Op Ed: The death of the local bike shop

 We could lose all local bike shops in as little as 10 years.

Industry call to action, written by Johnny Guzman

I have worked in at least two industries that be fallen victim to obsolescence. Around 15 years ago, I worked a short stint at a camera store that sold digital cameras and had one hour film processing. Today, there are no longer any camera shops that sell speciality equipment.  There are a few long standing hobbyists stores that cater to a very niche clientele, but as a whole, the film industry has completely disappeared and professional photography equipment can now be bought online. Most professional photographers will rent studio equipment and darkroom services instead of buying the supplies themselves outright. The tightening economy has pushed most event photographers out of the trade as people no longer place the same emphasis on photography for weddings and graduations as they did in the past. Most people no longer even print their own photos, rather they are saved on the Cloud or on electronic devices, in most cases. Photo books are becoming relics of a bygone era, a time where people cared to hold onto the memories of their best moments or their loved ones. A society without pictures is a less united one. While the world may have gotten more technologically connected, it has also never been as isolated. The absence of pictures in our lives are one contributing factor.

There is another industry that is on the brink of sharing the same outcome as the photography trade. Since the late 1800's, the bicycle shop has been a staple of most communities around the world. Where bicycles remain the dominant form of transportation, these shops are still thriving and doing well. We should all know by now where these places are; western Europe, the developing world and about maybe one or two US cities. That's it. If you are a bike shop owner or an employee in one of these areas, consider yourself fortunate that you will enjoy longevity in your trade and good job security. Bike shops that reside outside of these parameters are now on the chopping block. 

There are a few events and developments that are not working in favor of the local bike shops as they have been used to operating.  Let's go through each one by one and see if there is any solution to this outsized problem bike shops are facing. While this op-ed will likely fall on deaf ears, it is important to talk about this as both a cyclist and as someone who's worked years in the industry. I could not, in good conscience, bite my tongue after all of the years of joy cycling has given me.  

Direct To Consumer- Online retail is here to stay. It is the new modus operandi by which the world purchases goods and services. Therefore, if you are carrying any product that can be bought online, chances are that good or service will be bought online first. There is no getting around this. Some manufacturers offer ship to store and only allow online transactions if their product is picked up from a retailer acting as a distributor. They are quickly finding that by keeping the middle man alive, they are losing profit share in the transaction that they could have for themselves. Therefore, slowly but surely most manufacturers of bicycles are moving away from the storefront model and offering their products exclusively online. 

Direct to consumer brands are better than they have ever been. Generic brand bicycles are now of outstanding quality and performance. One of the best examples of this is Canyon bikes. Canyon launched their direct to consumer model to the US market just a couple of years ago and have become a massively popular bicycle in the local cycling scene, especially as it pertains to gravel bikes. They are on par or of higher quality spec for spec than anything Trek, Specialized or Giant has to offer. Coming in on average a few thousand dollars less than the competition on their flagship models, Canyon is eating a sizeable dent at brands that are commonly only distributed through bike shops.

Canyon is premium example of a value packed product that is leagues above what it's competitors are able to offer for a similar price. Quality is now being seen across the board and trickling down in ways that it never has in the past. Even the second tier and budget bikes are much better specced, more durable and feature technology that only a few years ago was on the most expensive bicycles. Bikes Direct and Bikes Online are leading the charge in high quality, industry standard bicycles under $2000. In most cases, a top range bike can be had on their websites for less than $1500. This trend continues all the way down the board to the $300 bikes I have seen on some websites recently. All built with industry standards and quality parts, the right way. It is nearly impossible for most brick and mortars to compete with the current prices on what is found online. The "bicycle shaped object" argument has gone out the window. There are now $300 real bicycles that can be bought and shipped to your door in a couple of days time.

Aging Demographics- It's time to address the elephant in the room, especially as it relates to road cycling. The Lance Armstrong era fanboys are getting older, slower and losing interest in cycling in general. Many of them stopped riding during the pandemic and never got back on their bikes. Group rides are starting to disappear and clubs aren't doing enough to be inclusive to new riders. Technology has once again created a strong pull away from outdoor activities and into activities involving screen time, such as virtual rides on Zwift and Rouvy. Therefore, the newer generation of would be cyclists are usually riding from the comfort of their living rooms on their Peloton or Zwift trainers, away from the condescending and judgemental stares of the gatekeepers at the local cycling club. 

Bicycle retail has not done a good job to expand their market to include other consumer demographics either. Shops that once sold bikes for the family, kids bikes and cruisers have now become elitist, high end boutiques where the most expensive bikes and components hang on the shelves like jewelry. Consumers feel not only judged, but now priced out of these businesses that seem to only want to cater to the 1%.

