusted closed about a year ago. Like the OP happy to spend money on tools and change the bits myself - having them delivered to my door.

Chocolate biscuits invested whilst my LBS was still open were well spent. When I wanted some new handbuilt wheels I went to the old mechanic's new place of employment where he spent a lot of time giving me excellent advice and when I decided a good price on the wheels. Unfortunately it's a 90 minute round trip in the car so I won't be visiting quite so regularly but when I need help / advice it will be where I go.

I never use a local bike shop anymore.
my local only stock Specialized stuff which Is a brand I avoid.

I can do everything mechanical myself so order online and get the tools out.
I've never found a bike shop that offered any service or advice worth the extra they charge over the online retailers.

when it comes to clothing id rather order a few sizes online and return what I don't want via the free collect+ service.

So, those of you that do use them, apart from having them as mates (I have friends I ride and drink with already), what am I missing out on?

Running repairs to bikes tend to be things like cables (10mins, and I've never understood how people have difficulty indexing gears), pads (10mins), tyres/tubes, maybe replacing a broken chain (5mins) - with stuff like brake fluid replacement/suspension service/pivot bearings being a yearly thing that I'd rather do myself so I know how it's been done. Am I just not hard enough on my bike? Should it need more work than that? Or are the people who use LBSs the less mechanically-minded?

I don't have much money spare to indulge in impulse purchases and consequently anything I buy needs to be the best cost:quality ratio that I can get within my budget. Comparing stuff across 10 or so online retailers takes half an hour at most, whereas it's at least that to visit just one bike shop.

With reference to whether or not the LBS is used it's interesting that everyone mentions spannering, most mention parts, some mention accessories and a few mention clothing.

But NO-ONE mentions actual bikes! It's almost as if the bike/frame magically appears out of the ether and then we take on the rest, consciously deciding whether to use the LBS or not... 8)

never. there is no job that cannot be done at home, other than recharging a rear shock, and the lbs couldnt do that anyway.

crc/wiggle for everything else

I only use them when I am in hurry to get hold of something, or if I'm not in a hurry and have to order it / want to avoid postage charges / can get it cheaper than online price + delivery. I have a well stocked parts bin - much of which I bought lightly used - and use eBay to buy consumables in bulk. I am proud to be a bottom-feeder in the MTB world.

Realised very early on in my cycling career that spending the repair money on the tool for the job and doing it yourself works out much cheaper in the long run. I can now do pretty much anything except frame building, and I hope to be able to do that too within five years.

Wheelbuilding and truing wheels is a funny one - it's pretty easy if you can follow instructions and hear the pitch of the pinging of the spoke, plus the tools are cheap, yet it seems to be seen by a lot of people as a real black art.

I guess it is a longish job sometimes, but not much longer than (say) changing a chainset or something, and doesn't require stupid special tools for each type of wheel like all the different bottom bracket tools.

I've had wheels built once, because it was cheaper to buy the wheel than the individual parts, but otherwise, I'd never bother letting some random person in a bikeshop make me a wheel.

@joemarshall - wheelbuilding requires patience and methodology, but is by no means difficult and can often be time-consuming if you don't do it regularly. My preference is to buy the wheel built and then check the tensioning and stress relief myself before riding it.

I suppose it all depends on how much repairing you want to do yourself. Is it sensible to buy all the frame reaming, threading and facing tools to prep frames yourself? Probably not - they cost thousands. Equally, if you only need one wheel, is it worth investing the time to get good at wheelbuilding?

On the other hand, if you like messing about with bikes, why not do it all yourself? That's how I got into it.

As a similar example, my dad plays the oboe - he used to buy oboe reeds, which was fine, but now he's invested in the (extremely expensive) kit to make his own. He'll never make enough reeds to make his money back, but he likes pottering at his workbench, so it was money well spent.

I'm actually going just a bit further than not using LBSs. I'm virtually becoming one.
There's at least one person that brings their bikes to me regularly for servicing and repairs. I've built wheels, serviced forks and shocks, and fitted pretty much anything for someone at some point.
I don't take money for it though, but I have been paid in beer, parts and tools. 🙂

Equally, if you only need one wheel, is it worth investing the time to get good at wheelbuilding?

