Hi,

A friend of mine is interested in buying a Bacchetta recumbent. The nearest dealer (in Toronto, Canada) has a fairly unreasonable markup on the bikes-and because they have no competition, they are not flexible. Any ideas on alternate sources?

Thanks for any advice.

Attend the Bentrider Rally in August and order one directly from Mark/Rich. That's a long wait, though. Nearest dealer listed in the states appears to be the Bicycle Man, in Alfred Station NY (a long drive.)

Is there a possibility of convincing another bike shop to become a dealer? We've done that here, with an upright shop/frame builder noticing that no other shops nearby were catering to racing recumbents. He's only sold one Baron so far, but it was a positive experience - he ordered one for the shop floor and it sold almost immediately. He plans on selling more this year.

If people continue to pressure the recumbent dealers to sell as low as they can to satisfy the customer we will see more of them go out of business. My cousin-in-law (how else would you say it?) is a bike dealer and he tell me the markup is very poor in recumbents but great in conventional bicycles.

You can order through a non-Bacchetta dealer. I bought one locally as did a friend of mine.

-Dennis

Hi,

A friend of mine is interested in buying a Bacchetta recumbent. The nearest dealer (in Toronto, Canada) has a fairly unreasonable markup on the bikes-and because they have no competition, they are not flexible. Any ideas on alternate sources?

Thanks for any advice.

What kind of prices is he asking?

Jude

You can order through a non-Bacchetta dealer. I bought one locally as did a friend of mine.

-Dennis

Hey, Dennis..how did you go about doing that?

Hey, Dennis..how did you go about doing that?

I just told my LBS that I would buy one if they could get one.

-Dennis

[QUOTE=Wheel Doctor]What kind of prices is he asking?

Way more than the MSRP of 1550 USD. I think they wanted the equivalent of around 2300 USD. That's a 50% markup-I wouldn't pay it either.

I purchased a new Giro in 2004 from Cambie Cycle in Vancouver for $2500 and I considered it a fair deal. I know I left some profit for the dealer because I know I'll need him. I looked into purchasing the same bike in Saettle. By the time I paid import duty( because they are made off shore), GST and exchange it was less expensive to purchase in Canada.
If doctors and therapist cannot solve knee and neck problems I'll have leave bicycling. A road I really don't want go down yet

[QUOTE=Wheel Doctor]What kind of prices is he asking?

Way more than the MSRP of 1550 USD. I think they wanted the equivalent of around 2300 USD. That's a 50% markup-I wouldn't pay it either.

I assume you are using _current_ exchange rates. They may not have been so favourable when the shop actually paid for the bike.

I'd suggest you try used if you are looking for a bargain.

Ok, this last week I've learned a LOT and just bought a Giro on-line. Bacchetta dealers can sell to you from afar as long as the bike is shipped to another bike shop. You can call in (or email) and pay for the bike and have it shipped that way. Out-of-state, no taxes! Cool, eh?

Went through my local dealer in Fargo, ND - brought in a bare frame. Built it up and painted it - all this from a non dealer LBS. Working w/ Bacchetta was great.

Hi... Summer here from Bacchetta. Your best bet would be a 4-hour drive to The Bicycle Man in Alfred Station, New York. It will probably be worth the drive for standard MSRP pricing. Take a Saturday or a weekend and make a mini-vacation out of it. They're a great group of guys and Peter will take great care of you. Give them a call to find out what they have in stock and what they have available for test rides.

The Bicycle Man
570 Main Street
Alfred Station, NY 14803
(607) 587-8835
peter@bicycleman.com
www.bicycleman.com

Although we will be attending the BROL event (08/26-08/28) in Canisteo, New York (www.bentrideronline.com/bentride/nyevent.htm), we do not sell bikes directly to consumers. It is important to us that you receive quality customer care and service from an authorized Bacchetta dealer to ensure that you get a bike properly assembled and adjusted for your perfect fit.

Let us know if we can be of any help!

Take care,
Summer Gower
Bacchetta Bicycles, Inc.
(877) 853-9691

And in response to other comments about ordering a Bacchetta through a local bike shop... yes, we try to accomodate as many people as we can. If you don't have a nearby Bacchetta dealer, we can usually work with your favorite bike shop (even if they're not an authorized dealer). It depends on your location and only if you do not have a local Bacchetta dealer in the area. It is also important that you are a loyal customer of your local bike shop. If there's a strong relationship there, we will try our best to accomodate the customer so you can get a Bacchetta under your saddle!

Bacchetta and its dealers do not sell bikes via mail order or internet sales. Hope this information helps! :)

Summer
Bacchetta Bicycles

It is also important that you are a loyal customer of your local bike shop. If there's a strong relationship there, we will try our best to accomodate the customer so you can get a Bacchetta under your saddle!

That was the situation in my case. It probably also helped that my LBS is a long established shop experienced in recumbents and that I was also a veteran recumbent owner.

-Dennis

Yeah, mine was shipped to a closer Bacchetta dealer for assembly and fitting...

Thanks, Summer! :)

Calhoun Cycle in Minneapolis does mail order through there website http://www.calhouncycle.com and they are a Bacchetta dealer. They don't mark them up.