Cyclelife is Closing

[PotomacCyclist]

@hozn 95119 wrote:

Because coffee shops have “coffee” in the name, you assumed they only sold coffee…? I think if you venture into one you’ll find that most coffee shops carry other beverages (even tea — shudder!) and food. Even Starbucks has real food. It’s true that fewer on this side of the pond have beer; I trust that has more to do with our liquor laws and less to do with customer interest. But coffee and cycling are a pretty classic pairing. Rule 56.

I think the coffee thing is working for Green Lizard. As are, apparently, the spin classes they teach there. Helps them through the winter. It must be a tough business, though. That sort of thing makes a lot more sense to me than relying on selling bikes or over-priced components and accessories. The only time I buy non-trivial merchandise from a local bike store is when the merchandise has “Specialized” written on it, which means I won’t be able to find it [new] online for half the price. (I will say that Specialized’s LBS-only distribution strategy is a big support to the little LBS.) I suppose there will always be people getting their bike servicing done by an LBS; I am always shocked that there are folks that have multi-thousand-dollar bikes that have never installed a cassette.

I personally would support the sort of bike shop as romanticized by GuyC that rents work stands (and access to specialty tools that I’m unlikely to buy — like bearing presses) and sells pitchers of beer. Coffee might be nice too.

http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2014/03/20/starbucks-coffee-shop-alcoholic-beverages-wine-beer/6658379/

“Like others in the ultra-competitive restaurant world, the coffee giant plans to expand the number of domestic locations that sell alcoholic beverages. …

“What began with a single Seattle Starbucks location selling beer and wine in 2010, has slowly but methodically evolved into 26 locations. That’s about to go into hyperdrive. Within the next several years, the alcoholic beverage platform will expand to thousands of locations, spokeswoman Lisa Passé says.” (March 20, 2014)

[OneEighth]

@ShawnoftheDread 95152 wrote:

Coffee shops are more than just couches. They’re also snooty young baristas with tats and piercings that would have been rebellious and interesting 20 years ago.

My scars have better backstories than your ink?

[PotomacCyclist]

@sethpo 95132 wrote:

FIFY

I am always shocked that there are folks that have multi-thousand-dollar bikes that have never fixed a flat tire.

[PotomacCyclist]

Tomorrow is the last day of business at the store.

I stopped by there last weekend. Not much left. A few expensive bikes on display (including a pricey track bike), a limited amount of jerseys and socks, some helmets and various bike accessories. I did manage to find a Continental GP 4000 tire on sale, 50% off. 650c too, which can be hard to find these days.

(I think I’m going to switch to Gatorskins for most of the year though. People like to say that the GP 4000 is a good, versatile tire, great for racing and everyday use, but I’m not finding that to be the case. They get nicked up much more quickly than the old Vittoria non-racing tires, the ones that came with the bike. I’ll only switch to the GP 4000s for races and special events. Otherwise, I’ll use Gatorskins for the racing bike. The rest of my riding will be on the mountain bike or on CaBi.)

I had only been to the store twice before. Once, when I signed up for a free bike maintenance class, and ended up being the only person to show up. It was moderately helpful. The other, when I was doing run hill repeats up the steep streets in Georgetown, and I stopped by the store afterward to get a Clif bar or carb chews. I don’t ride through Georgetown that often, so I didn’t have many occasions to go to the store.

As for LBS’s in general, I find them useful, if they are nearby. When the Revolution Cycles City Hub store was open in Crystal City, I used to stop by every few months or so, to pick up minor items like gels, Clif bars and arm warmers. I also brought the bike in for check-ups, and a chain and cassette replacement once. I’m another person who doesn’t really enjoy doing bike maintenance. I know how to change a flat (barely) and I clean the chain on a regular basis (when I’m riding frequently), but I don’t have any interest in things like truing wheels, changing cassettes or rewiring brake cables. I bring the bike to the store for those tasks.

I do a lot of riding on CaBi, which cuts down on my need for bike maintenance a lot. If I’m not putting that many miles on my personal bikes, there’s no need for frequent maintenance. If someone would open a new bike store in Crystal City, I would go there at least a few times a year. Hudson Trail Outfitters in Pentagon Row isn’t too far away, but they are more of a camping and adventure store, even though they do carry a lot of bikes (MTB, some road and cyclocross) and they have a bike repair area. It’s more of a hassle to go to the other Arlington bike stores, let alone the stores in DC, Falls Church or Fairfax County. (I bought one of my bikes in Fairfax County because of an online deal I saw, but I’ve only been back there once. It’s too difficult for me to get out there.)

