trek from local bike shop vs motobecane online

[warneral]

I personally wouldn't want to buy a bike at that price having never actually ridden one. As I have read, not all carbon feels or rides the same. Bike design, wheel sets, and carbon quality all play a part.

[TxDoc]

If he wants as much bike as he can for the money and the 2 bikes he's looking at are about the same price, then it seems a no-brainer to go with the local purchase. He'd get much more than a bike. He'd get a shop that would stand by what they sold him and be an ongoing resource for him as he learns and grows as a cyclist. I doubt the online retailer would do much more for him than take his credit card info.

+1 for the local purchase.

On a whole different topic, where is your friend planning on riding? It seems odd that both bikes have a compact crankset as the only choice... Of course you can always change the crankset later, but unless you live up a mountain why buy a compact to begin with?

[Catrin]

... but unless you live up a mountain why buy a compact to begin with?

Ok, I keep reading this and I simply must ask. Why is a compact more desirable over a triple in the mountains? Isn't that the purpose of my triple, to provide more gears to assist with the hills?

[Crankin]

Well, some believe that having only 2 rings provides smoother shifting and that you can get pretty much the same gear ratios with a compact that has a 27t rear. Personally, I have always had a triple; when I was about to get a compact double on my Trek 5200, we moved to a street with a 10% grade hill. I kept the triple.
DH went from a regular double to a compact, when they first came out. It never shifted right and he spent a lot of time working on it. I think he actually bought a different one and had that for 2 years. When we bought the bikes we have now, he got a triple.
The "thing" about having a double comes from racing, where having a triple is, well, not for racers. But since most of us are not racing, as long as you have a finely tuned triple, who cares? I have never had any trouble with my Ultegra triple. I *did* have lots of issues with my first road bike, which had crappy components. In fact, I never used the big ring, since I could push the lever to get it into that gear.

[Aggie_Ama]

I have 105 with an Ultegra derailer on my road bike, it shifts amazingly. Shimano uses trickle down technology and from what I understand 105 today was once a higher end line. I wasn't in love with the shop I bought my road bike from, they did give two free tune-ups with purchase.

The shop I now use gives you 15% off parts for the life of the bike if you bought it there, two free tune-ups. We have been going to them exclusively for several years and have gotten countless amounts of free service including in the last two months a cassette, chain ring and brake pads installed for free. My brake pads were a year old and the replacement parts got comped. I got my brakes bled for free twice. So I am for supporting the local shop, plus we have made some really good friends this way. In my experience it has paid off.

[Catrin]

So I am for supporting the local shop, plus we have made some really good friends this way. In my experience it has paid off.

Yep, it really pays to develop a good relationship with a LBS. At my current LBS, since they did the conversion to my LHT (which I did not purchase there), minor tweaks and adjustments do not cost me anything. When they have charged me it has been very little.

Of course, the conversion cost me half the price of the bike...

[indysteel]

The point I am trying to make is that you don't need to buy a bike at a particular shop to build a relationship with that shop. The LBS I used before I had my own in-house wrench was not the shop where I got the bike. It's the shop where I got a fitting. Because they didn't turn their nose up my bike because I didn't purchase it there, they ultimately got a fair amount of business from me, including my next bike and all its parts.

While I do think there's a benefit to trying a bike out before buying it, if your friend feels comfortable buying online, I don't think it's the end of the world. He can take it into the shop and they will presumably be more than happy--if they have any sense--to take $200-300 from him to build it up. That's where they make a lot of their profit anyway. From there, he can build a relationship with them.

And Catrin, the comment "unless you live at the top of a mountain, why get a compact in the first place" refers to getting a standard double, not to a triple, as the alternative. At least that's what I presume they mean.

[ny biker]

+1 for the local purchase.

On a whole different topic, where is your friend planning on riding? It seems odd that both bikes have a compact crankset as the only choice... Of course you can always change the crankset later, but unless you live up a mountain why buy a compact to begin with?

I don't live on top of a mountain but there are plenty of hills around here. And I have asthma. And I have knee problems. I need low gears.

[warneral]

I definitely use my low gears too. Tis why I had my shop switch out my double for a compact.

In fact I spoke with a gal in the shop I was at and she said that compacts are good for our region of wisconsin adn that you'd probably only NEED a triple if you were in the mountains.

But then I'm not a racer, just a rider

I do think that some shops make their bread and butter from repairs and building. One of the local shops told me they make most of their profits from repairs and not bike sales. This was a small town shop that only sells Jamis for the purpose of being price competitive with the nearby Madison Trek stores...

[batsheva]

i personally would never use bikesdirect.com they have very mixed reviews online about damaged goods being shipped and the bikes needing significant assembly and people having to pay LBS to assemble... a friend of mine ordered one anyway, despite the mixed reviews online just to save some money and it took a couple of hours of a bike mechanic to assemble it correctly and unwarp the wheels and fix a bent derailleur.. appparently the customer service was very unhelpful she told me... she also got a bike that had the 'bling' of a rear ultegra derailleur - but most of the other components were really low quality.

[TxDoc]

And Catrin, the comment "unless you live at the top of a mountain, why get a compact in the first place" refers to getting a standard double, not to a triple, as the alternative. At least that's what I presume they mean.

Yes, thank you Indysteel - that is exactly what I meant to say, sometimes I stumble on my own written English when I'm tired...
I guess I always wonder why someone would put himself at a disadvantage on purpose, by using a triple or a compact instead of a standard chainring.
But, NY biker makes a good point too - so well, I guess sometimes it does make sense, thanks!

[moderncyclista]

Any bike from any shop wins for me over the Motobecane.

Agreed.

Motobecane used to be a good name in the 1970's, can't say much for the manufacturer that bought out that name. You are safer going with the Trek and more likely to get quality components, which really frickin' count. Seriously.

[colorisnt]

I would always, always go with the LBS. I never buy ANYTHING expensive or anything I am very dependent on online. I commute, so reliability is KEY. I bought a set of lights from my favorite LBS about 3 weeks ago. On my commute to work, the tailight broke. I took it in after I taught class and within 15 minutes had a "replacement" taillight just given to me while they get more of my model in stock.

Likewise, we bought two bikes from one shop in my hometown (my dad an I) and my mom wanted to get back on the bike. We brought her bike in to get it tuned up and they did so without even charging!

Definitely go with the LBS. Many dealers offer a pro-fit free of charge, too. This is worth its weight in gold IMO.

And so glad to hear someone else is getting into bikes!

[indysteel]

Agreed.

Motobecane used to be a good name in the 1970's, can't say much for the manufacturer that bought out that name. You are safer going with the Trek and more likely to get quality components, which really frickin' count. Seriously.

The components on the Montebecane are not low end or appreciably different than what you would find on a Trek. That doesn't mean I think there are no pros to buying a bike at an LBS, but I don't subscribe to the belief that local shops are the end all be all. It SO depends on the shop and the customer. We do most of our maintenance at home, so getting a free tune up isn't a selling point. Fittings are valuable, but they don't come for free in my neck of the woods.

[malkin]

Think globally; shop locally.

Anything you spend in a local business comes back to you in the community. Besides, if your LBS guy knows you and likes you, you'll benefit for a long time!