Shut up & ride

Explain your situation and concerns to the LBS manager or owner and ask THEM to come up with a creative solution to the "problem". If they don't suggest something that helps you get comfortable with a purchase decision, then involve other shops.

alxra

I hope no one told you it would be easy!


I'm talking EVERY bike that sold out of a LBS with two wheels, a frame and all the components. What would you say is your average price sold?

roadwarrior

I think they call that "Selling"....

As we say at my consulting company..."The purpose of a business is to solve problems. OR...the purpose of a business is to get and keep customers by helping them solve their problems."

Or....a business without customers, is a hobby.

jazzy_cyclist

I took that stance a couple years ago when I bought my first recent roadbike. I figured after a few thousand miles, the "answer" as to what I really wanted would reveal itself. If I had spent a few thousand miles riding *other* bikes, that might be true, but I still don't have a grip of "what does Ti ride like compared to aluminum?", "Would a longer top tube be more comfortable?", "Will I feel a difference in wheelbase?" I have a lot of ideas, so it is fair to say that I have *some* idea of what I want, but it sure isn't obvious that it's 2 or 3 frames. So I think I've learned some of the questions about what concerns me, but not the answers.

I've decided that for me, the only answer is going to be to experiment (as in buy/build and ride for a while). I see it as that there are basically two questions: fit and ride. Although I know what size frame I take, I'm looking at the question of fit more closely. I think the idea of something like the Serotta Size-cycle to determine the the ideal (or at least close) geometry would be a good start. Of course, they invented this in order to sell you Serotta products, and I'm a bit skeptical that they are a bit too "comfort" oriented (not that I don't want to be comfortable, but there is an obvious tradeoff here). I'm sure that Serotta are great bikes, but I don't know that I want one. Ideally, I'd determine the geometry that I liked from this and *then* look at frames/components that would satisfy this. "Ride" seems to be so subjective, that I don't think that there is much of an alternative to test rides, and I agree with RoadWarrior that it may not be reasonable to let everyone go on a 20 mile test ride. Most LBS's that I've dealt with have tried to be accomodating, but you can only tell so much from a test ride around the parking lot. There is going to be risk on both sides of the equation. Interesting question, though...

In terms of the OP, a 56cm 3K bike isn't going to be too hard to sell if it turns out to be a disaster.

SpongeDad

If the LBS knows your going to buy, I don't think a serious test ride should ever be out of the question. I took my Merlin out for about an hour and half, did some intervals on a closed loop, some hills and purposefully rode over some bad pavement. The we spent another hour and half going over the fit (stem length, saddle position, cleat position). After that I knew exactly what I was getting and haven't had a regret.

roadwarrior

[QUOTE=alxra]I hope no one told you it would be easy! [QUOTE}

It is pretty easy when you get folks that either want assistance (have no idea), or know pretty much what they want before they arrive.


Last time this was discussed, I think the number was about $450...remember that most hybrids/comforts, which comprise a TON of bike sales are between about $275 and $350...that's the average recreational rider. Heck in hard tail MTB's the midpoint is about $400 for the Giant/Trek grouping. This includes kids bikes, as well.

Road only, about a grand for the bike, alone....the add-ons vary so much there, it's hard to put any value on that..

Caveman

I just realized that the original poster has plenty of experience so disregard my insinuation that he/she buy a lessor bike and ride a while to figure it out. I stand by my assertion that at that price point a buyer should be informed enough to understand what they need or want. It should be easy enough to take a ride on any Ti bike or carbon or whatever trips your trigger to evaluate the ride qualities. I realize that two Ti bikes (or carbon, or steel) can have pretty different rides but you'll still get an idea of how Ti compares to carbon or steel or Al. Armed with that info you probably already have a general idea of what frame size and geometry works for you and you already understand your riding style and abilities. You may even have a manufacturor or two in mind. That info alone narrows the field to a handful of frames. Read some reviews. Talk to the LBS. Test ride those that you can find. Then it just becomes a process of settling on the details. Besides, at that price range as long as the bike fits it's highly unlikely that you'd be disappointed no matter what you bought. Good luck with your purchase.

jburnsdo

Thanks for all of the responses, and thanks caveman, for realizing that I'm not a run of the mill yuppie with an extra few grand laying around waiting to buy my bike and get passed by SinCity on his unicycle.

I have always wondered how people who ride high end bikes know that theirs is the best thing on pavement since the pneumatic tire. I've always chalked it up to the fact that it's hard to go wrong in that price range. But it still seems akin to blind dating, or hooking up with a girl because somebody on Bike Forums thought she was hot and rode really well

Before I digress too much, (or get kicked out for that last comment) I'd like to respond to the 'I should know what I want comment'. I have been a rider long enough and lurker here long enough to know exactly what I want: One Tuscany, One Madone, One lugged Derosa, and One sixthirteen. Barring winning the lottery, I don't foresee that, and I definitly don't see any other way to get the best bike for my money other than to test ride as many bikes as I can.

I know by default I'll probably end up looking at one Ti bike and one high end steel bike to compare the trek to, but I don't think it will be too much of a chore to spend next spring riding the choicest rides out there. . .

thanks again--this is a good thread

Caveman

jburnsdo,

If it helps I know where you can get an 05' Madone 56cm for $3995 brand new.

Jim Bonnet

I live near Wrench Science. It was such a nice place to drop $5000 on a bike.. LOL.. Seriously, if you are near the Bay Area give them a call or stop by. They have some super nice stuff in stock. A whole WALL of stuff in fact.

alxra

And what percent of your customers do these "lap sales" make up? Probably not the majority.

Suffice it to say that jburnsdo (author of this thread) is looking to spend anywhere between 3 to 6 times more than your average customer. As a business owner, you're an allocator of scarce resources, and your time is a scarce resource. So it would behoove (I can't believe I used that word) you to allocate more of your scarce resource to someone like that. Unless you advertise and generate traffic that way, your main source of business is going to be referrals. Do you want the guy who spent $3000 in your shop to send his friends in? I think it would be a bad idea to try and convince this guy that anything above buying off the shelf after a 10 min test ride would be a nuisance.

thewalrus

a few times a year? come shop for high-end freeride/downhill mountain bikes in vancouver... a proper bike STARTS at about $2700 and runs up to $5500+. there's a couple of shops in town that will have dozens of $3500 bikes in stock at the peak of the season in late may/early june. it's also a lot harder to properly test ride a freeride bike, because of the risk of damage and the store's non-proximity to trails. frequently people will buy a bike that is the right size without test riding it, after test riding similar components (brakes, fork) on a friend's bike.

alxra

Most business owners are going to stock based on a forecast. Most forecasts are built based on a trend developed over time. The exception might be a new, never offered breakthrough product where test marketing has show there is strong demand or an already existing backlog. I doubt most LBS's deal with that forecast model. If there is not a trend for selling $3000+ bikes, then they will not forecast and consequently not stock $3000+ bikes.

I made the statement based on what the author originally said about the stock in his area. Did I miss something?