I Went To A LBS Today.....

mtnbikej

mtnbikej

J-Zilla
I am in need of a new back tire for the SS.

I am a Maxxis guy. I know exactly what to expect with a TR/EXO Maxxis tire. I ordered a Crossmark II from Jenson about 2 weeks ago, with a ship date of 1-2 Weeks. Well I got an email saying that they did not have a Firm ETA on the ship date.

So I have been wanted to try out a Bontrager XR2. Only problem is, you either have to go to a Trek dealer or buy it online from Trek. Well, they are out of stock on the website, but it says to check with your local dealer. So today I did just that.

Around here, Trek dealer means Jax. There are 6-7 of them around here.

Walked into one of the stores today and walked up to their "tire wall". The selection was incredible. They had a total of 3 29er tires....and of course none of the tire I was looking for. Thing that really sucked is that they didn't have any other tire manuf'ers.....no Maxxis, no Schwalbe, no Kenda. It was all Bontrager.

I asked the sales guy if this was all they had, he said he might have some more in an order, but wasn't really much help.

Don't think this was a 29er issue....the number of mountain tires was tiny, 26 & 27.5 included. Same went for road and CX tires.

C'mon Trek....if you are gonna make your Brand Stores sell only your product....they need to have the product on hand. Solved the tire dilemma for me....I came home and ordered a Maxxis Ardent Race from Backcountry. I'll have it in 2 days.

Sorry just ranting away.
 
Never bought anything from Jax but my brother in law bought a Trek HT from them and they nickel and dimed him on adjustments that other shops usually do for free if you buy a complete bike from them. I think they charged him for some lame warranty that wasn’t even the equivalent of what Rock n Road gave me on my HT I bought back in 2012, they gave me free minor adjustments for life.. I forget the exact terms but I remember being thrown back when he told me about it, he barely rides anymore and I think the LBS was partly to blame for the sour taste in his mouth.
 
mtnbikej said:
I am in need of a new back tire for the SS.
So I have been wanted to try out a Bontrager XR2. Only problem is, you either have to go to a Trek dealer or buy it online from Trek. Well, they are out of stock on the website, but it says to check with your local dealer. So today I did just that.

Around here, Trek dealer means Jax. There are 6-7 of them around here.
Click to expand...

It's a little late now since you've already ordered a tire, but I ran the Bontrager XR2 29x 2.35 for a couple years and always got it from The Path. Sometimes it was in stock, and sometimes I had to place an order. I know things are always changing with the big brands and which shops are allowed to carry what, so it might be different now and I don't remember if I've seen any the last few times I've been in. Looking at my Strava gear history, it looks like the last one I bought there was early 2016.

FWIW, I really like the XR2 on the back of my Tallboy LTc. I liked the combination of good volume, small knobs, and light weight. It felt like it rolled pretty fast to me and had pretty good grip for a small knob tire. I only went away from it to try out the Minion SS. The cornering is obviously better with the Minion SS, but it doesn't have nearly the volume and it's quite a bit heavier (XR2 675g vs SS 807g).
 
I guess I'm glad I didn't go looking for the Bontrager in store. I got excited about the specs when @DangerDirtyD was talking it up, but it's sold out everywhere...

In the mean time, I pulled the Racing Ralph 2.35 and replaced it with a 2.25 that I had on the wall... Not a permanent solution, but it has some knobs, which is an improvement.
 
I went to my LBS to pickup the parts I ordered to build a new(to me) hardtail!!!
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I really don't like the concept store model. It takes away from the character of the lbs and turns the shop into a well-branded convenience store.
Take the shop where I work, for example.
We have no less than 8 brands of mtb tires on the wall. We don't have all the sizes all the time, "We can order those for you", but I bet I can save your weekend ride...
 
Faust29 said:
I guess I'm glad I didn't go looking for the Bontrager in store. I got excited about the specs when @DangerDirtyD was talking it up, but it's sold out everywhere...

