Winstanleys bikes mail order

bletherskite

Hi,

After much humming and hawing about the new bike I've decided to go for a Specialized Allez Sport or Giant SCR 2. I'm going for a test ride on both at the LBS this weekend but at the moment based on initial impressions it looks like the SCR will be the better fit for my cycling (more relaxed position, wider wheels, etc).

I've seen the SCR 2.0 advsertise at £425 by Winstanleys but the reviews of their service seem to be...er, "mixed" with some of the guys on the MTB forum slagging them off for appalling service, promises not met, etc.

Much as I want to support the guys at the LBS, a saving of £100 would be useful and the LBS will get all the servicing work, upgrade purchases anyway.

So....before I take the plunge; does anyone have any experience of dealing with Winstanleys?

Steveorow

Only ever ordered one item . Did arrive eventually ; their website did not show the item was not in stock initialy . Not good at responding to email but were helpfull when I called . Not the best customer services but not the worst either .

APIII

Much as I understand the lure of a £100 saving, I would still recommend you consider going through your LBS. If you ask, you may well get a discount, perhaps not £100, but maybe enough to make it worthwhile. Buying components online is fair enough, if it doesn't suit just send it back, but if you're buying a bike, you can get it sorted exactly how you like it from your LBS. May be you'd like a slightly shorter/longer stem, different pedasl, etc. Your LBS may be prepared to change these for you at minimal cost. You're also likely to get a first service thrown in for free, and having bought from them they would probably give you good service. Not sure the same would be true if you rolled your internet bike into the shop having test ridden the one in the shop previously!

bletherskite

Fortunately in Glasgow there are a few bike shops quite close to me - in fact the shop where I'm going to do the test rides is actually a bit out of my way and so it will probably be the bike shop I use to service my mtb that does the servicing on the road bike anyway (I didn't buy the mtb from them either but they are quite happy to service it and sell me lots of new shiny bits too).

I take your point about getting the bike properly set up, first service, etc and that would be the reason I'm initially swayed into spending that bit extra to make sure the bike is as near perfect as possible when I ride off on it. Given the size of the discount, it does seem tempting to go down the internet route but I'll probably just end up buying it instore.

Does anyone else have any thoughts on the best course of action? Are the internet mail order bikes delivered with a fair bit of set-up work to do (bearing in mind I'm fairly useless at anything other than very simple bike maintenance) or are they generally ready to ride.

Any advice and/or recommendations much appreciated!

Thanks

DavidTQ

I got my SCR1 though winstanleys, at first I ordered a scr3, which it took them a long time to tell me wasnt available (only after a bit of chasing) in the end I took the plunge and went for the scr1, I had to attach the stem and handlebars to the bike and the pedals, cant remember about the saddle for sure and get the gears adjusted (wouldnt select the out ring) the second bike order came in about 4 days over a weekend so not too bad. You will get better service on the phone that via the website.

As I was saving £300 on the retail price I would rate it a good deal, and would buya gain from the same place for the same price.

benny2891

I'm also in Glasgow, and just bought an SCR 3 from De Ver cycles in London. Same deal, £100 off for last years model. I went into the LBS Giant dealer here (with the intention of buying), and they didn't seem all that interested in dealing with me, and the test ride they offered was a little cruise up and down a short side street. Not really all that helpful.

Anyway, i just got the bike, and it was in reasonable condition, all adjusted nicely save the wheels both being out of true. The rear in particular was in really bad shape, spokes were on the loose side, and it was out of true both vertically and horizontally.

I've just emailed them to tell them the problems, and haven't heard back yet. However, there was a snafu with the courier (not De Ver's fault) and they offered to send me a free computer for my trouble. Much appreciated.

I think there were some SCR2's available as well at discount. Check 'em out.

http://www.devercycles.co.uk/dever-bike ... ng%20Bikes

I can't say how good their customer service is, but I will try to give 'em a call tomorrow and will report back here with how I get on.

stevieboy

As I found with my LBS the price you see is not always the price you pay ask and you may receive!

benny2891

I've found that to be the case as well.

