Need an advice. Buying carbon bike frame over the internet can save me $150 cash vs. getting it through LBS. I do have really good relationship with the guys at LBS and they been very helpful in the past. But I really can use the $150. Now I am debating where to buy.
Can you guys tell me reasons why I wanna buy at LBS if at all. I am likely not gonna lose my friends there but they obviously expect me to buy from them.
150 dollars on a large purchase is not that much get them to throw in 150-200 labor so maybe you break even they get $$$ and you are both happy
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Thanks, but I am actually doing all the built by myself. The only thing would be cutting the fork to size.
Give the LBS the opportunity to match the pricve either in cash discount on the bike or through merchandise you’d need anyway. There is an Arabic saying: “Socialize as brothers, do business as strangers.”
$150 on a carbon frame is what - 5%? 7%? If my LBS sold the types of frames that I buy I’d buy it from them. If you like, you can tell them what your on-line price is and ask what they can do to match/get closer to that price. Sometimes they can and will, sometimes they just can’t, sometimes they just won’t. I personally never ask for a discount, but I generally get one at my main LBS. That isn’t why I go there, but it’s a nice way of them to say “thanks for your continued business”. Even if price is your #1 factor in deciding where to purchase an item, I’d suggest that given your relationship, you ought to at least give them a shot at the sale.
I just went through this dilema yesterday. I’ve got a race Sunday, and blew out a tire on Thursday. So I need new tires. I can get ProRace2 tires on-line at $35 a tire, $70 for a set. The only bike shop in town that carries them has them at $60 per tire. Since i needed the tires, I bought them, but was blown away that I could save $50 buying them on-line.
I guess that is why the LBS is important though, because if I need tires for a race tomorrow, I can’t wait a week for them to arrive. I just wish LBS could compete with the internet. And I don’t really like haggling over prices, so I just pay what they ask.
Its crazy when you can get stuff online for significantly less than the area distributors are selling them, but it does happen. Tyres are one of those things that you can get online for less than any store is able to buy them, and unfortunately your LBS is prohibited from buying them online to sell as well.
I don’t pretend to know anything about the costs of distribution channels, but no LBS will fault you for buying a $35 tyre online that they pay $45-$50 for, and then have to mark up in order to cover operating costs/turn a profit.
Of course, if you need it now you pay whatever it costs with a smile.
Well, I don’t know if this will work since you are doing the build yourself, but I bet I have saved at least $150 in tune ups and adjustments that I needed on the bike I bought from my LBS. For example, I was out riding, the seatpost was slipping (again), so I called them on my cell, rode over to the shop, and was on my way again in about 15 minutes, with no further slippage (they had some of that stuff you can spray on carbon fiber seat posts so that its a bit grippier, which I didn’t have). Plus I got a free fitting (which alone is over $100 at most shops)…don’t underestimate that unless you think you have your position pretty much dialed in.
Spot
*** I’ve got a race Sunday, and blew out a tire on Thursday. So I need new tires.***
Was it Ben Franklin who penned, “necessity never made a good bargain”. Like Khai sez, if ya gotta have it now… I’m with you with respect to online purchases. I have 6 tires and about a dozen tubes that I got on sale (www.biketiresdirect.com) because I knew that I’d need them eventually. It’s good to have a little stash for a rainy (or a pre-race) day.
I really like my LBS (worked there in college) and take all the labor issues that I can’t handle myself to them. Back to the OP, I say $150 over the life of the frame is negligible. Chances are you may need them to look at your bike at some point in the future and while buying it there doesn’t guarantee that they’ll bump you to the front, it certainly can’t hurt.
In all honesty is $150 really that much of a difference on an item like this? How much is it going to cost to have it shipped to you? Will there be warrenty coverage from an internet purchase? Will the internet fit you? Does the internet store pony up prizes for local races and events?
Personally I would pay the difference to have it done up at a shop. Knowing that when I go in later for a quick fix there is a chance of getting the work done sooner, as opposed to waiting for it.
Now if it was $1500.00 then yes do the internet. I will flat out tell my customers to do that. But when they need something simple like a Star nut or whatever, they pay for it, as opposed to me tossing it in their hands.
There are simple reasons as to why your LBS has an item for more money. We pay more for it. We also have all these other expendetures to cover such as taxes etc. I have checked out some internet companies and they are actually owned by an offshore business number so who knows where it is.
My 2 cents.
