Harry's Bikes closing down...

terrydel

Sad to see another decent local bike shop closing down.

I was living in Dublin and getting the 17 bus to work there near Harry's for about a month before I spotted them there one lunch time. Rarely took the bus again after that and still have the bike more than 10 years later . Shame to see them go

moonshadow

Bought my first good carbon bike off them , and they were fantastic with a warranty issue really put my faith back in the local bike store. Very sorry to here this news.

C3PO

Sad news! Blame the internet in their FB post!

Macy0161

Ah bollox. Never popped up on my facebook feed (and still can't see it). My current road bikes came from there, and it's where I got my servicing done as it's effectively my lbs as it's beside work.

I'm kinda surprised, as always had a decent footfall from what I saw, for servicing at least.

C3PO

Macy0161 wrote: »

I'm kinda surprised, as always had a decent footfall from what I saw, for servicing at least.

Surprised myself - they seemed to have a reputation as the place to buy high end bikes!
I think we will soon see LBSs that really only service bikes and sell just the basic essentials! I know that is the model that my LBS is now following. Happy to source bikes if required but equally happy to build up from parts supplied or a mixture of both!
I think the big brands in sports retail will all have to open their own stores where people can see the full range and then order online - the old model no longer works!

Hurrache

C3PO wrote: »

Sad news! Blame the internet in their FB post!

I'm sure it's a factor, but I've never heard of the place and therefore was never factored in when bike shopping. It never came up in any google searches for me, so I'm sure I'm not the only one. I had to google it there by name to find out where it was.

Macy0161

A post about closing down still isn't showing for me on facebook? Could anyone post it?

C3PO wrote: »

I think we will soon see LBSs that really only service bikes and sell just the basic essentials! I know that is the model that my LBS is now following. Happy to source bikes if required but equally happy to build up from parts supplied or a mixture of both!

I did buy a few bits, but really they (any LBS) can't really compete with online, just through scale/ price/ convenience. Even "local" online stores that were competitively priced have gone too.

I guess I'll be over to belfield bikes...

dragratchet

I buy my bikes from them and found their service generally very good with a few hiccups over the years. they certainly treated me well regarding the bikes i bought. over the odds generally in terms of price but always handy for a quick pop in when you couldn't wait for a delivery. really sorry to see them go.

cant see that fb post either fwiw.

godtabh

My last bike was bought from a LBS. The bike before that was built up with a frame/group set purchased by me. Do must LBS do this?

I generally by consumables in the LBS but never things like clothes.

PringleDemon

dragratchet wrote: »

I buy my bikes from them and found their service generally very good with a few hiccups over the years. they certainly treated me well regarding the bikes i bought. over the odds generally in terms of price but always handy for a quick pop in when you couldn't wait for a delivery. really sorry to see them go.

cant see that fb post either fwiw.

The FB post was up on my news feed last night . Not on their page today .
Its hard for bike retail atm . If big companies like Evan Cycles are struggling and collapsing then the smaller IBD's will all be going to the wall soon .

ford2600

C3PO wrote: »

Surprised myself - they seemed to have a reputation as the place to buy high end bikes!

Really easy to run into trouble selling high end stuff. The manufacturers call the shots, on nearly everything and dealers can often end up with high end stuff , in odd sizes and the like, being sold at a big loss.

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=100707195&postcount=7211

I remember seeing that post and didn't think you could sell shorts with a rrp of 225 for 50 and be genuine. I know nobody pays 225 but still. I called them and asked why were they giving them away "Assos had instructed them to get rid of their stock" was answer.


I don't know what the economics of that is but Harrys couldn't have made anything on it.


Shimano I particular, with their business model make things really hard for lbs. Typically they have to buy of Shimano's Irish agent while the big online multinational stores can buy Shimano gear in the economic zone that's cheapest and sell where it elsewhere. As a consumer it is often cheaper to buy a single Shimano item cheaper than lbs can but it in bulk.

magicbastarder

yep, have seen similar with camera/electronics gear, where the wholesale price a small retailer pays is higher than the retail price a warehouse based distributor can charge.

Eamonnator

magicbastarder wrote: »

yep, have seen similar with camera/electronics gear, where the wholesale price a small retailer pays is higher than the retail price a warehouse based distributor can charge.

A while ago, I was in the market for a Giro helmet. A friend of mine has a bike shop, asked him for his best price. He gave me a price, I told him I could get it online for less, I told him the online price, he said that it was less than he could get it from his wholesaler.

C3PO

Macy0161 wrote: »

A post about closing down still isn't showing for me on facebook? Could anyone post it?

Doesn't seem to be there now but I definitely read it last night ... signed by somebody called Jamie I think?

CramCycle

I can't see the notification anywhere. Facebook, twitter or there own website, so not convinced. I didn't use them much as they were not on my route but the few times I did they seemed decent and reasonable. Their advertised prices were a weird one as they had tubes at some silly price but when I paid for one it was half the amount, I presume they included fitting etc. in the sign prices.

Plenty of LBS can survive with online though, with several companies, particularly German letting LBS sell cheaper than online brands purposefully (Cube etc.) or via B+M only eg Stevens.

