Odd..Mike's Bikes had orders cancelled by Specialized ???

[mschwett]

I guess it depends on a few factors like “is there a decent Spesh dealership anywhere near me?“, “will they give a crap about me/my bike?”, “do they have the quality and number of personnel to take on all these new customers?”, yada, yada.
I’m sure you wouldn’t be bitching about this if it was you.

that would be an annoying situation. but mike’s bikes exists solely in the bay area, where the dealer finder shows more than fifty specialized dealers - not counting mike’s.

as a local who owns a specialized bike my attitude is informed to some degree by the fact that mike’s is also the only specialized dealer / shop i’ve seen locally which refuses to service bikes they didn’t sell “because our service department is too busy.” ironic.

 

[kahn]

that would be an annoying situation. but mike’s bikes exists solely in the bay area, where the dealer finder shows more than fifty specialized dealers - not counting mike’s.

as a local who owns a specialized bike my attitude is informed to some degree by the fact that mike’s is also the only specialized dealer / shop i’ve seen locally which refuses to service bikes they didn’t sell “because our service department is too busy.” ironic.

I can see Specialized might get complaints about that type of non-service particularly for someone who moves to the area with a Specialized bike. Certainly does nothing to earn a new customer either.

 

[mschwett]

I can see Specialized might get complaints about that type of non-service particularly for someone who moves to the area with a Specialized bike. Certainly does nothing to earn a new customer either.

i'd actually be somewhat surprised if their dealer agreement allowed what mike's was doing, at least in terms of warranty service. but the black mark was on mike's, not specialized. they literally had a sign OUTSIDE their shop which said "sorry, we're too busy to work on specialized bikes you didn't buy here."

contrast with my LBS - same distance from me as a mike's - who always bend over backwards to service my bike in less time than initially promised, know the bikes inside and out, make appointments promptly before even asking/finding out where i bought the bike, etc. they've also never charged me for anything but parts, and i've beat the poor thing pretty hard in her first six months, bending the derailleur hanger a bunch of times, messing up a few installs with my own inexperience, etc.

 

[Nomad]

i'd actually be somewhat surprised if their dealer agreement allowed what mike's was doing, at least in terms of warranty service. but the black mark was on mike's, not specialized. they literally had a sign OUTSIDE their shop which said "sorry, we're too busy to work on specialized bikes you didn't buy here."

contrast with my LBS - same distance from me as a mike's - who always bend over backwards to service my bike in less time than initially promised, know the bikes inside and out, make appointments promptly before even asking/finding out where i bought the bike, etc. they've also never charged me for anything but parts, and i've beat the poor thing pretty hard in her first six months, bending the derailleur hanger a bunch of times, messing up a few installs with my own inexperience, etc.

That's a tough call because you have to service the customer you already have and if you can't keep up and add more you can't it's simple math

 

[rochrunner]

Specialized just bought three bike stores in my area.

Same here in Michigan: they bought one small chain with three stores and possibly my nearest dealer that has two stores in the area. What's going on here??

 

[kahn]

Same here in Michigan: they bought one small chain with three stores and possibly my nearest dealer that has two stores in the area. What's going on here??

I guess bikes and sales outlets are now worth their weight in GOLD!!! Mom and Pop no longer are allowed to sell bikes!

 

[Jim in Central CA]

I guess bikes and sales outlets are now worth their weight in GOLD!!! Mom and Pop no longer are allowed to sell bikes!

Speaking only in general terms, my expectation is that if Specialized (and the many others who are predicting a significant increase in demand for e-bikes over the next 10 years) are right, we should expect to see many, although certainly not all, mom and pop bike shops disappear. This will be due to a combination of factors. I think there will always be demand for analog bikes, but as the price of bikes moves ever upward we can expect the big-box stores to take over the low-cost (and low profit) bike market almost entirely. This will leave the more expensive (and more profitable) specialty analog bike market, and the much-more expensive (and much more profitable) e-bike market, to bike shops that can support this market with their knowledge and experience, which big-box stores are not able to compete with. However, even beyond this change in the market, I believe the biggest factor driving this will be the increased sophistication required from bike shops to sell and then maintain e-bikes. E-bikes are already complex machines and require different maintenance than an analog bike, and I think e-bikes will continue to become increasingly complex in the future. Some small shops will not want to deal with this significant shift in their product line and customer base, and they will decide to sell out or close up. Others will try to evolve with these changes, but not all will be successful, and those that don't succeed will also disappear. Only those shops, large and small, that have the ability to keep pace with all of the new technology that is coming, and who can satisfy the increasing demand for support this technology will require for the customers that buy these bikes, will be successful going forward. Sadly, I expect this means that a number of our local bike shops will not make the cut and will not be around in 10 years. This is just my own personal prediction, and this and $5 will get you a mocha at Starbucks, but this is how I see the next 10 years panning out.

