Cyclelife is Closing

[rcannon100]

I have heard TED talks about how we are moving to an “experience economy.”

I think for a brick-and-mortar store to stay in business, they have to give a reason to come in the store. “Experience” is part of that. Greenbelt, your wife’s store, and I think Bikenetic, have been very good at this. These are indies that are building community – building vibe – building loyalty. I think Green Lizard is good at this too (And I think the bike store at the end of the WOD has SO MISSED THE BOAT on this). These stores – with great service – seem to be building community and loyalty through store rides and community engagement. Customers see the store not so much as a store but as a third place, as community, as tribe. Whether that is a sustainable business model, I dont know. Even the city stores like Bikespace, I think they are likewise following this same model.

I cant get over the franchise stores – walking in – having to stand in line to ask for a part – and then them not having a relatively standard part in inventory. A store should never allow a customer to walk out frustrated. And yet by marketing to the FREDS instead of to the commuters (who want parts, lots of them), they cause repeat customers to become frustrated.

Something else in Greenbelt’s comment. Cycling is up in terms of the economy. More bikes, more people cycling, more choices. So it is fascinating in an up economy ~ to see some stores struggling. Admittedly the market might be over saturated with stores. And that might be the problem cyclelife had – how many different bike stores with good reputations were within a potatoes throw of cyclelife.

[americancyclo]

@GB 94355 wrote:

Great question. I think the future LBS is really a coffee shop / bar that services bikes and showcases gear. People come for the bikes but pay for the food.

That’s exactly what CycleLife was. Coffee, Smoothies, Food, Asssos, and $10,000 Parlee Bikes.

[jrenaut]

Greenbelt – care to hypothesize about the effects of the community at Proteus? I know most shops sponsor rides, but most do not have weekly potluck dinners and stuff like that. One of the main reasons I buy from local shops is that I’m treated well there, but I get that from Bicycle Space and the Bike Rack as well as Proteus. Proteus I think does more than most shops to cultivate that community.

I’m having a hard time expressing exactly what I’m trying to get at. Maybe that in some sense Proteus already is moving beyond being just a bike shop and into a socialization center? Maybe they should try selling coffee.

[americancyclo]

@rcannon100 94372 wrote:

Admittedly the market might be over saturated with stores. And that might be the problem cyclelife had – how many different bike stores with good reputations were within a potatoes throw of cyclelife.

Their location was also not ideal. Signage was always a problem, and though there was a lot of commuter traffic that rode by the door to get to the CCT, they focused more on racing and triathletes from the beginning, looking for higher margin sales and more of a bike salon experience. They used to have bike valet where they would keep your bike, you could call ahead and have it tuned and cleaned and ready to go when you arrived at the store.

It was an interesting model, but needed a lot of revenue to sustain it.

[sethpo]

Just some speculation here but Cyclelife location probably isn’t ideal. There’s two or three other bike shops in better G-town spots but they are probably also having to pay high rent for where they are.

I’ve stopped in a few times on my way home (once to replace a cleat bolt and once to buy arm warmers when I needed them and I think I had a smoothie once there on the weekend) but I tend to go to Bike Rack DC if I need service that I can’t handle b/c they are closer to my office and open early. OPEN EARLY!! And I’ve had good experiences with their mechanics (quick, fair, friendly).

[jrenaut]

I’ve been in CycleLife a few times and had a hard time finding anyone to help me.

+1 on The Bike Rack being open early. The day I bent a rim on a pothole on 14th St, they replaced the wheel and got me to work close enough to on time that no one noticed.

[Crickey7]

I frequented Cyclelife, though only for service. The guys there were great, and I wish them well in finding employment.

My sense from the shop is that they really limited themselves to the very high end of the market and left the casual weekend and commuter rider markets untouched. Hundreds of riders pass by every day during the week, and hundreds more flock to the nearby river side park on weekends. But it had no hiker-biker shoes, no solid colored jerseys of the type commuters like, no racks of bells and tubes and inexpensive pumps that prompt impulse purchases. I once saw a $400 cycling jacket there, but it had no $50 helmets.

There is a market for high end shops, but a bike shop at this location might do better with a broader focus.

