Is it ok to buy online rather than from my local bike shop?

rowanharley

I've been looking around for bikes and have finally found a cheap carbon fibre bike with a light weight on it as well. I stopped into the local bike shop to see if he had it but he only has a limited number of bike brands. I'm not exactly rich and the bike I planned on buying is about €200 cheaper than what I could buy at my local shop. But we're both in the cycling club together so I'm wondering would I be looked down upon a bit by buying online rather than from my local shop?

pblakeney

Perfectly acceptable. On one condition.
You must be able to fully maintain the bike yourself without asking the LBS for assistance.

cooldad

Your money, your choice.

I haven't been inside an actual bike shop for the best part of a decade.

kingrollo

Have you got a choice ?

My last bike cost around £2k - I could have got £300 cheaper on line. But wanted the fit and sit on the bike before handing over what for me is serious cash.

That was a few years back - a lot of online stores come with fitting guidance on line.

slowbike

Of course you can ...

you can spend your money where ever and when ever you like - there's no obligation to buy from your LBS .....

.... however ...
personally I'd draw the line at testing a bike at the LBS then buying it online elsewhere for less. If they've taken the time and effort to show you the bike and its the one you want then the least you can do is buy it from them. Exceptions I'd make would be if they weren't helpful - but I'd assume you wouldn't then use them again for anything else either.

HoLana

I always buy where is the best deal

sheffsimon

Slowbike wrote:

Of course you can ...

you can spend your money where ever and when ever you like - there's no obligation to buy from your LBS .....

.... however ...
personally I'd draw the line at testing a bike at the LBS then buying it online elsewhere for less. If they've taken the time and effort to show you the bike and its the one you want then the least you can do is buy it from them. Exceptions I'd make would be if they weren't helpful - but I'd assume you wouldn't then use them again for anything else either.

How much extra of your money would you be prepared to give away, in order to buy it from your LBS?

sheffsimon

PBlakeney wrote:

Perfectly acceptable. On one condition.
You must be able to fully maintain the bike yourself without asking the LBS for assistance.

Why? Do they only accept maintenance work if they have sold the bike?

pblakeney

SheffSimon wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

Perfectly acceptable. On one condition.
You must be able to fully maintain the bike yourself without asking the LBS for assistance.

Why? Do they only accept maintenance work if they have sold the bike?

Just bad form in my opinion.
The LBS may be glad of the hourly rate though...

cycleclinic

you buy from the LBS if they have what you want with the service you want. in fact that goes for on line too, it not always about who is the cheapest.

rowanharley

So I should buy from the LBS unless they don't have the bike or there's a big price difference, which in this case they don't. But what will the mood be if I go out with the cycling club. Will he be a bit angry that I didn't buy off him or will he understand?

keef66

We had a LBS for most of the 30 years we've lived here. Bought the kids' bikes there, put some repair work their way and occasionally bought spares, clothing etc. As time passed and the internet was invented they increasingly struggled to compete. Their range dwindled, as did their business, it changed hands a couple of times but on each occasion the renaissance was brief, and last year it went tits up completely. The appearance of a Halfords less than a mile away and open 7 days a week 8 till 8 was probably the last straw. Sad but inevitable I think.

So if you want a local bike shop, support it by buying stuff there. Don't be a knob and just use it to test ride bikes and try stuff on before buying online.

I did try spending a grand or more in mine 10 years ago. But they wouldn't get in the bike I wanted in the right size, or offer a test ride, or even consider any price negotiation. In the end I went to a proper bike shop which was cheaper, and sold me a completely different bike after discussing my needs, fitting me on several, and giving me test rides. Oh, and coffee. And sent me some FOC touch-up paint when I later scratched the thing, carbon paste to stop the seatpost slipping, and my bike fit measurements so I could reset the saddle height.

veronese68

thecycleclinic wrote:

you buy from the LBS if they have what you want with the service you want. in fact that goes for on line too, it not always about who is the cheapest.

