Why LBS only carry certain brands?

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I am not new to the bicycling scene, but I am new to LBS.

I am looking to buy a hybrid bike. I'm wondering why is it that
certain LBS only carry like 1 or 2 brands and why?

My options seem to be limited to Trek, Giant (people but not stores
seem to love this one), Jamis, Scott, & Bianchi (expensive). I don't
know if Specialized makes a hybrid, but none of the stores in my area
support that brand.

Ablang wrote:
> I am not new to the bicycling scene, but I am new to LBS.
>
> I am looking to buy a hybrid bike. I'm wondering why is it that
> certain LBS only carry like 1 or 2 brands and why?
>
> My options seem to be limited to Trek, Giant (people but not stores
> seem to love this one), Jamis, Scott, & Bianchi (expensive). I don't
> know if Specialized makes a hybrid, but none of the stores in my area
> support that brand.

I was talking to a bike shop owner about this the other day. He said
that he constantly gets reps coming in saying 'carry our brand, we have
a comparable bicycle at the same wholesale and retail price as the Trek
you're selling.' The shops can't carry so much inventory, i.e. each
model from each manufacturer comes in several sizes, and occasionally
in multiple colors. If they're only carrying one brand, they carry the
one with the name recognition and reputation, which is Trek.

OTOH, Trek has some gaps in their product line that are filled by lesser
known brands, and a shop that carriers only Trek recognizes that they're
just not going to be able to fill everyone's desires. I.e., I bought a
bike for my son a couple of months ago, and only Jamis had a model and
size that would fit him properly (even though I wasn't all that thrilled
with the shop I bought it from).

Yes, Specialized makes several hybrids.

Ablang wrote:
> I am not new to the bicycling scene, but I am new to LBS.
>
> I am looking to buy a hybrid bike. I'm wondering why is it that
> certain LBS only carry like 1 or 2 brands and why?
>
> My options seem to be limited to Trek, Giant (people but not stores
> seem to love this one), Jamis, Scott, & Bianchi (expensive). I don't
> know if Specialized makes a hybrid, but none of the stores in my area
> support that brand.

Specialized makes the Sirrus. It is not that expensive if you can find
one. They are priced starting around where their entry level road bikes
are priced. I imagine they have other bikes that have flat handlebars
and are in that general style. The Sirrus is the only one I have ridden
and was a vacation rental.

catzz66 wrote:

> Specialized makes the Sirrus. It is not that expensive if you can find
> one. They are priced starting around where their entry level road bikes
> are priced. I imagine they have other bikes that have flat handlebars
> and are in that general style. The Sirrus is the only one I have ridden
> and was a vacation rental.

I wonder if Specialized bought like a gazillion frame decals back in the
1980's and they are trying to use them up by recycling product names
even when the newer product is in a totally different category.

I have a Specialized Sirrus road bike. Lugged cro-mo frame, non-compact,
quill headset, all the things I like in a road bike--now the Sirrus is a
hybrid. I have a Specialized Expedition touring bike--now the Expedition
is back as a hybrid.

"Ablang" <ron916@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:35fe22f2-1b2b-4060-8b1a-25933608c294@y18g2000pre.googlegroups.com...
|I am not new to the bicycling scene, but I am new to LBS.
|
| I am looking to buy a hybrid bike. I'm wondering why is it that
| certain LBS only carry like 1 or 2 brands and why?
|
| My options seem to be limited to Trek, Giant (people but not stores
| seem to love this one), Jamis, Scott, & Bianchi (expensive). I don't
| know if Specialized makes a hybrid, but none of the stores in my area
| support that brand.

It's simply not practical to support a number of different bike lines in a
decent fashion. The major players go to a lot of trouble to try and have
models for a wide variety of customers, and if you tried to stock from more
than one major player, there's no way you could do any of the lines justice.
You'd be cherry-picking this bike from one line, that bike from another, and
whatever you, as a shop, decided was the right bike... well, the customer
would want the bike in the other line. And the supplier wouldn't be happy
either, because if they're going to go to the trouble of having so many
models, they expect their dealers to support them (to the exclusion of
others) and carry as many of their offerings as is reasonably practical.

It's also the case that a shop that support just one major brand will
generally have a much-better relationship with that brand, which translates
to better availability of hard-to-get product and often much better warranty
service.

But in the end it's often the case that the bike shop you purchase the bike
from is going to be more important than whatever difference there might be
between one bike line and another. The shop you get the bike from has to
understand what YOU would like to do with the bike. If they can't quite get
that, if the salesperson is more interested in how he or she rides and can't
relate to your needs, then you should go elsewhere. A good shop is going to
go to some trouble to make sure the bike fits right, that you know how
everything works (brakes, gear shifting, even making sure you understand how
presta valves work if that's what comes on your bike). And they'll maintain
a sense of ownership in the bike after they've sold it, such that you don't
have to worry how you'll be treated if you bring it in with some issue
(could be mechanical, could be comfort, whatever). A really good bike shop
WANTS to see you if things aren't quite right.

Those things are far more important that small differences in price or
model.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com