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Dear Cycle Gear

Donelop

Donelop

Banned
Joined
Nov 24, 2013
Location
Bay Area
Moto(s)
'07 Tuono, '01 F4i
I have a request to make, no, not that. Hear me out,

you guys are a very large, very supportive local company that puts a ton of money into this sport that helps it continue growing. You back local riders, race teams and local schools. You're official retailers for Dainese, Alpinestars, Icon, Gaerne, Shoei, HJC, AGV, Arai, Leatt, Rev'It, Sidi, Suomy, and every other brand name people care about— BUT, as often is the case, I go into the store and leave feeling like there was a missed opportunity. I don't want to use the word "bargain basement" but yeah, it's kindof like that. The average ticket item I end up purchasing is under ten bucks, when I came in there and wanted to buy something for $600.

Your biggest competitor, arguably, is the rest of the internet. Almost everyone at one point or another has purchased something from Revzilla, STG, and Motorcycle Superstore.. and as often is the case, it's because they didn't quite find what they were looking for in stock.

Revzilla has actually already done what I'm about to propose:
revzillaPhillySR_zps437b3506.jpg

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It's a boutique. It's a storefront that would arguably end a lot of the meh feelings that are attached with CycleGear.

Other retailers have done the same thing. "Sports Basement" has their "Elite" stores, for instance. It's a more expensive square footage that people are willing to pay extra for. Why isnt there one with "CycleGear" on the signage out front? The hipsters get a boutique. The east coast gets a boutique. Where's the west coast boutqiue for the normal motorcycle crowd?
 
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Thread started good.

Thread needs time.
Time will tell.
 
The San Jose CG is actually pretty good in my opinion. A little limited in boot selection, but they stock a shit ton of jackets, suits, and helmets. Plus they stock a decent selection of consumables.
 
Just throwing out random thoughts here. Does cycle gear actually care about those with the meh feeling? Has this new business model BILT (get it?) enough of a simple ,profitable margin. Get a few overseas contracts for a variety of gear, put your name on it. Inflate the sticker price and constantly have "sales" on those items. You've just minimized how many distributors you have to interact with, Plus added the alure of a good deal to the average consumer.

Those of us on barf with the "meh" attitude could be more picky or to hard to please for whatever reason. While cycle gear isn't trying to avoid our dollars, it's just they're making more money doing it their way and us gearaphiles are the collateral damage. Catering to the cheap/average/beginner/squid.....or just those that feel "hey, this gear is good enough for me" types.

In my rambling bottom line- Does cycle gear want to change?
 
^^^^^^^ +1 ^^^^^^

The way I see it, CG does not cater for what Lucky13xx referred to as gearaphiles. Agreed that CG SJ is pretty good in having a large stock and lots of choices there for us to come in to touch and feel and try on !!!!! What OP wants seems to be more in the line of our D-Store in SF. I might not wanna get my gear at Road Rider but I was NICELY impressed with high end riding gear that RR have in stock.

Also CG and RR will gladly order gear of the size you want and model you want : easy to understand that it does NOT make sense for any retailer to stock fancier, more specialized & high end gear that come in not easy to move sizes.
 
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I don't shop via the internet...

I want a store that has what I want to buy, to be there when I want to buy.

I want to touch and feel, the item.

Road Rider And The tire whore joint are my picks.

Tried cycle gear a couple times...just didn't feel as good as I wanted...

Kinda like they hired a lower savvy worker, than I wanted to talk to.

And every mounted the tire backwards story I ever heard...Was done at a Cycle Gear.
 
We have plenty of boutique style shops. The D-Store being a main one. Scuderia, and just about every other dealer has the boutique feel. The interior design has never bothered me about cyclegear.

All that matters to me is that they have a variety of gear in stock to look at, touch, and try on.
 
The CG in Santa Rosa is pretty well stocked and a good place to go to do comparo shopping. At least it was when my son and I were shopping for an MC jacket for him. Racks were full of many good choices and lots-o-helmets.

I still go all the way down to Road Rider to try on my gear though (a three hour drive for me).

Dan
 
revnort said:
We have plenty of boutique style shops. The D-Store being a main one. Scuderia, and just about every other dealer has the boutique feel. The interior design has never bothered me about cyclegear.

All that matters to me is that they have a variety of gear in stock to look at, touch, and try on.
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I guess what I'm referring to as boutique is different than what some people think of.

The D-Store is just Dainese's entire line of gear for Bicycling, Horseback, and Motorcycles. It's a multi-million-dollar international clothing line that has a floor space similar to other high-dollar clothing lines like any other brand in San Francisco: The North Face and Diesel.

Scuderia is a motorcycle shop that sells gear no different than SF Moto or any other store. It doesnt have the backstock anywhere close to CycleGear, Revzilla or other retailers.

A boutique is a store that sells to a specialized clientele with no affiliation to any particular brand. It's a representation of what an actual group of people values and swears by. Gear for motorcycles is part of the package. It's our AC and heating, our crush zones and what limits/expands our periphery. Gear is way more of an intimate relationship than our bike and nobody who rides takes gear lightly. A boutique is absolutely called for.
 
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Are you asking for a Cycle Gear Superstore, with a broad inventory well beyond the CG brands? Like I think they have in Sacramento and San Diego? I wouldn't mind one locally either.
 
Donelop said:
I guess what I'm referring to as boutique is different than what some people think of.

The D-Store is just Dainese's entire line of gear for Bicycling, Horseback, and Motorcycles. It's a multi-million-dollar international clothing line that has a floor space similar to other high-dollar clothing lines like any other brand in San Francisco: The North Face and Diesel.