[mstone]

I go to an lbs to ride bikes before buying, and if something needs work I don’t feel like doing. I don’t generally buy stuff because they usually don’t stock stuff I want. That’s a tough business model because service alone can’t pull in enough money (people just aren’t going to pay that much–it would be cheaper to buy a new bike than pay car mechanic labor rates for bike repair). And when buying I have limited loyalty because most shops have a limited number of brands and might not sell what I’m looking for.

[Dickie]

@rcannon100 94364 wrote:

For someone to organize another happy hour there.

I organized the last one there and it wasn’t all that great, besides the 100º heat, they made no effort to provide us any specials and the food was way over priced…. so was the beer actually. I got the impression it would be a bust if I tried it again…. hell…I wouldn’t even come back a second time.

[Greenbelt]

@jrenaut 94374 wrote:

Greenbelt – care to hypothesize about the effects of the community at Proteus? I know most shops sponsor rides, but most do not have weekly potluck dinners and stuff like that. One of the main reasons I buy from local shops is that I’m treated well there, but I get that from Bicycle Space and the Bike Rack as well as Proteus. Proteus I think does more than most shops to cultivate that community.

I’m having a hard time expressing exactly what I’m trying to get at. Maybe that in some sense Proteus already is moving beyond being just a bike shop and into a socialization center? Maybe they should try selling coffee.

They have coffee actually — good coffee. But they’re not smart enough to sell it — it’s free! But there is a tip jar, which goes a long way toward feeding the mechanics actually, so it’s not guilt free I suppose.

[Harry Meatmotor]

I gotta say, I’m not surprised CLife is closing up shop. It tried a business model that appeals to folks who haven’t been in the business of retail bike shops before. Without divulging too much, I’ll just say that the shop that pays its bills to the wholesaler/distributor is the one that stays open – it’s pretty simple (but pretty difficult, too!). And that usually means embracing all customers, not just the recreational, and not just the high end, and not just the commuter crowd, and not just the tri crowd. There are definitely shops around here (definitely NOT going to name names) that keep the lights on thanks to low borrowing costs – think of it like only needing to pay the interest on your credit card while the principle keeps growing with every Cervelo RC5a you’ve got sitting on display for more than 180 days (that’s up to 3!!!! full payment cycles, even with good terms!!! which you won’t keep if the distributor sees the same bike sitting in the window after 60 days…). Sooner or later a slow season is going to put you under. This area, being quite affluent, leads to quite a bit of high end shop business churn. Shops that think its all about having full size runs of the newest top dollar toy are going to find themselves crumbling under inventory they can only move at steep discount.

Here’s a little insider’s tip – if you frequent the many “blow out” sales that most shops have, pay attention to how much stuff is there that’s super expensive and steeply discounted. If what you see is mostly $25 jerseys marked down to $18, and ugly colored shoes in size 59, that shop probably knows how to handle it’s inventory – it’s not that they’ve run a crappy blow out sale, it’s that they know how not to get stuck with a $14k bike that sat in the window for the better part of a season.

[Dickie]

I am having a hard time answering this but that might be because I am not a typical buyer. Having worked in a bike shop most of my youth I am much happier doing all the maintenance on my own bikes, which usually means I order the parts when I need them and have them shipped directly to my workshop. I generally do not bother calling around all the stores to find out they don’t stock the esoteric parts I need to then have to order them anyway. This has slowly progressed to accessories and apparel as I now know my sizes in most manufactures and the selection on-line is just so much better. However I feel more and more guilty not supporting a LBS. I have tried on occasion to only end up disappointed. Either I walk into a shop and know more than the pimple faced kid behind the counter, or I’m not elite enough to warrant someone’s attention. This changed lately when I went into Bikenetic to drop off a six-pack and say hello. I decided to ask Dirt for some help….before I knew it parts were ordered and the cost difference was marginal, plus I got to hang out with cool folks, drink a beer, and go back in a few days to pick up my gear. I think Bikenetic gets it, although I am not sure how this translates to being a profitable and healthy business.