It doesn't happen like that. The first time I buckled a wheel I paid £10 to get it trued. That was the first and last time I ever paid. I read an MBUK article that explained how to do it, so I taught myself to true wheels. Then I decided that it wouldn't be much harder to build one from scratch, so £9 later I had the Wheelpro book and then I bought a cheap wheel jig. The rest, as they say, is history. 🙂

If there's a job I don't have the time or knowledge for (wheelbuilding, say) I use a mobile mechanic. My LBS made such a hash of repairing a disc brake, I just learnt to do it myself. I recently did my first suspension fork service (new seals and oil), it's really not hard if you're careful and use the right tools.

it's fine till you need some small part from Madison (can only be got through shop). then you have to go in to LBS and feel bad you're only spending £2. or for some bolts. really it takes the piss. mine was even giving me discounts when they saw me just because they know i internet shop and won't pay RRP.

but even their discounts aren't enough.

yes i am similar, don't generally need the lbs. until i do, about once a year. if only some way to support them without spending money there... tbf this shop never has what i want, there's one a bit further that's cool and doesn't seem bothered i just want a [url= ]mavic valve adapter[/url]. maybe should go there more 🙂

Seems to be a theme running in a couple of threads just now. The lbs may not be the cheapest or the quickest
But there is a lot more they do from supporting riders to putting on local events and having a focal point for riders to meet. I for my sins work at the most hated bike chain on this forum and as such appreciate a good lbs and support them as much as l can

The only possible advantage my LBS has is the ability to put the part into my hand on the spot. They charge RRP, but that's fine on basic stuff if they have what I need there and then.

But they only keep a small stock of basic stuff - last time I popped in, they had the XT version of a common part, but not the deore.

Fine, they could order it in, but at that point I'm not only paying more than I need to but also having to make a trip back to pick it up.

Sometimes get the occasional impulse buy, I think an iphone holder was the last item, maybe some bar tape.

Also occasionaly use them for repairs usually due to CBA rather than need the last time it was to bleed some brakes.

Thats pretty rare though, in fact friends often bring their bikes to me for repair but I charge in wine not biscuits.

I have bought my last few bike through them and value one local shop Thomas Ipswich, who allow test rides and my mind has been changed so many times post a test ride I cant imagine now buying a bike un ridden.

pretty rare i use my LBS - even then its for small items - water bottle, puncture repair kit, the odd tube etc. i proberly go in there once a month for a look about, but i'd say i only buy stuff once evry three months or so.

I rarely use my LBS's these days, and then it's only as an emergency fallback position if I need something urgently.

Other than that I shop online & do all my own fettling (other than wheel building and shock servicing).

It seems most 'proper'/serious cyclists do most of their own repairs and what-not, so I assume LBS's get most of their custom from 'newbies' and people who ride a bike more out of necessity than choice & are therefore less inclined to fix & service it themselves.

Without wishing to sound like a pompous arse, (Which more or less guarantees I am about to), having worked in retail, the motor trade and latterly the last 12 years in B2B commercial functions, I can only describe the bike industry as a slop bucket when it comes to customer service.

Granted, there are notable exceptions, but they're still at the top of a poor industry.

At the large scale end of things, CRC, Merlin, Evans etc are as you would expect: Great lead times, heavy discounting so long as what you want isn't out of the ordinary.

LBS wise, some are very good indeed (The Bike Tree in Sheffield, 18 Bikes in Hope) and will drop everything to help you if you're mid ride. However, at a lot of their competitors I encounter disinterested sales staff, grumpy workshop staff who seem to think its okay to drop the odd badly hidden insult into discussions and a generally arrogant unhelpful attitude; J E James are shocking in these areas, I've come out of that shop on a number of occasions thinking I've inconvenienced them in some way by wanting to spend money.

God knows how much I've spent on bikes, components etc over the past few years (moving house at the moment and I can't work out how I've ended up with six wheel sets across 3 bikes and a small mountain of lightly used tyres :/ ) but given the time/money again with what I have learned I'd gladly spend it in different places.

Whilst I admire anyone who starts their own business, and wish them well, ultimately I work bloody hard for my income and if I come out of a transaction feeling pissed off, then I will not go there again, regardless of whether its an independent shop or not. Hence, CRC tend to get a lot of business as it's half the price and half the grief a lot of the time.

Generally I don't, although now and again I pop into city centre bike shops near where I work.

I use Birmingham Bike Foundry as I'm a member of the tool club and so go there to use the work shop. I have bought the odd few bits and pieces from them when I have been working on the bike and realised I didn't have a bolt or spacer or something similar to that.

My view of local shops has been tainted a couple of times from when I have needed a rear mech in a hurry and having phoned up 5 or 6 of them none have had a 10 speed SLX or XT in stock... hardly an exotic bit of kit.

