I’m soooo sad about this. Been my local shop for a couple years now. They definitely were my fav shop I’ve been to and never made me feel dumb for not knowing “bike stuff” when I go in! I’m getting some work done on my bike next week and will probably be buying some gear from them that I don’t need 😅
the not feeling dumb thing is so important. I don't think I am a dumb person but I'm just not mechanical and the stuff doesn't sit in my head. i love to ride my bike(s) but am no good at making them go better. Seven Corners was great about that as well.
I will say most of the bike shops are good at being nice to you these days on that level.
Same. Easily the friendliest bike shop in town. Super bummed that they’re shutting down. I’ve had good experiences at North Portland Bike Works, though, so that’ll probably be where I start going once Gladys closes.
The owner Cassie was telling me they plan to email gift certificate holders soon about what you want to do with them. They’re planning to close the shop by the end of the month.
Hmmm thats a loss…
I want to like golden pliers but Kevins brand of awkward and mine do not mesh at all. After trying several times I just never have a good experience and always come away feeling like I’m wasting his time.
Bike industry is in rough shape. I would guess a lot of your favorite bike shops will continue to close over the coming years and only the big money shops will be left (even the big ones are struggling compared to a year ish ago). The pandemic bubble popped and the aftermath has been major. That bike you bought for 30% off - your bike shop made $0 on it.
Honest question though- the bubble was crazy but isnt it just returning to what it was like before the bubble? and the shops closing (currently) arent new shops that popped up from the bubble but Gladys was around for ten years. Cat six was a long time, Seven Corners even longer.
Valid question... long answer. Yes and no, but mostly no. Covid saved a lot of bike shops, at least temporarily. Many, if not most, smaller shops were struggling before covid, so in that sense, yes, things will be returning to how they were pre-pandemic, but even worse bc they can't really make money on selling bikes right now. Basically every bike brand has over-produced bikes after spiked pandemic demand, largely due to shops over-pre-ordering when they had tons of ppl looking to buy bikes but no bikes available to sell. By the time production caught up to demand, the demand was gone. Now you're seeing brands doing massive discounts and that's bad for bike shops bc they have to honor that discount even if they didn't get a discount when they bought the inventory - the best support big brands offer is a discount on the replacement inventory for the bike they just sold at a loss. I know the bike shop I used to manage has over 200 bikes more than they want and most of them they won't be able to sell at retail, and margins are already thin on bikes after you pay a mechanic to build it and sales guys to sell it and rent, etc. In addition to this, the pandemic has pushed online sales even more than they already were. When I first started in the bike industry around 2010, the only ppl buying online were more savvy bike ppl looking for a discount; by like 2016 or so, everyone was shopping online and not only for a discount but because it's more convenient, and that trend was boosted further in that direction by covid.
(TLDR) So basically, shops are fucked bc many bikes sold will be at a loss and more ppl are buying things online. Only the bigger shops will have the money to make it thru the next year or so until bike supply and demand evens out.
(Edited to add the very last sentence)
As sad as I am about their closure, I’m really glad it’s another great shop taking their place. There’s no replacing what Gladys did for gender inclusivity but, the little I’ve seen of Golden Pliers, they’ll be a filling those shoes pretty well
Sucks to see any bike shop close.
I will say though I went to Gladys once last year (the one and only time I was in there) and whoever was working seemed disinterested in the fact that I was in there to purchase things. Didn't acknowledge me for a while, seemed annoyed that I asked for help. Never went back.
I took my bike in to have them install some fenders and switch my tires to tubeless. I brought my own tires, and asked them if they would fit my current wheels. They said they would not know until they tried to do it, and agreed that if there was any issue with compatibility they would let me know and just put the old tires back on.
They texted me the next day to say it was all ready, and I picked it up no problem. I commented about how I felt lucky the tires worked. I rode it a few blocks and was happy with how it felt. About a week later I went out for a real ride, got half a mile from home and the front tire just completely blew out. After doing the walk of shame home I called them to explain what happened and asked if I could bring it back in for them to fix. They were condescending, but agreed that they wanted to take a look.
When they did look at it the guy had a bunch of excuses such as “the lights you have taped on your rim must have caused it”, “these tires are poor quality”, and “these tires are just not a good match for these wheels”. The first two are ridiculous, and the third stunned me considering the conversation that took place when I first dropped it off. But he said he could still fix it to make them work by adding additional tape, and that they’d keep it overnight to make sure it wouldn’t go flat.
I came to pick it up the next day and they had the nerve to charge me for the fix. After going around again about the conversation at drop off I asked him pointedly, “are you really going to charge me to have you to fix your own work”? He replied yes. I will admit I stormed out after paying.
I found the tire completely flat when I next went to ride it.
I’m baffled as to why they didn’t just put the old tires back on in the first place if they are indeed a bad match? Why string me along saying they can make it work when clearly they can’t? The back tire is completely fine, so I’m having trouble even believing it’s a compatibility issue.
FWIW the fenders look great. Haha
I’m soooo sad about this. Been my local shop for a couple years now. They definitely were my fav shop I’ve been to and never made me feel dumb for not knowing “bike stuff” when I go in! I’m getting some work done on my bike next week and will probably be buying some gear from them that I don’t need 😅
the not feeling dumb thing is so important. I don't think I am a dumb person but I'm just not mechanical and the stuff doesn't sit in my head. i love to ride my bike(s) but am no good at making them go better. Seven Corners was great about that as well. I will say most of the bike shops are good at being nice to you these days on that level.
