Where do you do most of your bike related purchases?

[Keith Merson]

Good thread. Everyone has made great points about the advantages and disadvantages of online stores versus your local bike store (LBS). While I agree that it's important to support your LBS, in my experience they just can't compete with online retailers in terms of price. Unfortunately, due to the costs of operating brick & mortar stores, this is true across virtually all industries. However, I also agree with folks who've said that your LBS is generally going to provide better service, which is especially true when dealing with online retailers who don't really provide service at all. One compromise is to purchase from online retailers who also have brick & mortar stores. Two of those that come to mind are REI and Performance. There are also some bike-specific online retailers that offer great customer service, such as JensonUSA and Competitive Cyclist. Happy shopping and riding everyone!

 

[Froze]

I've never had a customer service issue with any online retailer, not saying it can't happen some day, but so far in over 20 years of buying stuff online it hasn't happened, in fact whenever i did have an issue (this has happened to non cycling stuff) with a product some company sent they rapidly sent another item or parts to fix it. A lot of things you buy in a brick and mortar store the store won't even handle warranty issues, you have to go directly through the manufacture which means you have to get on the company website and put in a warranty claim, then wait for the mail to send you a new item, that happened to me just recently with a HP printer I bought from Staples. There is no real difference these days from getting a warranty issued handled from a brick and mortar store and a online store. So this thing about inducing fear into people not to buy online is just not right.

 

[glreese]

I prefer going to local bike shops. I have always found that the employees there know best because it is a small business dedicated to biking. If that isn't an option, maybe you could try **** Sporting Goods. I've made a few purchases there. My uncle is really good with bikes so I always take him with me because he knows more. He knows if I am getting a good deal or not. If you have someone really knowledgeable like that I would suggest going bike shopping with them.

 

[cyclenthusias44]

Online almost exclusively for me. The freight charges are offset by the usually lower prices than buying at my local bike stores. Last week I bought a Cervelo P3 online. Shopped around for the best price. Freight was free. The seller is a major bike store but about 600km away from me. Pedals for the bike came all the way from the UK to New Zealand. Freight was free and the price was a lot less than buying locally either online from a New Zealand seller or from a bike shop. Anything that requires trying on I buy from the bike shop e.g. the new helmet I bought to go with the new bike. That's one thing you do need to try on before you buy.

Yes, the local stores are better than the online ones because you can easily negotiate.

 

[cyclenthusias44]

I prefer going to local bike shops. I have always found that the employees there know best because it is a small business dedicated to biking. If that isn't an option, maybe you could try **** Sporting Goods. I've made a few purchases there. My uncle is really good with bikes so I always take him with me because he knows more. He knows if I am getting a good deal or not. If you have someone really knowledgeable like that I would suggest going bike shopping with them.

Do you dislike the online stores?