I don't bother. I do all my own maintenance and buy stuff second hand though the likes of STW forums or use the online retailers like CRC, Wiggle and more recently Rose Bikes.

My local shops aren't up to much, take longer to get stuff and cost more. I don't really see the incentive personally. I also find it odd that people are so protective of bike shops but I doubt they'd put up with the kind of service most offer if they were buying a TV.

I do however have an element if sympathy for bike shops; the industry itself is making it almost impossible to keep a reasonable range of stock. Look at Sram's ridiculous amount if disc brakes on offer, even Hope seem to have a lot more models than previously. How can you keep enough stuff in stock to please a wide range of customers? This is pretty important with higher end stuff of which people have specific favourite brands etc. This still doesn't excuse having rude, ignorant staff who don't know their bums from their elbows (I called one shop after some older M4 pads, the one's with 4 individual pads and was told that there was never such a brake!).

Only use mine for things where the postage would make it cheaper to buy local, so not much. But I know a fair few cyclists that struggle with choosing a new inner tube. Lots of people just don't even own a set of screwdrivers never mind Allen keys or crank extractors, and have no desire to.

In the long run the money for tools and pointless upgrades is probably equivalent to paying RRP and labour charges. The time I spend learning about & fitting they spend doing something they enjoy, probably riding 😕

Each to their own.

No, like the OP I do all my own work. I assume jobs will need doing more than once so I buy the tools first time round.
I do struggle to understand why people find bike mechanics so hard or time consuming.
It's generally a few nuts and bolts and a bit of hydraulics, not exactly rocket science.
As for time consuming? fix bike in garage, done. Or book in with shop, take to shop, leave bike at shop, go back to shop when it's ready pay a fair few bob and take bike home.
It does help that I keep some spares as I know some bits will wear out. And because I know the other bits wont last forever I get them before they break.
Example, my front mech smashed last week during a night ride. I finished the ride, put an old used one on, fitted a brand new cable and the bike was ready to roll the next morning.
Simple things like seating a tyre need to be sorted, if you can't do it in a garage then you won't manage it on the trail, and thus it's not fit for purpose.

Pretty much the same as everyone else here - home maintainance as it's cheaper, quicker, and the work end up being done much better than giving a bike to a shop to get it done. I've had brakes bled from the wrong end hence it took them 4 attempts to get them semi-OK (many moons ago, and that was from a bike shop in Taiwan - it's not just here!) and a bike returned (from Evans cycles) with only one wheel retensioned & trued when I asked for both, that required a 15 minute "discussion" with the manager before he finally conceded to check with the mechanic and found that they'd forgotten to true one wheel.

Another recent experience of trying to get a pair of Crest 29er rims finished off because I was too busy with work to spend the time on them - in the end it was quicker to JFDI...

As for parts, I've very rarely been into a bike shop and been able to buy the actual part I want - it ends up being the closest thing that they have in stock to that, and then to get charged full retail for the priveledge means I usually end up feeling a little short changed.

There can be some useful advice to be found in bike shops, but compared to the advice that can be found by talking to biking mates, and also from the STW forums it's generally rather lacking and biased towards whatever the shop happen to sell.

Sorry bike shop owners, but it's not all bad, there are some great ones out there - Rayment Cycles in Brighton being right at the top of the list, helpful, friendly and if only it was more convenient to actually get there I'd be in weekly (and significantly poorer) !

For fixing/building stuff, I'd rather do it myself. I like to learn to do it, how bikes work, and it makes me satisfied that I know how it was fitted. If it was done wrong it's also my fault 😀

Demos, I'm all for the LBS for that. Proper local independent shops near trails run by guys who love to ride. They may even get my business on buying the bike.

Buying components - I've generally bought online, but I'm getting incredibly frustrated by online shopping for bike stuff.

A mainstream warehouse shop like CRC is okay if they have what you want as at least what they quote in stock is actually in stock, though they're not speedy.

Generally I find online stuff for bike bits to be slow despite "same day shipping" and "next day delivery" for in stock stuff. I have to order Sunday/Monday to have a slight hope of getting the stuff by Friday to hope to ride by the weekend.

And then I've been getting problems with places that don't hold much stock, which is almost all the rest of the online shops other than the big mainstream ones. They just quote in-stock what they believe they can get from the supplier and I've been hit with loads of incidents where it turns out they don't have it after all (but have taken my money). They can be difficult to contact to find out what's going on, whereas an LBS can contact the supplier and let you know, and maybe get the stuff in quicker if the supplier has it. Anything actually in stock at the LBS can even be got same day.

