It’s time for me to get a new mountain bike, as my current one (which I’ve had since middle school) is about to fall apart. It’s also rather dented and bent in various unfortunate ways.
Anyhoo, I despise shopping in person so I want to order a bike on the interweb. Does anyone know of any good online bike stores?
I strongly recommend against buying online, unless you have experience assembling and adjusting bikes. Many manufacturers don’t even allow their bikes to be sold by mail order. Even if you can find one online and you’re confident about assembling it, shipping cost is high, and risk of damage during shipment is not negligible. Save the trouble and go to a real bike shop. (Not a sporting goods store, not Sears, and definitely not Walmart).
Here’s a good place to start. Actually it was a thread there that got me interested in this place so many years ago. Apparently they now have a bike shop review section. They didn’t used to because the one they originally had just became a clearing house for how someone fucked over someone else IIRC.
Anyway, lots of information and links over there and there’s no shortage of opinions, which will no doubt include why not just go to a shop in Brooklyn?
Geez, scr4. Sometimes real bike shops don’t have exactly what you’re looking for. I found my bike on-line, it fits me perfectly, I ride it everyday. Of course, I have a wonderful SO that’s willing to work on it for free.
Excellent advice. Unless you know exactly what size frame you need, and have personally used the component sets that come stock on the bike, you’ll likely be in for a major disappointment. The difference between a 53 and a 57cm frame can be excruciating back/wrist/neck/leg pain during and after a long ride. Furthermore, unless you are planning to upgrade the components on the bike, you won’t know how they feel with that particular frame (does it shift well under stress, can you reach the shifters comfortably, how does the crankset feel?).
Bike salespeople are (by and large) my favorite type of salesmen. Most are easygoing, very friendly and they know their shit. They can tell you if you are looking at the right type of bike for your budget, intended activity, and skill level - plus, you can take it for a test ride before buying (something I would insist on - in the unlikely event that they refuse, go somewhere else).
But then, sometimes you get lucky. In the end, of course, it’s your decision. Personally, I would not invest more than $1,000 in something without kicking the tires first.
Wow, my experience is totally opposite to yours, PoorTom. I have almost without exception been treated very badly in bike shops. One man even told me to come back another time with my boyfriend, so he could explain stuff to him. I also have found many bike salespeople look down on those, like me, who ride for transport and fun, preferring bike sport customers, like road racing or competitive mountain bikers, I spose so they can sell them more stuff.
I tried for six months to buy the bike I wanted. It was a current model of a big-name brand, but not one store in Melbourne carried it, and noone was willing to order one in for me, in case I didn’t end up buying it. I eventually gave up, and bought a bike which I hate, from the least-rude bike shop I could find. Still patronising, though!
Wow, I thought I was over it!
I agree with scr4. I purchased my current bike last year online, and my next one will definitely be from a shop. When I made my purchase, the shop said that the bike was on order but would be ready in about three weeks. Since it was the middle of winter, I didn’t care too much about the delay and said sure, fine. That three-week delay kept getting extended by another few weeks, and another few weeks, and just until the end of this month, until my bike finally arrived four months after I ordered it.
Screw that. I’ve several shops since then that have a good selection, and the guys working there all seem to be more interested in bikes than in pushing as much crap out the door as possible. After my winter bonus comes in, that’s where I’m heading.
I’m with scr4 on this, too. Buying from a good local bike shop is definitely the way to go. You want to make sure you get just the right bike for you, and you want to make sure you can walk out the door with it.
araminty–I’m sorry to hear that your experience with bike salespeople has been so lousy. I’ve gotten a little of the sexism that you describe, but I’ve managed to avoid the one bike shop where I had that experience. The others I’ve been to have been great.
Buying local is the best way to go, but…
Local stores don’t always have what you want. They carry the brands that they want to carry and pretty much don’t address anything else.
I bought a recumbent bike last year. I did a lot of research and looked around at all the local bike stores.
I ran into 2 things by doing this.
So the local shops weren’t very helpful so I turned to searching online. After doing a lot of researching, I decided what I wanted and started looking at manufacturers. I ended up finding my bike on Ebay. It was being sold by a bike shop so it was 90% built when they sent it to me. I just had to assemble the handlebars, the seat, and the pedals.
I guess my point is that eventhough buying local will most probably yeild you a good buying experience and a good bike, don’t necessarily discout buying online. Research what you are interested in. Find different manufacturers, and don’t be afraid to contact bike shops online.
True. If you know exactly what you want and you can’t get it locally, you don’t have much choice. But even then, you’d need to establish a relationship with a shop for routine maintenance and repairs.
I too bought recumbent bikes online because nobody in the area had one. And had a lot of trouble with the first two, until I gained more experience with adjustments, and until I found shops willing to work on bikes they didn’t originally sell to me. But if you’re just getting standard bikes, you shouldn’t have to go through this. Since then I’ve worked on enough bikes that I don’t hesitate to buy a bare frame and build it up myself, but I would (and do) buy from a local shop if they carry the bike I want.