In the mean time, I pulled the Racing Ralph 2.35 and replaced it with a 2.25 that I had on the wall... Not a permanent solution, but it has some knobs, which is an improvement.
Click to expand...
http://cycleryusa.com/m/product/bontrager-xr2-team-issue-tlr-tire-178795-1.htm

If you call Rancho Cucamonga and tell them Dio referred you, either you get a discount or they hang up on you.

If you call Riverside, ask to speak with Jumpin' Jim.
 
rossage said:
I really don't like the concept store model. It takes away from the character of the lbs and turns the shop into a well-branded convenience store.
Take the shop where I work, for example.
We have no less than 8 brands of mtb tires on the wall. We don't have all the sizes all the time, "We can order those for you", but I bet I can save your weekend ride...
Click to expand...
You still at that shop in SGV? I've got a cog stuck on a track wheel. I think whoever built it may have used something other than loctite-or worse.
 
I grew up with JAX being a one location tiny armpit shop in Long Beach. The expansions have not served their rep very. At one point in the late nineties they had legit Santa Cruz bikes and specialized at the big Long Beach location and good mechanics, riders, racers and knowledgible sales staff. Those days are long gone. The business models different
 
Nobody stocks a damn thing anymore.
I went to 3 camelbak dealers looking for a specific model. No luck
I went to 3 Kali protective s dealers looking for a helmet. No luck
I went to 3 wheels manufacturing dealers looking for small parts. No luck
I went to 2 5-10 dealers. No luck
Nobody ever got anything I ever want
 
dustyyoungblood said:
Nobody stocks a damn thing anymore.
I went to 3 camelbak dealers looking for a specific model. No luck
I went to 3 Kali protective s dealers looking for a helmet. No luck
I went to 3 wheels manufacturing dealers looking for small parts. No luck
I went to 2 5-10 dealers. No luck
Nobody ever got anything I ever want
Click to expand...

What pack and helmet you looking for?
 
I've never been to a branded store that I liked. Big or small, they all seem to have nothing that I'm the least bit interested in.
Final straw was when Bud's sold out to Jax in Claremont! Walked in after not being there in a few years and was shocked that all the cool bikes I liked (Bianchi and Santana) were gone!
 
There are some things that a bike shop should never run out of. Things like tubes, chains, cable, housing. They should IMHO always have those in stock in all popular sizes/types. Always.

There are some things they should have in many popular sizes, models or types, but with the sheer number of different various types and models that have been used, it is not cost effective to try to have all things for all people. These are things like tires, saddles, brake pads, shifters, cassettes, chainrings, and derailleurs. It would be nice if they did stock a huge selection, but it isn't feasible IMHO.

I definitely understands Jason's frustration with that tire situation, especially when that same chain has all (or at least most of) the local stores in the area. You would have to go a long ways just to be able to find a store that has a selection, or order and wait. Not cool for a major brand such as Trek. OTOH, Trek tires, especially the MTB tires that are tubeless rated, are kinda pricey. They are very good quality IME, but only so many people are going to spend $80 per tire. Still frustrating for customers that would like to get what should be stocked given that it is made difficult to stock anything else.

I think it's a tough situation for bike shops these days. You don't want your working capital tied up in items that don't sell well, but you can't sell what you don't have. You need to be smart and on top of what the current hot goods are. Something that many true enthusiasts struggle with is that we think the stuff we normally buy are that hot selling items for a shop, but I would estimate that most shops will sell far more 7, 8, and 9 speed drivetrain parts than they will 10 or 11 speed parts. We are but a relatively small niche is the big scheme of things.

I think some shops (like The Path for example) take a calculated gamble by being one of the few shops in the area that keep such an awesome stock of parts that enthusiasts like, we know they are there, and we'll drive that far if we need to. They seem to know their market and it seems to work for them.
 
Warning: I'm about to repeat a story I wrote elsewhere. But since this thread is about local bike shops...

I went to my local bike shop Sunday to get a spoke replaced. They called me, told me my axle was broken, then offered to loan me a $10,000 bicycle until I got my wheel replaced. Gratis. :cool: I've never bought a bike from them. :oops: Oh, and they offered me a beer (which I accepted). I like my local bike shop! :thumbsup:

They don't carry Bontrager tires though. I got my Bontys direct from Trek, back when I rode them (2013-14).
 