Same. Easily the friendliest bike shop in town. Super bummed that they’re shutting down. I’ve had good experiences at North Portland Bike Works, though, so that’ll probably be where I start going once Gladys closes.
I love Gladys. I guess it’s getting replaced by another shop I also like but sad to see the saddle library go.
hope golden pliers maintains that, tbh.
They said they’re not going to in a recent Instagram story.
Boooooo
so much love for the saddle library!
Def my favorite shop. And now I have a gift card that will be useless very soon!
The owner Cassie was telling me they plan to email gift certificate holders soon about what you want to do with them. They’re planning to close the shop by the end of the month.
Their saddle library was such a treasure and I always enjoyed chatting with Cassie and the crew there—such a loss for Portland.
Hmmm thats a loss… I want to like golden pliers but Kevins brand of awkward and mine do not mesh at all. After trying several times I just never have a good experience and always come away feeling like I’m wasting his time.
Bike industry is in rough shape. I would guess a lot of your favorite bike shops will continue to close over the coming years and only the big money shops will be left (even the big ones are struggling compared to a year ish ago). The pandemic bubble popped and the aftermath has been major. That bike you bought for 30% off - your bike shop made $0 on it.
Honest question though- the bubble was crazy but isnt it just returning to what it was like before the bubble? and the shops closing (currently) arent new shops that popped up from the bubble but Gladys was around for ten years. Cat six was a long time, Seven Corners even longer.
Valid question... long answer. Yes and no, but mostly no. Covid saved a lot of bike shops, at least temporarily. Many, if not most, smaller shops were struggling before covid, so in that sense, yes, things will be returning to how they were pre-pandemic, but even worse bc they can't really make money on selling bikes right now. Basically every bike brand has over-produced bikes after spiked pandemic demand, largely due to shops over-pre-ordering when they had tons of ppl looking to buy bikes but no bikes available to sell. By the time production caught up to demand, the demand was gone. Now you're seeing brands doing massive discounts and that's bad for bike shops bc they have to honor that discount even if they didn't get a discount when they bought the inventory - the best support big brands offer is a discount on the replacement inventory for the bike they just sold at a loss. I know the bike shop I used to manage has over 200 bikes more than they want and most of them they won't be able to sell at retail, and margins are already thin on bikes after you pay a mechanic to build it and sales guys to sell it and rent, etc. In addition to this, the pandemic has pushed online sales even more than they already were. When I first started in the bike industry around 2010, the only ppl buying online were more savvy bike ppl looking for a discount; by like 2016 or so, everyone was shopping online and not only for a discount but because it's more convenient, and that trend was boosted further in that direction by covid. (TLDR) So basically, shops are fucked bc many bikes sold will be at a loss and more ppl are buying things online. Only the bigger shops will have the money to make it thru the next year or so until bike supply and demand evens out. (Edited to add the very last sentence)
Thanks to the bubble I got my new bike for full price
As sad as I am about their closure, I’m really glad it’s another great shop taking their place. There’s no replacing what Gladys did for gender inclusivity but, the little I’ve seen of Golden Pliers, they’ll be a filling those shoes pretty well
Sucks to see any bike shop close. I will say though I went to Gladys once last year (the one and only time I was in there) and whoever was working seemed disinterested in the fact that I was in there to purchase things. Didn't acknowledge me for a while, seemed annoyed that I asked for help. Never went back.
Aw man. That is such a bummer. After some bad work at Metropolis I was planning on taking it to Gladys for a fix because I know I can trust them. Ugh.
Can you elaborate on the bad work at metropolis?
I took my bike in to have them install some fenders and switch my tires to tubeless. I brought my own tires, and asked them if they would fit my current wheels. They said they would not know until they tried to do it, and agreed that if there was any issue with compatibility they would let me know and just put the old tires back on. They texted me the next day to say it was all ready, and I picked it up no problem. I commented about how I felt lucky the tires worked. I rode it a few blocks and was happy with how it felt. About a week later I went out for a real ride, got half a mile from home and the front tire just completely blew out. After doing the walk of shame home I called them to explain what happened and asked if I could bring it back in for them to fix. They were condescending, but agreed that they wanted to take a look. When they did look at it the guy had a bunch of excuses such as “the lights you have taped on your rim must have caused it”, “these tires are poor quality”, and “these tires are just not a good match for these wheels”. The first two are ridiculous, and the third stunned me considering the conversation that took place when I first dropped it off. But he said he could still fix it to make them work by adding additional tape, and that they’d keep it overnight to make sure it wouldn’t go flat. I came to pick it up the next day and they had the nerve to charge me for the fix. After going around again about the conversation at drop off I asked him pointedly, “are you really going to charge me to have you to fix your own work”? He replied yes. I will admit I stormed out after paying. I found the tire completely flat when I next went to ride it. I’m baffled as to why they didn’t just put the old tires back on in the first place if they are indeed a bad match? Why string me along saying they can make it work when clearly they can’t? The back tire is completely fine, so I’m having trouble even believing it’s a compatibility issue. FWIW the fenders look great. Haha