inkieminstrel said:
Thanks for the response. My question, then, is are deals like this common to see? If I decide I want a comparable bike 6 months from now, will I be able to find one?
Eenie, Meenie, Chilli-beanie ... the spirits are about to speak:
Let's see ... 46% off?
That's tough to beat ... BUT, check eBay for sellers like
sprtymama OR the internet for sellers like
www.Bikesdirect.com or
www.bicyclebuys.com. I have not bought anything from the latter two, I bought something from
sprtymama a long, long time ago when she was just starting (i.e., highly recommended) BUT I knew exactly what I was buying.
___
So, suppose that $1500 is indeed the retail price of the bike ... is THAT the bike you would buy if you had $1500 in your budget to spend on a new bike?
Are the key components -- that is, one with Shimano 105 (5600) shifters + "compact" (50/36) crankset -- the ones which you were shopping for?
Or, would you possibly be considering a bike with a Campagnolo group (e.g., Bianchi)?
Or, a SRAM equipped bike?
That is, had you been looking at bikes during the past few months? Had you already opted for Shimano 105 vs. Shimano Ultegra (better) or Shimano Tiagra/Sora (less expensive) components, already?
Were you already thinking about a bike with an aluminum frame which had carbon stays? Would you prefer a bike which can have fenders mounted to use for commuting?
It's December 7th, today ... so, 6 months from now will be June 7th -- the tail end of the height of the bicycle buying period ... bikes generally go on sale (at local bike shops) between the middle of July and the middle of November.
Regardless of what the wholesale price of a bike is for the retailer, 54% of retail will be tough to beat short of an over-stock liquidation (which this pricing approaches).
Think
Straw hats in December, my friend.
From a retailer's point of view, the calendar year often coincides with the end of the fiscal year; so, the likelihood of a better price in February is low unless it is a matter of clearing inventory to make room for
more 2007 "stuff." That is, February probably marks the beginning of the high-period for bike shops and that revenue period extends until mid-July ... if the bike shop senses a pending surge in demand, they might try to move the remaining 2006-and-older stuff off the floor sooner-rather-than-later to make room for at-retail sales of 2007 bikes.
Shimano is NOT changing their road components for 2007.
Performance may not be carrying those bikes (or, that model, in particular) next year, so you have to think of this as a liquidation sale UNLESS you have access to their North Carolina shop (which I presume still exists) and were to buy the bike as a showroom floor model.
So, if the REAL question revolves around whether or not you will have buyer's remorse because you want better components (Ultegra) or different components (Campagnolo or SRAM) ... well, you shouldn't let that worry you even though MY recommendation would be for a bike with Campagnolo components ...
Irrelevant, but important to know ... I "love" Shimano components AND I think Shimano USA is very responsive to direct consumer contact BUT have read numerous instances where bike shop personnel have had less than satisfactory interaction ... on the other hand, my few attempts to interact with SRAM have been unresponded to, but supposedly shop people "love" SRAM.
Years of sporadic interaction with various local bike shops have proven to me [and, your experience(s) may differ] I am better off being self-sufficient rather than relying on my local bike shop ... any of my local bike shops. At this point in time, the ONLY maintenance I would go to a local bike shop for is to have additional threads added to a threaded fork (how often is THAT going to happen?) OR possibly to have BB shell faced (!?!) ... and, I'm not even sure about that I wouldn't trust my manual skills with a flat file if I felt my BB shell needed to be faced over the workmanship I've seen come out of some of the shops I've been in!
Are you mechanically inclined OR a complete klutz? Will you be relying on a local bike shop NEAR YOU for maintenance OR will you be capable of assembling & tweaking the bikes components?
Buying a bike from a shop is NO GUARANTEE of better customer service based on my observation of my friends who bring their high-zoot bikes back to the shop from which their bikes were bought.
FINALLY, to abbreviate the list considerations you should take into account:
Are you draft eligible?
No kidding.
So, the price is good ...
But, I could/would cobble together a bike that I would prefer to ride for that kind of money, but it would be an assemblage of used components and a used frame.
The odds are that (excluding the other sellers I mentioned) the only way you'll find a comparable bike at a comparable price 6 months from now may be if you were to buy it USED from someone who buys THAT bike in the next few weeks while it is available at that sale price who then decides s/he wants something else.
I suspect that you MAY be able to buy a comparable bike at ANY time from one of the other three vendors (sprtymama, bikesdirect.com, or bicyclebuys.com who may-or-may-not be what you're looking for) mentioned. BUT, if the
Iron Horse Excelsior has everything that was on your shopping list & falls within your budget, then I wouldn't spend a lot of time looking further since Performance may only have one more bike in your size to sell (OR, they may have 100!).
Otherwise, depending on where you are shopping, anticipate needing to wait another 12 months to get a comparable bike at a comparable price from a comparable retailer ...
Sorry to be so conditional about the recommendation ... the bike isn't a high ticket item like a house or a car, but it is something that can/should be approached beyond looking at the price-alone.