Pushys buys Bikebug

[Mr Purple]

To save everyone else the trouble - it looks like Bikebug's Brisbane store is permanently closed.

No closure notice anywhere, their answering machine is still on but permanently deleted from the locations on the Bikebug website.

Glad I worked that out before I drove over there.

'
Same thing happened at their North Sydney store.

I'd imagine it's as simple as there being very little benefit into having a physical outlet, as well as the cost including rent. Bit rough on the staff though - and they did a fair bit of service stuff there.

Come to think of it - has anyone else noticed none of the bike shops usually open until 9:30AM on the weekend? So if you're stuck on a ride and need a tyre/part/tube/tool you're properly stuck until at least 9:30AM.

[ace70]

And now Tempe shop is shut, these bastards have bought bikebug simply to kill off competition, have shut shops, sacked staff, and now Sydney is left with one less store with competitive prices. I’d say back to the bad old days for us!

[Retrobyte]

Come to think of it - has anyone else noticed none of the bike shops usually open until 9:30AM on the weekend?

You'd think that most bike shop employees are keen cyclists themselves, so I guess they're out for morning rides like everyone else on weekends. Might be hard to attract staff if they have to give up their riding.

[caneye]

You'd think that most bike shop employees are keen cyclists themselves, so I guess they're out for morning rides like everyone else on weekends. Might be hard to attract staff if they have to give up their riding.

just to add to that .. quite a number of the shops do organise weekend bunch rides too, which might explain the delay in opening hours.

[LateStarter]

And now Tempe shop is shut, these bastards have bought bikebug simply to kill off competition, have shut shops, sacked staff, and now Sydney is left with one less store with competitive prices. I’d say back to the bad old days for us!

Nothing to indicate Tempe store closing on their website?? Where is this announced or did you visit??
https://www.bikebug.com/store-finder/

[ace70]

And now Tempe shop is shut, these bastards have bought bikebug simply to kill off competition, have shut shops, sacked staff, and now Sydney is left with one less store with competitive prices. I’d say back to the bad old days for us!

Nothing to indicate Tempe store closing on their website?? Where is this announced or did you visit??
https://www.bikebug.com/store-finder/

Was there this morning, last day of trading was Saturday, online orders only, but I don’t rate it a good chance the warehouse will be around too much longer either. No pick ups, no mechanic, no store front any more

[Mr Purple]

From their website:

Bikebug is committed to providing competitive retail pricing and products via our online presence and six shops.

Looks like they're down to two.

I'd imagine the next step is the prices on the Bikebug and Pushys website mysteriously becoming exactly the same.

[ace70]

From their website:

Bikebug is committed to providing competitive retail pricing and products via our online presence and six shops.

Looks like they're down to two.

I'd imagine the next step is the prices on the Bikebug and Pushys website mysteriously becoming exactly the same.

I haven’t been to the Perth store, but I know the Bikebug Walsh Bay store is simply a few inner tube’s and not much else at the back of a cafe, with a part time mechanic on the side…

[Mr Purple]

The Brisbane one was actually pretty well set up and helpful. It was always useful for finding an actual necessary part on a weekend as well.

There's not many other shops you could walk into and find the appropriately sized front derailleur on a Saturday, for example.

[LateStarter]

From their website:

Bikebug is committed to providing competitive retail pricing and products via our online presence and six shops.

Looks like they're down to two.

I'd imagine the next step is the prices on the Bikebug and Pushys website mysteriously becoming exactly the same.

I haven’t been to the Perth store, but I know the Bikebug Walsh Bay store is simply a few inner tube’s and not much else at the back of a cafe, with a part time mechanic on the side…

BikeBug Walsh Bay was never more than that.

I guess you are right then, the "store-finder" link I posted this morning NOW does not exist so likely neither do the stores, pity, I always found BikeBug a reasonable place to get things and as I could pickup with only a small detour from my regular route.

Having said that the Tempe store was a right pain to get to (on a bike) and every time I went there I complained they had no bike parking in front of the store but nothing ever changed, I always made a point of bringing my bike inside. All up a negative for "Local" Bike Shops and bike retailing, reduction in competition has only one outcome (two really), higher prices, less service & less choice of products (that's three)

[queequeg]

And now Tempe shop is shut, these bastards have bought bikebug simply to kill off competition, have shut shops, sacked staff, and now Sydney is left with one less store with competitive prices. I’d say back to the bad old days for us!

I’d suggest they bought BikeBug to get all the brands that they were the primary supplier for. No need for the storefronts to get that. Not sure, but did the sale include the courier business as well?