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mtnbikej said:
I am in need of a new back tire for the SS.



So I have been wanted to try out a Bontrager XR2. Only problem is, you either have to go to a Trek dealer or buy it online from Trek. Well, they are out of stock on the website, but it says to check with your local dealer. So today I did just that.
.
Click to expand...

The XR2 was my goto tires for two years until I ran out of them (I got a few extra with my Trek).
When I started shopping for one I realized that the "team issue" addition was about $80. That's when I switched to Ikons.
I do have two new XR1 on the shelf, but those are rear tire only in my book
 
HBkites said:
The XR2 was my goto tires for two years until I ran out of them (I got a few extra with my Trek).
When I started shopping for one I realized that the "team issue" addition was about $80. That's when I switched to Ikons.
I do have two new XR1 on the shelf, but those are rear tire only in my book
Click to expand...


Yeah, I have a XR1 as well. But it's a 2.0 and reserved for the rear wheel only.
 
Daddy Dirtbag said:
There are some things that a bike shop should never run out of. Things like tubes, chains, cable, housing. They should IMHO always have those in stock in all popular sizes/types. Always.

There are some things they should have in many popular sizes, models or types, but with the sheer number of different various types and models that have been used, it is not cost effective to try to have all things for all people. These are things like tires, saddles, brake pads, shifters, cassettes, chainrings, and derailleurs. It would be nice if they did stock a huge selection, but it isn't feasible IMHO.

I definitely understands Jason's frustration with that tire situation, especially when that same chain has all (or at least most of) the local stores in the area. You would have to go a long ways just to be able to find a store that has a selection, or order and wait. Not cool for a major brand such as Trek. OTOH, Trek tires, especially the MTB tires that are tubeless rated, are kinda pricey. They are very good quality IME, but only so many people are going to spend $80 per tire. Still frustrating for customers that would like to get what should be stocked given that it is made difficult to stock anything else.

I think it's a tough situation for bike shops these days. You don't want your working capital tied up in items that don't sell well, but you can't sell what you don't have. You need to be smart and on top of what the current hot goods are. Something that many true enthusiasts struggle with is that we think the stuff we normally buy are that hot selling items for a shop, but I would estimate that most shops will sell far more 7, 8, and 9 speed drivetrain parts than they will 10 or 11 speed parts. We are but a relatively small niche is the big scheme of things.

I think some shops (like The Path for example) take a calculated gamble by being one of the few shops in the area that keep such an awesome stock of parts that enthusiasts like, we know they are there, and we'll drive that far if we need to. They seem to know their market and it seems to work for them.
Click to expand...


I get that it's hard to gauge what sells and what doesn't.

However, when you are a brand store(i.e.: Trek only) thus you don't sell other brands(Maxxis, Kenda, etc) you should have stock on hand. Right now if I went in and needed 2 tires for the weekend, they couldn't help me out.

It would be different if I could go to any shop and buy them, but when you limit the available market for them, you'll drive more customers away than make new ones.
 
mtnbikej said:
I get that it's hard to gauge what sells and what doesn't.

However, when you are a brand store(i.e.: Trek only) thus you don't sell other brands(Maxxis, Kenda, etc) you should have stock on hand. Right now if I went in and needed 2 tires for the weekend, they couldn't help me out.

It would be different if I could go to any shop and buy them, but when you limit the available market for them, you'll drive more customers away than make new ones.
Click to expand...
Sounds like Craig Kundig needs to open a few Cyclery USA shops in OC.
 
I think the biggest reason I stopped going in to an LBS is I got tired of them telling me they could get what I wanted in 2-3 weeks. Of course my response was I could get it in 2 days for much less. I don't think it's that difficult to follow trends these days with all the social media that's out there. Vince at JRA asks me quite often how I like certain tires as I ride all the stuff his customers do. Also if he doesn't have something he will order it that day and have it the next if not two days later. As they say it takes money to make money and in this day and age I think you need to spend just a little more if you want to stay in business.
 
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