ATXZJ Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 Trek has been throwing some cash around lately. Paid Vergier enough to leave the syndicate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheX Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 3 minutes ago, mack_turtle said: any chance that BSS will have a big sale to clear out all their non-Trek inventory some time soon? They have inventory? 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DBehrens Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 Just hit the 'Paper'.. Hill and Laura Abell, longtime owners of Bicycle Sport Shop, are selling to Trek (statesman.com) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheX Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 The plan is for Trek to keep all four stores open. Abell said Trek has 118 stores, most of which used to be local shops, and will do right by his employees, including a $15-an-hour minimum wage and commitment to keep 98% of the 150 workers. The Bicycle Sport Shop locations will close on Jan. 17 and re-open a few days later as Trek stores. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntonioGG Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 1 hour ago, mack_turtle said: any chance that BSS will have a big sale to clear out all their non-Trek inventory some time soon? My exact thoughts! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
throet Posted December 17, 2020 Share Posted December 17, 2020 1 hour ago, mack_turtle said: any chance that BSS will have a big sale to clear out all their non-Trek inventory some time soon? I'd be quick to jump on some heavily discounted Butcher Grid or Ground Control Grid tires! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bestbike85 Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 5 hours ago, TheX said: and commitment to keep 98% of the 150 workers. Man it would suck to be one of those 3 people. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_papa_nuts Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 9 hours ago, AntonioGG said: If BSS Research goes away, then I essentially will have no LBS. Buck's Bikes, Music City Cycles, Hammerhead, and Nelo's are dead. I will not drive up to Parmer location for a quick trip. If I do I may as well hit Peddlers since they have been so influential in trail/feature building. I used to do a group ride out of AJ's years ago. Are they still around? I already didn't like the limited selection of non-Bontrager/non-Specialized stuff. For those that have been to Trek stores, do they carry Maxxis/Continental or other tire brands? They have a list of brands they are allowed to stock. Last Trek shop I was in had as many Maxxis tires as Bontrager. 9 hours ago, Barry said: I saw the SuperStore in El Paso. It was massive. They have a west and an east side store. From the El Paso Trek Twitter: That store isn't actually that big. They have a lot of storage in the back but are probably about the same size as MJ's. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willatter Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 (edited) 14 hours ago, Barry said: Presumably they're going to brand as Trek and only carry Trek, yes? I can't see this area supporting 4 of those stores though. But it's a damn fine time for someone to open a shop dedicated to Santa Cruz and Specialized (and EVIL while you're at it). https://www.sunandski.com/c/santa-cruz-bikes Noticed this a couple weeks ago while searching for a BMX for my nephew. Not sure if they previously sold Santa Cruz in other locations outside of Austin and San Antonio but found it interesting. Edited December 18, 2020 by willatter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 8 hours ago, Big_papa_nuts said: That store isn't actually that big. They have a lot of storage in the back but are probably about the same size as MJ's. I don't know man...earlier this year I stood outside this shop in a Covid line to get some lube. It looked pretty huge inside. And for a bike shop MJs is pretty big as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFisher Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 13 minutes ago, Barry said: And for a bike shop MJs is pretty big as well. Yeah, BSS Lamar can definitely skew your perceptions I think. It used to be a bowling alley. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry Posted December 18, 2020 Share Posted December 18, 2020 Some interesting details from this article. Indeed it looks like Trek will keep all 4 stores open. "The plan is for Trek to keep all four stores open. Abell said Trek has 118 stores, most of which used to be local shops, and will do right by his employees, including a $15-an-hour minimum wage and commitment to keep 98% of the 150 workers. The Bicycle Sport Shop locations will close Jan. 17 and reopen a few days later as Trek stores." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
June Bug Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 Big TREK ad just showed up on my facebook feed... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 13 hours ago, GFisher said: Yeah, BSS Lamar can definitely skew your perceptions I think. It used to be a bowling alley. When was it a bowling alley? I can't remember what it was before BSS moved in. I remember when they were located on Barton Springs in what is now a juice shop. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Tip Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 (edited) .. Edited December 19, 2020 by The Tip 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GFisher Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 I remember it as Austin Bowl O Rama. Ad plays at the end of this clip. It was still there in the mid 80's for sure. I think the building may have been vacant for awhile. I remember when BSS moved in they said they used some of the old wood from the lanes to build the work benches. