View Single Post
  #8  
Old December 4th 17, 08:26 PM posted to rec.bicycles.tech
Joerg[_2_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 6,016
Default Chain Reaction closes Los Altos store.

On 2017-12-03 14:34, jbeattie wrote:
On Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 1:06:52 PM UTC-8, sms wrote:
I was just in Los Altos today and noticed that Chain Reaction is
gone. This is the store owned by Steve and Mike Jacubowsky--Mike
used to post in this group. Their Redwood City store is still
open.

I was surprised to see it gone. That store was located in an area
where people have high disposable incomes, and was the only Trek
dealer in the area. They said that parking and rent were issues.
The space is still empty and they closed about 2.5 months ago, so
no one is a rush to rent it. That shopping center can get very
crowded because there is a popular Trader Joe's and a popular
produce store, and an unpopular Rite Aid store. Also there's both a
Starbucks and a Peet's coffee.

I never bought a bicycle from them, my only Trek is a tandem and
when I bought it Chain Reaction didn't have the size I needed in
stock, even though they were cheaper than the place I ended up
buying it from. For all the other bicycles we've bought in the past
25 years or so Trek did not have any models that met our needs, and
Chain Reaction is a Trek-only store. But I know a lot of people who
bought expensive carbon-fiber bicycles from them, one multiple
times after the carbon-fiber frame broke. They were a very well
thought-of shop for Trek buyers.


Trek has a bike for everything. https://www.trekbikes.com/ They even
have bike-packing bikes.
https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...colorCode=grey


I am quite certain I'd rip out those tiny rack mounts within the year:

https://trek.scene7.com/is/image/Tre...=0&cache=on,on

This is how it's done right, four 1/4" diatemer bolts and so on:

http://www.analogconsultants.com/ng/bike/Muddy4.JPG


Not that you have to buy Trek (particularly if you're an
anti-American communist), but I'm surprised you couldn't find
something that suited your needs. Bike Gallery has a mind-boggling
variety of bikes. https://www.bikegallery.com/ That's where I got my
Emonda via Trek directly because I know the guys in legal. Shameless
plug: Bike Gallery.

The Yelp post indicates Mike got squeezed on rent and parking. I'm
sure he also go hit by the downturn in the bike market -- which, I am
told, hit all the retailers regardless of brand.


What is causing this bike market downturn?

I wonder if E-bikes could turn that around. Not that I like those, being
more of a purist, but yesterday I test-rode one that my MTB buddy built
up from parts. Heavy Specialized DH MTB, now with a 750W crank motor,
battery pack temporarily strapped to my back. Woohoo, that thing was
like a rocket, uphill it almost wanted to pull a wheelie.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com/
Ads
 

Home - Home - Home - Home - Home