Of course I'm still talking about the proper enthusiastic local independent LBS for parts though, not chains staffed by PCWorld rejects and brainless kids who don't know a wheel from a saddle. Those often will only do what their computer lets them do anyway and can't give practical advice.

What's needed is for online bike shops or suppliers to become as efficient as Amazon are with DVDs. Loads of stock, and if I order a DVD tonight it would probably arrive tomorrow!

I use my lbs all the time. Because well I need service, about what thing to buy for my riding. Because I like to try on clothes to see if they fit, because they taught me how to ride properly, because they organise rides, becasue they will do their best to help me when needed (last time I neede a service to my rear shock they lend me one so I could keep on riding) and so on and so on.

Going in to my LBS just for a look once in a while contributed to my willpower in getting over some serious health issues a couple of years back. Being treated like I was a fellow bicycle enthusiast instead of the increasingly fat, injured lump I was becoming, gave me the encouragement to get back on my bike and just start riding again.

For that reason alone, I stopped worrying so much about price, and just started thinking about the real service I benefit from.

and also from the STW forums

ROFLMAO, you're joking right, most people on here cna't ride for a shitting monkey and can barely change a tube.

I love mine, so much I just give them money for existing. Whenever I walk past I'm happy to post a £10 note through the door.

and also from the STW forums

ROFLMAO, you're joking right, most people on here cna't ride for a shitting monkey and can barely change a tube.

I think you're doing a major disservice to the forum there. Sure there is some nonesense dispensed as well, but every time I've asked sensible questions, I've recieved a whole load a sensible replies, representing a range of opinions (it's quite easy to sort the wheat from the chaff etc etc). This ranges from everything to very location specific advice about where to get very specific rims tensioned to advice on puncture-proofing pram wheels!

I love mine, so much I just give them money for existing. Whenever I walk past I'm happy to post a £10 note through the door.

You might think this is mad, but several customers of mine have tabs - they bring in bikes for me to sell for them, and whatever it sells for goes on the tab and they decide how to spend the money later. One customer has got over £4700 on his tab, waiting for him to decide what he wants to spend it on.

Tell him I'll sell him this for £4700.

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Any bike mechanic would have your children for that 🙂

No not really but I did get all my rental bikes from a LBS... I also bought my Remedy locally, but via a car dealership (Trek dealers in Spain for some reason are in car showrooms). I don't think I'd buy a bike online. I had them build a few wheels, until I learned how to do that

Reasons
Price - I go through loads of kit and running a business every sheckle counts. Tube latex, tubes and tubeless kit (my most frequent purchases) is double the price in the LBS

Supply - The LBS here in Spain mostly cater to XC. So difficult to find a Maxxis Minion or HRer when I need one, so I order 10 a time online. Ask about a 150mm fork and they think you're raving mad.

Time - I haven't got the time to go here and there to get stuff, better for me if I just collect it at the post office.

Alternatives - So I'm looking for a new set of pedals (for example) in the LBS I'm stuck with what they push at me. Online I can check out different products at different prices, usually with some kind of user review.

These days I think the LBS is a tricky business model, not sure how viable most of them are TBH because they don't add any value for the extra cost.

I used to buy everything online but now mostly buy stuff through my LBS The bike chain in Edinburgh or people like LoCo on here. Its much nicer to have a person to deal with than a website, and if anything ever goes wrong with my crazily expensive pile of alu tubes, I'll be able to go to them instead of posting chain reaction moan emails on here.

Do all my own maintenance/building except headset pressing and rear shock servicing though.

Maybe a way forward would be to have a co op type workshop, where communal knowledge comes together with a free cycle arrangement. A couple of mechanics could be employed out of subscriptions.

I fix friends and family bikes for some beers, I hate to see them ripped off.

If something needs repairing, I throw cable ties at it until it's fixed. I'm about 50/50 between LBS and internet.

If the bike shop that built my bike was on my doorstep I would use them. Anyone who lives nr Brighton should support Freedom Bikes. The guy who actually built it up was so enthusiastic, he offered advice(which I needed) he seemed genuinely happy to do the work and this sort of attitude is infectious.

I don't get that sort of feeling from my LBS so I am trying to learn how to do stuff myself. I agree with fizzicist, make an effort, do something different, go the extra mile and you will succeed in most things.

I try and shop locally.