Not saying it is easy, and not a business I would go for myself. Good servicing is the key, as that is what keeps a good bike shop going when the B2W sales go quiet.

A good LBS is great, and helpful in keeping cycling going in an area IMO

Macy0161

I wimped out of going down at lunch. Jamie is the manager, who replaced a previous manager named Jamie! Could've been someone got hold of his phone I suppose.

C3PO

CramCycle wrote: »

A good LBS is great, and helpful in keeping cycling going in an area IMO

Absolutely, but to survive I think that they will need to derive most of their income from servicing and selling parts! An inevitable consequence of this is that we will all have to get used to paying increased service charge.

It also helps if they are involved in the sport themselves or at least associated with it.

magicbastarder

someone show them this thread.

CramCycle

CramCycle wrote: »

I can't see the notification anywhere. Facebook, twitter or there own website, so not convinced. I didn't use them much as they were not on my route but the few times I did they seemed decent and reasonable. Their advertised prices were a weird one as they had tubes at some silly price but when I paid for one it was half the amount, I presume they included fitting etc. in the sign prices.

Plenty of LBS can survive with online though, with several companies, particularly German letting LBS sell cheaper than online brands purposefully (Cube etc.) or via B+M only eg Stevens.

Not saying it is easy, and not a business I would go for myself. Good servicing is the key, as that is what keeps a good bike shop going when the B2W sales go quiet.

A good LBS is great, and helpful in keeping cycling going in an area IMO

I passed by the shop last night, and yes, a big closing down notice in the window.

LollipopJimmy

I used to cycle by daily, I stopped in once or twice and just found them ridiculously expensive for anything

dragratchet

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I passed by the shop last night, and yes, a big closing down notice in the window.

Yes 100% true. I was talking to Jaime 2 days ago about it.

sullzz

Sad to hear this, bought a Pinarello and a TCR off them, in recent years. Good service, they are by no means my local bike shop but found them Great to deal with.

terrydel

CramCycle wrote: »

I can't see the notification anywhere. Facebook, twitter or there own website, so not convinced. I didn't use them much as they were not on my route but the few times I did they seemed decent and reasonable. Their advertised prices were a weird one as they had tubes at some silly price but when I paid for one it was half the amount, I presume they included fitting etc. in the sign prices.

Plenty of LBS can survive with online though, with several companies, particularly German letting LBS sell cheaper than online brands purposefully (Cube etc.) or via B+M only eg Stevens.

Not saying it is easy, and not a business I would go for myself. Good servicing is the key, as that is what keeps a good bike shop going when the B2W sales go quiet.

A good LBS is great, and helpful in keeping cycling going in an area IMO

It popped up on my facebook feed last night, I didn't imagine it.
For the record, I only visited the shop once, found them helpful and nice to deal with. However I was interested in an orbea and of the 3 shops I priced it in, they were the only one not to offer a discount on the online price that orbea offer.
Nice shop they have tho, and I hate seeing any local business go to the wall. In every respect this country is becoming ever more gentrified and homogeneous and dull.

terrydel

magicbastarder wrote: »

someone show them this thread.

Why?

Sorry to hear this. I bought my lovely bike there but because I'm from down the country I didnt go back there for service etc afterwards. With the huge surge in cycling it's a shame to see local shops closing. There must be massive amounts of stuff being bought online.

magicbastarder

terrydel wrote: »

Why?

it was in the context of people not being sure if the message on facebook had been deleted, it was a 'maybe they can refute the claims if untrue' comment. made flippantly.

tomasrojo

LollipopJimmy wrote: »

I used to cycle by daily, I stopped in once or twice and just found them ridiculously expensive for anything

I bought an 8-speed chain there a few weeks ago and it was nearly €30 on the sticker, though I think it cost me €25 at the till, which is a bit steep, as I've got the same chain for under €20 in other shops.

On the other hand, I got a really nice Dutch-style rear reflector with a built-in light there last week for €10, and it was cheaper than the two I got previously elsewhere, both of which kept cutting out, which this one doesn't do.

Anyway, it was often mentioned to me by people in the general area, and they all spoke well of it. I'm sorry to see any LBS go.

tomasrojo

(I always try to buy in a bricks-and-mortar shop now, even if it costs more. I only buy a few things now and then online that are hard to get in b&m shops.)

magicbastarder

i've never bought anything bike related online.
in fact, i can count my number of online purchases of any type without running out of fingers, i suspect. a few of those were things you simply can't buy in a bricks and mortar store in ireland.

2 Wheels Good

Eamonnator wrote: »

A while ago, I was in the market for a Giro helmet. A friend of mine has a bike shop, asked him for his best price. He gave me a price, I told him I could get it online for less, I told him the online price, he said that it was less than he could get it from his wholesaler.