However, just because a bike store is local doesn't mean it's good. I'm all for supporting the local small guy, but they need to do their bit too. If they can't match a price, they should do better service. When shopping for my new bike, I found that the local Giant dealer offered neither.

Now, if my favourite LBS was a Giant dealer, I would be willing to pay a premium for what I know will be good service.

alfablue

bletherskite wrote:

Does anyone else have any thoughts on the best course of action? Are the internet mail order bikes delivered with a fair bit of set-up work to do (bearing in mind I'm fairly useless at anything other than very simple bike maintenance) or are they generally ready to ride.

A few online shops, notably Wiggle, send bikes as "Ready2Ride", so the bike is fully set up and road tested prior to sending, and the bars are just turned sideways, so you just need to straighten and tighten them. They come in larger custon made boxes to allow for this. I would have no qualms buying from them, and their returns policy is excellent. (Have a look at their focus range - great quality and value for money).

I have bought another bike (a Dawes) from another shop and it was delivered just as it was packed in the factory, so there was about 45 minutes of setting up, including brakes and gears, attaching stem and bars and a few other details. This was fine, I like fettling bikes, and I knew I was getting it in this state, but absolutely no use if you are not so inclined (or equipped).

Burton

I was at Winstanley's last Saturday, they have just moved to a huge new warehouse and have a small retail bit at the front. Not had any dealings with them before but they were good when I was there. They were also quick to answer e-mails etc.

Hotblack Desiato

Buy online and use the £100 saving to go on a maintenance course so you can do the majority of your own servicing.

.

Lagavulin

Bought a cheap Diamondback full-susser from them several years back. They were fine to deal with, bike actually came early and I was fortunate to be in when ParcelForce turned up.

Not sure I'd buy a road bike from them though. I toyed with the idea though as they have some '07 Colnago CLX's with £££ off but have decided against it.

inchcape

I got my giant scr 3 through winstanleys, did have to wait 4 weeks for delivery but they did keep me informed about the delay and as was said above just had too fit handlebars, pedals and the seatpost and did not have any bother with the set up of the bike which had been given a full pdi .

Down the Road

bletherskite wrote:

Hi,

After much humming and hawing about the new bike I've decided to go for a Specialized Allez Sport or Giant SCR 2. I'm going for a test ride on both at the LBS this weekend but at the moment based on initial impressions it looks like the SCR will be the better fit for my cycling (more relaxed position, wider wheels, etc).

I've seen the SCR 2.0 advsertise at £425 by Winstanleys but the reviews of their service seem to be...er, "mixed" with some of the guys on the MTB forum slagging them off for appalling service, promises not met, etc.

Much as I want to support the guys at the LBS, a saving of £100 would be useful and the LBS will get all the servicing work, upgrade purchases anyway.

So....before I take the plunge; does anyone have any experience of dealing with Winstanleys?

Don't be a prick.

If you test ride it the dealer is expecting you to buy it.

Support your dealer then he will be there when you need him

giant_man

Down the Road wrote:

bletherskite wrote:

Hi,

After much humming and hawing about the new bike I've decided to go for a Specialized Allez Sport or Giant SCR 2. I'm going for a test ride on both at the LBS this weekend but at the moment based on initial impressions it looks like the SCR will be the better fit for my cycling (more relaxed position, wider wheels, etc).

I've seen the SCR 2.0 advsertise at £425 by Winstanleys but the reviews of their service seem to be...er, "mixed" with some of the guys on the MTB forum slagging them off for appalling service, promises not met, etc.

Much as I want to support the guys at the LBS, a saving of £100 would be useful and the LBS will get all the servicing work, upgrade purchases anyway.

So....before I take the plunge; does anyone have any experience of dealing with Winstanleys?

Don't be a prick.

If you test ride it the dealer is expecting you to buy it.