Meanwhile, i still have not been able to source the Shimano parts I needed for for my gravel bike locally, but as luck would have it, they arrived from Spain today, GST free and cheaper than I could have bought locally. The Shimano geoblock is a little leaky in the corners.

[nmelser]

Ordered two in stock 'ships immediately ' tyres on March 24th. Tyres just shipped today on the 11th. Pretty rubbish and no longer seem to be answering the phone or responding to online enquiry.

[ace70]

Ordered two in stock 'ships immediately ' tyres on March 24th. Tyres just shipped today on the 11th. Pretty rubbish and no longer seem to be answering the phone or responding to online enquiry.

Because Pushys has sacked all the front of office staff, with only a few warehouse staff left…
Good luck with any returns or warranty issues

[Mr Purple]

Ordered two in stock 'ships immediately ' tyres on March 24th. Tyres just shipped today on the 11th. Pretty rubbish and no longer seem to be answering the phone or responding to online enquiry.

Just ordered a couple of tyres from Bikebug today, we'll see how that goes.

What worries me is that the tyre prices on Pushys are all full retail. I don't particularly want to be paying $90 every few months.

[warthog1]

Just had a look on bikebug. I'm getting low on tubeless road tyres.
Anything decent appears sold out.
Got some more tubeless sealant however. Have 2 new gravel wheelsets on the way

[ningnangnong]

I placed my first order with them since Pushys took over, last week.

Was looking at a few things on the site to bulk up my order, but it seemed like roughly 80% of items were out of stock - that's across a bunch of different categories.

Order shipped from Brisbane, whereas in the past I think they've come from Sydney.

Took a little bit longer than it usually does to get here, not sure if that's because of postage delays from COVID, or because it came from Brissie.

[biker jk]

I placed my first order with them since Pushys took over, last week.

Was looking at a few things on the site to bulk up my order, but it seemed like roughly 80% of items were out of stock - that's across a bunch of different categories.

Order shipped from Brisbane, whereas in the past I think they've come from Sydney.

Took a little bit longer than it usually does to get here, not sure if that's because of postage delays from COVID, or because it came from Brissie.

I don't think your order was shipped from Brisbane. It's the location of the company that owns Pushys/Bikebug. My order from Bikebug also said it was coming from Brisbane as they all say that now.

[ningnangnong]

I don't think your order was shipped from Brisbane. It's the location of the company that owns Pushys/Bikebug. My order from Bikebug also said it was coming from Brisbane as they all say that now.

Well, that's an odd system then, based on the tracking updates.

[Mr Purple]

Ordered two in stock 'ships immediately ' tyres on March 24th. Tyres just shipped today on the 11th. Pretty rubbish and no longer seem to be answering the phone or responding to online enquiry.

Looking at my Bikebug order history every order of in stock item has previously been dispatched on the same or next day of the order.

Two days up already on the two tyres I ordered on Tuesday. I'm thinking they're deliberately running it down.

[Retrobyte]

I made a few orders over the past month - some have been dispatched from Sydney, some from Brisbane

[trailgumby]

I've just received a shipment - Conti tyres, Schwalbe rim tape, two polycarbonate PRO bottle cages and a Topeak pump.

Three. Separate. Boxes. Including one for the $25 pump just on its own, which could easily have accommodated at least the tyres if not the bottle cages as well. All from Oxley in Queensland. Bizarre. Their profit would have been sucked up in freight.

They turned up next business day after they would have received the order, so no complaints about speed of delivery - every bit as good as usual.

[Mr Purple]

I’ll be cancelling my tyre order. Had to buy locally today because my existing tyre became useless when it rained.

Two weeks to dispatch an in stock item? Might as well go back to ordering from Wiggle or Merlin. It’ll be faster.

[Mr Purple]

So I've enjoyed the Vittoria Corsa so much I didn't end up cancelling my tyre order - they were cheap and now I'm in no hurry.

Day 17 since ordering an 'in stock' item and it hasn't been dispatched yet. Anyone want to guess how long this is going to take?

That's no way to run a business.

[am50em]

I have made several orders lately and they have been delivered promptly. One was cancelled and money refunded promptly due to item not being in stock (their inventory system was wrong). I was also notified by email soon after the order was processed.

[cancan64]

I ordered a crankset that I need urgently last Wednesday, chased it up Friday as it had still not been picked. reply from Bikebug was 'This order had been held up in our current warehouse move but is due to be shipped out shortly. I've upgraded this shipping to express so hopefully this should be on the way to you tomorrow.'

It was sent the next day but standard delivery, still somewhere between Brisbane and first Sydney destination, definitely not coming express but to late now, In Brisbane without the bike, and pulled out of the event that I had planed to do for months... at least I get to go home a week earlier than planed