The problem is, bike shops are running out of suckers and old heads to sell their expensive gear to. As more middle aged and older white guys drop out of cycling's ranks, inventory starts piling high on the shelves because the reality is, 99% of people could care less about the latest Campagnolo groupset or getting a Di2 conversion on their existing bikes. A dad looking for a bike to ride to school with his kids is not even going to notice the difference between his stock 30 cent jockey pulley and a $500 Ceramicspeed one. 

Here's the thing, If I'm going to write an article about this with some journalistic integrity, I have to lose my neutral position here for a second. The industry as a whole has had plenty of softball opportunities to be more inclusive to other ages, nationalities, women and cultures throughout the years. It could have promoted champions like Biniam Girmay, Nairo Quintana, Egan Bernal and so forth, guys that in spite of the system working against them, have gone on to win some of the biggest events in the sport. Bicycle retailers and outlets have massively dropped the ball and missed a huge marketing opportunity. After all these years, the customers that bike shops want are still the middle to upper class suburban white guys between the ages of 30 and 65 years old. In other words, the same customers that play golf. Cycling is not and never will be the new golf. The problem is that the industry has been dead set in their minds to believe that it is. 

Racing is killing Cycling- Competition is killing the bike shop environment. It has created a Ferrari like mindset in the way bike shops are doing business. Ferrari is a race club first and a car company second. When you buy a Ferrari, you have to abide by the club rules which determine even what color you are allowed to paint your vehicle. This Ferrari mindset can be seen in the way shops treat their customers. New hires are not salespeople. They are full time elitist cyclists and only work to maintain their cycling passion projects. Mechanics are also not actually professional mechanics. They only work on the bikes that they sell or have experience working on. That means, a lot of sales and a lot of service is being turned away at the doors. That means dollar bills sprouting wings and just flying away from the registers. Customer service is on a decline as whole, throughout all industries. For years, decades even, customer service has been severely lacking in the bike shop environment. Part of this can be attributed to the fact that shops simply don't hire the right people. When they hire someone who has the right work ethic, they don't invest in that employee for the long term. Rather, they employ in their ranks a revolving door of low skilled, low paid club members when they could of hired experienced individuals that know how to make the store more profitable.

Bike shops have not done enough to be represented in their local chambers of commerce or local city councils where important decisions on infrastructure are being made. They could encourage other businesses to have bicycle racks in front of their storefronts, for example. They could work with local law enforcement servicing fleets of police bicycles. They could pitch the idea of a bike share to the city council, or have input on where bike lanes or sharrows could be placed. There is simply not enough interest from the cycling industry to care about it's own self preservation. This is because the industry has hedged all of its efforts on the racing scene, not realizing that the future of cycling is on the roads where access has to be fought for. Roadies just ride on the roads at their own peril while commuter and vehicular cyclists share same risks without deserving the same vitriol. Cycling is vilified because competitive elites are in charge of the industry, and those guys don't use bike lanes.

We have seen the cycling industry go through about 3 boom and bust cycles in just the past 3-4 years. Too much inventory, too little inventory. Prices above MSRP one year to slashing prices at below manufacturer cost the next. This yo-yoing of the industry is unsustainable and any sane person who has an opportunity to find secure, stable work would jump ship at the first opportunity. I have witnessed this charade go on for about 15 years now. If bike shops have not learned the lesson yet, then I doubt they ever will. I left the bicycle trade about 2 years ago to focus on being a stay at home dad. There is no way I will return to it now. I don't want to go work for another trade that will be obsolete in 5-10 years. That would be like working at another camera store.

Marin Nicasio Plus- Long Term Review

 It's been three years. Time for a review

In it's current configuration with Shimano CUES mountain bike crankset and Thompson seat post

After I sold my Marin Four Corners a few years back, I thought I was done with this genre of cycling. The truth is I did not understand why this type of bike would actually be needed for the kind of riding I was doing. It took moving to a rural outburb to finally realize the practicality of owning one. As I'm currently surrounded by poorly maintained roads or roads under construction, it would be almost impossible to ride out of my home without one. Before I bought my Marin Nicasio, I would get flat tires on any tire smaller than a 25mm width. Some roads on my route look like the surface of the moon with potholes, others are hard packed dirt. Needless to say most of my vintage bikes with box rims are out of the question when it comes to riding the roads in my area. I'm sure that one day the dismal state of the roads where live will be addressed. I'm in a rural area that is slowly but surely becoming suburbia. In the meantime, I once again required a bike that was utilitarian and durable in nature. Hence, my decision to purchase the Marin Nicasio Plus.

