"Before it all changed, it was different"
Internet buying has certainly changed the local retail business in many sports. More and more, there a few large local retails and far fewer mom and pop shops. One local small ski shop told me sales were off 80% this past winter. One issue I find distrubing is that internet sales are exempt from state sales taxes. I enjoy the tax break, but, it's just so unfair to the brick and mortar shops, plus, all our states need the income.
To Jim's question about the future prospects of direct shipping to consumers, I would not be surprised if manufacturers with very specific products tried this method. Mavic's business is very narrow in scope in the competitive bike wheel sector. They are not stock on pre-built bikes, so, why would consumers single them out as a wheelset of choice at premium prices? Mavic is not on my preferred list right now. 3 years ago, I bought a set of their wheels which are made with coated steel spokes which are now pitting as the coating is deteriorating. I'm also not a fan of Mavic's proprietary components forcing us to return to them for repairs. Before next season, I'll be on different wheels and Nuvation may become my next wheelset.
I have a great local bike shop that has a service shop with very reasonable pricing and fast turnaround time for repairs. They are fixed in their pricing of components, sometimes to their detriment. When I switched to compact cranks, I was a little miffed that I had to pay list price plus the full installation. So, a few weeks later, they put my internet bought cranks on the bike for their very reasonable shop fee. One needs to be a very dedicated biker, with deep pockets, to consider have a custom bike built.
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