Support your dealer then he will be there when you need him

I do agree. Your LBS will also set up the bike as it should be and you won't be in for any nasty surprises I'm sure. You support them and they should look after you.

bletherskite

Thanks, all.

LBS was my first choice really as if the bike arrived mail order with gears needing set up. wheels out of true, etc then I'd most likely have to spend the saving getting the LBS to fix it properly (not a lot of confidence in my maintenance skills to say the least), but I did wonder what the story was with mail-order bikes. Your advice and experiences are all much appreciated.

Looking forward to the test rides tomorrow and will hopefully be able to give the credit card a work-out afterwards. Unfortunately the weather forecast for this weekend is pretty crap so looks like I'll be trying out my new bike in the rain to start with - that should make investigating its performance and handling interesting!

benny2891

benny2891 wrote:

I'm also in Glasgow, and just bought an SCR 3 from De Ver cycles in London. Same deal, £100 off for last years model. I went into the LBS Giant dealer here (with the intention of buying), and they didn't seem all that interested in dealing with me, and the test ride they offered was a little cruise up and down a short side street. Not really all that helpful.

Anyway, i just got the bike, and it was in reasonable condition, all adjusted nicely save the wheels both being out of true. The rear in particular was in really bad shape, spokes were on the loose side, and it was out of true both vertically and horizontally.

I've just emailed them to tell them the problems, and haven't heard back yet. However, there was a snafu with the courier (not De Ver's fault) and they offered to send me a free computer for my trouble. Much appreciated.

I think there were some SCR2's available as well at discount. Check 'em out.

http://www.devercycles.co.uk/dever-bike ... ng%20Bikes

I can't say how good their customer service is, but I will try to give 'em a call tomorrow and will report back here with how I get on.

I just wanted to give a quick update on how I got on with this, as I feel I should give De Ver a fair report.

Firstly, aside from the wheel issue, the bike arrived next day ready to ride. It took me a total of 15 minutes to put the bike together. Gears, brakes, etc. were all properly adjusted and setup, no intervention needed on my part. Just put on the handlebars, front wheel, seat post, pedals, and I was ready to go.

Basically, they offered to correct the wheel free of charge, including the shipping of the wheel in both directions. They also (rightly) suggested that since this should be a warranty repair, any Giant dealer should be able to take care of it for me. Dales, the local Giant dealer said that since I didn't purchase the bike from them, a £25 charge would be levied for any warranty repair. I find this ridiculous as any costs a dealer would incur for warranty repairs would be fully reimbursed by Giant. Edinburgh cycles on the other hand said they will carry out any warranty repair for free, but felt that wheel trueness was considered a maintenance issue so would not be covered under warranty.

I'm currently deciding if I can be bothered to send the wheel back to De Ver to get fixed. They offered all that was reasonable to fix the situation. I'm thinking that I might just pay £15 to the local LBS to get the wheel fixed. At least that way, I'm not with out use of my new bike!

If you are planning on getting the bike locally, you might want to check Edinburgh Bicycle CO-OP. They seem more interested in actually attracting and retaining customers than Dales.

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/

Anyway, good luck with your purchase. Maybe I'll see you out on the road![/url]

mea00csf

i'd check if winstanley atually have the bike in stock if it's last years. I wanted the SCR 1 womens bike 2007 and although it was available on their website i rang to check and they couldn't get it. It was still listed as available to order about a month and a half later! Have heard other stories like that so their website isn't very up to date. They were very nice on the phone and offered me the 2nd release with ££££'s off but it was a double chainset, not the triple on the first release that i wanted

alfablue

When I got my Rocklobster, the rear wheel was out of true - Merlin said take it to the LBS and they paid the charge.

It doesn't feel good to be paying for this, I think you should take De Ver's offer of fixing it - alternatively, give Giant a ring and check out thewarranty and ask them to call EBC.