The Marin Nicasio is Marin's entry level range of do it all bikes. Like the Four Corners, it is designed with on road and rugged off road use in mind. The regular Nicasio came with 700x40c tires for light gravel use. The Nicasio plus has 650b by 47c thick, bouncy tires for harsher roads as well as dirt road use. All Nicasio bikes have a chromoly steel frame. About 30 pounds in weight, these bikes are on the heavy side, as they are built with durability in mind. While not a performance gravel bike, that hasn't stopped me from participating in at least two gravel events. Granted, no podiums are likely to be won on the Nicasio. This bike rolls slow and munches down the miles while absorbing all the vibrations with it's heavy steel frame and soft tires. What it lacks in speed it greatly makes up for in comfort, especially on long, dirt rides. It is not even that slow to be honest. I average close to 17mph on paved routes and close to 15 mph on gravel ones. While it could be the rider that is the determining factor in this situation, there has only been a 1-2mph average speed difference on my gravel bike on paved roads versus when I ride my 18 pound Cannondale road bike with 25mm tires.

Exploring a stretch of shoreline along a receded lake

On the rail trail on the way to more gravel roads.

I purchased this bike for the modest sum of $1,100. Since then, I few brands have stepped up to provide similarly specced or slightly more specced offerings at this price point. I bought this bike at no discount during the height of COVID, I'm sure now it would cost closer to around $800-$900 on sale.  Like the Four Corners, the Nicasio Plus has been on the brand's lineup for the past few years, so it is very likely to stay available in the near future. 

It has been a fantastic bike for the money regardless of how much I paid when I purchased it. The Microshift Advent drivetrain has an agricultural, clunky feel but is very durable and hasn't needed adjustment. The wheels are still holding true after miles of off road terrain. I wish that Marin would of future proofed this bike with thru axles instead of 9mm quick release dropouts on the frame. However, this is just my personal nitpicking since the stock wheels should last years, granted they aren't being hucked off drops or dragged through rock gardens. The Breezer Doppler is a better specced 650b steel bike for the same price point, having both thru axles and front and rear lights powered by a dynamo generator. With some competition in the market, Marin would do well to improve on their next iteration of this bike, packing as much value per dollar in this post COVID,  competitive and volatile retail market.

I don't know what it was exactly about this bike-the weight, the geometry, I can't quite pinpoint it exactly, but for my personal comfort  I needed shorter cranks. The 175mm cranks seemed to take too long to accelerate and I had all sorts of physical pain after long rides. The 170mm cranks tremendously improved my riding experience, although the Q factor of the CUES crankset could be narrower for maximum comfort on the ride. I will eventually justify replacing the CUES crankset with a Sram Rival or Shimano GRX one. For now, if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Another quibble about this bike was it's tendency to ride loose on the rear. High speeds on the bike would cause a drifting sensation in the back of the bicycle. I addressed this by replacing the stock seatpost with a Thompson one that had a lot more setback, putting my weight towards the rear of the bike. Since replacing the seatpost the bike rides more balanced and has better traction on the loose stuff. Marin purposely made this bike with shorter chainstays, which could be the reason for this handling issue. Having said that, the Nicasio is nimble where it counts on real rowdy gravel and singletrack trails.

Overall, I'm real pleased with how this bike has worked out during the last three years or so since I've owned it. It can be configured in a variety of ways to suit any riding style or terrain. It is a quiver killer, easily replacing a commuter bike, XC hardtail and entry level road bike. It easily manages to roll a few bikes into one. Something to consider for those looking to downsize their bike collection or trying to get one bike for a variety of situations. As a road bike, there is little to fault it for beyond it's weight. Weight wise, it weighs as much as a 1970s bike boom era Schwinn, which proves to be no obstacle as I rode the wheels off of my old Schwinns in the past. As a mountain bike, it can handle blue trails and natural wooded trails with ease. Where it shines is on gravel and dirt roads, as well as chip seal and neglected road infrastructure. Having said all that, the Marin Nicasio soars above it's pricepoint in terms of it's versatility and practicality. I would buy one again and would definitely miss the one I have if I sold it.

 

 

Gravel Bikes- A Changed Perspective

 

Gravel Bikes, and why they are the final frontier of cycling

It took me many years to understand what the "spirit of gravel" was all about. When gravel bikes came out around 10 years ago, they seemed like a solution we didn't ask for to a problem that never existed. Back then, when I lived in perfectly paved suburbia, I was at a lost as to why someone would willingly go out of their way to ride where the streets had no name (only Farm to Market numbers in this case). Gravel cycling seemed to contradict every rule I had once associated with cycling; going fast, being competitive, counting grams, using power data, etc. Riding gravel, is in fact, the antithesis of all that represents modern day cycling. Today, I wouldn't have it any other way.

