Lickbikes.com: Legit?

John Bigboote said:

Found something I'd been looking for on lickbikes.com the
other day. Price was way low, lower than MSRP, which is
what everyone else is charging (with freebies thrown in to
compete). Think they're gray market? Are these guys legit?
Anyone have experience with them?

Lickton's is in Oak Park IL and is a brick-and-mortar
bike shop. They've been in business for decades- I first
bought something from them in 1978. The owner, Bob
Lickton, is kind of a grouch but I have always had great
(if grouchy) customer service from them whether in person
or over the Internet.

Five or six years ago I bought some shoes from them for my
track bike; Bob rummaged around in the back and found
something that would work with clips and straps. There were
no cleats in the box, he didn't have any in stock and he
took my name and address and said he'd mail the cleats when
he found them. A week later two pairs of cleats arrived at
my door- no charge for the cleats or shipping.

I'd do business with Lickton's again without hesitation.
BTW, you *could* go to Google, click on "Groups," navigate
to the rec.bicycles* hierarchy and search for "lickbikes" or
"Lickton's" and your question would be answered in seconds
by more people than me- and maybe some with different
experiences.

Licktons is an old, fine establishment. The guy who answers
the phone is kinda of grumpy but seems to get the job done.
My last orer with them was for some Phil Wood BB rings which
they had for 50% of the price Phil was asking for the same
item. Recommended!

John Bigboote said:

Found something I'd been looking for on lickbikes.com the
other day. Price was way low, lower than MSRP, which is
what everyone else is charging (with freebies thrown in to
compete). Think they're gray market? Are these guys legit?
Anyone have experience with them? Please post, or e-mail
me at mari at copysmith dot com

TIA,

-jb

"John Bigboote" <[email hidden]> wrote in :"]news:[email hidden]:

Quoted message said:

Found something I'd been looking for on lickbikes.com the
other day. Price was way low, lower than MSRP, which is
what everyone else is charging (with freebies thrown in to
compete).

I've been doing business with them since the 1970s. Their
service is much more reliable than Nashbar or Performance.

In article <[email hidden]>, John Bigboote

Quoted message said:

Found something I'd been looking for on lickbikes.com the
other day. Price was way low, lower than MSRP, which is
what everyone else is charging (with freebies thrown in to
compete). Think they're gray market? Are these guys legit?
Anyone have experience with them? Please post, or e-mail
me at mari at copysmith dot com

TIA,

-jb

I bought some phil hubs and a bb from Lick's several years
ago. No problems whatsoever. I recommend the outfit.

luke

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Found something I'd been looking for on lickbikes.com the
other day.

Can't Find the Web Site www.lickbikes.com 500 Unknown
Host The site may no longer exist or it may have moved.
Double-check for any misspellings, punctuation errors, or
extra spaces

?????

PB

Quoted message said:

Can't Find the Web Site www.lickbikes.com 500 Unknown
Host The site may no longer exist or it may have moved.
Double-check for any misspellings, punctuation errors, or
extra spaces

?????

OP meant to write: lickbike.comlickbike.comOpen ↗

no "s", very legit.

Hi,

Try this instead:-

lickbike.comlickbike.comOpen ↗

Cheers

PBridge130 said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Found something I'd been looking for on lickbikes.com
the other day.

Can't Find the Web Site www.lickbikes.com 500 Unknown
Host The site may no longer exist or it may have moved.
Double-check for any misspellings, punctuation errors, or
extra spaces

?????

PB

Hi,

Try this instead:-

lickbike.comlickbike.comOpen ↗

Cheers

PBridge130 said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Found something I'd been looking for on lickbikes.com
the other day.

Can't Find the Web Site www.lickbikes.com 500 Unknown
Host The site may no longer exist or it may have moved.
Double-check for any misspellings, punctuation errors, or
extra spaces

?????

PB

Not only are they legit but a darn fine shop to work with
too. I live in Canada and bought an Ultegra group from the a
few years back..shipped very well, arrived quickly, and cost
a lot less than if I had bought it here. If your post was
questioning their integrity..sign me up as a believer..you
won't be sorry.

They are legit.

What happens is many companies force dealers to price fix on goods. They usually force shops to advertise MSRP and in turn charge that. So customers are forced to pay higher prices. Why? Well companies think that the higher they charge the better the product is. Also many shops complain because they have to survive by charging people full pop for parts. Well itis a competitive world and we have the right in the USA to offer goods at the lowest possible price.

That is mainly why Shimano has put their policies in play as Ritchey, Vittoria and so many others. In the end customers get stuck paying higher prices. This doesn't mean you get better parts. Just means you pay more.

Lick Bike like us here fight on a daily basis to offer you the customer the lowest possible price. Sadly lawyers come int he game and threats are every where. So companies force shops to charge more and in turn you have to pay more.

