Your Local Bike Shop — 5 Reasons They Are Important

To have a local bike shop in your community is a privilege many take for granted. Not only do they provide the community with a place to deal directly with knowledgable people regarding bikes and cycling, but often times they provide services to the community that are unseen. It’s these services such as building trails for the community to use, organizing events for the general public, running programs for youth, or simply holding community group rides that contribute to society and the community as a whole. With online shopping making products exceptionally easy to purchase, often at a lower price, the threat of the local bike shop “going away” is all too real. However, there are many reasons other than price to shop at your local bike shop. Here are five reasons why you should make your local bike shop the “go to” for all your biking needs. 1. TRY BEFORE YOU BUY Buying that bike you want from your local bike shop gives you the opportunity to see what you are getting and try it out. You can touch, feel, and fully inspect your new ride and test it to make sure it is the right bike for you. At Pee Dee Bicycle you can test ride any bike right outside our doors. Purchasing from a big box store or online doesn’t afford you this opportunity. Nothing beats holding a product in your hand, trying it on, and of course when buying a bike – taking it for a spin.

2. PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE AND SERVICE It would be a rare occurrence to present a question to the folks at your local bike shop that is going to stump them. They have the knowledge and experience required to answer any questions you may have. At Pee Dee Bicycle our team has years of experience with bikes, repairing them, riding them, and helping people do the same. Local bike shops have mechanics on hand and that means years of technical experience at knowing what parts fail and the brands that are worth your money. Also if you find yourself needing a part, with so many different parts and different manufactures it can get a bit confusing as to which part will actually work for your bike when ordering online. The local bike shops knowledge of parts compatibility is second to none so you can be confident you are getting the part you actually need. 3. HELP SUPPORT LOCAL ECONOMY When you buy online the entire cost of the product goes outside your local economy. When you purchase at your local bike shop you are putting your money back into the local economy. Some of that money goes to local taxes, and some goes to the employees who will put it back into the local economy. You local independent bike shop provides a big contribution to the economy in this way. Also drawing people to the area and surrounding businesses help with bolstering local commerce and with the economic sustainability of your community. 4. PART OF THE CYCLING COMMUNITY – YOUR RIDING SCENE IS THEIR RIDING SCENE Generally the local bike shop and those that work there are active and passionate about your cycling community. From creating and organizing events to holding weekly group rides the local bike shop usually plays a key role in these things. Each week at Pee Dee Bicycle we coordinate a full week of riding for the riders in the community to enjoy. We also offer monthly maintenance classes to teach you how to take care of your bike.

5. THEY ARE THERE WHEN YOU NEED THEM AND USUALLY HAVE THE PARTS ON HAND If you are just about to take part in a race and a part fails on your bike the local bike shop is a call away. They are there when you need them and if they can’t fix the problem or don’t have the part you need in stock they may just take one off a new bike and fix the bike that way. It’s been known to happen. The people at you local bike shop understand the importance of you getting to that race or on an important ride. Remember they are riders too.

Local bike shops play an important role in your community. If you haven’t been to one in a while, come by for a visit. We would love to see you.