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Re: "the Pro's Closet" experience [lanierb] [ In reply to ]
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lanierb wrote:
Passmore007 wrote:
I have bought two bikes from them and received fantastic service. The bikes ship quickly and are packed well in the bike boxes. I think the prices are very reasonable and I would trust them way more than any random eBay sellers.

That great that you had a great experience but I guess the issue is: what happens if something goes wrong? In the eBay case you have protection from eBay/Paypal. With Pros Closet you're apparently screwed.

or not. there are 25 posts to this thread. 23 of them report no transaction problems and, mostly, good reviews or rave reviews. and then there's your 2 posts, about a rumor of a bad transaction. there's an old trope in the bike business. every bike shop knows what a JRA is. i was "just riding along" and the bike failed/broke. and the bike shop failed to stand behind the product. as did the brand. and then when we post mortem the transaction there's a whole new narrative that emerges. facts that the first narrator failed to bring into evidence.

it may well be as you say. or, not. i don't know. neither of us knows. we have 23 positive transaction stories, zero negative transaction stories, and one person who heard from another person who was just riding along. i don't mean to throw shade on your friend. but based on my 40 years in the industry, and 20 years of reading posts on this forum, and the reputation that TPC enjoys, i would not wager much that the narrative you provide contains all the relevant details. however, let's say for the sake of argument it does. what we have are 20-something good experiences and 1 bad. i wonder if eBay used bike transactions are that favorable.

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
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Re: "the Pro's Closet" experience [lanierb] [ In reply to ]
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You could do a credit card chargeback.

Or you could find a bike on craigslist and inspect it before buying.
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Re: "the Pro's Closet" experience [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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Slowman wrote:
lanierb wrote:
Passmore007 wrote:
I have bought two bikes from them and received fantastic service. The bikes ship quickly and are packed well in the bike boxes. I think the prices are very reasonable and I would trust them way more than any random eBay sellers.

That great that you had a great experience but I guess the issue is: what happens if something goes wrong? In the eBay case you have protection from eBay/Paypal. With Pros Closet you're apparently screwed.


or not. there are 25 posts to this thread. 23 of them report no transaction problems and, mostly, good reviews or rave reviews. and then there's your 2 posts, about a rumor of a bad transaction. there's an old trope in the bike business. every bike shop knows what a JRA is. i was "just riding along" and the bike failed/broke. and the bike shop failed to stand behind the product. as did the brand. and then when we post mortem the transaction there's a whole new narrative that emerges. facts that the first narrator failed to bring into evidence.

it may well be as you say. or, not. i don't know. neither of us knows. we have 23 positive transaction stories, zero negative transaction stories, and one person who heard from another person who was just riding along. i don't mean to throw shade on your friend. but based on my 40 years in the industry, and 20 years of reading posts on this forum, and the reputation that TPC enjoys, i would not wager much that the narrative you provide contains all the relevant details. however, let's say for the sake of argument it does. what we have are 20-something good experiences and 1 bad. i wonder if eBay used bike transactions are that favorable.
Your post starts out fine: 25 posts, 23 of them positive. That's accurate and that's great. The rest goes very downhill. I'm a longtime ST contributor - maybe 15 years? Many people on here know me personally. And you are throwing shade at me without any justification. You should know better!!! To defend myself: I'm not relaying a rumor. I'm relaying a fact. I've seen the bike, seen photos of the box when it arrived (box was partially open on arrival), and I know how Pro's Closet responded. At the time I told her to come on ST herself (this was ~4 months ago) and let people know about it but she didn't bother. Look: even crappy establishments often have many good transactions. It's how they respond when something goes wrong that really matters. In this one transaction they accused the buyer of doing the damage. Now you've done the same and you don't know anything at all about the transaction! My guess is it was the shipper. Still they need to handle that, and that's the problem. On eBay you would very likely get your money back. Pro's Closet was completely unhelpful and she ended up having to get it carbon repaired herself. That's not okay. And guess what? It's okay for me to relay this info on ST. Isn't that the point of ST?
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Re: "the Pro's Closet" experience [Slowman] [ In reply to ]
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I have purchased two bicycles from TPC and my expectations were exceeded on both occasions. Because TPC's business model is based on being a better/safer place to purchase second hand bicycling gear, I am more confident they will stand behind their products if there is an issue. In the used car business it is"Certified Pre-Owned." Not only am I more comfortable purchasing from them rather than a total stranger, but also trust their expertise more than my own.
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Re: "the Pro's Closet" experience [Greatzaa] [ In reply to ]
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Bought My first bike 2 months ago on TPC-New to the whole biking scene so I was looking for a little hand holding in regards to getting a bike that was thoroughly inspected,clean and ready to go.TPC came through in all regards,from shipping to communication to the end product.5 out of 5 stars from me.
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Re: "the Pro's Closet" experience [docdave1] [ In reply to ]
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I thought I would check to see where they were at on buyside and threw them a pic of one of my bikes. Pricing was 50% off what it would sell for on ebay.

