Sad Day for my LBS

[a100mark]

My local Serotta dealer has closed it's doors. :crap: This is a very sad day for my little cycling community. I can go to another city to find the next serotta dealer, however my LBS shop specialized predominantly in Serotta and other high end custom bikes. The ladies who owned the shop were incredible. So informative, a wealth of information. The next bike shop I choose to take care of my bike has a lot to live up to!

[David Kirk]

That's too bad.............what shop and why did they close up?


Dave

[C5 Snowboarder]

That's too bad.............what shop and why did they close up?


Dave


+1 -- Why did they close.

[stevep]

tough business to actually make a living at.

[a100mark]

The shop was located in the little cycling mecca of the east coast called Carrboro, NC. It's name was Cycling Specifics. www.cyclingspecifics.com

What just stumps me is the fact that a few weeks ago I met Ben Serotta at one of their open house/Demo Days. It seemed like they were always so busy too. Each Wednesday night the shops hosted a womens ride, which we frequented.

We received an email from the shop last night. As of today, they have even been removed from the Serotta dealers website. All of this has happened so fast I'm honestly in shock. Also, I truly am not 100% cool with that thought that I have to take my bike across town where the folks who will be helping me won't have the expertise of Cycling Specifics. One of the owners, used to work at Serotta as the Director of Sales and helped coordinate the first edition of the Serotta Bike Fit School........I just worry that no one will be able to fill their shoes.

[jmewkill]

That's too bad.............what shop and why did they close up?


Dave

A little place in Carrboro, NC

[David Kirk]

That is screwy. I thought that they were doing well.

I wonder what happened?

Dave

[a100mark]

Me too. No clue as to what would have caused to downfall.......again, have I mentioned how bad this sucks! argh! :butt:

[Frog Hair]

I was reading a copy of my buddies "Bicycle Retailer & Industry News" and there was a quote in there that was discussing the Trek & Specialized Concept store ideas. I cannot cite the quote exactly, but the guy essentially said "when I was a kid I was buying my bicycles from concept stores. They were called "Schwinn Concept Stores" and every legit bike shop was part of it. He went on to add that he feels that today's LBS scene is like the health club scene of the 70's; lots of small guys trying to be different, but overall a market with low dollars that has not taken the next step toward overall growth.

I love the small bike shops. Same as I like to visit a Ducati shop or an independently owned wine shop. I think most of the Serotta crowd can agree. And I've seen what happens when a big shop (one in Dallas, Tx. comes to mind) tries to be both "Trek and Serotta." It seems to be a hard fit for both and hard act to balance. The "Trek" side of the business ends up eating the rest, pays the big bills, and the cycle begins. I travel a lot and see a lot of bike shops along the way, but I never got the sense that any of the small guys were in real good financial health along the way. And by that I mean they always looked like they had to live in the back of the shop to pay the bills. Hardly a fun way to make a living once you are past the college years.

That said, what can the small shops do to stay alive? There are lots of new ones out there. Lots of smart people who love to ride who are educated and have a passion for their business. But overhead, limited cash flow for products and a small local business base for the uber-high-end bikes makes it tough. Who is doing it "right"? Who is just "surviving" and what can the next small shop do to stay open for the long run?

:confused:

[wasfast]

It's sad on several levels but a business has to ultimately make money. Busy businesses can go out of business just as easily as one that is slow. They may have not paid their vendors, taken too much money out of the business, overbought on inventory, who knows? Cash flow, inventory management, markup, accounting, employees, etc. There's lots of things that are necessary to make it financially successful.

[Brendan Quirk]

Lori worked at Serotta way-back-when when i went to fit school in '99 or so. She schlepped me back & forth to the Albany airport, etc, and was a fantastic contact at Serotta. She was a very strong presence in a mostly male-dominated industry.

When I heard she left Serotta to start that shop, as I recall it was with the intent to open a shop that focused on women's needs. That's just really, really sad.

Isn't Carrboro pretty close to the general RTP area? I'd think that'd be a fantastic area to cultivate a national-class women's cycling scene.

Bummer. I hope Lori bounces back and finds success in her next endeavor.