Having had P***Poor experiences with Superstar - like having a shop but never opening it then blaming the customer for not coming when it's open.

CRC/Wiggle advertising what doesn't exist - discounting the 1 stupid size to get you in etc. There cheap prices are only that good if they have what you want on sale.

Rose etc. Slight objection to funneling cash/tax overseas these days (when I was in the UK)

LBS were not always the cheapest but would try. Generally get offered free fitting which was good as one was at a trail head so meant they would fit and fettle while I got changed.

Now in Oz stuff is more expensive but the LBS tries and asks what the internet price is (bare in mind CRC/Wiggle do free shipping and it's tax free) and will try and get close. The missus bought a complete bike from them at a VERY competitive price.

I wont press a headset into a Carbon frame and dont have facing tools so thats 2 jobs they always have. I do a lot myself and make no bones about buying fluids from the motorbike shop etc. However I still go back to the LBS.

My experience of bike hops is mostly the opposite of what comes out here. Helpful, friendly and reasonably priced. However I think I have chilled out in recent years and understand that these are small businesses that are trying to balance having staff vs costs. Some need a kick up the arse but the rest need supporting.

I really like bike shops, and deliberately seek them out to visit when we go places. They might not be paragons of customer service, they might be more expensive than the web, they may have a few grumps or less than knowledgable staff, but I like them.

Shops of note:
MK Cycles in Bolton, been going there for 10 years or so, and think its one of the best shops ever. It's a 35 mile round trip, but I think its worth it.
DC cycles in Ulverston, another great shop, but more like a 150 mile round trip, I go when I visit my mum.
Surosa Cycles in Oldham, always been worth a trip.

Biggest and most wondrous shop is VanEyckSport in Aalst, Belgium, but that's getting on for 1000 mile round trip.

Bike shops rock.

I for my sins work at the most hated bike chain on this forum

Of the 3 local shops that sell mountain bike stuff I vary rarely even go in when I do it's just to browse
One is hopeless once tried to tell me they would struggle to press a Chris king headset into my frame 'as they are always troublesome' clearly had me down as an all the gear no idea kind of person that would pay over the odds for a simple task. I told them in no uncertain terms where to go went home and made myself a headset press for about £4
Same shop has a big sign (I mean bigger than the one that says open, it's quite imposing and off putting in its prominence) saying they won't let people use their tools (fair enough I wouldn't either but then in bigger letters 'this is due to health and safety reasons' (again maybe ok but no need to really emphasise it so much, they will however repair your punture etc, it says, for a 'minimum cost on application, and at your own risk' wtf does that mean?
The other two a large independent and a chain are both just bland full of red and white Specailised treks etc
wanted a tyre from one today 20 tyres on display 12 of them where various iterations of a High Roller, 4 other Maxxis and 4 Specialised, nothing else
Nope only one I use occasionally is actually much more road orientated but much friendlier and will always help you out with those odd size bolts or little problems you can't do at home
Having said that the smaller more specialist 'rider owned' ones like 18 are very helpful and I will end up buying on impulse from them if I call in after riding in the area, I wouldn't class them as my LBS though (sadly)

Emergency tubes or cables was all I used my LBS for when they were still going, once in a blue moon, then they went bust, now I have a stockpile of cheap tubes from Tesco of all places, and buy extra cables with my online orders now and then, CRC/ebay/classifieds get the majority of my money...

I can tackle any job I need to, I've built a fair few wheels, serviced forks and just about everything else, none of it is rocket science TBH...

Having said that I think there is and still should be a place for good small independent bicycle shops not everyone who is into cycling is into the mechanics of it all, and smaller shops have the ability to tailor themselves; their services and products better to suit the local market needs better then a major chain store might IMO...

But its not an easy business and I'm sure people get out of their depth and disenchanted with it all too easily... Hence some poor LBSes...

Haven't been in an LBS for at least 7 months.

Total disinterest from them when I asked about a bike (expensive) and possible test ride + £5 more for a couple of gear cables than I could have bought them for online, ensured I won't be going back in a hurry.

There's at least one person that brings their bikes to me regularly for servicing and repairs

I seem to have become the mechanic for our local triathlon club, and I dont even do triathlons 🙄 Other half is a member of the club, and most of them are new to bikes and dont know how to do basic stuff. I enjoy tinkering (to the point all our bikes are fettled) and at the risk of taking food from babies mouths wouldn't like to see them brutally overcharged for 20seconds cable tweaking to get gears set up.
Having been given bottles of wine I've had to expressly tell people I am happy to help that I would only do it if they [i]didnt[/i] turn up with something. If I do it whilst they wait I talk them through it.