I get that they need to make a profit margin but I wonder what the value proposition is to the seller outside of the model of delivering to a bike shop for $ or credit. If you are selling to them it is not any more convenient to box up and ship to them vs. boxing up and shipping to ebay buyer.

It would be different if pricing was close but it was not even in the same zip code.
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Re: "the Pro's Closet" experience [lanierb] [ In reply to ]
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lanierb wrote:
Slowman wrote:
lanierb wrote:
Passmore007 wrote:
I have bought two bikes from them and received fantastic service. The bikes ship quickly and are packed well in the bike boxes. I think the prices are very reasonable and I would trust them way more than any random eBay sellers.

That great that you had a great experience but I guess the issue is: what happens if something goes wrong? In the eBay case you have protection from eBay/Paypal. With Pros Closet you're apparently screwed.


or not. there are 25 posts to this thread. 23 of them report no transaction problems and, mostly, good reviews or rave reviews. and then there's your 2 posts, about a rumor of a bad transaction. there's an old trope in the bike business. every bike shop knows what a JRA is. i was "just riding along" and the bike failed/broke. and the bike shop failed to stand behind the product. as did the brand. and then when we post mortem the transaction there's a whole new narrative that emerges. facts that the first narrator failed to bring into evidence.

it may well be as you say. or, not. i don't know. neither of us knows. we have 23 positive transaction stories, zero negative transaction stories, and one person who heard from another person who was just riding along. i don't mean to throw shade on your friend. but based on my 40 years in the industry, and 20 years of reading posts on this forum, and the reputation that TPC enjoys, i would not wager much that the narrative you provide contains all the relevant details. however, let's say for the sake of argument it does. what we have are 20-something good experiences and 1 bad. i wonder if eBay used bike transactions are that favorable.

Your post starts out fine: 25 posts, 23 of them positive. That's accurate and that's great. The rest goes very downhill. I'm a longtime ST contributor - maybe 15 years? Many people on here know me personally. And you are throwing shade at me without any justification. You should know better!!! To defend myself: I'm not relaying a rumor. I'm relaying a fact. I've seen the bike, seen photos of the box when it arrived (box was partially open on arrival), and I know how Pro's Closet responded. At the time I told her to come on ST herself (this was ~4 months ago) and let people know about it but she didn't bother. Look: even crappy establishments often have many good transactions. It's how they respond when something goes wrong that really matters. In this one transaction they accused the buyer of doing the damage. Now you've done the same and you don't know anything at all about the transaction! My guess is it was the shipper. Still they need to handle that, and that's the problem. On eBay you would very likely get your money back. Pro's Closet was completely unhelpful and she ended up having to get it carbon repaired herself. That's not okay. And guess what? It's okay for me to relay this info on ST. Isn't that the point of ST?


i read your first post, and i didn't reply to it. when i read your second post, i felt i needed to respond because you weren't going to let this lie. (which is fine.) you were going to continue to press home your point. (which is fine.) you are, as you note, a longtime forum member, and you are due that respect.

i felt it fair to add some additional points, because there is no way by which the brand can respond to what you're alleging. i certainly don't mean to throw shade on you. but you threw shade on a vendor based on a transaction that isn't your own, and with accusations that don't comport with the vendor's history. i don't mind hosting what you wrote. it seemed clear you wanted engagement on your point, so, is it fair to get angry when you get that engagement?

