Local Bike shop versus online purchase

boydkev

I used to buy nearly everything online but started getting annoyed when buying clothing as i kept getting the wrong sizing, or it was uncomfortable so now i buy most of my clothing in LBS. But saying that i find the pricing in some shops to be more than others and online you can save a huge amount.
I still buy most of my components online as the saving is alot more, For example i just bought a set of Michelen Tyres Pro4 Service course for €20 each and the LBS has them on discount for €47 Each, Guess where i bought them?????

I would prefer to keep my money local, But in these times cheaper will always win.

Allabaah

dubmess,

I take your point and this is what I'm struggling with. The €25 was too much of a gap for me so I bought online. However I didn't go there with the intention of trying them on and leaving regardless.

Allabaah

mossym wrote: »

i've no issue with people using both, do it myself, and most shop owners know you do it. But this i have a big issue with. you go make use of the service the shop offers, take up their time, then go online and buy it? the reason they are cheaper online is because they don;t have the expense of the shop, meaning by buying them from there you give up the benefit of the shop. using your local with no intention of buying there is just taking the pi$$ in my book. Buy them online cause they are cheaper, but don;t use your local as a free try on service.
agree totally with the picture posted above

The reason I tried them on in the LBS was because they were recommended to me and this advice was invaluable. HOWEVER @ €25 euro dearer the LBS would never get my business as this is too much of a mark up. I couldn't let that difference go by so I bought them online.

This brings me back to the original posting!!

Allabaah

boydkev wrote: »

I used to buy nearly everything online but started getting annoyed when buying clothing as i kept getting the wrong sizing, or it was uncomfortable so now i buy most of my clothing in LBS. But saying that i find the pricing in some shops to be more than others and online you can save a huge amount.
I still buy most of my components online as the saving is alot more, For example i just bought a set of Michelen Tyres Pro4 Service course for €20 each and the LBS has them on discount for €47 Each, Guess where i bought them?????

I would prefer to keep my money local, But in these times cheaper will always win.

For sure I want to keep my money local all the time not alone just for my sports. Just bought 2 x continental Gator skin tyres online and saved €15 approx and they were delivered within 3 days. These are standard items when you know the sizes. However I take your point on the clothes its really hit and miss online.

rollingscone

If I had more money I'd happily give it to my current LBS... as it is, I don't so I generally have to go for the cheaper option online.


That said, the LBS have the good sense to stock Genesis, and my mind is set on a Vapour disc when I can afford a CX bike.

Ironlungs

I have only bought one cycling item online. This was a saddle, which didn't fit (couldn't get it far enough back on seatpost - which I could see without even unpacking it) so I returned the item, at my cost postage wise. The online company wanted to charge a re-stocking fee as the saddle was marked. I had no recollection of doing anything to have marked the saddle, and an online argument ensued, which annoyed me no end and wasted a lot of time, before they agreed to the full refund.

This crap doesn't happen with your LBS.

In fact I bought a pair of cycle shoes today (in Cycle Surgery as I happened to be in the area), and they knocked €10 off a pair already discounted €10 as there was a scuff on one of them. Bike shops will usually do a deal on bigger items, and the expertise and service they provide is worth the premium anyway (to me).

Bike shops have done very well from BTW scheme, it has forced a lot of purchasing to be done in-shop. However, the trickle down effect of buying locally is absolutely massive, the more employment created locally, the better for everyone. I have two bike shops I deal with regularly, both have knowledgeable, passionate cyclists who serve customers and make me return (although both also have the hard-sell types who tell you what they think you want to hear - these tend to be the owners, and that's why their employees, the cyclists in the field, are vital).

If we all shopped online, for a range of goods, it is our own neighbors, relations, friends and eventually ourselves who would suffer financially. Whenever possible, I purchase locally. I don't judge anyone who makes a decent saving by buying online though - sometimes the economics of the situation just dictate.

Unknown Soldier

It is easy to spend money in both.

As someone into archery and now cycling, yes I can buy most stuff a little cheaper online, but sometimes the knowledge gained from interacting with people more experienced than I, is a small price to pay for gaining knowledge.

If I wander around cyclesuperstore price matching I tend to buy something small like a tube, sort of a thanks.

I'm a sap, and happy to be one.

mossym

Allabaah wrote: »

they were recommended to me and this advice was invaluable. HOWEVER @ €25 euro dearer the LBS would never get my business as this is too much of a mark up.

This brings me back to the original posting!!

surely you cannot read what you just wrote and not see the irony in it


who gave you this invaluable advice? if it was the shop, and you still used their try on service and went off and bought elsewhere, then that's extremely bad form. if it was a friend or someone else, then don;t waste the shops time and just order online.

no-one is saying you shouldn't go with the best deal for you, if the 25 more int he shop isn't worth it for you that's perfectly fine. but trying them on in there anyway with no intention of buying is wrong in my book, and without trying to offend i'd have no issues if the shop owner told you to sling one the next time you asked to try something on in the shop. they won;t though cause they need the business.

RayCun

Allabaah wrote: »

this advice was invaluable. HOWEVER @ €25 euro dearer !

