Graham Cochrane, owner of Bike Bros. Bike Shop, expresses his frustrations with the current state of the bike industry. He points out that the pandemic's impact led to overproduction by manufacturers, resulting in unsustainable pricing competition for local shops. As high-end bikes are sold at discounted prices online, independent retailers struggle to compete, leading to shop closures. Cochrane emphasizes the importance of local shops for community building and racing support, ultimately arguing that these shops are invaluable assets to the cycling culture and ecosystem.
It has been a brutal couple of years to own a bicycle shop... the industry we operate in seems to be doing whatever it can to kill the smaller independent bike retailers.
For every one of those stores that closes there's probably somebody who is supporting a local club, a local race... when you lose those shops in today's business landscape I think they're lost for good.
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