Scuderia is a motorcycle shop that sells gear no different than SF Moto or any other store. It doesnt have the backstock anywhere close to CycleGear, Revzilla or other retailers.

A boutique is a store that sells to a specialized clientele with no affiliation to any particular brand. It's a representation of what an actual group of people values and swears by. Gear for motorcycles is part of the package. It's our AC and heating, our crush zones and what limits/expands our periphery. Gear is way more of an intimate relationship than our bike and nobody who rides takes gear lightly. A boutique is absolutely called for.
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I am confused as to how you want them to change. Instead of relying on everyone's varying definition of the word boutique could you clearly state what it is you want cycle gear to do they are currently not doing?

"A boutique is a small store that sells stylish clothing, jewelry, or other usually expensive things".
 
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revnort said:
Instead of relying on everyone's varying definition of the word boutique could you clearly state what it is you want cycle gear to do they are currently not doing?
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I want a store that sells beard combs, overpriced flannel shirts and any other gear that appeals to my inner hipster needs.....Sorry, wrong thread.
 
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revnort said:
I am confused as to how you want them to change. Instead of relying on everyone's varying definition of the word boutique could you clearly state what it is you want cycle gear to do they are currently not doing?

"A boutique is a small store that sells stylish clothing, jewelry, or other usually expensive things".
Click to expand...

The definition is the same. It's the stereotypical image in everyone's head that differs depending how hip they are. A boutique is a place that sells items which are desirable to a very specific, detail oriented, discerning consumer. There are skateboard boutiques that sell teeshirts and hats to people who know about a particular skater. There are watch boutiques for people who want ultra-intricate movements submersible up to 400 fathoms. It's not a store for girls. It's a store for people who don't shop for gear thats made for mass consumption.

I'd like to see CycleGear keep their existing stores with their existing stock as-is, but also provide a store that offers gear to those people who've "outgrown" the "good value for money" selection of your typical CycleGear. CycleGear is also way more tied into the local community than their francise-looking chain stores lead anyone to believe. It would be nice to see a premium store for the more die hard/specialized/technical motorcycling crowd.

The idea seems to exist more in other sports. Sports Authority has Sports Authority Elite. And your typical "surf" lifestyle retail spots have more premium store spaces in Lahaina Maui.... You see it in cycling retail spots and other places as well. There's a demographic that cycle gear appeals to but doesn't reach with their existing storefronts, and considering how much effort/money they pump into the local community, why not have a specialized storefront reflecting that relationship?
 
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Donelop said:
A boutique is a place that sells items which are desirable to a very specific, detail oriented, discerning consumer. There are skateboard boutiques that sell teeshirts and hats to people who know about a particular skater.

I'd like to see CycleGear keep their existing stores with their existing stock as-is, but also provide a store that offers gear to those people who've "outgrown" the "good value for money" selection of your typical CycleGear. CycleGear is also way more tied into the local community than their francise-looking chain stores lead anyone to believe. It would be nice to see a premium store for the more die hard/specialized/technical motorcycling crowd.

The idea seems to exist more in other sports. Sports Authority has Sports Authority Elite. And your typical "surf" lifestyle retail spots have more premium store spaces in Lahaina Maui.... You see it in cycling retail spots and other places as well. There's a demographic that cycle gear appeals to but doesn't reach with their existing storefronts, and considering how much effort/money they pump into the local community, why not have a specialized storefront reflecting that relationship?
Click to expand...

Those stores kind of exist but it is not CG's current business model. Road rider is a good example. I also would like more of the type of store you are talking about but it is hard considering the amount of overhead and the tire kickers who come in to try and then buy online.

For just about every brand out there we have someone who sells it in the bay area. You do have to travel around though.
 
The question isn't whether there's an existing motorcycle boutique somewhere out there. The question is why isn't CycleGear doing it? "Doesn't fit into their existing business model" hardly applies to motorcycling. How does "giving AFM racers free tires" a business model when noone at AFM buys Bilt? Shouldn't there be a CycleGear store with a selection of gear for those people, and other people who are on the upper echelons of motorcycle gear requirements?

That's half of what I'm asking for. The other half I'd like to see a store that supplies people AMA and AFM teeshirts, highway 9 and alice's and In-jokes printed on stuff. Barf teeshirts, and or stupid kitchy local community stuff that people can buy and be with the "in" crowd
 
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Donelop said:
The question isn't whether there's an existing motorcycle boutique somewhere out there. The question is why isn't CycleGear doing it? "Doesn't fit into their existing business model" hardly applies to motorcycling. How does "giving AFM racers free tires" a business model when noone at AFM buys Bilt? Shouldn't there be a CycleGear store with a selection of gear for those people, and other people who are on the upper echelons of motorcycle gear requirements?

That's half of what I'm asking for. The other half I'd like to see a store that supplies people AMA and AFM teeshirts, highway 9 and alice's teeshirts. Barf teeshirts, and or stupid kitchy local community stuff that people can buy and be with the "in" crowd, because why not?
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They used to carry more gear like that. They seem to have opted for carrying house brand gear and less of the other stuff. My guess is because they were seeing it sell a lot faster and at a higher profit. I can kind of understand. The market for high end gear is much smaller, and if you have 20 area guys/ladies who want it, and they come in every 5 years for a big ticket item, it makes it hard for a chain store to stay afloat.

I have never been but it sounds like the CG in Sac is much larger and has more stuff. Maybe that is what you mean? Except for the local t shirts and stuff...

It sounds like you have an idea for a local business though that fills a niche that is unfulfilled. Why not go for it? :laughing
 
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