When is the best time to buy a bike?

Goodson1974

Hi all

I'm looking to buy my first road bike when i get paid, but i don't know if now is the best time to make my purchase. I'm currently drawn to the Bianchi C2C Via Nirone 7 range.

Am i right in thinking that most of the 2009 ranges become available around this time of the year? If so do bike shops tend to offer discounts on the 2008 ranges?

Apologies if this is a dumb question, but i don't want to be splashing out on a bike only to find it discounted a week later!!

I need to know if i should try and control my urge to go and purchase one immediately!!

ride_whenever

there is going to be little if any discounting, next years prices will be up by 10-25% instead

Goodson1974

Thanks for that.

I think i'll make a purchase in just over a week now

James1823

Certainly last year discounts started around now, and you get even better bargains through the winter and early spring on the previous year's bikes. You get less choice though - they might not have the bike you want in stock.

Tempestas

There is little or no incentive for shops to discount this year due to the increase in cost of next years bikes, no bargains this year

Not Another Hill

From September onwards they'll be discounting. The recession will ensure that they will be dropping prices. I'd definitely look to get at least 20% off.

alfablue

Not Another Hill wrote:

From September onwards they'll be discounting. The recession will ensure that they will be dropping prices. I'd definitely look to get at least 20% off.

You may be right (though we do not have a recession yet - two consecutive quarters with negative growth = recession) but I gather there has been both lower production of bikes this year (so little surplus) and 09 models will be more expensove. Add to that increasing popularity of cycling, and hence bike sales, and maybe discounts ill be elusive. 2 LBS's I visited in the last two weeks were doing a roaring trade selling bikes.

ris

bit of discounting out there already, spesh have dropped the prices on a couple of bikes (allez sport down by 100-150). i was given the 09 prices for the allez compact and triple and they were 550 and 580 respectively (up from 500 and 550 on 08 ).

fingers crossed with the cycle scheme paperwork and my commute should be on an 08 allez sport in aweek. should lower my FCN a bit

Trickyupnorth

Evans Cycles have recently been advertising their upcoming sale in the bike mags.

Starts on the 16th and the ad features bikes in the sale from Trek & Cannondale.

It's on the back page of this weeks cycling weekly. Might be worth a look.

Richie

salsarider79

Have a look at cyclescheme. You could get bikes a lot cheaper than you think...

ris

i was told by cyclesurgery that i couldn't have the allez sport (discounted to £550) on the cyclescheme as it was a pain to sort out the vat. so i got it for 600 at my lbs who were very happy to put it on the cyclescheme, and the £100 of other stuff i needed.

easy decision to make - and congrats to cyclesurgery who talked themselves out of £700 of business.

virtuoso

5pm is the best time to buy a bike, if you buy it in the morning you're less mentally acute, and the salesman in the shop is still optimistic about making futher sales in the day so less likely to budge on the price.

If you go in just before the shop closes and keep on haggling, first of all he may be desperate to make a sale that day, and secondly he'll want to go home to his Fray Bentos and his almost completed game of Halo so will want to get rid of you and close the deal.

zaynan

wave a wad of cash under their nose and a discount can be had - usually!