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinBike Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 I will say the little one on Guadalupe is my neighborhood store. They had some good wrenches in there, used to get good service. A couple times they took care of little issues on the spot at no charge. It was helpful that the party barn was basically nextdoor for the thank you 6-pack. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntonioGG Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 15 hours ago, Hugh said: When was it a bowling alley? I can't remember what it was before BSS moved in. I remember when they were located on Barton Springs in what is now a juice shop. The place that looked like a barn? I remember going in there while I was at UT 91-95. I bought my first seat bag and also remember getting BCGB maps. I wish I’d kept them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hugh Posted December 19, 2020 Share Posted December 19, 2020 BSS was in a 2 story shack on Barton Springs that is still there. It's now Kava Bar. Then they moved to Toomey for a number of years. Their current location must've been vacant when I got here. There was a lot of vacant businesses. I miss their new year's day rides Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AntonioGG Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 5 hours ago, Hugh said: BSS was in a 2 story shack on Barton Springs that is still there. It's now Kava Bar. Then they moved to Toomey for a number of years. Their current location must've been vacant when I got here. There was a lot of vacant businesses. I miss their new year's day rides For some reason I had thought BSS was between Barton Springs and Toomey Rd. In a barn looking place, I think on Jessie St. Am I thinking of a different bike shop? I'm pretty sure I never went to BSS in the Kava Bar building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big_papa_nuts Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 https://www.bicycleretailer.com/retail-news/2020/12/18/hill-abell-it-was-just-right-opportunity#.X97EvM1MEqm Apparently BSS wasn't doing as good as I would have assumed (through I never go in there so I wouldn't actually know). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
June Bug Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 (edited) 4 hours ago, AntonioGG said: In a barn looking place, I think on Jessie St. Am I thinking of a different bike shop? Austin Tri-Cyclist used to be in a barn-looking building on Barton Springs Rd. east of Lamar. Original (?) BSS was on north side of Toomey Road, in the first block west of Lamar. Large white (?) metal building. Edited December 20, 2020 by June Bug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinBike Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 9 hours ago, Big_papa_nuts said: https://www.bicycleretailer.com/retail-news/2020/12/18/hill-abell-it-was-just-right-opportunity#.X97EvM1MEqm Apparently BSS wasn't doing as good as I would have assumed (through I never go in there so I wouldn't actually know). I would guess that their challenge is the the amount of expansion that they did, and then the pandemic came down. My store (Guadalupe) really should not have happened, downtown is too close and even Research would be close for me. Parmer made sense and Hill Country made sense (though I was never in that store.) Basically they were over-represented in Austin. My guess is that there were some higher operating costs and that the Guadalupe/Research stores probably didn't drive the volume that they needed. For their larger stores, it becomes more about revenue per square foot and I do not have a feel for them. Ultimately, having big stores with a local footprint when a pandemic hits is a recipe for major cash crunch. Tried to buy a helmet at the Parmer store a couple months back. Had to stand outside and an employee went inside to bring things out. Gave up and went to Peddler and even though I was inside (masked) the whole process took less than 10 minutes. It's tough. Over the years BSS has gotten business from me, 2 bikes, lots of service. Some people knock them, but let's be honest, they we a net positive for the Austin biking community and I wish them well. In a world where too many businesses focus only on the bottom line, they were unique, they tried different things. But this business environment just isn't conducive to a lot of businesses. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAF Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 On 12/19/2020 at 5:48 AM, AustinBike said: I will say the little one on Guadalupe is my neighborhood store. They had some good wrenches in there, used to get good service. A couple times they took care of little issues on the spot at no charge. It was helpful that the party barn was basically nextdoor for the thank you 6-pack. Sadly, I don’t think we will see that one reopen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebflo Posted December 20, 2020 Share Posted December 20, 2020 2 hours ago, AustinBike said: I would guess that their challenge is the the amount of expansion that they did, and then the pandemic came down. From the Statesman article: Quote “COVID changed that in an enormous way, and our business has exploded this year,” he said. “It's been absolutely phenomenal, which allowed us to pay down all of our debt and to actually pay our people more. So it’s been a really good year for the biking industry if you’re a decent operator.” Sounds like they had been struggling due to rise of online shopping and took the opportunity to cash out in the recent upswing knowing it would be short-lived. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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