Why are there so few shops like Harris Cyclery or Yellow Jersey orLickton's or Cambria that sell a good selection of accessories?

After often giving up in frustration and ordering on-line from Harris,
Lickton's, Cambria, etc., or from Nashbar, I wonder why there are so few
shops like this around.

You'd think that in the San Francisco Bay Area there would be one decent
shop when it comes to accessories. Sometimes I can get lucky at REI or
Sprots Basement, but usually I have to order even the most mundane
items, like properly designed bottle cages, water bottles, rear racks,
lights, and luggage.

The LBS just doesn't seem interested in these items, which I believe
have very good margins, require no assembly, and don't cost a lot to stock.

SMS wrote:
After often giving up in frustration and ordering on-line from Harris,
Lickton's, Cambria, etc., or from Nashbar, I wonder why there are so few
shops like this around.

So few?? This sounds like a lot...

You'd think that in the San Francisco Bay Area there would be one decent
shop when it comes to accessories. Sometimes I can get lucky at REI or
Sprots Basement, but usually I have to order even the most mundane
items, like properly designed bottle cages, water bottles, rear racks,
lights, and luggage.

The LBS just doesn't seem interested in these items, which I believe
have very good margins, require no assembly, and don't cost a lot to stock.

You may be misjudging what is "cost a lot" for bike shop stock. Most of
them are tied to certain manufacturers, and they probably thow in a lot
of branded accessories with their assortment of bikes. Why else would
shops carry Cannondale wedge bags (which are pretty good, actually, but
not made by Cannondale) or Trek clothes, or Schwinn bottles?

I also wonder about the margins. A lot of that stuff sits around a long
time taking up space. Not everyone has your taste, or mine, so they
have to stock really useless stuff along with the mesh gloves, shorts,
and decent tubes I would buy.

Profits in bike shops are really, really low. They all have to cut
corners, or try to market widely as an on-line shop like Harris, to get
by.

Me, I'm happy that I have a monthly salary and don't have to hustle
jerseys and water bottles to make ends meet.

--

David L. Johnson

When you are up to your ass in alligators, it's hard to remember that
your initial objective was to drain the swamp.
-- LBJ

SMS wrote:

Because there are very few Sheldon Browns, Andrew Muzis, etc.

SMS wrote:
After often giving up in frustration and ordering on-line from Harris,
Lickton's, Cambria, etc., or from Nashbar, I wonder why there are so few
shops like this around.

You'd think that in the San Francisco Bay Area there would be one decent
shop when it comes to accessories. Sometimes I can get lucky at REI or
Sprots Basement, but usually I have to order even the most mundane
items, like properly designed bottle cages, water bottles, rear racks,
lights, and luggage.

There are actually a couple really great shops here in Seattle. I've
also run into a few elsewhere. Are you sure you've sussed out all the
good SF bike shops? I ended up creating an online map I've shared that
helped me find some I didn't know existed.

The LBS just doesn't seem interested in these items, which I believe
have very good margins, require no assembly, and don't cost a lot to stock.

A lot of them sit on the shelf for a long time, non-commuters (the
majority of purchasers) don't really buy them. Seattle has a good bike
community and a lot of year-round wet weather commuters, so we do have
shops catering more to that group.

--
Dane Buson -
BASIC, n.:
A programming language. Related to certain social diseases in
that those who have it will not admit it in polite company.