The local bike shop is the usually family owned bicycle shop in your town or city. They usually have a franchise to sell one or several brand name bikes. They also perform service to most all brands.
Bicycles are not the most complex machines in our world but can require special skills and tools to repair or alter. Most of these tools are expensive. Even if you think you can fix a problem you may not have the correct tools to do so causing more damage. So many times all but the simplest maintenance is better off left to someone who knows how and has the tools to perform the task.
This can be frustrating to people who have a repair that costs much more the the value of the bicycle itself. So do you have it fixed or replace the bike. Most of the time a repair is the best option as bicycles of any quality can be very expensive. The dollar figures that are thrown at seem phenomenal.
I read a lot of bicycle magazines and they talk about how you need to replace the tires, chain, cables and just about everything else every year. In my little world this negates much of the savings from bicycle commuting in the first place. So take all of that with a grain of salt. I took one bike in to get a cable replaced and they said I should replace them all. Have the gears replaced. Chain replaced. About $300 worth of work on a bike that cost about $600 new that may bring $50 in trade towards a new bike.
I understand that all businesses are trying to maximize their profits. All of them do it. We as individuals do it.
The LBS is usually a hub bub of activity. Everyone needing their stuff done now. The people are also trying to sell bikes. Not just fix the old junk like me and others bring in. So it seems hectic. All in all though a LBS is a useful service that can help you out in a time of need.
So try to be patient. Don't be tempted to buy a lot of stuff. Learn to work on a lot of small things yourself. Try to buy small thing from them like lube and tires to help them keep their doors open.
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