Good advice for new riders or not?

[Trek420]

I think she brings up many good points like test riding lots of bikes and not riding or buying anything just because it's what's on the show room floor. But referring to LBS as a "retailer" is just annoying, grating, like nails on a chalk board :mad:

And you know how we are about the value of "remodeling" old bikes. I love ours even though some cost more than a shiny brand new bike.

Am I being picky, finicky, elitist, a Luddite ;) does this bother anyone else or is that just me?

http://www.womensadventuremagazine.com/cycling/the-easy-way-to-buy-a-bike/

[PamNY]

Don't understand the objection to "retailer" -- that's what the LBS is.

What term would you suggest? Are you thinking it's important to distinguish between a specialized bike shop and a large retailer like Wal-Mart?

As far as remodeling old bikes -- well, the video was made by people who want to sell new bikes.

[Trek420]

Retailer DOES sound like ****'s Sporting Goods. :)

Edit. OMG! It censored D I C K' s Sporting Goods!!! It is a man's name, after all. :D

LBS says so much more to me. My local bike shop is where I go for advice when TE is closed. Ooops, make that vice versa. ;)

They're who made my old bike fit perfectly with just a new set of bars. They're who I cry with when I forgot that my custom road bike was on the roof of the car. :eek: They give me good advice and steer me clear of bad retail therapy.

My favorite shops are much more than a "retailer". :rolleyes:

[Trek420]

OMG! Is the Mondonico okay?

Interesting that this is a video from Liv Giant (about to post a thread about Liv Giant).

The Mondonico is fine. Fixed and repainted years ago. I think the thread is titled "idiot move of the decade". But advantage steel. Can't do that with carbon.

[Grits]

Given that the video is for new bike riders, they really haven't learned the distinction we make between our LBS (and they wouldn't know what LBS stands for) and big box or discount sporting good stores. Many also lack the knowledge of fit, sizing, quality components to make a good buying decision for a used bike (unless they come to TE for advice, of course :)) Information seems to suit the target audience.

[Irulan]

Don't understand the objection to "retailer" -- that's what the LBS is.

What term would you suggest? Are you thinking it's important to distinguish between a specialized bike shop and a large retailer like Wal-Mart?

As far as remodeling old bikes -- well, the video was made by people who want to sell new bikes.

I totally agree. Unless a bike shop is a wholesaler, they are a retailer. A specialty retailer, but still a retailer. To expect something targeted to new users to use all the code and lingo that we know so well is ridiculous. We get here at TE: what is an LBS?

[Owlie]

"Retailer" is pretty standard in the industry. Go to any manufacturer's website and it'll say "find a retailer." And not all of us have the money to put into restoring an old bike. That can get expensive quickly. Is it worthwhile? Possibly. Is it always a financially-sound decision? No.

[Geonz]

I think she brings up many good points like test riding lots of bikes and not riding or buying anything just because it's what's on the show room floor. But referring to LBS as a "retailer" is just annoying, grating, like nails on a chalk board :mad:

And you know how we are about the value of "remodeling" old bikes. I love ours even though some cost more than a shiny brand new bike.

Am I being picky, finicky, elitist, a Luddite ;) does this bother anyone else or is that just me?

http://www.womensadventuremagazine.com/cycling/the-easy-way-to-buy-a-bike/


I think you're just expecting other people to have assigned the same limited meaning to the word "retailer" that you have ;) Like other folks said, if it's not wholesale, it's retail... and maybe the retailer sells more than just bikes. I'm also not surprised that somebody in the bike business would nudge people to buy new ones instead of rebuilding them. It surprised me a little that she said to walk away and come back rather than try more than three bikes.

[Eden]

I dunno.... I actually don't think it's particularly bad advice for a newbie to get a new bike if they can afford one. Not because old bikes can't be great, but because until you know a bit about how a bike should work and fit and what kind of riding you like, it's pretty easy to get an old bike that is stiff, broken, super heavy or doesn't fit very well and if it's bought from CL or at a yard sale and not at an LBS then there's absolutely no checks. I can see that there would be people who get a bike like that, ride it once or twice, decide that biking is hard and it hurts and back into the garage it goes.

[Irulan]

It surprised me a little that she said to walk away and come back rather than try more than three bikes.

I dunno... I think that makes sense. I know when I'm shopping, whether it is bikes, skis or dishwashers...you look at too many and it all starts to run together. This is especially true if it's something I'm not familiar with, or it involves a lot of techno-jargon.