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All Things Bikes and Tacos! (...and every vehicle imaginable)

Discussion in 'Sports, Hobbies & Interests' started by Gunshot-6A, Aug 10, 2016.

  1. Aug 20, 2019 at 6:24 AM
    paleh0rse

    paleh0rse Well-Known Member

    Joined:
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    Raleigh, NC
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    2019 Cement Tacoma TRD Off-road DCLB
    And yet, it's still my personal pipedream. God help me... :notsure:
     
  2. Aug 20, 2019 at 9:38 AM
    Rockytaco970

    Rockytaco970 Well-Known Member

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    taco helped me do lots of bike stuffs this weekend...sure do love the mountains.

    Sunday dirt bikes cottonwood pass/ted table mesa
    [​IMG]

    Monday long haul...all three sections of the North Trail in Vail. 2500' of ascending/decending over 18 miles. The Mach 6 did it all well, even tho I felt like dying at a few points
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  3. Aug 20, 2019 at 10:43 AM
    boulderoffroader

    boulderoffroader Well-Known Member

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    Colorado
    Vehicle:
    2018 TRD Pro
    :thumbsup: U-Bikes get all my money.
     
    abacall[QUOTED] likes this.
  4. Aug 20, 2019 at 10:50 AM
    dynamicweight

    dynamicweight Well-Known Member

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    Well, I really did try my best to point out that I do not think bike shops are greedy and that they have a positive effect on the bicycling community AND moreover that I happily support them with my own money knowing full well I can buy things at a discount online. I just think honesty and transparency is important. There isn't any way to hide things any more in the information age and a lot of the old business models are dying because of it. Mostly, it's where one thing is discounted in the hopes that someone will buy something else with a juicy profit margin.

    For instance, you can't sell bikes at a discounted rate hoping to make money back on maintenance and repair, and you can't sell your labor at a discount hoping to make the money back on bikes and parts. You just have to price everything at what you think is fair and go from there. For instance, many shops have no issue with you buying a bike online and then bringing it in for work. They price their labor fairly so that they make money and people can choose how to shop.

    Maybe it's because I live in a place where there are a lot of people and a lot of money, but there are all kinds of small specialty shops here for all sorts of things. I go to the small shops when I really care and get deep into something, enough that I want to talk to someone in person and hold something in my hand before I buy it. But for consumer level garbage purchases? It's fine to have all that be online. It's more efficient.
     
  5. Aug 20, 2019 at 11:19 AM
    ridge

    ridge One Gear; No Fear

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    North Carolina
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    '17 TRD Sport DCSB M6
    MESO!
    What you may not be aware of is that bike shops are restricted to a pricing model from the parts distributors that is based, in part, on volume of sales but can be just as easily influenced by local competition that also use those distributors. Most aftermarket parts, components, and accessories don't come directly from the mfr to the LBS. They are distributed through companies like Hawley, QBP, etc... a startup/small bike shop is not likely to get the attention of QBP (Home of Salsa, Surly, All-City, etc..) until their sales volume reaches a sufficient level and/or they are willing to dedicate some serious square footage to one of the house bike brands.

    Even if/when they get approval to sell from the QBP or Hawley catalog; they then fall within a pricing tier that may not be competitive with another bike shop in the same town and DEFINITELY not against any online entity. Again, that might be due to volume of stuff moved, age of existing shop vs. the new guy on the block, etc... They are then pressured by the regional sales reps to push certain products, meet minimum sales numbers, and continue investing into floor stock. Add to that rent, liability insurance, wages, proprietary tools for the dizzying myriad of "standards" now adopted across all the riding disciplines and it quickly becomes a lose-lose situation.

    Small bike shops are struggling to bring in customers in a lot of areas where the saturation of riders may not be sufficient to support it yet. I know at least 1/2 dozen that have started here, run for a few years, then sputtered out. That's mostly from the competition of online sales and a persistent belief that big-box retailers like W-M, Tarjet, et al bikes are of "good enough" quality for the average American.

    A good bike shop, with a passionate owner and a passionate, experienced staff will not only embrace the bike culture, but also work to expand that culture throughout the community. Online sales could care less what the bike culture is within any given zip code... all they're worried about is profit margin and cost ratio of the logistics. They might have passionate riders working for them, but the money spent on those bikes, parts, services are flowing out of the local communities and enriching their community/region.

