General Cycling Discussion - First trip to the LBS...

and i gotta say, you guys were right all along!

as soon as i walked in a guy was ready to help me. and gladly informed me about the bike choices and intricacies of the technology that set apart more expensive bikes from the lesser counterparts. he recommended a Marin Bolinas Ridge and even let me test ride it. and that thing rode like a DREAM. so far i've only riden (case?) Xmarts and this thing was a whole different league, whole different world in fact. i cant even describe how amazing if felt just to ride in circles in the parking lot, as the thing smoothly handled the uneven asphalt and shifted quickly and precisely. i couldn't believe it.

so to those who may read this skeptical about the endorsements of LBS's given out around here, let this testimonial confirm that LBS's and LBS bikes are THE BEST. period.

shhhhhhh...you'll annoy the Xmart aficionados. :)

Seriously though, there are some poor LBSes around. They just don't tend to be around for long.

Its great the guys at my LBS but up with me coming in for 3 weeks for test rides on diffrent bikes. I ended up getting a Marin too.

I rode a Marin hybrid thingy when my wife was test riding her recumbent, and it seemed like a solid bike.

damn all this talk about bikes... I feel a night ride coming! cya!

LBS service may be good or it may be bad, but in my experience, you can usually buy parts and accessories much cheaper online than you can at an LBS. This may not be a good recommendation if you're a newbie rider, but if you know exactly what you want and don't mind waiting a few days for it, it may make more sense to get it online.

LBS service may be good or it may be bad, but in my experience, you can usually buy parts and accessories much cheaper online than you can at an LBS. This may not be a good recommendation if you're a newbie rider, but if you know exactly what you want and don't mind waiting a few days for it, it may make more sense to get it online.
My experience with LBS in both the US and Europe is exactlly the opposite. Once you establish a relationship with an LBS you should find that their prices drop considerably.

For example, I live in Latvia and retail prices here are about double what they are in the States. I recently crashed and knocked my wheel out of true, screwed up my front brake, and destroyed my helmet and mirror. (You should really think about getting a helmet too, OP. I hit a giant sinkhole in heavy city traffic. I slapped my head really hard on the pavement, hard enough to crack the helmet is several places. Luckily I walked away from the accident. Without a helmet I don't know if I would have ever walked again....)

I went to the local velo repair shop/mini LBS to look for a helmet. They didn't have a helmet for me, but the head wrench, who is also the head wrench of the national team, trued both wheels, adjusted both derailurers, and adjusted the front and rear brakes for FREE. Cool.

Off to the next shop to look for a helmet. I found a Bell Ghisallo for cheaper than Performance had it on sale. Cool.

Next off to one more LBS because I was in the neighborhood. I picked up two mirrors and recieved a 20% discount on them without asking for it. Cool.

I get the same treatment when I travel back to the States and go to the LBS. In fact I just ordered some lube from an LBS in Tucson, AZ. I got a 20% discount. Cool.

To those who always complain about LBS prices I say you reap what you sow. If you go into an LBS with a normal attitude the vast majority of LBS will treat you right. If you strut in like the world owes you something you will be treated accordingly.

I better adopt a more "normal attitude" so I can get the discounts too.:)

Seriously, I hear what you're saying, though. My wife and I recently bought a Cannondale Rush for her at my LBS. The best price online was in the $1,700 range. The LBS gave it to us for $1,400 (20% off retail) because we've been shopping there for years. Being a familiar face (with a "normal attitude") does have its benefits.

Still, I find that higher-end components tend to be much cheaper online. I almost always buy components from Nashbar or Excel.

I better adopt a more "normal attitude" so I can get the discounts too.:)

Seriously, I hear what you're saying, though. My wife and I recently bought a Cannondale Rush for her at my LBS. The best price online was in the $1,700 range. The LBS gave it to us for $1,400 (20% off retail) because we've been shopping there for years. Being a familiar face (with a "normal attitude") does have its benefits.

Still, I find that higher-end components tend to be much cheaper online. I almost always buy components from Nashbar or Excel.


I often check the online pricing and compare it to ours. If you want a highend MTB Shimano part, then it will be cheaper online than in most shops. Road parts are much closer in price and often higher after frieght. If you want low or midrange parts, the online shops will often not even carry them. The killer deals from the online shops are often closeouts on old stock. They have fifty old stock rims and need to unload them to get cash for something else. I have one of the same old stock item and can wait for someone that, at the least, will pay what it costs. The funny thing is, if you sit on it long enough, it will become more valuable than its original retail.
Several times I have seen Nashbar selling items for more than we charge for them, then you pay shipping and, if you live in a state that has Performance/Nashbar outlets(Like NorthCarolina) you will pay sales tax. Sales tax is often the only thing making a real deal out of an online purchase.
I cannot give anyone a heard time for online buying. I do it myself when I cannot get what I want local, I just ordered some rally tires, because nobody even has them in their system.
I do order ALL my books from the LBS(Local Book Store, Quail Ridge Books*. They are the best and worth the extra $$)
*http://quailridgebooks.booksense.com/NASApp/store/IndexJsp