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A local bike shop or local bicycle shop, sometimes abbreviated LBS, is a
small business, as distinct from a
chain,
mail-order
Mail order is the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote methods such as:
* Sending an order form in the mail
* Placing a telephone call
* Placing ...
or
online
In computer technology and telecommunications, online indicates a state of connectivity and offline indicates a disconnected state. In modern terminology, this usually refers to an Internet connection, but (especially when expressed "on line" o ...
vendor, specializing in
bicycle sale,
maintenance
Maintenance may refer to:
Biological science
* Maintenance of an organism
* Maintenance respiration
Non-technical maintenance
* Alimony, also called ''maintenance'' in British English
* Champerty and maintenance, two related legal doct ...
and parts. In the UK and Ireland, the expression ''independent bicycle dealers'' (IBDs) is also used.
The local bike shop is a key component of the
bicycle industry The bicycle industry or cycling industry can broadly be defined as the industry concerned with bicycles and cycling. It includes at least bicycle manufacturers, part or component manufacturers, and accessory manufacturers. It can also include dist ...
and, in recognition of the value that local bike shops provide, some
manufacturers only sell their bicycles through
dealerships
A car dealership, or car dealer, is a business that sells new or used cars, at the retail level, based on a dealership contract with an automaker or its sales subsidiary. Car dealerships also often sell spare parts and automotive mainten ...
.
Offerings
Beyond bicycles, a local bicycle shop may offer clothing and other accessories, spare and replacement parts, tools, and a variety of services.
Services may include expert fitting and custom bike building or ordering,
maintenance and repairs from experienced
bicycle mechanic
A bicycle mechanic or bike mechanic is a mechanic who can perform a wide range of repairs on bicycles. Bicycle mechanics can be employed in various types of stores, ranging from large department stores to small local bike shops; cycling teams, or ...
s, and organized group rides and classes. A self-service work area may be available.
Shops may also specialize on one or more aspects of cycling:
bicycle racing,
triathlon
A triathlon is an endurance multisport race consisting of swimming, cycling, and running over various distances. Triathletes compete for fastest overall completion time, racing each segment sequentially with the time transitioning between the ...
,
bicycle touring
Bicycle touring is the taking of self-contained cycling trips for pleasure, adventure or autonomy rather than sport, commuting or exercise. Bicycle touring can range from single-day trips to extended travels spanning weeks or months. Tours may be ...
,
BMX,
mountain biking, etc.
Similarly, shops may carry a diverse range of bicycles, from single-seat upright bikes, to more specialized types such as
tandem bicycle
A tandem bicycle or twin is a form of bicycle (occasionally a tricycle) designed to be ridden by more than one person. The term tandem refers to the seating arrangement (fore to aft, not side by side), not the number of riders. Patents relat ...
s,
recumbent bicycles,
folding bicycle
A folding bicycle is a bicycle designed to fold into a compact form, facilitating transport and storage. When folded, the bikes can be more easily carried into buildings, on public transportation (facilitating mixed-mode commuting and bicyc ...
s. Many shops also carry related items such as
unicycles and
skateboard
A skateboard is a type of sports equipment used for skateboarding. They are usually made of a specially designed 7-8 ply maple plywood deck and polyurethane wheels attached to the underside by a pair of skateboarding trucks.
The skateboarder ...
s.
Shops located out of temperate climates may have a secondary line in order to keep busy in the off season (winter). These include goods and services for
skiing
Skiing is the use of skis to glide on snow. Variations of purpose include basic transport, a recreational activity, or a competitive winter sport. Many types of competitive skiing events are recognized by the International Olympic Committee ( ...
,
camping, and physical fitness.
Some shops keep their regular customers coming in through the winter by offering group training sessions.
Studios
A small but growing trend in bicycle retailing is called the bicycle studio, which offers service in an intimate environment by appointment only. A list by ''
Bicycling Magazine
''Bicycling'' is a cycling magazine published by Hearst in Easton, Pennsylvania.