Invaluable?
Perhaps you should not use that word any more.

aFlabbyPanda

When I went to buy my new bike I was initially going to buy online due to spec and savings. I went to 6 different LBS and only 3 of them bothered to make any effort in dealing with me (showing models, checking prices, delivery dates, etc). The online store didn't even bother to get back to me for nearly week until I emailed the CEO.

LBS gave me a 10% discount, matching the online price and threw in some freebies (tubes, multitool) after I paid which isn't much but still another 20€ worth.

I needed new mudguards and the shop was charging 45 and I got the same online for 30, I ended up spending 2 hours trying to fit them myself and in the end gave up on the front one.

Lesson learned here is the 15€ would have been well spent letting the LBS deal with it and doing a better job. I'll still buy some stuff online but I'm happy to pay the extra and get good service in times of need.

Scrappy600

Went in to the (newly opened) local bike shop to buy my first pair of spd sl shoes, liked the ratchet clasp ones as opposed to just Velcro straps. Asked to see a pair and was asked what bike I rode, when I told him a Carrera tdf his answer was my bike wasn't good enough to be spending that money on shoes. He'll not see me darken his door too much.

Went into CSS a few years ago after buying a brake set elsewhere on a trip with a friend, didn't know I needed adapters to my centre lock wheels, went in to CSS, first question that was asked (when I showed him what I had in order to get the other bits I needed) was where did I buy the brakes, told him and promptly got the box thrown at me and he walked away without speaking to me again. Haven't been back in there since and will never give them a cent as long as I'm cycling.

The lbs rose tinted nostalgia crap is lost on me, if business' are competitive they'll last, if they have mannerly staff people will want to go in. If not they can rot and wither for all I care. I've been in more lbs faced with smart ass attitude and ridiculous prices than I've been in good ones

MojoMaker

A thumbsup for Cyclezone in Blanchardstown. I've brought bits and pieces into them that I've sourced elsewhere and they've been happy to fit or show me how to fit. Run by two gents as well - no shortage of bike chat and handy tips too.

Not all bike shops have the attitude described through this thread, I find the smaller places are more customer-focused and more people-oriented.

petethedrummer

MojoMaker wrote: »

A thumbsup for Cyclezone in Blanchardstown.

yeah I bought a hat there last summer. Real nice guy behind the counter that day.

Allabaah

mossym wrote: »

surely you cannot read what you just wrote and not see the irony in it


who gave you this invaluable advice? if it was the shop, and you still used their try on service and went off and bought elsewhere, then that's extremely bad form. if it was a friend or someone else, then don;t waste the shops time and just order online.

no-one is saying you shouldn't go with the best deal for you, if the 25 more int he shop isn't worth it for you that's perfectly fine. but trying them on in there anyway with no intention of buying is wrong in my book, and without trying to offend i'd have no issues if the shop owner told you to sling one the next time you asked to try something on in the shop. they won;t though cause they need the business.

"they were recommended to me and this advice was invaluable. HOWEVER @ €25 euro dearer the LBS would never get my business as this is too much of a mark up"

A bit of clarification here as some people are jumping on semantics (hands up for the loose language)

1. "They" = the cycles shoes
2. "recommended to me" = Recommended to me by a veteran cyclist
3. "this advice was invaluable" = Post buying them online they have been very comfortable.

Therefore I sought no advice from the LBS personnel on entering the shop, didn't waste their time and just tried the shoes on with an intent to purchase.

So no Mossym, I don't see any irony in what I said nor on reflection with the particular LBS in question, where by the way I have bought some additional kit.

pelevin

Scrappy600 wrote: »

The lbs rose tinted nostalgia crap is lost on me, if business' are competitive they'll last, if they have mannerly staff people will want to go in. If not they can rot and wither for all I care. I've been in more lbs faced with smart ass attitude and ridiculous prices than I've been in good ones

Support local I'd say is such an obvious given where possible that it needs no discussion. That staff in any shop should act decently is also a complete given.
My experiences of LBS's in Cork have all been fine, & either way it's got nothing to do with "rose tinted nostalgia crap". Having a good relationship with a good LBS just makes obvious sense.

buffalo

Friend went to buy a pair of Continental tyres at the LBS recently, she asked me was €80 a decent price, to which I said yes. Turns out that was the price of one. She haggled them down to €56.

wirelessdude01

buffalo wrote: »

Friend went to buy some Continental tyres at the LBS recently, she asked me was €80 a decent price, to which I said yes. Turns out that was the price of one. She haggled them down to €56.

The obviously saw her coming. Hate hearing that kinda rubbish.

Chips Lovell

buffalo wrote: »

Friend went to buy some Continental tyres at the LBS recently, she asked me was €80 a decent price, to which I said yes. Turns out that was the price of one. She haggled them down to €56.

On one level, you have to admire the sheer neck.

couerdelion

buffalo wrote: »

Friend went to buy some Continental tyres at the LBS recently, she asked me was €80 a decent price, to which I said yes. Turns out that was the price of one. She haggled them down to €56.

There's quite a few Continentals that have a rrp of €80 or more. Although most of them are tubs.

buffalo

couerdelion wrote: »

There's quite a few Continentals that have a rrp of €80 or more. Although most of them are tubs.

Nah, these were run of the mill clinchers, GP 4000s.