In the past few years, I moved out of that little quaint, perfectly paved and maintained town that I lived in into the ex-burbs. This is the very outer limit as to what constitutes suburban and rural, on the border, one could say. It is right here on the edge of civilization that I have once again rediscovered gravel biking but with a whole new appreciation for what is possible on this type of bicycle. I am also learning that the slower speeds and challenging terrain allow me to be more immersed in my rides whereas before I was simply riding to track my fitness gains. 

When I get on my gravel bike, the only thing that matters is the ride. I'm on a bike that is too slow to worry about average speed, too heavy to worry about setting a PR on a local climb, too cheap to worry about dodging muddy puddles or getting it covered in dust. I can now focus on the surroudings around me, and appreciate aspects of rural living in addition to the beauty of creation.

The bike featured is a Bianchi M.U.S.S singlespeed mountain bike from the mid-aughts turned gravel grinder with a bargain bin 29er wheelset that came off of a parts bike. I have a dedicated gravel bike that I will do a review on later (stay tuned for a review on my Marin Nicasio Plus, which I have been riding for the past couple of years). The Bianchi, however, is the most "Spirit of Gravel" bike that I own. I encourage the reader to look at my other blog posts to get an idea about what the spirit of gravel means. I will summarize by saying that it means being more adventure inclined than considering oneself an athlete participating in an organized sport. Cycling is the only pastime that has a different meaning to almost everyone. The spirit of gravel, means riding gravel for the fun of it, approaching it in the most practical, fun and inexpensive way possible. 

That being said, all of the fun, practical and inexpensive gravel bikes seem to be in the 30 pound range, made of steel and running cable actuated shifters and brakes. Derided by the weight weenies, these types of bikes are collectively known as ATBs in their modern colloquialism. Pioneer bike blogger and OG hipster Russ from the Path Less Pedaled summarized this style of bikes and riding as "alt biking", or alternative biking. This is because  we now have an alternative to the race focused and competitive nature that we, as cyclists all too readily embrace, even though it runs counter to our own aspirations of why we ride a bike in the first place. 

It is this type of riding, "alt biking" that I am taking a keen liking too and would like to discuss a little further in coming blog posts. I am not alone in my sentiment. Grant Petersen was an early pioneer of this movement and basically wrote the guidebook to it "Just Ride", which I reviewed years ago. Now you have influencer personalities like Ronnie Romance and The Radavist carrying the torch where Grant Petersen left off. I recommend giving these guys a look if you're feeling disconnected from the perception of what a cyclist is supposed to be.

Cycling from the purview of Lance Armstrong, Chris Froome or even worse, Tadej Pogacar is not fun and can actually be depressing role models and aspirations to have. The same goes with other sports I enjoy like skateboarding. Skating from the purview of what it meant to be a skateboarder in the 90's doesn't make sense to someone who is about to turn 40. While I enjoy landing the occasional kickflip, I am no Rodney Mullen nor will I ever be. I will likely injure myself out of all sports trying to emulate Rodney's legacy. Skateboarding needs to be unique to the person I am and done within the abilities I possess. That is why surf skating is a welcome change now that I'm older and I am more active on my board now than when I ever was in my teens or twenties.

More on this topic later

So applying the skateboarding illustration to cycling, I am now realizing that my approach to riding a bike needs to be to the stage I presently am in life and the abilities I possess. Gravel bikes and gravel cycling fill that role nicely. Riding around the rural parts of my community where the roads are bad and full of potholes makes more sense these days than putting my bike on a roof rack and driving an hour to a popular greenbelt everyone in Dallas uses. I understand that as an early adopter of this philosophy I will be going at this alone within my peer group of "serious" cycling buddies, so I may stop seeing the regular crew for a while. I also understand, however, that they too will one day cross over the same bridge I did, and will join me in the alt biking club.

This is the final frontier of cycling, the last chapter, the golden sunset, the happy ending that is to befall all wannabe racers and fast people out there. So go ahead, throw away that power meter and cycling computer, get a 30 pound steel gravel bike, put a handlebar bag on it and carry on with dignity in your years and adventure in your hearts. The abandonment of ego is the beginning of wisdom. Keep that fast bike, because if you already own it, then N+1, why not? This is now the time, however, to ride the wheels off of your slow one.