[rcannon100]

@hozn 95119 wrote:

I personally would support the sort of bike shop as romanticized by GuyC that rents work stands (and access to specialty tools that I’m unlikely to buy — like bearing presses) and sells pitchers of beer. Coffee might be nice too.

You are describing Velocity in Del Ray. Altho I think it is probably BYO…

[Vicegrip]

@ShawnoftheDread 95152 wrote:

Coffee shops are more than just couches. They’re also snooty young baristas with tats and piercings that would have been rebellious and interesting 20 years ago.

I like the confusion and hesitation I throw into snooty service people when they sense that I know what I want, know how to get it and do not give a Rats A$$ what they think.

Being older and wiser has its privileges 😎 ..And I have far more scars than tats.

[ShawnoftheDread]

@Vicegrip 97279 wrote:

I like the confusion and hesitation I throw into snooty service people when they sense that I know what I want, know how to get it and do not give a Rats A$$ what they think.

Being older and wiser has its privileges 😎 ..And I have far more scars than tats.

Ron Swanson to young Home Depot clerk: “I know more than you. Go away.”

[PotomacCyclist]

That’s a wrap. Store is now officially closed, for good (unless they extended hours today).

I wonder what they will do with any gear they couldn’t sell. Will it be similar to what you see at apartment buildings at the end of the month? Tenants who can’t sell off all of their stuff will just unload it at the garbage or recycling areas, things like sofas, stereos, tables, chairs, clothes. I haven’t seen any bikes unloaded, but maybe in this case, there might be. Ride around the Georgetown Waterfront Park and you might see a lonely triathlon or road bike hanging around…

[rcannon100]

@Vicegrip 97279 wrote:

I like the confusion and hesitation I throw into snooty service people when they sense that I know what I want, know how to get it and do not give a Rats A$$ what they think.

Being older and wiser has its privileges 😎 ..And I have far more scars than tats.

Most of these stores cater to the clueless. Unfortunately, you are not the clientele they give a Rats A$$ about. They want they rich dude, with almost no time to research and comparison shop, who walks into the shinny store and says “sell me a bike.”

[jrenaut]

I was very happy to have a good LBS yesterday when I was adjusting the seat on the Xtracycle and the bolt snapped in half. If they hadn’t been open and had a replacement, I might have had to DRIVE the kids to school this morning while I waited for a new one to ship from an online store.

I’m also really looking forward to the new collaboration between Filter Coffee and The Bike Rack in Brookland. It both sounds like a cool place AND it’s encouraging to see an LBS opening a second location, implying that the first one is doing well.

[mstone]

@jrenaut 97311 wrote:

I was very happy to have a good LBS yesterday when I was adjusting the seat on the Xtracycle and the bolt snapped in half. If they hadn’t been open and had a replacement, I might have had to DRIVE the kids to school this morning while I waited for a new one to ship from an online store.

Or the hardware store–very few bolts are bike-specific, most have a standard diameter & thread pitch.

[jrenaut]

@mstone 97323 wrote:

Or the hardware store–very few bolts are bike-specific, most have a standard diameter & thread pitch.

True, I probably could have gone to the hardware store for this particular item. But when I bent a rim on a pothole on 14th St, I was sure glad it happened three blocks from the Bike Rack.

[cyclingfool]

@rcannon100 97272 wrote:

You are describing Velocity in Del Ray. Altho I think it is probably BYO…

Fortunately it’s easy to BYO, b/c there’s a 7-11 across the street and this a block away.

[Crickey7]

It’s not necessary to be hatin’ on the recently departed CycleLife or its clientele. They made a business call that there was sufficient market strength for several very-high end shops, and they were wrong. Their client base was heavily focussed on road racers and enthusiasts with a taste for the best, most expensive bikes out there, which does not describe me. Those people certainly could buy a bike off the internet or from another LBS, but they found some value in going to a shop that catered to them, had a better selection of elite bikes to try out in person, and had a staff that was more versed in those bikes. Whenever I went there, the sales staff pretty quickly sized me up as an unlikely customer and politely ignored me (and I wasn’t offended, because I was just that), but the mechanics were kind to the venerable Bad Boy and coaxed it through several more years even as they gently suggested its time had come.

[UnknownCyclist]

C’mon, as residents in the company town of Washington, it is our professional duty to hate on all those with different opinions–or even tastes–from our own.:rolleyes:

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