Indeed. There were all the horror stories about very long lead times from Canyon a while back. Also consider the inconvenience of having to return the bike if there is a problem. Any minor problems it may well be worth dealing with yourself if it's less hassle.
The point at which it's worth paying a bit more will vary according to the individual. Whilst I'm quite capable of dealing with problems myself I like dealing with a shop for a bike purchase because I can sit on it and try it. To do that and then buy online is a little unfair in my opinion. But I buy a lot of bits online.
If you buy online and the shop owner acts like a dick, it's because he's a dick not because you bought online. I wouldn't worry about that.

pblakeney

RowanHarley wrote:

So I should buy from the LBS unless they don't have the bike or there's a big price difference, which in this case they don't. But what will the mood be if I go out with the cycling club. Will he be a bit angry that I didn't buy off him or will he understand?

Unless it's a shop club he shouldn't have an issue as he couldn't supply what you wanted in any case. Or, as has been said, he is a dick. Do all club riders have bikes exclusively from his shop? I doubt it.

keef66

RowanHarley wrote:

So I should buy from the LBS unless they don't have the bike or there's a big price difference, which in this case they don't. But what will the mood be if I go out with the cycling club. Will he be a bit angry that I didn't buy off him or will he understand?

If they have the bike you want, in the right size (or will order it in) and they do a basic bike fit and test ride, I'd say it's worth paying a small premium for the local service. Easier to go back if anything needs sorting too. Even if they can't negotiate on the price of the bike you could ask if they'll throw any freebies in. Any discount for club members? My LBS used to do 10% I think; no use to me since I never joined the club...

But if they are way out on price he can hardly blame you for buying elsewhere. I doubt the entire club buy their bikes from the LBS. Our local club ride all sorts of stuff, and many of them are on Ribble and Planet X bargains so they definitely didn't buy locally

slowbike

SheffSimon wrote:

Slowbike wrote:

Of course you can ...

you can spend your money where ever and when ever you like - there's no obligation to buy from your LBS .....

.... however ...
personally I'd draw the line at testing a bike at the LBS then buying it online elsewhere for less. If they've taken the time and effort to show you the bike and its the one you want then the least you can do is buy it from them. Exceptions I'd make would be if they weren't helpful - but I'd assume you wouldn't then use them again for anything else either.

How much extra of your money would you be prepared to give away, in order to buy it from your LBS?

rather subjective - and dependant on the quality of the bike & the service received and expected in the future.
I've bought EOL bikes and got the retailer to pricematch - I've also bought brand new bikes at RRP - the former has never seen a bike shop since I picked it up, the later has been back for servicing and received a warranty replacement of a BB when I didn't expect it - granted, replacing a BB isn't a lot of money - but that's ££ that I wouldn't have seen and wouldn't have expected from the EOL bikes.
The shop where I bought the RRP bike from give great service eg charging me just for a HTII BB when removing the old one - which I couldn't shift with my tools - so I don't think you can look at an individual transaction for Value when looking at these things.

Matthewfalle

Buy it from wherever you want and if he has a problem with you he is a dick and doesn't deserve your money anyway.

The rest of your club mates won't care and will actually probably laugh at you if they find out you spent hundreds of pounds extra just to keep some bloke who doesn't really know or probably care that much happy.

Feel free to buy what you want where you want - you wouldn't buy a house solely off an estate agent just because he plays in the same pool league as you would you?

Matthewfalle

PBlakeney wrote:

Perfectly acceptable. On one condition.
You must be able to fully maintain the bike yourself without asking the LBS for assistance.

Utter bol-lorcks.

Ignore completely.

daniel_b

Yes.

ZMC888

Cycle shops rarely do themselves any favours. Many of them a run by people that are complete knobs. However if your local bike shop or one of them is run by someone that isn't a complete buffoon they can be total gold, especially if they have a good mechanic.

Do you really have BB and headset press, or can do a proper bike fit? You may need a proper mechanic occasionally (or just his tools) even if you can do 90% of bike wrenching jobs. Talk to about them about your passion, and the option to buy online and see if they can't price match to a degree.

If they seem arrogant or won't make a few deals for cash and knock a few quid off when pushed, then just buy online or chat with a different shop.

Also it depends on what you are buying. Some things like saddles are cheaper online, easy to fit yourself and easy to warranty.

Matthewfalle

ZMC888 wrote:

Cycle shops rarely do themselves any favours. Many of them a run by people that are complete knobs. However if your local bike shop or one of them is run by someone that isn't a complete buffoon they can be total gold, especially if they have a good mechanic.

Do you really have BB and headset press, or can do a proper bike fit? You may need a proper mechanic occasionally (or just his tools) even if you can do 90% of bike wrenching jobs. Talk to about them about your passion, and the option to buy online and see if they can't price match to a degree.