This is the new trend and a very bad one because soon customers will not be able to get any deals and service may not be there. Why would it be? You are forced to buy it or not. No choice. Like now. Want Dura Ace? You have to pay top dollar from any dealer.

"xavier" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

They are legit.

What happens is many companies force dealers to price fix
on goods. They usually force shops to advertise MSRP and
in turn charge that. So customers are forced to pay
higher prices. Why? Well companies think that the higher
they charge the better the product is. Also many shops
complain because they have to survive by charging people
full pop for parts. Well itis a competitive world and we
have the right in the USA to offer goods at the lowest
possible price.

That is mainly why Shimano has put their policies in play
as Ritchey, Vittoria and so many others. In the end
customers get stuck paying higher prices. This doesn't
mean you get better parts. Just means you pay more.

Lick Bike like us here fight on a daily basis to offer
you the customer the lowest possible price. Sadly lawyers
come int he game and threats are every where. So
companies force shops to charge more and in turn you have
to pay more.

This is the new trend and a very bad one because soon
customers will not be able to get any deals and service
may not be there. Why would it be? You are forced to buy
it or not. No choice. Like now. Want Dura Ace? You have to
pay top dollar from any dealer.

This is true. However, the alternative is to buy from your
LBS instead of mail order. There you will get service (or
should) and an LBS does have the option of *discounting*
prices. IF this form of price fixing is allowed, then the
purpose of buying mail order/thru the internet is gone...

Xavier-<< What happens is many companies force dealers to
price fix on goods. They usually force shops to advertise
MSRP and in turn charge that >><BR><BR>

Why not charge a price that allows you to keep the lights
on? Why depend on volume to make up the difference in
prices? If supply suffers, you are history.

shimano is trying to control their distribution. They are
trying to stop gray market, back-door supply and OEM
resale, because most of those people DO NOT service their
products well.

If you are a reputable shop, offer good service by good
people, a 'standard' margin will allow to just about break
even, no more. When I see that some places cry foul about
not being able to deeply discount product, I hear more greed
and losing business because of being able to compete on
price alone than genuine worry about the legality of it all.

A local bike shop can now compete with you on a level
playing field..may the best place win...THAT is competition.

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 vecchios.comvecchios.comOpen ↗ "Ruote convenzionali
costruite eccezionalmente bene"

In article <[email hidden]>,
usenet- [email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

They are legit.

What happens is many companies force dealers to price fix
on goods. They usually force shops to advertise MSRP and
in turn charge that. So customers are forced to pay
higher prices. Why? Well companies think that the higher
they charge the better the product is. Also many shops
complain because they have to survive by charging people
full pop for parts. Well itis a competitive world and we
have the right in the USA to offer goods at the lowest
possible price.

That is mainly why Shimano has put their policies in play
as Ritchey, Vittoria and so many others. In the end
customers get stuck paying higher prices. This doesn't
mean you get better parts. Just means you pay more.

Lick Bike like us here fight on a daily basis to offer
you the customer the lowest possible price. Sadly lawyers
come int he game and threats are every where. So
companies force shops to charge more and in turn you have
to pay more.

This is the new trend and a very bad one because soon
customers will not be able to get any deals and service
may not be there. Why would it be? You are forced to buy
it or not. No choice. Like now. Want Dura Ace? You have to
pay top dollar from any dealer.

--

AFAIK in Canada it's illegal to price fix like that but I
have taken quite a bit of heat from sales reps when their
larger customers complain about my prices. But when it coems
down to it, none of them have been willing to come buy back
all their product and cut me off.
--
_________________________
Chris Phillipo - Cape Breton, Nova Scotia ramsays-ramsays-Open ↗
online.com

In article <[email hidden]>,
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

Why not charge a price that allows you to keep the lights
on? Why depend on volume to make up the difference in
prices? If supply suffers, you are history.

The price to keep the lights on can vary from place to place
and from owner to owner. Some folks know how to run a
profitable business, others don't. So prices should vary.

Quoted message said:

shimano is trying to control their distribution. They are
trying to stop gray market, back-door supply and OEM
resale, because most of those people DO NOT service their
products well.

Sounds like price fixing to me.

Quoted message said:

If you are a reputable shop, offer good service by good
people, a 'standard' margin will allow to just about
break even, no more. When I see that some places cry foul
about not being able to deeply discount product, I hear
more greed and losing business because of being able to
compete on price alone than genuine worry about the
legality of it all.

I see a problem with price fixing. Not all people need the
same level of service, so not all should be paying the same
price. If I can install and adjust the parts I buy, why
should I pay the same as the guy who thinks a pair of vice
grips, screwdriver, hammer and duct tape are all the tools
you need to fix anything? When I need more, I am willing to
pay more, but I hate paying for something I don't need.
What's even worse is when I know more about something than
the person trying to sell it to me for a high price.