    I've been working toward starting a bike shop here for years now, networking, learning, calculating the risks... not gonna lie, even though it's a desperately needed service in my community; I'm terrified to open one because of the persistence of online sales undercutting even the prices the bike shop would pay to its distributors... it's a metric shit-ton of risk.

    Edit to add: In our modern, ever-connected, and divisive world, where one bad review can signal a death knell for small businesses; how is a small business owner to react when presented with online retail as their competitor? As the old saying goes "You can please some of the people some of the time; but you will never please all of the people all of the time."

    It becomes an exhaustive race to constantly belittle oneself, lose money to "win" a sale because every customer walks in the door with an online price for which they want to purchase an item. I've overheard it more times than I can count while BSing at my LBS "What do you mean you can order it? If it has to be ordered; I'll just buy it online and save $$$."

    LBS owners can't possibly keep everything from the catalogs in stock and on the shelves. That inventory costs real money that the shop owner had to pay the distributors in hopes that it would sell quickly enough to turn a profit and re-invest in the shop. A startup is in an even worse predicament... those owners have liitle or no idea what the predominant bike culture will be in their area... road, MTB, commuters, beach cruisers, fat bikes, gravel bikes... there are so many segments that trying to find the right demographic in an area takes significant investment of time, lots of personal money, and sacrificing personal wants just to keep it afloat.
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2019
    abacall, FirsandFire and 113tac like this.
  6. Aug 20, 2019 at 11:42 AM
    Alden

    Alden Well-Known Member

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    Alden
    Atascadero, CA
    Vehicle:
    2018 Cement Tacoma DCSB TRD OR AT 4x4
    I took one out for a short 8 mile ride on my backyard trail. Amazing bike, but I don't need that much travel. I think the Hightower would be perfect for my riding style.

    Pedaling: It pedaled surprisingly well, likely due to the steep STA. I was only a few seconds behind the average times on my 125/140mm travel Niner on a 2 mile road climb and a 1 mile technical climb. The suspension felt very supported when pedaling, with very little pedal bob.

    Downhill: The bike felt a bit heavy, but super planted to the ground. With the rear shock being so low, it creates a low center of gravity and the bike just felt glued to the terrain. I couldn't really get the bike to "pop" off of small jumps and the bike felt a bit heavy to "flick" around. I wouldn't call it a playful bike. It's a bike more for soaking up everything in it's path. It's a very forgiving bike that allows you to just plow through rocks without really having to think about what line you want to take. With that all said, I made it down a particular 1 mile downhill tech section in the same amount of time as an average run on my 125/140mm travel Niner.

    Pros: smooth as butter, quiet, suspension felt bottomless, updated geometry (loved the steeper STA), Santa Cruz colors
    Cons: it felt heavy on the trail, not overly playful, not really any "faster"

    megatower.jpg
     
  7. Aug 20, 2019 at 1:37 PM
    Built2Ride

    Built2Ride Who wants to ride out?! PM Me.

    Joined:
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    First Name:
    JB
    Southeast
    Vehicle:
    ‘17 TacoTRDPro, ‘18 T4RTRDPro, ‘12 Tundra, ‘07 FJC
    All my rigs are purpose built. From crawling to camping. I also enjoy a nice stock truck for what that’s worth. Toyota’s are the jam!
    Word! That’s exactly what I wanted to hear. Straight to business. Been debating this or the Bronson.
    I am 6’2 265lbs, used to play ball and looking to use this in between my single track/enduro rides on my KTMs. I am by no means trying to win a race, I do like the sound of plowing they rocks though ;)
    Oh the question, should I get involved in a LT 29er or the small tire. Funny how you feel like your on a kids bike, after riding a 29er.
     
    Last edited: Aug 20, 2019
  8. Aug 20, 2019 at 1:54 PM
    Gunshot-6A

    Gunshot-6A [OP] Prime Beef

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    Conner
    Everett, WA
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    2015 TRD Offroad
    We need to make a shop like The Hub but in a different cool MTB town. Bike shop / brewery / hang out spot.

    Utah is desperately lacking a spot like that.
     
  9. Aug 20, 2019 at 2:19 PM
    113tac

    113tac Well-Known Member

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    Stephen
    Northern Virginia
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    2017 Magnetic Gray Tacoma
    Mostly Stock for now, 265 75 16 Falken AT3W, Tinted fronts...
    Seriously, that’s definitely what my goal would be if I opened a shop. Shenandoah bicycle in Harrisonburg VA is trending towards that direction but their space is a little small though. They do make some good açaí bowls if you’re into those and I think they have a few local beers on tap now.
     
