Buying a bicycle online -- article

[rebeccaC]

Taking a bike sale away from a LBS for a direct sale from a manufacturer is something I personally wouldn’t do especially if I was new to bicycling and needed personal guidance and/or a fitting.

More importantly I support my lbs because of their giving to our community in numerous ways…from donating 100 bicycles with fittings and helmets yearly through the L.A. Boys and Girls Club to those children in South Central L.A. who have been picked through submitted essays on why they want a bicycle, how it would improve their lives, and how they would care for the bike….to supporting a racing team, sponsoring rides, giving free maintenance classes, free riding lessons for children etc. etc…and renting bicycles for a few days to see how it works for you and with any rental charge refunded with the purchase of a bicycle within 30 days. For me that kind of community work/giving is worth more than saving a few dollars or any convenience from buying a bike or bicycling related items on line or direct from the manufacturer.

Plus when I need a maintenance, accessory, clothing etc. item I can almost always get it that day through them...and then there's the intense infatuation i have for a women who has worked in sales for a number of years

[pericat]

Buying a second-hand bicycle is not really shunting aside the LBS, though. On the contrary, it can be ensuring an extended life for a bike that might otherwise deteriorate quietly in the back of someone's shed.

I'm onboard with supporting the local shops, but if they don't have and can't get the thing I want, and said thing is to found online, I have no problem with clickclickclick over an order page. I'm not so sure I'd buy a bike online, but I don't have a good sense of what would suit me just by looking at a picture and a list of components and measurements.

(also: I'm new here, and hope I'm not butting in.)

[Crankin]

I don't think I would buy a bike on line. Given all of my fitting issues, I want the help the LBS can give.
But, I buy all of my cycling apparel and accessories on line, and DH buys all of the components and other parts for our bikes on line, too. He does our own mechanical work, except once, when I crashed my mtb and the hydraulic brakes needed to be fixed. I don't feel badly about this, given the cost of the bikes I've bought over the past 15 years. I also refer others to shops, and occasionally, I buy very small things I need at the LBS (like gloves I cannot find anywhere else). I have a good relationship with the shop I bought my Silque at, and I like to refer new riders there. My younger son worked there in HS and they often hire people from the community. DH still likes the people at the evil LBS I bought the Kuota at; he has referred many people there, and they bought 5K+ bikes. They never have given DH any discounts, which I think is terrible. But, there are enough super wealthy racer types around here, who don't care and continue to go to that shop, despite the fact they still have a condescending attitude.

[Sammie]

At my experience level, I'd want to test ride first. It may be through a friend who has the same bike in the same size, but I'd need a test ride first. I wouldn't go to an LBS to test ride, then go buy online though. To me that would be unfair.

I live in an area that has many bike stores to choose from. While hunting for a bike, I visited several and the experience ran the gambit of super helpful to utter snobbery.
If my only LBS was as clique-ish and as stuck up as one particular store I visited, I would buy online in a heart beat. I can't support an LBS who makes a newbie feel so out of place and I would certainly go through the struggle of shipping bikes back and forth until I found the right one just to avoid an LBS like that.

Luckily they aren't the only LBS in my area and I found a good one.

[ny biker]

I can't imagine buying a bike online -- I also want the help with getting the right fit, and as a non-mechanical person I depend on the LBS for adjustments and advice. Plus, like Rebecca, I want to support their support of the community.

I'm actually trying to buy less online and more in local stores for most things. I've had to return too many things lately that were damaged in shipping, and with clothes fit is often a problem.

[Crankin]

I buy locally for artist made gifts, etc., unique things, and food. I can only buy clothing from Banana Republic, Gap, and occasionally J Crew, Ann Taylor. It's a schlep to a mall (12-15 miles), which I hate, thus, I buy ALL of my clothes on line. I have been buying from these retailers for so long, I can look at the picture and know how it will fit. That, and reading comments helps. Plus, stores often don't carry petites, and when they do, often not my size, especially in tops.

[emily_in_nc]

In the past, I have bought a new bike frame online (ebay, but through a bike shop selling there), but then I took it to an LBS to build up, and I spent a lot on components (Campy Chorus, etc.) If I am ever in the market for another new bike, I'll definitely go to an LBS for all the reasons cited here. And in fact, all my new bikes other than the Bike Friday (which does direct sales) have been from an LBS. For used bikes, I am very glad the online option is available for those of us who are pretty sure of our size/geometry requirements.

I occasionally buy an accessory, part, etc. from an LBS if I need it quickly, but I mostly go online for these items, and almost always for bike clothing!