The bike shop I worked at as a kid emphasized integrity and quality, regardless of price tier. My boss went to great lengths to stock only items he believed in and could stand behind…. which he did. He hired and trained good folks who were personable and friendly. He also sent us to training and seminars… we did our homework and knew our stuff. It didn’t matter if you were buying a custom built Zunow from Japan or a Schwinn commuter, we took care of you the same, that was our policy from day one. We did really well for a while but once competition grew and cheaper shops of the Nashbar variety popped up we were done. A year after I went off to Grad school the store closed. Bikenetic and Proteus are as close to this model as I have found, I only hope they find a better way to deal with the competition and continue to draw me away from the web.

[Greenbelt]

@jrenaut 94374 wrote:

Greenbelt – care to hypothesize about the effects of the community at Proteus? I know most shops sponsor rides, but most do not have weekly potluck dinners and stuff like that. One of the main reasons I buy from local shops is that I’m treated well there, but I get that from Bicycle Space and the Bike Rack as well as Proteus. Proteus I think does more than most shops to cultivate that community.

I’m having a hard time expressing exactly what I’m trying to get at. Maybe that in some sense Proteus already is moving beyond being just a bike shop and into a socialization center? Maybe they should try selling coffee.

A more serious answer to your good question.

I think the coffee rides and beer quests and social events are fun and all, and they do probably help cause customers to have a long-term relationship with shops. That helps provide a core of sales that can stay up even in winter or in recessions.

But the main thing that the independents are doing well I think is projecting a friendly overall vibe that tells a prospective customer some important things. If the shop staff are having fun, then they’ll probably have fun shopping there. If they shop staff don’t take themselves too seriously, then they can probably feel comfortable asking lots of questions, hanging out for a while etc.

What pays the rent for Laurie is new cyclists buying their first bike, or their first “real” or upgrade bike. New cyclists and riders who want to upgrade from occasional to commuter, or commuter to triathlete or mountain biker etc, and people who want to upgrade their fit and comfort so they can really get into cycling as a way of life rather than a once in a while thing.

Cupcake and beer rides and movie nights I think give people the feeling that they can come in overweight or underpowered, with a lousy or ill-fitting bike, or without much know-how and experience and still be taken seriously, greeted warmly, and truly welcomed and shown the ropes. I think the established cycling community takes itself a bit seriously sometimes, and a looser vibe can get more new people in the door.

[Terpfan]

I would say my LBS is probably Spokes. A lot of that is because they’re directly on my way home from work. My experience there has generally been very good, but I think that’s partially because they have seen me ride by, come in, etc. Literally to the point where they associate my bike with me. They’re a tad expensive; however they often show me what needs to be done and how to tell it’s the root of the problem. While I still probably wouldn’t do some of those replacement type changes, I like learning about them. (I’ll clean/lube my chain, change my flats, minor brake or cable adjustments, but I’m pretty bad going much past that sort of thing). That and they’ll always do minor stuff for me without charging.

I bought my latest bike at Performance. My experiences with them are mixed, but the price was good and with the double points, enabled me to get some new shoes, cleats, etc.

Otherwise, I’ve gone to Wheel & Nuts before when I lived in OT, REI once or twice, the Q Street one (forget the name) and Bicycle Space. What’s funny about the folks talking here about commuter versus the irregular Fred rider is that I almost always disclose I’m commuter up front and that my bicycle is a real primary mode of transportation. I didn’t do that when I first started riding and I would be told two week wait times for tuneups. When I started doing that, the number would almost always drop to 2 days to 4 days depending on the level of repair/parts in store and even sometimes done on the spot. So that’s why I stick with LBSes.

With that said, I continue to try to learn more and more hoping to do most of the repairs myself. I know I can also go to Velocity in Del Ray and have twice. So, time, convenience, and experience/learning. That’s my motivation.

[Supermau]

I’ve spent a lot of money at Performance in Springfield, though I bought my new bike at Spokes. The thing I like about a place like Performance is that they carry tons of accessories and they are reasonably priced. Spokes by contrast seems to have less of a selection and wants more money for what they do carry. I’m only speaking about accessories, anything but the bike itself.

When I want a thing today I’ll buy it at the LBS vs saving a few bucks online, assuming of course that I can find the thing in question locally.

I know Performance is a big chain but they’ve been pretty good to me, and the mechanics have always been very helpful with my noob questions. I took a half hour to ruin my wife’s front derailer in July, and it took those guys three minutes to make it right, free of charge. I can appreciate that.

‘

[Author]

Posts