  10. Aug 20, 2019 at 4:35 PM
    ridge

    ridge One Gear; No Fear

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    North Carolina
    Vehicle:
    '17 TRD Sport DCSB M6
    MESO!
    Which National Park Properties Allow Bikes On Trails? We Have a List for That

    "IMBA put a list together of national parks units that allow bikes on trails—not just national parks, but NPS-owned properties like reserves, recreation areas, seashores, and historic trails, among other designations. The list, reproduced with IMBA’s permission below, is current as of August 2019, and we’ll update it periodically as we receive new information. These units allow mountain bikes on select dirt trails; inclusion on this list doesn’t mean you can ride a bike on every trail in, say, Crater Lake National Park, for example. But if you’re heading to a national park unit and want to know if you can ride the trails, consult the list below."
     
  11. Aug 20, 2019 at 5:58 PM
    Ashy Larry

    Ashy Larry Member

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    Erik
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    TRD Off Road 6spd
    I used to live at the base of Beaver Creek for a short spell and for a year I lived in a cabin at the top of Bellyache Mtn in Wolcott over looking Cordillera Resort (where Kobe Bryant got in his trouble).

    I sure miss it, didn’t ride bikes at the time but it sure is a paradise if you’re ok with a very short season.
     
  12. Aug 20, 2019 at 7:03 PM
    paleh0rse

    paleh0rse Well-Known Member

    Joined:
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    Raleigh, NC
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    2019 Cement Tacoma TRD Off-road DCLB
    SBC is where I bought my Mojo3. I love their shop! In fact, My "pipedream" already includes a fully written business plan that closely resembles a lot of what you'll see/find at SBC.

    I'll definitely include a bar/brewery in place of an acai bar, though! lol It's great to hear that they've added beer to the mix. It's such a great little shop. :thumbsup:
     
    113tac[QUOTED] likes this.
  13. Aug 20, 2019 at 9:52 PM
    113tac

    113tac Well-Known Member

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    Stephen
    Northern Virginia
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    2017 Magnetic Gray Tacoma
    Mostly Stock for now, 265 75 16 Falken AT3W, Tinted fronts...
    Yeah man they are the best! I live like 2ish hours from them now but if I buy a new ibis or Kona it will definitely be from them. I think I was spoiled having them as a local shop when I was in school cause now I compare all shops to them haha
     
  14. Aug 21, 2019 at 4:46 AM
    backcountryj

    backcountryj Pending Approval

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    GA
    What’s the best hitch tray rack that does everything I want/need???












    I kid. Ordered a 1up yesterday. 3rd times the charm. Now I wait :pccoffee:
     
    rn2727, Built2Ride, abacall and 2 others like this.
  15. Aug 21, 2019 at 4:51 AM
    honda50r

    honda50r Not a Mallcrawler

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    Not Stock
    Anybody else's trails super blown-out this time of year? Dog days of summer are taking their toll on the local goods here
     
  16. Aug 21, 2019 at 5:37 AM
    A_Hooligan

    A_Hooligan Well-Known Member

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    yeah man, it was the antigrip out there yesterday
     
    abacall likes this.
  17. Aug 21, 2019 at 5:43 AM
    honda50r

    honda50r Not a Mallcrawler

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    Yeah dude I haven't ridden Devils in a month. Braking bumps are next level, 6" deep in some places
     
    113tac likes this.
  18. Aug 21, 2019 at 5:44 AM
    abacall

    abacall Life's too short

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    UT
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    :ohsnap:

    Nice man! Black or no?

    Yeah, I’d say half are rutted and bombed out. There are some other trails though that are in good shape, but a long drive always.
     
  19. Aug 21, 2019 at 6:04 AM
    backcountryj

    backcountryj Pending Approval

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    Black Super Duty Double and a couple of the older side entry wheel locks. Figured if I was gonna go full monty I might as well pony up for the black one.
     
    abacall[QUOTED] likes this.
  20. Aug 21, 2019 at 6:21 AM
    FirsandFire

    FirsandFire Well-Known Member

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    804
    New York
    Vehicle:
    No more Taco. A 2500HD and a Bronco sport

    Sounds like it’s time to grab some shovels and put in some trail hours. They aint gonna fix themselves boys.
     

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