Dan Empfield
aka Slowman
Last edited by: Slowman: Feb 4, 20 15:50
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Re: "the Pro's Closet" experience [Klaus Daimler] [ In reply to ]
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I have not sold anything to them, but I think that the combination of convenience, lack of fees and "trade-in" discount might work for me if I was looking to buy one of their bikes.
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Re: "the Pro's Closet" experience [docdave1] [ In reply to ]
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I've bought two bikes from them, race wheels, and other smaller things. Great experience from beginning to end. Once I was passing through Boulder and picked up a package at their location. They have a fantastic collection of bikes upstairs. Many unique, watershed models.
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Re: "the Pro's Closet" experience [Greatzaa] [ In reply to ]
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Greatzaa wrote:
I have purchased two bicycles from TPC and my expectations were exceeded on both occasions. Because TPC's business model is based on being a better/safer place to purchase second hand bicycling gear, I am more confident they will stand behind their products if there is an issue. In the used car business it is"Certified Pre-Owned." Not only am I more comfortable purchasing from them rather than a total stranger, but also trust their expertise more than my own.

I had a similar experience very recently buying high end Cervelo from TPC. Exceeded my expectations. They were very helpful when I called to ask for more information on the bike. Bike shipped well & quickly and came with torque kit, water bottle and samples of nutrition.

"if you chose it, it's not really pain"
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Re: "the Pro's Closet" experience [rich_m] [ In reply to ]
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rich_m wrote:
are there specific price points where TPC makes more sense as a buyer? I've looked casually over the past couple of months as i think about getting something new in the 3-4K range. 2-3 year old bikes from TPC may be about 1k lower than the bike was new, and probably not less than i could get the same bike as new old stock from a dealer for; and only a few hundred less than the latest and greatest version from a dealer if i wait until a national holiday. i understand, and don't think they are unreasonable, just that the model may not work as well for mid to lower priced bikes because things like servicing, and shipping are fixed costs, and to make a modest few hundred in profit on top of purchase + service + shipping would move the cost to a buyer too close to new retail.

I just had a quick look at their stock and compared it to MyBikeShop. MyBikeShop started with a very similar sales model and I have bought stuff from them with great service. However MyBikeShop has shifted to new/new old stock and I'm pretty sure its because the points you have raised above. The margins on the kind of bikes lots of people are buying makes the used market a bit difficult. For example MyBikeShop and TPC current both have 2018/2019 Di2 equipped Cervelo P3s but MyBikeShop is selling them for $500 less than TPC and that's new with warrantee vs used at the TPC. This isn't to call out TPC but to illustrate the challenge faced in market. My guess is that like a car dealer TPC really makes money on trade-ins where they accept a bike as payment towards another bike. But if they offer too much value to try and make a sale they get stuck trying to sell a bike for more than you buy it new.

Realistically as a buyer your best value will come from buying a heavily upgraded used bike. Upgrades/customisations don't hold their re-sale value so you can effectively pick up race wheels etc for free. A good example I can see on the TPC is this: https://www.theproscloset.com/...lon-bike-2016-medium. Even though they are 10 spd rim brakes those Zipps are still worth a fair bit (assuming they aren't tubs because the used 10spd tubular market sucks).
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Re: "the Pro's Closet" experience [docdave1] [ In reply to ]
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Very good experience overall, They do a very good job of documenting any scuffs, damage to the bike and you can ask in advance if you call them.
Pretty good customer service and overall experience.