[a100mark]

Lori worked at Serotta way-back-when when i went to fit school in '99 or so. She schlepped me back & forth to the Albany airport, etc, and was a fantastic contact at Serotta. She was a very strong presence in a mostly male-dominated industry.

When I heard she left Serotta to start that shop, as I recall it was with the intent to open a shop that focused on women's needs. That's just really, really sad.

Isn't Carrboro pretty close to the general RTP area? I'd think that'd be a fantastic area to cultivate a national-class women's cycling scene.

Bummer. I hope Lori bounces back and finds success in her next endeavor.

Indeed, Lori is incredible. They just were not a bike shop. They were a part of the cycling community. As a rider, overall I'm not real fast, but you know, Lori still would take the time to teach me tricks of the trade and invite me on every ride. It's not everyday that a novice like me has the opportunity to ride with such a high caliber cyclist and individual.

I read another post talking about the Serotta/Trek dealers...That's exactly who is left to service my bike and sell me my next serotta.

[R2D2]

Carrboro is right next door to Chapel Hill.
My favorite shop "in the day" was located there.
The Clean Machine............

[a100mark]

Carrboro is right next door to Chapel Hill.
My favorite shop "in the day" was located there.
The Clean Machine............

Still there and bought by the Bicycle Chain, who own the other 3 bike shops in town. Oh, and then there's a Performance Bike shop too. No more LBS in Orange County, NC.

[KJMUNC]

The lack of a true "LBS" shocked me when I moved to Chapel Hill two years ago. You basically had the low end and high-end covered, but only Franklin St. and the Clean Machine came close to what I'd consider a real LBS who acted as a full-service shop. I think both got a bad rap 'cause they are aligned with Trek/Specialized but their wrenches were always knowledgable and did good work on my bikes. None of the shops had a "wise old man" of cycling that so many of the great LBS's seem to have and I never felt completely welcome in any of them.

I think part of Cycling Specific's problem is that while they catered to the very high-end well, that market was very small in the immediate CH-Carrboro area and they might have been better off in a larger market like Raleigh. They weren't associated with the UNC cycling team, which I also always felt was a missed opportunity. Just my two cents though, and there are a multitude of factors that could've pushed them over the edge.

[rwsaunders]

We had a LBS in Pittsburgh that was a Serotta dealer silently drop the line too, but they didn't close up shop. They're still selling triathlon equipment and other bikes, but the closest dealer to us now is 2.5 hours away.

[Serotta PETE]

Lori and Laurin will be missed.

I just saw Lori up at Blue Sky's when we can the SEROTTA weekend. She did not mention any of this....I also wonder what happened.

I wish them nothing but the best as they move forward.

For those of you in the Triangle, Matt and the Gang at SPIN CYCLE also are very good!

PETE

[R2D2]

Still there and bought by the Bicycle Chain, who own the other 3 bike shops in town. Oh, and then there's a Performance Bike shop too. No more LBS in Orange County, NC.

That's not the REAL Clean Machine.
I'm talking days when McLean wrenched there...............

[jmewkill]

That's not the REAL Clean Machine.
I'm talking days when McLean wrenched there...............

An interesting connection
My riding buddy is a partner with the guy who married McLean's widow.

Clean Machine and the other stores are LBS's - they are owned by two (maybe three) guys who had been there almost ten years when I worked at the Clean Machine in '92.

[Ken Robb]

According to their web site they were only open 23 hours a week!!! That's too ELITE to make a business a success. Lots of time for people to buy stuff elsewhere.

[R2D2]

An interesting connection
My riding buddy is a partner with the guy who married McLean's widow.

Clean Machine and the other stores are LBS's - they are owned by two (maybe three) guys who had been there almost ten years when I worked at the Clean Machine in '92.

There's soooooooo much Karma with McLean. It could take up a whole BB by itself. But my short story is it (cycling and McLean) saved my life and more importantly my soul.