Only time I've used mine is for stuff I wouldnt/couldnt wait for (I bought the fork oil they had assigned for their own workshop as I had 3 forks lined up to service pre-alps trip and nowhere else had the right weight).

I thought the "impulse buy" thread was enlightening as there are so many anti-LBS threads I was beginning to think no one used them, but obviously those that do keep them going by going in for a tube and coming out with a bike...

I hate to see them ripped off.

So someone aksing money for his labour is a ripp off for you... Hummm, do you work for free?

In the long run the money for tools and pointless upgrades is probably equivalent to paying RRP and labour charges. The time I spend learning about & fitting they spend doing something they enjoy, probably riding

Noopooo! No even close. My 'long run' is 20+ years. And a lot of bike tools are just general stuff I use time and time again elsewhere. Allen keys, cable cutters etc. I spent £70 on a wheel jig which has been used loads of times for truing and I've probably built 10 wheels on it. I reckon that's paid for itself 3 times over by now. HT2 BB tools, £15 worth, used dozens of times, that sort of stuff

Then there's the incidental costs in time and fuel to get to a shop, and the convenience of it. I once smashed a rear hub up on a Sunday, and I was riding Tuesday evening too. At home I had an old but usable hub, a selection of used spokes and a wheel jig........
There's no way I could have even got to a shop on the Monday to buy a new wheel, which would have cost a fortune. That lash up wheel of old parts lasted over a year, too!

Plus, I genuinely enjoy working on bikes at least as much as riding them. 🙂

That said I do TOTALLY understand why some people cannot or will not do it themselves. Something which is to me blindingly obvious and takes 20 seconds to do some people just cannot grasp. Try explaining to someone who has no idea how to adjust a rear mech. Just explaining the concept of what turning an adjuster actually does is tricky, never mind understanding it.
Some people have neither the time or the inclination to do it themselves. I one fitted a bathroom. I HATED it and swore that I'd never do it again. So the next time we paid someone to do it. Kitchens however, I don't mind!

But if someone wants me to fix their bike I'll do so gladly and show them how to do it as well 🙂

Can't see anyone who actually does use them for all their servicing and repairs posting up a big 'Yes' on this thread to be fair! 😀

Oops didn't mean to send that, hadn't finished!

As per a lot of other people, I use them for Fox Forx servicing really. And sometimes wheel truing if my home efforts just aren't working.

I do still love visiting them though, Leisure Lakes Cheltenham mainly if I'm over that way. I still get that warm fuzzy feeling when I walk in and see so many shiny new bikes lined up. Plus its very rare that I walk out empty handed, even if its just some chain oil or tubes.

Hang on, going back to my first reply on this thread, what I mean is 'Cant see anyone who actually does use them for all their servicing and repairs joining in this thread and extolling the virtues of firing indiscriminate amounts of cash for minor jobs etc'

Fail. I'll get my coat

Beleive it or not I do a lot of my own maintenace, ohhh yes I do, I've just built up a new bike and happy that it's all still in one piece but needed wheels truing etc.

So happy to do maintenane and builds when I have the time.

Also happy to pay for LBS to do stuff when I don't have time to do it.

So I'd say 70/30 (where 30 is LBS related)

Hang on, going back to my first reply on this thread, what I mean is 'Cant see anyone who actually does use them for all their servicing and repairs joining in this thread and extolling the virtues of firing indiscriminate amounts of cash for minor jobs etc'

Didn't you know, everyone on STW is an expert IT consultant, hardcore mountain bike rider, averages over 25mph on the road, climbs E5 on sight, is a professional level chef, bike and car mechanic, and does all their own plumbing, electrics, joinery and building work.

😆 I read a lot more than I post on here, but that certainly would appear to be the case!

E5 think I'm lucky to get vs these days and only with bolts

Also have a fully equipped workshop, including fork servicing and wheel building.

What is even better is that I do my mate's bikes.

I just couldn't get the service with my LBS. Had numerous problems with hand built wheels costing £100s over the years, BB and headsets and then I though *uck it, buy the kit, do your own. Guess what? No more problems.

I only use them for truing/building wheels as I'm crap at doing that myself.

Didn't you know, everyone on STW is an expert IT consultant, hardcore mountain bike rider, averages over 25mph on the road, climbs E5 on sight, is a professional level chef, bike and car mechanic, and does all their own plumbing, electrics, joinery and building work.