If they seem arrogant or won't make a few deals for cash and knock a few quid off when pushed, then just buy online or chat with a different shop.

Also it depends on what you are buying. Some things like saddles are cheaper online, easy to fit yourself and easy to warranty.

Can his local shop do a bike fit and is their mechanic any good? May not even be worth bothering with them and therefore he's spent hundreds extra for no reason at all.

ZMC888

I did say if they can't price match to a point to avoid them and buy online.
Or do you read selectively to cause as much annoyance as possible?

Matthewfalle

Doing/not being able to do a bike fit and having a good or bad mechanic is nothing to do with price matching.

No point in getting a good bike at a good price if the bloke with scanners jeffs it up and end with a poorly back.

rowanharley

Ok just to clarify 1 thing, this guy is a nice lad and tries to give the best deals he can but it's just that my budget doesn't suit the price of bikes he has to offer. I would hate to see him go out of business and I do buy the small stuff from him.

shiznit76

Totally. It is a shame, but LBS cannot compete with online retailers now, the prices blow the LBS out the water. My LBS only does maintenance now really, he even says it is impossible to try and get nearer their prices and have the overheads of a fully stocked shop.
It is the same with everything these days, how many record stores have survived since Amazon and digital downloads came about? Retailers cannot compete with the internet, but have to adapt to it.
Saying that, Decathalon have put a spanner in the works by offering excellent bikes at prices comparable with online places, and you can try from size and have good service also, so there is still scope for bike stores on the high street, just the days of the one man show LBS that are going.

Matthewfalle

RowanHarley wrote:

Ok just to clarify 1 thing, this guy is a nice lad and tries to give the best deals he can but it's just that my budget doesn't suit the price of bikes he has to offer. I would hate to see him go out of business and I do buy the small stuff from him.

buy the big things off the net, the small things (cables etc) from the shop.

thats what I do and every one is happy.

laurentian

RowanHarley wrote:

I've been looking around for bikes and have finally found a cheap carbon fibre bike with a light weight on it as well. I stopped into the local bike shop to see if he had it but he only has a limited number of bike brands. I'm not exactly rich and the bike I planned on buying is about €200 cheaper than what I could buy at my local shop. But we're both in the cycling club together so I'm wondering would I be looked down upon a bit by buying online rather than from my local shop?

The first thing I would do is to ask your LBS if he can get the bike/size you want for you. If not, can he recommend a "like for like" alternative. He will doubtless be aware that you can buy cheaper on line and hopefuly will be able to add value to your purchase (by way of customer service, advice and back up) to justify the extra ££. You should also be aware that any issues arising from an on-line purchase can take a long time to sort out whereas a good lbs could sort in a matter of hours.

Every LBS I know offers a free "service" after a few weeks of ownership. Notwitstanding the value or effectiveness of the "service" you could expect to pay £60 ish for a service on your on line purchase so immediately your £200 becomes £140 anyway (if you deem the service necessary).

I don't think I would ever buy a bike online (parts, yes) but it's obviously up to you.

You shouldn't expect your LBS to be able to match on line prices but if you talk to them, they may be able to do you a deal that comes close to satisfying both of you such as a few £ off and an agreement for two services in the first twelve months

navrig2

PBlakeney wrote:

Perfectly acceptable. On one condition.
You must be able to fully maintain the bike yourself without asking the LBS for assistance.

Rubbish. If that happened in my town the LBS would have gone bust some time ago. He relies on an hourly rate for repairs and servicing.

pblakeney

Navrig2 wrote:

PBlakeney wrote:

Perfectly acceptable. On one condition.
You must be able to fully maintain the bike yourself without asking the LBS for assistance.

Rubbish. If that happened in my town the LBS would have gone bust some time ago. He relies on an hourly rate for repairs and servicing.

I did note that in a later post.
I also said "be able to", just in case of a strop.

Matthewfalle

If he strops tell him not to be such a stroppy knob as he has just lost himself hourly rate money plus any bits needed plus any future business.

veronese68

RowanHarley wrote:

Ok just to clarify 1 thing, this guy is a nice lad and tries to give the best deals he can but it's just that my budget doesn't suit the price of bikes he has to offer. I would hate to see him go out of business and I do buy the small stuff from him.

In which case it should be fine and I'm sure he will understand.