Heard the same from a now closed shop, even the bike makers were undercutting their shops through online retailers. Started selling bikes online cheaper than the agreed wholesale price to the shop. How could anyone compete with that.

magicbastarder

well, in the scenario where i saw exact figures (not cycling related - it was a flatbed scanner i was looking for), an irish online retailer was able to sell the scanner for cheaper than the city centre camera shop i was in.
said (well known) camera and imaging company don't want to deal with a city centre shop which might sell a scanner like that once a month, they'd prefer deal with an online retailer who shift five a week.

so couple the higher wholesale costs with inner city rents (well, inner city with this particular shop) compared to operating out of an industrial unit on the outskirts, the need to have staff available from opening to closing, as well as public liability insurance to have members of the public in the shop too, it's no wonder the small shops are struggling.

Type 17

Deleted User wrote: »

I passed by the shop last night, and yes, a big closing down notice in the window.

Strange, I passed on Saturday, and there was a "Sale Now On" sign, but no mention of the words Closing Down. No sign of Closing Down on their FB page either, just a "Bike Sale Now On" banner at the top.

Fian

I noticed the "closing down sale" sign on the shop last thursday. Popped in. They confirmed they are closing this month. I was kind of surprised theyaren't staying open until after Christmas.

Sorry to see them go, I pass them on my commute. Have bought some parts there, never a bike though. Decent to deal with and helpful staff.

Type 17

Fian wrote: »

I noticed the "closing down sale" sign on the shop last Thursday. Popped in. They confirmed they are closing this month. I was kind of surprised they aren't staying open until after Christmas.

Sorry to see them go, I pass them on my commute. Have bought some parts there, never a bike though. Decent to deal with and helpful staff.

Fair enough, sorry to see them going too.

They are the closest bike shop to the one where I work (Donnybrook Bikes), so people might think that we would be glad of less competition, but they concentrated on higher-end road stuff, and we concentrate on (but not exclusively) mid-range road/commuter/kids stuff, so it was never too dog-eat-dog between us, and it's never nice to see the market shrinking...

average_runner

magicbastarder wrote: »

well, in the scenario where i saw exact figures (not cycling related - it was a flatbed scanner i was looking for), an irish online retailer was able to sell the scanner for cheaper than the city centre camera shop i was in.
said (well known) camera and imaging company don't want to deal with a city centre shop which might sell a scanner like that once a month, they'd prefer deal with an online retailer who shift five a week.

so couple the higher wholesale costs with inner city rents (well, inner city with this particular shop) compared to operating out of an industrial unit on the outskirts, the need to have staff available from opening to closing, as well as public liability insurance to have members of the public in the shop too, it's no wonder the small shops are struggling.

Its not just small shops, even the big shops are in trouble now. Expect to see a few big ones to go next year.

City centre is now full of cafe's.

Fian

average_runner wrote: »

Its not just small shops, even the big shops are in trouble now. Expect to see a few big ones to go next year.

City centre is now full of cafe's.

If LBS are struggling as badly as they appear to be, despite the cycle to work scheme, you can see the writing on the wall for alot of other local retail units as well.

Groceries, newsagents, convenience stores. Other than that online is taking over. No wonder rural post offices are disappearing.

average_runner

Fian wrote: »

If LBS are struggling as badly as they appear to be, despite the cycle to work scheme, you can see the writing on the wall for alot of other local retail units as well.

Groceries, newsagents, convenience stores. Other than that online is taking over. No wonder rural post offices are disappearing.

Yep I agree. Why go to a shop when you can get it delivered to your desk?

depadz

Thinkbike seem to be opening up in terenure village in old black tie unit. Branding up on windows.

moonshadow

Very sorry to hear this confirmed..

We are sad to announce that at the end of November Harry's Bikes will be shutting its doors for good. We have had the pleasure to deal with some of the best brands and distributors in the world, but unfortunately, in this industry, it is getting harder and harder to compete with online brands and retailers.

From all the members of staff, we would like to thank our loyal customers who have supported the store year after year and made it such a pleasurable and enjoyable experience. We could not be any more thankful for the business you have given us.

I would also like to thank the staff that has worked for the store over the years to give it the great reputation that it has. Harrys Bikes has always been about a big team effort and every member of staff has had a huge part to play in the growth of the business over the last six years.

If you will be in the area be sure to drop in so we can say our last goodbyes. We will be clearing all of our stock over the next two weeks so keep an eye on the page tomorrow for some bargains.

Regards, Jamie Laycock

Macy0161

Back open as of yesterday, dropped in my first repair and collected today. Cliff doing the mechanics, and I assume one of the sons doing upstairs, who previously ran cycleways apparently. Anyway, spoke repaired within 24 hours, when dropped within an hour or so of them opening, so my first experience was positive.

LollipopJimmy

Jaysis, is there a bike shop around where Cliff hasn't worked?
Great mechanic all the same

mloc123

Cliff is back Good guy, last I saw he was in Eurocycles in town.

LollipopJimmy

mloc123 wrote: »

Cliff is back Good guy, last I saw he was in Eurocycles in town.

Been in 2wheel and cycleways since then, and that's just where I ran into him

easygoing39

Cliff was in Cycleways on Parnell St after 2wheel/Eurocycles closed on South Willian St.

Miklos

God save Cliff the magic mechanic. Delighted to hear he's back at it.

rodneyTrotter.

Is it the same people running it or new management?

slow

Good news.