For used bikes, i would also check out excel sports demo options, they have some pretty good deals over there as well.

But Pro-closet, can't recommend enough, especially for high end items.
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Re: "the Pro's Closet" experience [docdave1] [ In reply to ]
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I bought a titanium Mosaic frameset from them last year. It was listed as a showroom display model. I'm pretty sure it was never built up. It was selling for around 45% of the list price. It came well packed and they shipped it fast.
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Re: "the Pro's Closet" experience [scott8888] [ In reply to ]
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that's very good info. thank you for forwarding that. soon as I get some time from work, i'm gonna give 'em a call.
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Re: "the Pro's Closet" experience [Greatzaa] [ In reply to ]
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Greatzaa wrote:
I have purchased two bicycles from TPC and my expectations were exceeded on both occasions. Because TPC's business model is based on being a better/safer place to purchase second hand bicycling gear, I am more confident they will stand behind their products if there is an issue. In the used car business it is"Certified Pre-Owned." Not only am I more comfortable purchasing from them rather than a total stranger, but also trust their expertise more than my own.

I would agree that I'd be more comfortable buying from The Pro's Closet than purchasing from a total stranger, but I'd remind all buyers to perform a very detailed inspection on any bike you're purchasing/have recently purchased, whether from Craigslist or TPC. I purchased an Argon 18 e-119 w/ a SRAM Red eTap aero setup last June from The Pro's Closet, raced it at IM Boulder, and rode it 10 - 15 times (I was working out of town and had my old tri bike with me during the week) on weekends. After the first time I got rained on while riding in April, the BlipBox started going out on me.

I called TPC to troubleshoot and realized during the calls that the o-ring on one of the blip connectors was missing and there was visible corrosion on the end of the connection. I had never removed the cables from the BlipBox in the 9 months that I had owned the bike and when I mentioned this to TPC reps, they suggested that it could have disintegrated and that the LA humidity was a likely cause of the corrosion, but that I should talk to my local SRAM dealer for assistance. I visited my LBS (who chuckled at those explanations), but attempted to solve the problem with their SRAM rep. Unfortunately, the SRAM Red eTap BlipBoxes are very difficult to come by and they are not backwards compatible with the AXS BlipBox. I had a number of follow up calls/emails with TPC, multiple LBS, & SRAM support with no luck and no one being able to offer a solution other to find an old BlipBox online or to upgrade to a SRAM AXS setup. That leaves me looking through third-party sites for a working SRAM Red BlipBox and with a $5k bike from TPC that won't up-shift. As you can imagine, knowing this is most likely due to TPC selling me a bike with a component that had 1 small missing o-ring, I would not rate my experience with them as 5 stars.

I know if I had known about that missing o-ring, I could have paid <$10 to replace it and prevented a lot of headache and hundreds of dollars (if I'm lucky enough to find a working BlipBox - but likely thousands of dollars if I need to upgrade to an AXS setup). That being said, there is no excuse for not inspecting every micrometer of a bike that you're purchasing and having the knowledge to know what to look for even when purchasing from a reputable source like The Pro's Closet. With TPC you might feel more secure, but even their mechanics are human and might miss something.

Would I buy another bike from them? Knowing what I know now about performing a full inspection myself (or with a LBS if I don't feel knowledgeable) and their 30 day no questions asked returns, I probably would - if I found the exact bike I wanted, especially with the new carbon warranty - but with caution.
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Re: "the Pro's Closet" experience [docdave1] [ In reply to ]
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I can't speak to any experience good or bad but having just recently sold a bike independently- I submitted my bike to them to sell purely out of curiosity of what they would offer. All I can say is be prepared to take a massive haircut. I think you can come out better as both a buyer/seller if you go independently and know what you are looking for. That said if you don't know what your doing- its probably a good option for some piece of mind over a private party deal.
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