[RABikes2]

I met Lori at Open House in 2004 at Blue Sky; what a nice person. I was on Cycling Specifics e-mail list and always enjoyed reading about their "extra" events; which usually involved fun ideas to get cyclists together. Sorry to read about them closing.
RA

[soulspinner]

I was stunned to find only 2 Serottas at one of the local shops(the only Serotta dealer) when I stopped in. He said that they dont stock many because they are special order. They used to. This shop is by far the most successful of those in town. They sure had a lot of Specialized carbons on display(ugly 2 me). :confused:

[stevep]

I was stunned to find only 2 Serottas at one of the local shops(the only Serotta dealer) when I stopped in. He said that they dont stock many because they are special order. They used to. This shop is by far the most successful of those in town. They sure had a lot of Specialized carbons on display(ugly 2 me). :confused:


the "rock and a hard place" for many of these guys is the fact that many or most serotta, seven, independent, etc frames are sold as custom in some form or other. if you are selling pretty much a preponderance of custom product..very few dealers are financially able to sit 3-5-8 bikes on the floor thereby tying up a huge pile of dollars.
note a recent link when someone was looking for a serotta in a medium size and could not find one built.
the company likes to have product on the floor to show and detail w/ prospective customers. serotta/ seven, etc want to see built models, test models, etc but then they emphasize custom....thereby depreciating the worth of these floor bikes/ demo bikes, etc.
the financial pressure of this is very tough for a dealer. these thing tie up a lot of dollars these days. dollars are tough t come by. many dealers are forced by the economics of it in the direction of the generic trek and specialized.

business question:
tie up $20,000 in 4 built up serottas that will have to be exact fit to sell and hope to sell some customs off ( yeah, we can do that ...i can get the bike for you in 10 weeks probably ) of these and then maybe sell off these "demos" at year end?
or
put the $20k into specialized/ trek.
"oh, a 54 will fit you. its right here. you can pick it up this afternoon"

bearing in mind that the vast majority of customers can be reasonably well fit on something or other from these companies.

the business decision is easy. but the result is what you are seeing. relatively few dealers can make the financial committment to show/ spend time on what we all like.
luckily there are still some dealers who are willing to make the committment.
you should congratulate any of the good dealers in your marketplace and do your best to support them. they are truly committed. when they go we all lose a piece of a small community.

[soulspinner]

the "rock and a hard place" for many of these guys is the fact that many or most serotta, seven, independent, etc frames are sold as custom in some form or other. if you are selling pretty much a preponderance of custom product..very few dealers are financially able to sit 3-5-8 bikes on the floor thereby tying up a huge pile of dollars.
note a recent link when someone was looking for a serotta in a medium size and could not find one built.
the company likes to have product on the floor to show and detail w/ prospective customers. serotta/ seven, etc want to see built models, test models, etc but then they emphasize custom....thereby depreciating the worth of these floor bikes/ demo bikes, etc.
the financial pressure of this is very tough for a dealer. these thing tie up a lot of dollars these days. dollars are tough t come by. many dealers are forced by the economics of it in the direction of the generic trek and specialized.

business question:
tie up $20,000 in 4 built up serottas that will have to be exact fit to sell and hope to sell some customs off ( yeah, we can do that ...i can get the bike for you in 10 weeks probably ) of these and then maybe sell off these "demos" at year end?
or
put the $20k into specialized/ trek.
"oh, a 54 will fit you. its right here. you can pick it up this afternoon"

bearing in mind that the vast majority of customers can be reasonably well fit on something or other from these companies.

the business decision is easy. but the result is what you are seeing. relatively few dealers can make the financial committment to show/ spend time on what we all like.
luckily there are still some dealers who are willing to make the committment.
you should congratulate any of the good dealers in your marketplace and do your best to support them. they are truly committed. when they go we all lose a piece of a small community.


+1

[kestrel]

I only dealt with Lori through emails when she worked at Serotta. One time regarding a purchase, and one time regarding a return for a replacement item. She was amazing in that she devoted just as much energy and enthusiasm to the return side as the purchase side of the business. It was shortly after that she left Serotta for the business in NC. I certainly wish her well, and I can't imagine someone of her caliber not landing successfully on her feet.