__TOC__
History
''Bicycling'' started in 1961 as ''Northern California Cycling Association Newsletter'', a four-page mimeographed newsletter (8 ½ x 14) started b ...
'' shows five studios founded before 2000 and 13 since. These are seen as more complementary to, than competitive with, traditional bike shops.
Competitors
In the US, the primary competitors to local bike shops are the mass merchants such as
Wal-Mart
Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...
or
Target
Target may refer to:
Physical items
* Shooting target, used in marksmanship training and various shooting sports
** Bullseye (target), the goal one for which one aims in many of these sports
** Aiming point, in field artillery, f ...
, representing 74% of the units sales in 2015 and 32% of dollars spent, chain sporting goods stores representing 6% of the unit sales and 8% of dollars spent, and outdoor speciality retailers representing 3.5% of the unit sales and 8% of dollars spent.
Approximately 4,000 speciality bicycle retailers, which include local bike shops, command approximately 13% of the bicycle market in terms of unit sales in 2015, but 49% of the dollars spent on bikes.
There are also chains of bike shops, though most LBS are independently owned, and 91% of them have one location.
The distinction between local bike shops and online vendors has begun to blur as local bike shops have begun themselves to sell products online.
A recent development is the introduction of brand specific stores from
bicycle manufacturers such as
Trek Bicycle Corporation
Trek Bicycle Corporation is a bicycle and cycling product manufacturer and distributor under brand names Trek, Electra Bicycle Company, Bontrager, and Diamant Bikes. The company has previously manufactured bikes under the Gary Fisher, LeMond Rac ...
.
Other manufacturers, such as
Specialized, are strengthening their
channels
Channel, channels, channeling, etc., may refer to:
Geography
* Channel (geography), in physical geography, a landform consisting of the outline (banks) of the path of a narrow body of water.
Australia
* Channel Country, region of outback Austral ...
with ''concept stores''.
[ ]
Statistics
According to the National Bicycle Dealers Association, in 2007 there were approximately 4,400 "specialty bicycle retailers" in the USA; down from 4,800 in 2005. Although they sold only 17% of the bikes, up from 16% in 2005, they collected 49% of the dollars, up from 47% in 2005. In 2004, the average specialty bicycle retailer had gross sales of $550,000 per year, 91% of them had one location, and average store size was 4,822 square feet.
See: Graphic comparison of US auto and bike sales, 1972-2008
See also
*
Bicycle
*
Bicycle cooperative
A bicycle cooperative ("bike co-op") can take the many forms of the cooperative model. These often include co-ops composed of businesses to achieve economies of scale ( retail cooperative), co-ops managed by those who work at the business ( work ...
*
Bicycle industry The bicycle industry or cycling industry can broadly be defined as the industry concerned with bicycles and cycling. It includes at least bicycle manufacturers, part or component manufacturers, and accessory manufacturers. It can also include dist ...
*
Bicycle mechanic
A bicycle mechanic or bike mechanic is a mechanic who can perform a wide range of repairs on bicycles. Bicycle mechanics can be employed in various types of stores, ranging from large department stores to small local bike shops; cycling teams, or ...
*
Bicycle tools
Various bicycle tools have evolved over the years into specialized tools for working on a bicycle. Modern bicycle shops will stock a large number of tools for working on different bicycle parts. This work can be performed by a trained bicycle mecha ...
*
Cycling
Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from t ...
*
List of bicycle manufacturers
This page lists notable bicycle brands and manufacturing companies past and present. For bicycle parts, see List of bicycle part manufacturing companies.
Many bicycle brands do not manufacture their own product, but rather import and re-brand b ...
*
List of bicycle part manufacturers
This article lists bicycle part manufacturers and brands past and present. For a list of bicycle manufacturers, see list of bicycle manufacturers.
0-9
*3T Cycling
A
*Atala (company)
* Avid- owned by SRAM Corporation
B
*Baisikeli Ugunduzi
* Be ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Local Bike Shop
Bicycles
Cycling infrastructure
Bicycle industry