(And 1 that Doesn't)

A good bike shop is the lifeblood of a cycling community.

Sure, it’s where you can buy your spare tubes and water bottles, but it’s also a source of support, a database of knowledge and experience, and sometimes it’s even a place to get a really good coffee.

Bike shops are also businesses that are under the gun. According to data from the National Bike Dealers Association cited by USA Cycling, retail bike shops have to make a 38% margin to break even on a bicycle, while most bike brands only offer 32–35% margin on a full-price sale.

So what can we, as bike lovers, do to help keep our favorite LBS afloat?

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Everybody loves a little respect, and your local bike mechanic is no different. Bike mechanics love it when customers show them the respect of bringing in a clean bike to work on. I think of it this way. When I go to start dinner, which is easier – when the counter is clean and dirty dishes are stowed in the dishwasher? Or when (and this is how it usually is at my house) my teenagers have left dirty dishes and spills scattered across the counter?

So how can you show your LBS some respect? Show up with a clean bike, don’t overlube your chain (overlubing doesn’t make it work any better; it just makes it stickier and dirtier), and don’t wait until the last minute for service. Words your mechanic hates to hear: “I’m racing tomorrow.”

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 

“I have a perfectly good bike,” you say, “how can I support a bike shop when I don’t need a bike?” Most bike shops sell more than just bikes. Tubes, CO2 cartridges, bottle cages, chain lube, bar-mounted lights, bike bags – these are all things that your LBS probably carries. When you purchase your bikes and bike gear at small, local businesses instead of online or at a big chain, you’re doing your part to keep your local bike shop going. 

And here’s one that’s a win for you and the shop – get a bike tune-up. Getting a professional tune-up at least once a year is a great way to keep your bike healthy and safe over the long run. Your LBS can detail what they include in a tune-up, but it can include things like inspecting and replacing parts that tend to wear, like brake pads and the chain; checking the soundness of the frame, fork, and handlebars; and inspecting the drivetrain for wear, missing or worn teeth; and inspecting your wheels for loose spokes. 

Share the Love

If you love riding your bike, talk it up. Introducing people to the joy and freedom, not to mention health and fitness gains, of cycling gives back three times – it benefits them, it benefits you by giving you a new person to ride with, and it benefits the LBS by giving them a potential new customer.

And don’t forget to give ’em some social media love. Do they have an Instagram account or Facebook page? Regram, share, comment – help feed those algorithms that put your favorite shop in front of more eyeballs. 

And what’s the number 1 thing that doesn’t support your LBS?

Using your LBS as a research tool and then buying online.

The internet is awesome, but it can’t replace real world know-how. Your local bike shop is staffed with experts whose job it is to make sure you get the right bike for you. When you grill them on the particulars of the bikes you're shopping for and then go and make your purchase online, you’re exploiting their expertise without rewarding them with the sale. 

What’s that? They don’t know that’s what you’re doing? Oh, they know. And the more that people make their purchases online, the harder it is for your LBS to compete. Eventually, local bike shops are shut out of the marketplace and forced out of business entirely. 

Got a favorite bike shop? Share the love and tag them in the comments.