[RABikes2]

the "rock and a hard place"
business question:
tie up $20,000 in 4 built up serottas that will have to be exact fit to sell and hope to sell some customs off ( yeah, we can do that ...i can get the bike for you in 10 weeks probably ) of these and then maybe sell off these "demos" at year end?
or
put the $20k into specialized/ trek.
"oh, a 54 will fit you. its right here. you can pick it up this afternoon"

bearing in mind that the vast majority of customers can be reasonably well fit on something or other from these companies.

the business decision is easy. but the result is what you are seeing. relatively few dealers can make the financial committment to show/ spend time on what we all like.
luckily there are still some dealers who are willing to make the committment.
you should congratulate any of the good dealers in your marketplace and do your best to support them. they are truly committed. when they go we all lose a piece of a small community.
Very well said Steve. You nailed it. (One of my jobs is at the bike shop; we were a Serotta dealership.) It is difficult for a small business, even when it is doing very well, to tie up that amount of dollars in inventory if it is not moving constantly.
RA

[bhungerford]

i agree, sort of....if you want to invest that money in getting a demo fleet of Serottas or Sevens or whatevers on your shop floor you can't really consider it inventory, it's actually more advertising, they're selling tools, you can't expect to sell those bikes, but by having them for people to see the quality of work and maybe ride one that is close to their size to feel how great they are, then you'll sell more bikes, probably a custom sized one, and along with that all the parts that make the frame go, and then you've got yourself a nice loyal customer that will keep coming back and spending more money...just my opinion, it's what i would do with a shop

[JohnS]

According to their web site they were only open 23 hours a week!!! That's too ELITE to make a business a success. Lots of time for people to buy stuff elsewhere.That says it all...

[stevep]

i agree, sort of....if you want to invest that money in getting a demo fleet of Serottas or Sevens or whatevers on your shop floor you can't really consider it inventory, it's actually more advertising, they're selling tools, you can't expect to sell those bikes, but by having them for people to see the quality of work and maybe ride one that is close to their size to feel how great they are, then you'll sell more bikes, probably a custom sized one, and along with that all the parts that make the frame go, and then you've got yourself a nice loyal customer that will keep coming back and spending more money...just my opinion, it's what i would do with a shop

sounds sensible...call it advertising...but its real money that could be used for salaries or rent or inventory or a promotion...and you still have to advertise for the $400 bike customer.
what happens to the 4 demo bikes? next year serotta/seven calls and says you need to buy 4 more bikes to keep yr dealership and you have 3 still on the floor taking up $15k of yr limited funds...and the next year? the next year?
its a very clear and simple business decision as noted above by rabikes.

support yr local pro shop if they treat you well.
we are losing the breed rapidly.

[bhungerford]

good points stevep.... and we are losing them rapidly, i think for the main reason that most shop owners have a bike background, not a business background...it's not easy, but can be done in the right market with the right people with the right ideas...hopefully that's me soon ;)

[David Kirk]

As I understand it the shop in question was doing quite well. Yes it is hard to make a good living in the retail bike biz but the good ones can do very well.

Is it possible that they chose to close the shop just because they didn't feel like playing anymore?

It seems like a good bit of drift or conjecture that the shop closed due to lack of business.

Dave

P.S. Lori kicks arse and will land firmly on her feet somewhere. Where ever that happens to be the folks around her will be lucky to have her.

[kestrel]

According to their web site they were only open 23 hours a week!!! That's too ELITE to make a business a success. Lots of time for people to buy stuff elsewhere.

Cool Breeze in Mooresville, a Serotta fit shop, tried similar hours a few years ago. It didn't last long, they are back to a full service, full hours shop again and thriving in their new location.

[Ken Robb]

[Is it possible that they chose to close the shop just because they didn't feel like playing anymore?

It seems like a good bit of drift or conjecture that the shop closed due to lack of business.

