Forth Gear closing

[Schtum]

Forth Gear closes its doors for the final time on Sunday afternoon 9th February, after 11 years of providing a wide range of motorcycle clothing and perhaps the best customer service in the whole of Central Scotland.

Many of us who have purchased clothing ,boots, gloves, helmets and accessories from them will be very sad to see them go. However, I'm told that they may continue to have a webshop presence.

There is a small range of merchandise left in the shop and they will be having a closing down sale with up to 50% off selected items until Sunday.

 

[WEE BOAB]

Another victim of the credit crunch and another small business closes, it's a pity but a sign of the times.....

 

[Mort]

That's very sad, please pass on my regards to Colin.

 

[Blackal]

Sorry to read of this - a good retailer and nice people.

If the people who will undoubtedly flock to the shop now - bought from them normally........................

 

[Schtum]

That's very sad, please pass on my regards to Colin.

Done.....

 

[ghiribizzo]

Was that a recent decision Mike? End of a lease prompting things? Seemed busy last time I was in an when we were both there things seemed good.

 

[Schtum]

Was that a recent decision Mike? End of a lease prompting things? Seemed busy last time I was in an when we were both there things seemed good.

It had been coming for a few months. There is no lease, it's their shop. Colin said he was fed up of dreading how they'd get through every winter. Also, much of it seems to be down to the current buying practice of trying on helmets in real shops and then going off to buy them at the cheapest possible price on the Internet. That might work in the short and possibly medium term but there'll come a time when there's much less opportunity to try on a helmet before you buy it unless your local motorcycle dealer carries a good range or you're close to a branch of J&S or Infinity or one of the few surviving clothing retailers.

 

[Blackal]

It had been coming for a few months. There is no lease, it's their shop. Colin said he was fed up of dreading how they'd get through every winter. Also, much of it seems to be down to the current buying practice of trying on helmets in real shops and then going off to buy them at the cheapest possible price on the Internet. That might work in the short and possibly medium term but there'll come a time when there's much less opportunity to try on a helmet before you buy it unless your local motorcycle dealer carries a good range or you're close to a branch of J&S or Infinity or one of the few surviving clothing retailers.

Exactly!

I ventured that opinion on a sports-bike site I'm on - and got told "If the shop could match the internet price - I would have bought it there"

Unfortunately, Colin was a wee bit off the beaten track - to take advantage of passing trade (the people who take a run out to MC, Saltire, Two Wheels etc.

Hope he has something to move on to.

Al

 

[Schtum]

Hope he has something to move on to.

I'm pleased to say that he has and he's looking forward to evenings and weekends off and having bit more time to ride his bike.

 

[boatman]

Tis a pity ,we have bought a fair bit of kit from them over the years and it was always worth the trek to get there because ,unlike some of the numpty,s that work in the big stores , these people knew what they were talking about !!

 

[Voyager]

That's a shame . . . But I have to hold my hand up - I'm local but I only went in there once some years ago. They didn't have what I was after and I didn't go back. So, use it or lose it!

I met Colin in 2010 when his car was stuck in snow and I pulled him out with my LandCruiser - nice guy. I hope he gets on OK in the future.

Bob.

 

[jaca2865]

this is not good! he was my local bike shop!!

Colin was a real gent and happy to chew the fat as well as sell great bike gear and fair prices. We've spent a good few quid in there over the years along with my son - but obviously not enough. Poor Colin.

I detected though when Halverssons tried to extract the Michael on him, Colin was hacked off but he made the right decision for him. They were typical of big manufacturer telling the retailer how to do retail!!

i always thought he'd get a boost with the biker crowd that 'meets' at the Hawes this last couple of years.

I hope to see him around still.

Jim