Quoted message said:

A local bike shop can now compete with you on a level
playing field..may the best place win...THAT is
competition.

Mail order can have a price advantage, but a LBS can
potentially have an advantage. I say potentially because not
all LBS know what they are doing when it comes to service.

--------------
Alex

"Alex Rodriguez" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I see a problem with price fixing. Not all people need
the same level of service, so not all should be paying
the same price. If I can install and adjust the parts I
buy, why should I pay the same as the guy who thinks a
pair of vice grips, screwdriver, hammer and duct tape are
all the tools

you

Quoted message said:

need to fix anything?

Interesting argument... one person should pay less for a
part because he doesn't want the bike shop to install
it. What does that have to do with price
fixing/distribution control?

Any retail business, bike shop or otherwise, needs to make a
legitimate profit on the sale of the product. This is an
indisputable fact of business. The profit generated by parts
sales is independent of any additional revenue the store can
generate by servicing the customer's particular needs.

In the case of a bike shop, it can make additional profit by
installing the parts it sells. Therefore, under Alex's
argument, our friend with the vice grips and hammer should
pay LESS for his parts because he is ultimately contributing
more toward the shop's profitability.

The error of most arguments regarding the economics of
retail sales is the reliance on emotions and good intentions
rather than the hard, cold facts of a supply-demand economy.

BTW, to return the original thread.... if you can't trust a
guy who licks bikes, who can you trust?

Stuart Winsor Ground Zero Cycles

"If it can't be fixed with duct tape, it ain't broke"

This is common practice in most supply chains. The
manufacturer does not force dealers to sell at a certain
price. They will just refuse to sell more product to
retailers who discount the price, or charge them more at the
wholesale level. Sometimes they only get upset if their
product is advertised at a low price. That's why it's not
price fixing.

There are several good reasons for manufacturers to do this,
but no good reasons for Shimano considering their market
position. I think they and their traditional brick and
mortar resellers haven't figured out how to deal with
internet sales and the global market it opens up to all of
us. Markets were so much easier to control when we couldn't
shop all over the US, Great Britain, France, etc. for the
best price. They're still stuck in their traditional
segmented market mentality and are scared of the new retail
world. So they only let big e-commerce sites (ones they have
a cozy relationship with) sell until they can figure things
out. As far as I can tell they still think of the dealers
and manufacturers as their customers... not the end user. Do
you dealers have to buy Shimano from a distributor, or do
you buy direct? I think sooner or later someone is going to
come along and "Dell" the cycling market.

Just .02 from a marketing consultant.

"Qui si parla Campagnolo " <[email hidden]> wrote in
message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I said-<< >shimano is trying to control their
distribution. They are

trying to

Quoted message said:

stop gray

Quoted message said:

market, back-door supply and OEM resale, because most of
those people DO

NOT

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

service their products well. >><BR><BR>

ADR said-<< Sounds like price fixing to me.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

<BR><BR>

Not according to the FTC...

ADR-<< I see a problem with price fixing. >><BR><BR>

See above-

adr-<< Not all people need the same level of service,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

<BR><BR>

Service level doesn't determine price but wholesale prices
do. shimano is controlling their distribution, closing
many 'backdoor' sources. Places

like

Quoted message said:

Licktons and Branford would pay more for shimano they
sell, they didn't

like

Quoted message said:

that.

Peter Chisholm Vecchio's Bicicletteria 1833 Pearl St.
Boulder, CO, 80302
(303)440-3535 vecchios.comvecchios.comOpen ↗ "Ruote convenzionali
costruite eccezionalmente bene"

Peter said, inter alia, Places like

Quoted message said:

Licktons and Branford would pay more for shimano they
sell, they didn't like that.

For record straightening purposes, Lickton's continue
(continues?) to be a Shimano Authorized internet dealer.
Branford's dealings, from their website: Shimano America is
implementing a new distribution program that authorizes
select retailers to sell Shimano products via the web and
mail order. In a recent letter to Branford Bike Shimano
America stated that the purpose of their new sales policy
was to "ensure that consumers are provided with the highest
levels of service, receive proper product and warranty
information, and that Shimano's products are promoted in a
manner that furthers Shimano's reputation for quality
products."

We called Shimano America and asked George Eubanks, the
policy creator, for a clarification. George Eubanks stated
that he was not familar with Branford Bike and then added
that we were not on Shimano's list of six "authorized web
retailers". However if we agreed to stop selling all Shimano
products over the web we would still be allowed to purchase
them for resale through a brick and mortar store. We
explained to him that we only sold Shimano products via our
online catalog and previously with a paper catalog. We added
that Branford Bike has sold Shimano products for over 28
years and currently serviced riders on every continent
including Antartica. George Eubanks explained that this was
their policy. However in a year or so there may be an
opening and we could apply for "authorized web retailer"
then. He added that soon they would be sending a list of
banned retailers to Shimano distributors. He assured us that
we would be included on that list if we continued to sell
Shimano products via our online catalog.

