This is something of a Segway, but pertinent to the thread. I'm puzzled by the angst expressed over the state of the bicycle marketplace Perhaps it is different where others live, but here in ABQ, NM, which I daresay has considerably more bike shops per capita than other places, it is very clear that (1) the good shops are thriving and (2) that different shops have very different ways of being "good" ones, and (3) that there is a far, far greater choice locally for all kinds of riders today than there was 10 or 15 years ago. For $400 to $800 today -- roughly $140 and $275 in 1980 dollars, per the BLS -- there is a very wide choice of decent bikes, and today's $400 bike is far better than 1980's $140 bike.
The 4 well established shops nearest me have all expanded in the last few years, and the 3 I know personally have thrived by service as much as the range of inventory. Certainly in this city, the LBS market is hardly failing, or falling into a schism between discount online sales and bricks/mortar focus on the high end roadie market. And, FWIW, most of the "people of color" around here drive SUVs or pickup trucks, even if old ones, while most commuters are middle class and younger; and certainly the Rivendell market is upscale and not down! The down and outer riding a scavenged mountain bike is very definitely the exception. Patrick "somewhat colored himself -- yellow and white and a little brown" Moore On Thu, Jun 2, 2016 at 10:53 AM, Evan Baird <vanster...@gmail.com> wrote: > [...] The problem is that the traditional LBS model is failing, [...] > Shops need to be welcoming community spaces. There's no room for mediocre > service in this economy. > > -- -- Resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, and letters that get interviews. By-the-hour resume and LinkedIn coaching. Other professional writing services. http://www.resumespecialties.com/ www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmooreresumespec/ Patrick Moore Alburquerque, Nouvelle Mexique, Vereinigte Staaten ************************************************************************** ************** *The point which is the pivot of the norm is the motionless center of a circumference on the contours of which all conditions, distinctions, and individualities revolve. *Chuang Tzu *Stat crux dum volvitur orbis.* *(The cross stands motionless while the world revolves.) *Carthusian motto *It is *we *who change; *He* remains the same.* Eckhart *Kinei hos eromenon.* (*It moves [all things] as the beloved.) *Aristotle -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