The bottom line is that you need to look at the benefits to you on the whole. Are you likely to get $150 worth of service, peace of mind, or future swag/consideration from your LBS? If so, then stick with them. If not, then it seems like the internet is the way to go. Unless you have a really good relationship with your LBS, you probably don’t get free service, parts or special discounts. However, you do have to take into account shipping costs for your internet purchase, plus follow on customer service, which the internet company might or might not have. In reality, you’re the only one who knows. We’ve heard plenty of horror stories about internet sales and LBS’s alike, and positive stories as well. In the end, you just have to do a cost vs benefit analysis.
Give the LBS the opportunity to match the pricve either in cash discount on the bike or through merchandise you’d need anyway. There is an Arabic saying: “Socialize as brothers, do business as strangers.”
Good answer. I’ve seen some pretentious LBS owners without the big picture respond to the question as follows:
As a customer, …you are saying, quite literally:
“Are you willing to accept a lower standard of living so that I may take this bicycle home?”
My answer to you in that event Sir, is “No, I am not willing to accept a lower standard of living to facilitate your cycling hobby.”
Funny stuff.
Interesting dilemma. I’m afraid I would go with the internet in most cases, simple reason that I like shopping around and getting the best deal, and I have had a fair bit of random treatment from bikestores over the years and feel no great loyalty there.
Latest case in point: I want to buy some Mavic Aksiums. Retail in NZ anywhere from $495 to $600. Shipped to my door through probikekit, $315, including postage. That is something like a 60% discount on the lowest price in town.
That is but one of numerous examples that has me questioning the business model for bikeshops. I can see a significant shakedown happening in that industry - the prices here are just ludicrous, IMO. I’m all for someone making a fair profit, but refuse to be gouged.
i would be suprise that the bike shop dosnt want to match the price??? most bike shop would… it s a matter of negociation and been happy… give it a try and if it dosnt work, buy it online and make it services if you need at the bike shop… i dont know many bike shop that would be mad of this… it s normal buisness, you dont need to by everything at your bike shop and they dont expect that either…
Yeah, there are some shops out there that have a real chip on their shoulders. I went into one bike shop here to get some stuff done on my Cervelo R2.5 when I owned it. The mechanic was adjusting the derailleur for me when the owner walked in to the shop area. He asked me where I got it, and I told him I had ordered it online. And he immediately fixed me with a glare and demanded, “Why didn’t you buy a bike from us? We have Orbeas, they’re the same thing.” I was a little taken aback by being interrogated as to my bike buying habits by a total stranger, much less as a paying customer in their shop (also, they had just moved into town and didn’t exist when I ordered my bike, plus they didn’t carry Cervelo). Not too surprisingly, they went out of business not long after that.
Spot
Dude do you have any idea what a set of aksiums costs your lbs in NZ. If they were to sell you a set at $315.00 they might as well close their doors now. I can assure you most of the time you are not being gouged but in order for you lbs to survive they have to make money. There is nothing wrong with the business model of your lbs but If everyone takes the attitude of buying off the net then the bike industry in NZ will die.
hi there
Simply put, I have no interest in providing charity for store owners. The business has moved on, and many have yet to catch on to that.
It is not my job to keep stores in business. It is my job to get the best bang for my buck that I can, given that I have a limited amount of cash to spend.
It would be great if they could make money, and stay in business. But in my experience a lot of them have a serious way to go to learn about customer service and satisfaction, and for that reason I feel no great loyalty to any particular store.
If I can get a product off the net sixty percent cheaper than I can get here, then that is a path I will be continuing to follow. Interestingly, for bike clothes I often use ground effect, the NZ based internet store. Good products, good prices. So perhaps it can be done from here…
It is an interesting debate though.
Throw in the dilema of having a local Performance Bicycle. Good inventory, better prices but no loyalty but does provide local jobs. I will go there for things I need in a pinch or they have on sale but I won’t look to them for the more service side activities.
I want to buy from the LBS right down the road who helps keep group rides going and supports our one local tri but there are times that Performance wins my patronage. I feel dirty on those days.
I have no problem with you wanting to find the best price, but your blaming of your lbs for ripping you off is not really valid. Like I said I wouldn’t be able to buy aksiums @ wholesale for $315.00 from the local importer. Your right though it is an interesting topic which could be debated for hours.
I’d rather pay a bit more at my LBS (Ascent Cycling) because the customer service I get from them is priceless. And I live in a city with a Performance and Colorado Cyclist, as well as a number of larger reputable shops and chain stores. I prefer the smaller, newer shop because the owners are the wrenches and at least one of them is in their everyday. When I need a part, they get it for me. When I need a tune-up, they do top notch work and with a quick-turnaround. They make me want to spend my money there.