As a result we have decided to discontinue all Shimano
products from our Online catalog. Many are on sale already
and they will be removed from our catalog once our stocks
are sold out. We regret that we can no longer offer
Shimano's fine products to our customers around the world.
If you would like to speak with Shimano America or George
Eubanks you may call them at 800-423-2420 or fax them at 800-206-
0010. You may also call them at (949)951-5003. Recent
Developments... Bicycle Retailer and Industry News (BRAIN)
did some excellent investigative reporting in regards to the
Shimano price fixing issue. They established that there is
an active and ongoing effort by multiple manufacturers in
the bike industry to blacklist specific dealers so as to
prevent them from selling their (the manufacturer's) product
at a discounted price. BRAIN discussed how it is illegal for
a manufacturer to require a retailer to sell at a specific
price if that retailer is buying the manufacturer's products
from a middleman or wholesale distributor. However, it is
legal for a manufacturer to require that a retailer sell
their products at a specific price if the retailer buys
those products directly from the manufacturer. Thus the
idea, we believe, behind Shimano's policy of forbidding
their distributors from selling to any internet or mail
order retailer. By setting up "Authorized" Web/Mail Order
retailers Shimano can legally require that the prices of
their products be fixed at a price Shimano believes riders
should pay.

Click on the underlined text to read the complete
BRAIN article.

He who hesitates is TOAST! I went back to their site,
ready to pull the trigger, and found that the items I was
interested in (a wheelset) are now about $100 more,
making them less-than-competitive with other offers out
there. Bumma.

Anyway, thanks for the feedback,

-jb

--
John Bigboote Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems "The Future
Begins Tomorrow"

"John Bigboote" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Found something I'd been looking for on lickbikes.com the
other day. Price was way low, lower than MSRP, which is
what everyone else is charging

(with

Quoted message said:

freebies thrown in to compete). Think they're gray market?
Are these guys legit? Anyone have experience with them?
Please post, or e-mail me at mari at copysmith dot com

TIA,

-jb

--
John Bigboote Yoyodyne Propulsion Systems "The Future
Begins Tomorrow"

Ground Zero said:

"Alex Rodriguez" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I see a problem with price fixing. Not all people need
the same level of service, so not all should be paying
the same price. If I can install and adjust the parts I
buy, why should I pay the same as the guy who thinks a
pair of vice grips, screwdriver, hammer and duct tape are
all the tools you need to fix anything?

Interesting argument... one person should pay less for a
part because he doesn't want the bike shop to install it.
What does that have to do with price fixing/distribution
control?

Where do you pay less for parts for your car- at an auto
parts store, or at the dealership? Uh huh. If you have the
skills to do it yourself, you also normally buy parts where
you can get them cheaper (or get better quality parts at the
same price). Why should bicycles be exempt from this?

Quoted message said:

In the case of a bike shop, it can make additional profit
by installing the parts it sells. Therefore, under Alex's
argument, our friend with the vice grips and hammer should
pay LESS for his parts because he is ultimately
contributing more toward the shop's profitability.

Sorry Stuart, but that's really quite a non sequitor.

<Note that I rearranged the preceeding and following
paragraphs>

Quoted message said:

Any retail business, bike shop or otherwise, needs to make
a legitimate profit on the sale of the product. This is an
indisputable fact of business.

Well, the business *needs* to break even at the bottom of
the P/L statement. It's *nice* to make a profit and is good
for the long term health of the business. There are
thousands of non-profit companies that have been in business
for years, even with revenues in the hundreds of billions of
dollars (HMOs, for example, are required to be non-profits
to operate in the state where I reside).

Quoted message said:

The profit generated by parts sales is independent of any
additional revenue the store can generate by servicing the
customer's particular needs.

From an accounting perspective perhaps, but not from the
customer's perspective. I just write one check for all of
it. Since I have the technical knowledge I need to do just
about anything I need to on a bike, I buy my parts where I
can address that need most effectively. Sometimes that's
mail order, frequently it's at the LBS because I can cash-and-
carry the item rather than waiting for delivery. A few extra
bucks is worth it for the conveneince. Frequently what I
want is only available via mail order.

Quoted message said:

The error of most arguments regarding the economics of
retail sales is the reliance on emotions and good
intentions rather than the hard, cold facts of a supply-
demand economy.

Your argument didn't seem all that factual either. And BTW,
I have operated one successful small business and have been
on the board of another for years, so like many people in
this forum I am familiar with the principles.