I Know You're Supposed to Support Your LBS

Don't get me wrong, I'll be one of the first to encourage you to support your Local Bike Shop. I love bike shops, I have since I was a little kid. I had the good fortune around 10 or 11 years old to have a LBS that I could ride my bike to and the shop employees would pleasantly tolerate my loitering and gawking. I've squandered innumerable hours since hanging out in bike shops.

There have been some fantastic shops I've had the privilege of patronizing, and in my experience the more grass roots and local the more I like the shop. My all time favorite was a one man show, directly above a local coffee shop just a short distance from my one room cabin in AK. The man was as passionate about bikes as anyone I've ever met and what he wanted more than anything was to make riding more enjoyable for everyone that walked into his shop.

My favorites are easy to rattle off and I am happy to point anyone who'll listen in the direction of a good LBS. My current situation continues to frustrate me, and for the first time in my life I've passed on the opportunity to drop into a shop just for the sake of dropping into a bike shop. I'll spare you the details of my frustration, venting wouldn't likely be constructive for anyone. Instead I'll simply share my lament.

Here is a shop with a lot of potential, good location, good hearted people working there, and some nice bikes. Unfortunately this shop fails to live up to its potential and as a result experiences a failure to thrive.

It is too bad because I'd really love to support my local bike shop.