I can't accept that wheel truing on an unridden bike is maintenance!

benny2891

alfablue wrote:

When I got my Rocklobster, the rear wheel was out of true - Merlin said take it to the LBS and they paid the charge.

It doesn't feel good to be paying for this, I think you should take De Ver's offer of fixing it - alternatively, give Giant a ring and check out thewarranty and ask them to call EBC.

I can't accept that wheel truing on an unridden bike is maintenance!

Calling Giant is a good idea.

I agree that I should send the wheel back to De Ver. But at this point the £15 is worth it if it means I can use the bike sooner. (It's my main mode of transport.) Sometimes it's a matter of practicality vs. principle.

benny2891

One last update...

I called Giant, talked to their warranty repair people, and was told that they would reimburse any Giant dealer for the repair / replacement. I headed out to Bike Wise outside Glasgow, and they took a look at my wheel, and replaced it on the spot ! It's a small shop, but the guy running the place was very helpful.

Depending how tall you are, you might want to give them a call. they had a 2007 scr3 sitting in stock. Small size.

Very pleased with the service from Giant and Bike Wise. And satisfied with the response I got from De Ver as well.

So, I guess that's two points for the local guy, and one point for mail order. No points for Dales :? .

alfablue

Hey, thats good! How it should be

priceda1

Thought I would share my winstanley highlights with you all.

Ordered Giant SCR 2.0 on 17/10/2007, received an e-mail saying they would have it in stock by 25/10/07. I have just spent this morning on the phone to them as they don't seem to like e-mail response, on why I have heard no more.
Very nice man on the end of the phone appologises and says they can no longer get hold of the original bike I want (thanks for keeping me informed, would I have found out if not for ringing??), the website is apparently wrong, No S~@t Sherlock. I did however come away with almost 100% assurance that I shall be getting this seasons SCR 2 for £434.99 (£10) more then the first choice and it should be with me this coming Friday or Monday. We shall see!

My advice use the LBS

Regards

Daz

Burton

They better not fail me as I will be making a 300 mile round trip to collect my bike! Admittedly I'll be in the area for other reasons too but they don't know that!

muz250

priceda1,

Have you got your bike yet, and if so is it a good fit, working well.... etc.

I e-mailed them to ask if they had the 50cm scr 2 in stock, the replyed 2 days later saying that they no longer stocked it but I could have the 08 for the same price as your self.

priceda1

MUZ250

Yes got the bike and it is awesome, seems to fit very well overall, need to make small adjustments until perfect. Will do that as the rides progress, but only managed an hr or so out due to commitments and dark nights, so roll on this weekend. Just got to get used to the seat, as previous bike had big fat padded one.

In reflection of winstanley, once the initial problems had been ironed out, after the phone call on the Wed the bike was with me on the Fri. So it's not all bad.

Hope all went well with getting your bike, and thanks for the advice.

Regards

Daz

giant_man

Winstanleys have good Assos on their web sites at good prices, but of course, you ask about it and they have nothing in stock. Wonderful service.

Krisub

I have just decided to get back into mountainbiking after 10 years away and chose to buy my bike from Winstanley. The reason I chose them were because they are based near to me and the bike I wanted was said to be in stock and could be despatched within 24 hours. That was two weeks ago and still no bike. When I ring they insist on telling me that because the bike has hydrolic disc breaks they need to be set up and that takes time! 2 weeks? I could have walked to Wigan, built the bike and carried it home in a couple of days!

Dont buy from these cowboys!!!

cdg1

Just bought a Giant SCR Ltd off these guys (Winstanleys Bikes) for a bargain price. Took seven days to get here and a bit of a mix up re courier but they as a company did not let me down and you can't beat that price.

George Murdoch

Bought my SCR3 from LBS. Proprietor gave a good price, get delivery 'on-time' & he set-up bike perfectly for me. Man in LBS has good knowledge and gives worthwile advice.
My SCR 3 is a good ride and soon I may buy better wheels (Via my LBS of course).