I SEE WHAT YOU’RE DOING, AND I LOVE IT

RETAIL IS CHANGING, retail has always been changing.

I love it.

From the general store which had to compete with the Sears catalog which had to compete with Woolworth’s then Walmart now Amazon.

Who wins?

The consumer, AND THE RETAILERS THAT GET IT.

Who is that in cycling?

From my travels, I can tell you unequivocally that the shops who are embracing the cycling lifestyle are doing great.  They are busy.  There are plenty of customers in the store finding what they want.

What do they want?  An experience… today’s consumer wants to drink deeply of your waters: knowledge, experience and passion.  They want to be told what you recommend, what you ride, where you ride, how they can improve their ride.  They want a friend, they can trust.

I was reminded of this on my way to Utah today.  For the last 5 years I’ve been stopping along the way and visiting shops.  Some are gone, those that remain or who are new are providing more than just a bike.

Take Las Vegas Cyclery.  When you get there, you’ll see good looking logo’d vans ready to carry you and your crew into the wild via guided bike tours.  Go into their beautiful showroom and you see a huge selection of accessories, lots of new bikes, an immaculate service area with trained techs in plain view.  Best of all, you’re made to feel like part of their posse – even if you’re there to sell : )

Can everybody do what they’re doing?  Yes.

… I’m pulling for you all! …