 

[RunForTheHills]

While ebikes are a fast growing market, ebikes aren't taking over regular bikes just yet in the US. 15-20 million bicycles are sold in the US each year, while just 600,000 ebikes sold here last year. There are many non-electric bicycles that cost north of $1000 and some high end road and mountain bikes approach $10K. These bicycles will never be sold in Walmart. I don't think that the local bike shop is going the way of the dodo bird soon. The vast majority of ebikes sold in the world are sold in China with Europe being the second largest market. For most Americans, cycling is done for recreation and exercise and not transportation.

I also think that we will see a consolidation in the industry, but that will be the small ebike manufacturers getting gobbled up or going out of business and not necessarily the mom and pop bike shops.

 

[TForan]

Same here in Michigan: they bought one small chain with three stores and possibly my nearest dealer that has two stores in the area. What's going on here??

In Oakland county or up north ? I'm referring to Brick St in TC and Cadillac.

 

[Allan47.7339]

In other news, Mike’s Bikes is in a new partnership between Giant Bicycles USA and will make its debut this fall. It kind of reminds me of a couple getting a divorce and one of the spouses gets remarried two weeks later. Kind of makes you wonder?

 

[kahn]

In other news, Mike’s Bikes is in a new partnership between Giant Bicycles USA and will make its debut this fall. It kind of reminds me of a couple getting a divorce and one of the spouses gets remarried two weeks later. Kind of makes you wonder?

I'm surprised there was not a "do not compete" clause but maybe Mike's had some leverage in the sale/transfer.

 

[Onimaru]

Same here in Michigan: they bought one small chain with three stores and possibly my nearest dealer that has two stores in the area. What's going on here??

Hello fellow Michigander. Which places did they buy? Everything up near Midland is Specialized with the exception of 1 Trek dealer that is always out of stock on everything.

Edit - and TForan. Hello to you as well. Great biking in this state. Glad so many are on here.

 

[mschwett]

In another followup to this turn of events, I heard a few days ago that my local bike shop, a fantastic small/medium shop down the hill from where i live in SF was just sold to Specialized. It’ll be interesting to see what - if any - other brands they continue to sell. When i was there last (to get my future shock looked at) the majority of the bikes being worked on were various flavors of Levo.

 

[John in CA]

I heard a few days ago that my local bike shop, a fantastic small/medium shop down the hill from where i live in SF was just sold to Specialized.

This past September, shortly after I bought my Vado SL 5.0 from Mike's Bikes in Berkeley (CA), one of the store managers told me Specialized was ending their relationship with Mike's because Specialized now wants exclusivity. Mike's told me they would be selling Giant bikes in the future (along with other brands perhaps). They will continue to service Specialized bikes for a year. It looks like Specialized is doing what Trek does, only selling their brands of bikes, clothing, accessories, etc.

 

[mclewis1]

A little more background ...

UPDATED: Bay Area retail powerhouse Mike's Bikes sold to Pon Group, the owner of Santa Cruz and Cervelo

NOVATO, Calif. (BRAIN) — Mike's Bikes, the 12-store Northern California chain, has been purchased by Pon, the Dutch parent of Santa Cruz, Cervelo and other bike, mobility, and auto brands. Mike's former partners will remain with the business and said the stores will continue to carry non-Pon...

www.bicycleretailer.com

Specialized buys McLain Cycle & Fitness, other purchases rumored

TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (BRAIN) — After 44 years in business, Bob and Kris McLain have sold McLain Cycle & Fitness to Specialized Bicycle Components. Specialized has not confirmed the purchase and has declined to comment on this or other recent retail acquisitions. But industry sources tell BRAIN...

www.bicycleretailer.com

 

[rochrunner]

KLM Cycle & Fitness, which has two stores in the northern Detroit suburbs, was also purchased by Specialized. And yet another two-shop dealer in the area was approached but turned them down. It certainly makes it more profitable for Specialized since they've now cut out the middle-man in the sales chain. I just hope that the local customer service improves.