LONG LIVE THE LBS
THE RELATIONSHIP WE HAVE WITH OUR BIKE SHOPS – IS IT LOVE? OR HATE?
CCYCLISTS HAVE A LOVE-HATE RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR LOCAL BIKE SHOPS. There’s not a week that goes by without someone moaning to us about some element of the service or sales process at their LBS. “They charged me too much.” “They didn’t have my size.” “A service costs WHAT?” “They just seemed so... aloof.” But the LBS is often where the love affair with cycling starts. That first time you walk into a bike shop – and marvel, wide- eyed, at the glistening machines and the shiny bling – leads to a lifetime your Duran Duran posters).
Bike stores are like ‘man drawers’. From the big-ticket items to the bargain bins and ‘Specials’ racks, there’s so much to inspect and discover.
Sometimes it’s enough just to walk around, and touch, and compare; to pick up a bike and feel its weight; to allow yourself to wonder about your next big purchase – and to be recognised by the shop-owner, by way of a gentle nod of acknowledgement.
But there’s also that indisputable fact: bike shops need to make money, and you’re there to spend it.
It is this relationship that we explore, via deputy editor Jonathan Ancer (‘Rules calm persuasion!).
When you find an LBS that you love, you WANT to support them. There’s nothing better than the manager giving you a little 10% off once in a while because you’re a regular, or just shooting the breeze over the latest aero helmet.
Some shops get this relationship just right. They’re there to make money, but they realise that a regular customer leads to a loyal client base, and a whole lot of good vibes and goodwill on the grapevine.
And while we understand that times are tough in an industry so battered by Nenegate, SARS wars and exchange rates, we also suggest that good, reliable service and a chance to wonder (and wander!) could well be the secret to bike shops maintaining an edge over their online competition.
I, for one, couldn’t imagine buying a bike I hadn’t swung my leg over, or missing out on the opportunity to touch and test an eTap, or just not being able to ogle stuff I can’t afford. Bike shops are more than just retail outlets; they’re like mini-shrines to our passion – long may they live and thrive! Behind Sally- Ann Creed’s name appear the letters Dip. Clin. Nutr., which mean she’s a clinical nutritionist. Recently she sent us a few packs of her new range of activated nuts and seeds. ‘Activated’ means that the nuts are soaked and then dehydrated, to remove the phytates, anti- nutrients and enzyme inhibitors that make digesting a gassy affair. In simple terms, they’re easier to digest, last longer, are crunchier, and taste… tastier. Which is why there wasn’t much left when photographer James Garaghty needed to shoot them! Available from Dis- Chem stores (in the Western Cape, for now).
Derailleurs, like priceless jewels behind glass – while the shop staff looked on disapprovingly, lest your grubby pre-pubescent fingers smudged the surface.