Dave

I think Dave may have hit the nail on the head. Everything I know about what is required for success running retail shops starts with loooooong hours. In the two LBS most familiar to me the owners work 5 or 6 10 hour days per week. It may be that Lori, et.al. never planned to make a lot of $$$ from this shop but thought it would be fun and they could contribute to the cycling community and bring products and services to their market that wouldn't/couldn't be offered by more profit-oriented stores. As Dave said Lori will be in demand somewhere else in the industry. Heck, maybe she's sick of dealing with us. :rolleyes:

[Marron]

I'll contrast that to the Seattle area where most of the shops appear to be thriving. Greggs has relocated two stores to new/nicer digs and is remodeling their main location. The store manager for the Green Lake shop told me they were selling bikes as fast as they could assemble them.

Sammamish Cycles had to expand to display more $5,000+ road and tri bikes. Nothing like living in a booming economy.

[Serot]

Thanks for you inquiry about Lori and Lauren. We were as sad to hear that they were closing Cycling Specifics as you were. Lori and Lauren are both exceptional women, and their business concept was cutting-edge. Unfortunately, there is a risk involved in any entrepreneurial venture, and in this instance, they just weren't able to turn there vision into a long-term business. We are sure they will land on their feet and expect it won't be long before they are each involved in some exciting new endeavor.



If you are looking for a new bike shop, I want to be sure you know about another Serotta dealer in your area, The Spin Cycle. We know you'll be in good hands there with Matt Lodder. He is a master at bike fit who has been giving customers outstanding service from the same location for ten years.



Here is The Spin Cycle's contact information. Let me know if there is anything else we can help you with.



THE SPIN CYCLE (KC Cycles)
1241 Kildaire Farm Rd
Cary, NC 27511
(919) 460-9373
www.thespincycle.com

[Serotta PETE]

As mentioned earlier, Matt and the SPIN GANG are first rate!!!

PETE

Thanks for you inquiry about Lori and Lauren. We were as sad to hear that they were closing Cycling Specifics as you were. Lori and Lauren are both exceptional women, and their business concept was cutting-edge. Unfortunately, there is a risk involved in any entrepreneurial venture, and in this instance, they just weren't able to turn there vision into a long-term business. We are sure they will land on their feet and expect it won't be long before they are each involved in some exciting new endeavor.



If you are looking for a new bike shop, I want to be sure you know about another Serotta dealer in your area, The Spin Cycle. We know you'll be in good hands there with Matt Lodder. He is a master at bike fit who has been giving customers outstanding service from the same location for ten years.



Here is The Spin Cycle's contact information. Let me know if there is anything else we can help you with.



THE SPIN CYCLE (KC Cycles)
1241 Kildaire Farm Rd
Cary, NC 27511
(919) 460-9373
www.thespincycle.com

[rdparadise]

just this past year. They booted Cannonwhale, are booting Merlin and bringing in the former owners of Litespeed's line now that he's getting back in the game.

They are becoming a concept shop for Specialized. From what I know of them, they are a good fit for this situation. They don't do much high end, except a few Merlins now and then. They carry Orbea too but aren't a full fledged Orbea dealer. Carbon, carbon, carbon! Thanks to Lance, that's mostly what they sell and have little to no demand for steel? Ti, Aluminum, etc. This from the horses mouth, the shop owner.

I think in a couple of years, when the Lance legacy begins to fade, I'm sure real steel, aluminum and Ti will begin to return as cycling manstays. I know carbon is light and can be had relatively inexpensively ohh and the ride is soooo smooth.....

Bob

[Brian Smith]

Perhaps they met their goals but made new ones that required closing up shop. Failure is not the only reason small businesses cease, and in fact
stopping something that is less satisfactory than other options is a success.
I'm sure they'll let us know what they're up to when they're good and ready.
Knowing Lori, it's not a surprise to hear from someone nearby that the operation will be missed.

[Longdaddy]

I recently(3 weeks ago) took delivery of a new CDA from the Girls at Cycling Specifics. The entire process was fantastic. Laurin is one of the top 3 wrenchs I have met in 23 years of cycling and racing (that includes some National Team mechanics).
Lori's fit process was spot on and she has made me a better cyclist because of it. It was also an honor to meet Ben at the open house they hosted in April.
I, too, was shocked when I read the e-mail that they would be closing. I wish the best of luck to them, both. It just gives me a sick feeling in my heart.
Good luck, Ladies. If you get back in the biz, I'll be waiting at the door....
:)
Eric Long
Team Army Cycling
FT Bragg, NC

[Bart001]

If there is, I didnt see it.

