The Not-so-LBS Rundown

So over the last 30 days I've had reason to do some shopping for bike porn, uh, parts. So far I've hit up (in no particular order):

Praxis Works
Performance Bike (still alive, on the web)
Worldwide Cyclery
Competitive Cyclist
Yakima
Backcountry
JensonUSA
REI
Kona
Pro Bike Supply
Jax
Two Wheeler Dealer - Brea
The Path Live Oak

I think that's it. Every single one has been excellent as to response times and customer service, even the ones I ended up cancelling due to deliveries being too far out, or parts not being what would work. No questions asked, no pushback, no muss, no fuss. The main reason all of this has been online is because the average local bike shop (near me) does not have an online presence.

Praxis: Excellent response, great customer service, the part just didn't work.

Performance: On time, responsive, no hesitation to return what didn't work or cancel what would take too long.

Worldwide: Pretty much my go-to for most everything.

Competitive Cyclist: They had the one part....we'll see how fast it gets here. So far so good.

Yakima: Yeah baby!! Order is on its way from Australia of all places.

Backcountry: Great on both transactions - return and follow up order.

Jenson: Same as always - they often don't have what I need, but when they do it's there. Like, tomorrow.

REI: Only once, cancelled, no hassle.

Kona: Bike specific, probably could have found it elsewhere but didn't want to look that hard. Fast, reasonable.

Pro Bike Supply: They had it, no one else did. No BS.

Jax: I am reminded why I don't patronize them. They proudly state on their website they do not answer the phone and have suspended internet sales. WTF???

Two Wheeler Dealer: Wife's physical therapy is down the street - so I stopped in. They had nothing. If not for proximity I wouldn't have bothered.

The Path: Much as I like this place, their web presence sucks. They're far enough away I'd rather not make the drive. Put it on the site and I'd buy it in a heartbeat. They did have the one part I was looking for, but I'd never have known if I hadn't called. I rarely bother to do that....

In this day and age, if a bike shop doesn't have a robust web presence it's doomed. I don't want to have to call you or drive down there without knowing. I'm an old fart, the younger cohort is even more in this vein than I am. Wake up, people!!!

 

Nice list, thanks for posting!

Yes The Path has a poor online presence, but the live oak is right down the street so go there often to get items. Want to support the LBS...and sometimes I just want to get out of the house and browse.

I've had a very good experience with competitive cyclist, good luck with Backcountry, Jenson is hit or miss on inventory and not always a good price.
REI didn't have what I needed today.

Amazon is iffy as im not always convinced it's not bootleg.

Ordered brake pads ( for the roady) and a park chain cleaner kit from BikeTiresDirect.com today. They were actually the only ones that had both items at the right price. Let's see how it goes. If it goes well I need road tires, and they have very good prices.

 

They are a solid shop......ship fast, and it shows up on time. Price matching is super easy. Join the free Gold Club and get "points" back for future purchases.

I've used them a lot for tires....yeah, they have some very cheap tires from time to time. Their inventory isn't as expanse as Jenson or Worldwide, but I haven't really had any issues with them over the years.

 

What @mtnbikej said. I've used them for several years, mostly for tires. I picked up my last two Giro helmets from them at about 30% off retail with current models.

 

Still waiting for a return call from WW.

Amazon and The Path have been my go to lately.

 

In the past I was loyal to PricePoint, imo they were great. Then they closed up and the loyalty went to Jenson. Same experience there as most everyone else. Lately I just price search the web for what I need and go with the best overall offer. Haven't had a bad experience yet. Even if it's through Amazon, good results. Pinkbike is where I have went for 3 of my last 4 on line purchases. All products were brand new in box, paid via PayPal or Venmo. And, the pricing was better than any online store. The only downside is that the seller (all private) might take a few days to ship. Its a good chance you may not find what you need listed the first time. Check/Search often for what you need. It took me a little more than a week to find my new shock. Saved over $100 compared to online. If you don't need it right away and can take your time getting it Pinkbike is a great place to shop.

 

Unfortunately my first experience with Worldwide was recent... they sent me a funky message saying my order shipped. YAY... but then a lot of days went by and waited and waited for my order. I emailed, called, DM, emailed, called, etc on multiple days... finally they responded after 5 days from my initial contact saying an item in my order was backlogged. Shocked me because they said my order had shipped in their email. I understand backlog and can deal with that but dont tell me my order shipped to then later say it hasn't because of a backlog.

I had to then return a couple of the things i had ordered... followed WW procedures to return... i tracked the order and it was delivered on 7/1... heard zero from them... again reached out to them on 7/15 to ask about my refund... a few days later they respond saying they will look into it... next day i finally see refunds being initiated.

I know this whole COVID-19 has put a strain on online companies especially related to bikes... Worldwide did give me a $50 gift card and 15% off my next order to use... still not sure i will buy from them going forward...

I get the emails from BikeTiresDirect.com... i need a new rear tire... will be browsing their site today as their prices seem really good.

 

I recently used the Universal Cycles site for the first time to order a Microsoft Advent X 10 spd. shifter/derail/10-48 cassette for my 1x conversion.
There's very little Advent X product available and anything that comes online is sold out quickly. Tried WW and I set up email notifications for the Advent X out of stock parts but they would sell out by the time I got a notification and went to the site.
A random search showed Universal Cycle carries Microshift components and they had everything I needed arriving into their warehouse within a week (their site shows the amount of stock avail in their various stores and warehouses). And UC's prices were substantially less $ than WW's prices. I also got a RaceFace chainring, SRAM chain, Shimano crank install tool - all competitively priced.
My order showed up a bit earlier than expected (from their Las Vegas warehouse). There were no issues with my order so can't speak to their customer service, returns, etc.
Downsides: their site is very basic (looks like it was designed in the 90s) and UC charges $6.70 for ground shipping (free if over $150). Worth a look imo.

 

They're a brick and mortar shop in Portland as well.