Save the local bike shop!

They’re understanding at kind, so if occasionally I have to pay a bit extra, i think it’s worth it.

Service and knowledge are really the most marketable item anymore.

The only way to counter this would be to deny online sales of bicycles. That won’t happen since that’d be limiting the exposure of the brand to a brick and mortar store. Brands want more exposure through many venues, not be confined to just a few methods of sales. Enter Felt’s first foray into online sales via the Slipstream site. The move by Felt is one that will be watched by many big bike lines.

. . . was that is was geared to support the shop, but more in a promotional ’circa 2003 sort of way.

Example: "Our e-commerce store is primarily aimed at the customer who lives interstate or is not serviced by a good quality bicycle shop . . . The Cecil Walker Cycles e-commerce store is only a small part of what we have to offer, it would be impossible to list our entire store on the web, if you have been to Cecil Walker Cycles you will know what I mean, for those cyclists that haven’t, we stock more than six thousand different parts and accessories in our store, and if we tried to list it all on the web it would be impossible for us to keep it accurate. If there is something that you would like that you don’t find listed please give us a call or email me. . . "

Look, the fact is you are either going to have an e-commerce store, or not.
If you are, then you need to build the infrastructure to support it.
If that means having a smaller shop with warehousing off site in order to balance your two departments, then that should be considered.
At the very least, put whatever you want to sell online, up online.

The reality is the market has changed, and in order to survive the shops need to change also.
Drongo already hit both the issue ,and the clear direction already.

• A shop will not survive on overpricing products.
• Customer Service & Support can not be substituted online.

…offering deals to brick and mortar stores that online retailers don’t get, thereby somewhat evening out the playing field.

i’m saying that since brick and mortar bike shops do provide repairs services manufacturers have a vested interest in keeping them around and therefore might want to give them deals on products.
I’m not a fan of having to ship things back to the manufacturer, or online retailers and then wait two weeks before i hear anything back from them. i would much rather take it back to the store i bought it from and have them either fix it or act as an intermediary between me and the manufacturer, and maybe give me a loaner while the issue is being worked out.
if LBSs were to one day go out of business, manufacturers would have a lot more after sale headaches. there is value for them in keeping LBSs around, i would think they would try to keep them around.

but even more so of internet shops. what i see around bike shops in my area are young kids working in shops. of the few stores i frequent, i have yet to find someone with a vast knowledge of both mechanical and fit issues. i guess people with that kind of knowledge/experience don’t really enjoy working for 8 bucks an hour.

barely over 5’, and she had a hell of a time finding a good fit. Short torso (well, short everything, but I digress. Just like when I suggested she shop at a clown bike store.).

1. Top tubes are too long. You have a long torso for your height . What if you didn’t? The bike would be too long for you, so you’d have to run an extra short stem. That would affect handling. Why should short riders have to deal with compromised handling?

2. Seat tube angles on smaller frames are usually too steep (this is usually done so they can stuff 700c wheels into the frame). It’s not uncommon for small frames to have 75 or 76 degree seat tube angles. This places the knees far forward of the pedal spindle in the three o’clock/nine o’clock position. Sometimes it’s not possible to move back far enough, especially for someone with longish thighs. This can lead to injury, usually tendinitis right below the front kneecap.

3. Small bikes can have extreme toe overlap with the front tire. Some people don’t care. I’ve seen others go down in parking lots when trying to turn at slow speeds.

4. Small bikes usually have very slack head tube angles. If the fork does not have the proper rake, then once again the bike can have crap handling. I’ve seen many manufacturers spec the same fork on a 50 cm bike as they do on 58 cm bike. I’m not saying any of yours did, but it happens.

5. Small bikes almost never have the right crank length. 170 mm cranks, or even 165mm are sometimes still way too big.

6. Most short riders have narrow shoulders. 40 or 38 mm/ handlebars are sometimes still way too big. This can cause hand numbness and shoulder pain.

I’m not trying to be a smartass, but I’m a professional bike fitter, and I can tell you women have been getting the short end of the stick for years. The sad fact is that many short women, and men, have no idea what they’ve been missing – a properly built bike with right sized components that handles just like larger bikes.

There are some fine custom builders that could wax eloquent about the geometry needs of the short – Sweet Pea, Luna, and Zinn are three that come to mind.

FWIW, Cervelo does “get it.” They design most of their bikes with 73 degree seat tube angles, use different fork rakes, and even use 650c wheels on their 48 cm bikes.