The conundrum of local bike shops in Singapore
Local bike shops (LBS) are often the backbone to any cycling community. Their landscape are increasingly challenging in the modern era but in Singapore, my experiences have been a mixed bag.
Everywhere you look globally, there are big movements and campaigns around supporting your LBS. This makes sense because many agree that LBS are the backbone of the cycling community. They are also the entry point for most into the sport at the grassroots level.
I grew up riding unbranded bikes with a garage leftover mix of parts. Almost daily, I ride to my LBS to ogle at the new bikes and also observe some of the bikes that came through the door for repairs or upgrades. The LBS that I frequently was by no way a large outfit but rather 2 mechanics trying to service the local community. They carry about 10 or so consigned big brand bikes (the likes of Trek, GT, and etc) but the rest were largely smaller named brands that were easy entry points for 13 year olds like myself then. Occasionally, I get lucky when a customer decides to get rid of their old parts for cheap or even free! Hence the "Frankenstein gruppo" bike.
I learned heaps and always enjoyed random conversations with them and their customers about riding. They have always made me feel welcome, regardless of the bike I rode or didn't ride.
I picked up cycling again the past 10 or so odd years when I moved to Singapore. I went bike shopping and the first thing that hit me were the costs of these new bikes. Understandably many years have passed since I was 13 and I have the finances to support it, but still it felt very expensive. Nonetheless, I settled for a Cervelo S1 aluminium bike which had rave reviews and before long was enjoying riding again.
Like before, as an adult now, I would occasionally go into the LBS to check out the new bikes and try to strike up conversations. It soon became apparent to me that it didn't feel like days before. I felt judged every time I entered a LBS in Singapore. Bringing my bike in for servicing or talking about it makes it worse. When they realise a bike wasn't purchased from the store or it's not decked out in end-to-end Dura Ace parts, you can almost immediately see the change in their faces. I initially thought this was just an isolated incident at a particular store. However, after trying multiple LBS over the years, I can almost conclude that most LBS operate similarly. Given the small market that is Singapore as well, many of these folks rotate from a LBS to another and hence the lack of service that follows. I know I'm generalising the LBS community when I say this. I'm sure there are those that have great relationships with their LBS, but this is genuinely my experience over the years.
There have been a few ex-LBS operators that have decided to leave the bike business in Singapore, and they have given me some interesting insight into their decision to leave.
Singapore is an affluent society in general. Some would even say that it resembles Monaco of the east. Social status is a thing and permeates all aspects of society. Whether you see it in the vehicles on the road or the luxury goods you see on everyday people, the evidence is everywhere. This translates to the bikes everyone rides. From foldies to road bikes, Singapore bikes are largely made up of upper mid to high end bikes. It is not uncommon to see a peloton ride past you on a weekend ride that looks like a pro peloton! Consequently, LBSs are naturally geared towards servicing the S-Works, Pinarello F's and Lab71's type demographic. It isn't quite as surprising now why I didn't get much attention rocking up with an aluminium Cervelo S1. It screamed low end, low spending power from the moment I walked in.
The small industry in Singapore is also dominated and monopolised by a few large vendors.
While it is not uncommon in any country, given the size of Singapore, the impact is exponential. For example, the distribution for Shimano and SRAM parts are controlled. That is not positive for consumers in general because they can now dictate the price and availability of these parts. This does not only affect parts but also bikes. In recent years, the monopoly has extended beyond the shores of Singapore to neighbouring countries in the region. It has become increasingly complicated for smaller community LBS to compete with bigger, dominant LBS in this regard.
We can all agree that inflation and in general, bike parts and bikes have had a crazy surge in pricing in recent years. It goes without saying that these LBS in Singapore are simply responding to the increase and cascading the costs on to consumers, but with everyone readily accessing the internet and looking up prices for a particular part, it becomes increasingly clear that they are trying to maximize profits in this modern world. In recent times, I wanted to purchase a saddle from a LBS in Singapore only to find it costing less than 50% of the price shipping from Spain via DHL. I would have been more than happy to pay a 10-20% uplift at the LBS.
Some blame it on the crazy costs of property rental in Singapore. Unfortunately, this has become increasingly challenging for any business. Fortunately, we have seen an uptick in home-based businesses in recent years, including bike repairs. With the resources available online, anyone with some talent can and will overtime be a decent home based mechanic. While I don't operate a bike repair business from home, over the past 10 years I have incrementally acquired experience thru trials, errors and hours of YouTube to be proficient enough to completely tear down and rebuild my bikes. I'm certain I'm not the only one out there.
Despite me not being overly optimistic about the landscape, I do see a silver lining. It is encouraging to see boutique bike stores cropping up, bringing in smaller bike brands or niche items. It seems promising but the same challenges apply. I sincerely hope they can do things differently and change the LBS community in Singapore.
Meanwhile, I will be very content to continue shopping online, building and repairing bikes on my own.
