Bike shopping: Online versus High street

Any impartial advice needed. I've persuaded my girlfriend to swap her £100 ATB for something more
suitable (~£300+). I think she's more interested in colour than anything else and our local bike
shop have only got silver.

(& they pissed me off by selling me a £600 bike and taking no interest in my ongoing complaint of
chain-suck)

Z.

 

Whilst I buy cycling accessories online, I'm not sure I'd want to buy a bike online. A bike I'd want
to try first, or have on custom made by someone I trust
- note if anyone is in or near Norwich - Steve at Specialized in Connaught Street is *highly*
recommended for both building bike and for after sales service. He built Vernon's bike and made a
lovely job of it + after sales on the bike and any accessories can't be faulted.

Cheers, helen s

~~~~~~~~~~
Flush out that intestinal parasite and/or the waste product before sending a reply!

Any speeliong mistake$ aR the resiult of my cats sitting on the keyboaRRRDdd
~~~~~~~~~~

 

Zardoz900 wrote:
> Any impartial advice needed. I've persuaded my girlfriend to swap her £100 ATB for something more
> suitable (~£300+). I think she's more interested in colour than anything else and our local bike
> shop have only got silver.
>
> (& they pissed me off by selling me a £600 bike and taking no interest in my ongoing complaint of
> chain-suck)

Can save money and get more choice but you have got to be /sure/ what size and shape is required.
Any doubts, bike shop is best. Find a different shop!

~PB

 

> Can save money and get more choice but you have got to be /sure/ what size and shape is required.
> Any doubts, bike shop is best. Find a different shop!

This has hacked me off recently. Every time I go to the LBS (several of them) I get the same
old story of "we're getting a delivery next week, can I get you to buy something totally
different instead?"

I can't even buy any F'ing baggy shorts locally at the moment. It seems alien to them that I want to
wear shorts at this time of year - even in Newcastle, and that I don't want to look like a lycra
clad cyclist everywhere i go!!!

I'm all in favour of supporting local trade but the internet wins nearly every time for price and
availability - unfortunately.

Steve

 

[email protected] wrote:
> > Can save money and get more choice but you have got to be /sure/ what size and shape is
> > required. Any doubts, bike shop is best. Find a different shop!

> This has hacked me off recently. Every time I go to the LBS (several of them) I get the same old
> story of "we're getting a delivery next week, can I get you to buy something totally different
> instead?"

lol

So true. My LBS is like that. You can "place an order" with them, but unless you regularly phone
them, it simply doesn't happen.

Makes you wonder if they think they're in business or what?

> I'm all in favour of supporting local trade

I'm in favour of supporting the local bike *repair* shop, because they're vital. The LBS proper is
to my mind the biking equivelent of Dixons for electronics - overpriced box shifters without a clue
and no organisation.

I've discussed this before, but I bought a thousand pound bike from the LBS - the guy did the
following; stood me over the frame, and prounced it "about my size". In fact, it was a 55cm frame
with a 73 degree seat tube angle, and the custom frame I had made last year is a 60cm frame, with a
72 degree seat tube angle. The bike he sold me wasn't anywhere even *NEAR* my size. That kind of
service isn't far from being ripped off, IMO, when a thousand pounds is involved.

--
Callas

 

At least the chap recognised me as a regular customer. And when I came out with the line about us
'popping into a rival bike shop to see a competitively priced Univega, would he do me a discount
for an instant sale?' he agreed to throw in £35 worth of helmet. You can't do that on-line. (Don't
tell me...)

Z