I thought about that as I was preparing to post that my Serotta gets taken care of by a Trek-only shop. The owner's been a cyclist forever and they love my bike and are happy to have me as a customer!

[a100mark]

http://serotta.com/pages/dealers.html

you can find your local dealer here.

[Karin Kirk]

She was one of my best pals when we lived in NY.
Lori and were riding partners for many years, and in all types of circumstances, iterations of different teams, and races near and far. We used to have a great time kicking each other's butts up climbs and for town line signs. The coolest thing was that we each always cheered on the other, no matter who was passing whom (usually it was she passing me). I have never had a riding partner with whom I felt so comfortable and shared such mutual respect. I miss riding with Lori and I always look back fondly on our miles together!

As others have mentioned, Lori is talented, experienced and resourceful. I'll look forward to hearing about her next round of adventures. It's nice to know she's got a proper fan club here!

[Sandy]

I called Lori back in 1998, relative to questions about a potential CSI purchase. She was very helpful and informative.

I rode a short distance with her when she was down in the DC area. She is an accomplished cyclist. She remarked how often I was shifting gears and nicknamed me Shifting Sandy. Lori seemed like a real genuine and helpful lady. Best to her and all others involved.


Shifting Sandy

[Go-Dog-Go]

Hi, I also was surprised and dismayed when I found that Laurie and Lauren had closed their doors. I just purchased a Nove in May and was so impressed with the service and custom fit that that "the ladies from Carrboro" gave me. What now? Does anyone have a LBS that they use now? The Spin Cycle in Cary sells and services Serotta's. I bought my last bike (PS-pre-Serotta) at the Bicycle Chain in Raleigh. it was a Specialized Roubaix. They will be glad to work on the Serotta. Is there any reason why I should or need to take it to a Serotta dealer for regular maintenance issues? I'm not much of a mechanic myself-one reason I was so happy to find the girls in Carrboro. I was hoping to utilize their bike workshops and women's rides. Oh Well, I still have a fabulous bike that fits and rides like a dream. Kim, "Go-Dog-Go"

[rickygarni]

Go, Dog, Go:

Have you spoken to Linus at the Clean Machine in Carrboro?

Ricky

[a100mark]

Hi, I also was surprised and dismayed when I found that Laurie and Lauren had closed their doors. I just purchased a Nove in May and was so impressed with the service and custom fit that that "the ladies from Carrboro" gave me. What now? Does anyone have a LBS that they use now? The Spin Cycle in Cary sells and services Serotta's. I bought my last bike (PS-pre-Serotta) at the Bicycle Chain in Raleigh. it was a Specialized Roubaix. They will be glad to work on the Serotta. Is there any reason why I should or need to take it to a Serotta dealer for regular maintenance issues? I'm not much of a mechanic myself-one reason I was so happy to find the girls in Carrboro. I was hoping to utilize their bike workshops and women's rides. Oh Well, I still have a fabulous bike that fits and rides like a dream. Kim, "Go-Dog-Go"

Ride with us: www.hotpotatocycling.com

Also, I have to second speaking with Linus at Clean Machine. He is super helpful and his Dad is a foruminte.

Also, you can check out Back Alley Bikes for service. Jason owns the shop and now is fully responsible for caring for my serottas.

[dummy]

Everyone in Carrboro that needs to get fitted or have a fantastic wrench work on your ride, I recommend SPOKE! I bought my first Serotta frame, an Ottrott ST, from the Carborro's Cycling Specifics. SPOKE built it up for me and he built up my second Serotta. And, what a ride both of them are. SPOKE is certified by Serotta on fitting bicycles.

I'd contact him if you need to have some work or be fitted.

[scooter01]

I will second this, SPOKE has done a fantastic job for me as well.
he is Serotta fit trained, and he has spent numerous hours with me on the trainer and fixing everything that I have wrong. Now I two fantastic bikes.

If its service, fit or even a new frame SPOKE can do it.