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BSS now trek


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54 minutes ago, ebflo said:

From the Statesman article:

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.

I think he's talking out of both sides of his mouth:

https://www.bicycleretailer.com/retail-news/2020/12/18/hill-abell-it-was-just-right-opportunity#.X99-8S1h23I

Quote

"Things were to the point that we felt like we needed to close a couple of location and have a pretty drastic cut to our headcount," he told BRAIN on Friday, the day after announcing that he and his wife, Laura Agnew, were selling the business to Trek Bicycle.

"It was going to be very painful," Abell recalled. He said the stores were not growing in sales, and the high costs of doing business in Austin were squeezing the bottom line. "Property taxes, rent increases, and the high cost of living here, which makes it difficult to pay a living wage. This is one expensive place to live," he said.

I do not believe that things were so bad that he was ready to shut down and then COVID turned things around. Traffic would have been down, costs up, you get the picture.

As a privately held company it is pretty clear that he can say whatever he wants. I wish him well and thank him for all that they have done for Austin, but a lot of this seems to be playing both sides. I think the number of businesses helped by COVID are pretty small.

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1 hour ago, AustinBike said:

I do not believe that things were so bad that he was ready to shut down and then COVID turned things around. Traffic would have been down, costs up, you get the picture.

I believe all of what he said. The fact that he said, "We had no supply issues all year," was huge. 

And yes, the number of businesses the pandemic has helped is small. But there certainly are some that are reaping huge benefits. 

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20 minutes ago, The Tip said:

I believe all of what he said. The fact that he said, "We had no supply issues all year," was huge. 

And yes, the number of businesses the pandemic has helped is small. But there certainly are some that are reaping huge benefits. 

Much truth!

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4 hours ago, AustinBike said:

I think he's talking out of both sides of his mouth:

I doubt he cares what you think. The fellow spent 35 years building a business - you can't blame him for selling at a good time, and probably having a retirement vs not having one.

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4 minutes ago, TAF said:

I doubt he cares what you think. The fellow spent 35 years building a business - you can't blame him for selling at a good time, and probably having a retirement vs not having one.

I hope he lives a long, happy life and retirement.

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On 12/19/2020 at 6:43 PM, AntonioGG said:

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.

It's possible they moved there and by that time I was frequenting their store on 183 near Anderson Mill.

I think they moved to Toomey by 95.

Austin Tricyclist has been on Barton Springs for a really long time.

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14 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. 

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.

I actually had some back and forth with a BSS employee about a year ago and she gave me some intel, that she probably should have, about them shrinking the Guad store to service and pick up only. That actually makes a lot of sense in that location. Not sure what Trek will do though.

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7 hours ago, Big_papa_nuts said:

I actually had some back and forth with a BSS employee about a year ago and she gave me some intel, that she probably should have, about them shrinking the Guad store to service and pick up only. That actually makes a lot of sense in that location. Not sure what Trek will do though.

Yes, five stores was probably too much for a metro of this size. 3 big anchors laid out with enough distance would be enough. Turning the smaller locations into service hubs would be a smart move. That was all I ever really used it for anyway. Actually turning it into a service hub/bar would have been perfect for my needs (when I could actually go inside and drink...)

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  • 2 weeks later...

1.3.2021:

The sale is happening: bicyclesportshop.com/sale/

Garmin Edge 530, 820 1030 -- all significantly marked down.

Garmin Edge 820 is $244.  This is just the Edge, not a bundle. 

Items are listed randomly. For example, other Garmin things (like mounts) are scattered around. Easiest to filter by brand if you know what you want. 

Edited by June Bug
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  • 4 weeks later...

According to a facebook post today (Monday) TREK > BSS is now open.  

LOTS of bikes in stock which are rapidly selling out, but if a new TREK is on your wish list...

Also, the fb post did not clarify if the stores are OPEN open, if they are doing business in the parking lot or what exactly. 

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I dropped my bike off the other day to get the service done I had a coupon for when I bought the bike from bss...a stumpy..they still honored it... having them replace my whole drivetrain shifter and derailleur. You can walk into the shop and what's good is they're not busy right now since just opened ..Should have bike back by end of week.

I was dealing with Jake who had been there with bss, he was helpful and brought to my attention I have a big ass and needed a wider seat ....never thought I would of needed to measure my ass bones before.

I always felt like I needed to adjust my self when riding so hopefully it will help.

 

 

 

Sent from my SM-A115AZ using Tapatalk

 

 

 

 

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I went in before the transition and the store manager told me Trek had agreed to honor the wear and care program.  They are keeping a database with the BSS purchaser info but said if you have a receipt, it would speed things up if you need to make a claim.  The bike should also have a wear and care barcode sticker on it. 

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The original BSS building is still there at 1426 Toomey Road.  Google street view shows it as gray now, with some broad green horizontal accents.  

I just can't remember if they ever had a very early presence on Jessie. 

In my experience, Hill is a fantastic guy.  What most people don't get is that he started BSS  before the cut-rate internet sales era, and just stayed steady, survived and thrived with great bikes and excellent customer service and many employees who have stayed on for years.  

Hill has been a wonderful advocate for mountain biking, served as president of IMBA and (IIRC) moved to DC for a year in that role. 

He's still a relatively young guy, so there will most likely be a 2nd act for him.  I wish he and his family the best.   

So...who will have the Specialized franchise in Austin now?  How this will affect Mellow Johnnie's Bike Shop, since they are TREK as well?  That said, MJ's does have the coffee shop.  At least pre-COVID it was always busy. 

 

 

Edited by June Bug
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