Stinger9oh

I've ridden about 17,000 miles on the 1999 Schwinn Supersport I bought about two and a half years ago. I think it's about time to start looking for a better bike. This should really be something enjoyable to do, but actually I'm really intimidated. In other threads, I've noted that I am a bit put off by the attitude given off by some of the LBS in my area. They make me feel that they are doing me a favor to sell me something. On the other hand, people in the forums talk about taking test rides on bikes and getting a good fit, etc. My current bike cost $750 and I got to test ride it in the parking lot. My friend in another city bought a Bianchi for $1,700 and all they allowed him to do was ride it in the parking lot. For both of us, the fitting was the standover test. BFD! To me that is like buying it without trying it out at all. (BTW, I was lucky with the Schwinn, it is a good fit. But if I am going to spend a lot of money, I'd like the best fit).

I plan to spend up to US$3,000 for a new bike. If I buy it in a shop, what should I be able to expect from them to try to sell it to me?

I live in a bike oriented community, but it is a small city. Most shops don't have much on hand. How do I ever get to ride or see anything? I am interested in LOOK bikes, but the LBS that sells LOOK only has frames. How do I even get to ride one so that I can get some idea if I want one? If they order one for me to try, am I obligated to buy it?

I can look in San Jose, but I would only be buying there. I wouldn't be going back for any service or anything so there doesn't seem to be much reason to go to a shop. Might as well buy from a catalog.

How do people buy Colnagos, Pinarellos, DeRosas, etc? Where do they find them? I see them advertised for mail order. That seems easy enough, but how do people get to see them and ride them before they buy.

Now I understand why so many people have Treks and LeMonds. They're easy to find.

Of course, I am a bit perverse, since the excellent local products, Calfee and Kestrel, don't appeal to me very much.

I know that there are many questions here, but I am very frustrated because I don't know what I should be able to expect from an LBS.

Thanks.

Rich

roadfix

Just take your wife or girlfriend with you next time.....

wyobiker

Just my 2 cents - I would think any shop (s) that sell high end bikes would be very interested in helping take your money. That being the case I'm sure that they would provide you with both a proper fit and a test ride of a reasonable length. Remember your the one spending your hard earned money at their place of business. Be specific in what you what and reasonable and they should treat you with respect. If not find a LBS that will treat you right.

Cintibiker

A couple of things....at $3000 you are in the range to get full or partial custom bike. Waterford comes to mind - you can find dealer in your area at Waterford web site. If you are in an active bike community, isn't there a club? These are the people that you should be talking with. If an LBS doesn't work with you, don't waste your time with them.

foodle

I just bought a bike (02 Klein Quantum Race) at a LBS this weekend. They spent 1.5 hours with me doing the fit. They swapped the stem twice and the seatpost once (all for free). They never downgraded any component. I either got an equivalent part or an upgrade. Previous to my purchase, I test rode 3 of their bikes for 20-30min each on their local streets test loop. They said that I can come back and adjust the fit after riding for a few weeks. They include a free tune-up after 30-days and free lifetime minor adjustments. The service from the shop was amazing. This is the level of service that you should expect.

Where do you live? You mention San Jose, so I assume you're in Northern California someplace. There have been a few threads about LBS's in the Bay Area recently.

travis200

Check out the last couple threads on San Jose bike shops. Most shops I went too asked me if I had my shoes and pedals to take a real test ride. I know when i was buying my bike from Sun bikes in Milpitas HAve a good selection of bikes a guy was test riding a Litespeed for about an hour I rode my Giant for about 30 minutes forgot my shoes but had pedals so had to ride on the cheap plastics but it was a good ride. Mikes bikes in Palo Alto is another good shop with alot of higher end bikes calfee, Cervelo, etc...

Teski

Yup...I just bought my Trek 5200 from Gregg's Greenlake in Seattle, WA. I test rode 4 or 5 bikes for 20 - 30 minutes each, and they gave me no hassle. I even came back after I narrowed it down to two bikes and they had no problems with me going out again. Once I bought the bike, they had me come back for a custom fitting for my Shimano Dura Ace pedals. Very good customer service.

Teski

dexmax

why don't you measure your bike first..

Toptube, seattube, etc.

Then the standover height and reach.. also measure the distance your seat is over the handlebar, or vice versa.

This will give you an idea on the specs you need.

Just show this to the LBS guys, and they'll know you mean business... At this point, they'll give you a fitting..

Since you got quite a big budget, you can pretty much get anything you want..

You say the LBS only sells Look frames.. Usually, when you buy a frame it comes with the headset, stem and fork. Right there you can compare it with your current bike specs..

When you have choosen, w/ the help of the LBS guys, you can have the frame assembled.. There, they can adjust/replace the stem, seatpost, etc.....

After w/c, I'm sure they will allow you to test ride the bike.

Good Luck!

late

I can hardly believe what you are telling us. Any business selling a premium product is also selling service. I think whatever you wind up getting, you should cruise up to these stores on your new bike. If you want to give them another chance, and no one would blame you if you didn't..... You might ride to the store on your bike. That tells them in no uncertain terms you are a cyclist; and your bike can act as a security blanket. Unbelievable. My wife dithered for months over buying her bike. She test rode it 4 or 5 times. The last one took a couple hours. Now that's a test ride. If you do decide to go back, I would drive a little further and check the shops within an hours drive first. Make sure you mention that when you return. You could also speak
to some mailorder guys, if you are not going to get a test ride; that will give you the most bang for your buck.

RonH

For that kind of money have you considered Litespeed?
ALL of the bike shops in the Atlanta area that sell Litespeed are very friendly and customer oriented. They allow test rides on the road for a few miles and they make sure the bike fits.

I was (and still am) very satisfied with the way I was treated when I bought mine.

late

Litespeed Tuscany......hubba hubba

lotek 

Serotta.
most shops that sell Serotta do fittings, and have Serotta
trained technicians, they usually will include it in the cost
of the bike (runs up to about $100 for the session).
It doesn't matter what bike you buy, you should get a
good fit and more than a once around the parking lot
test ride.
Where in Ca. are you? There is a list of Serotta shops
at the Serotta web site ( https://www.serotta.com )
it would be worth your while to check them out.

Marty

RiPHRaPH

there are two kinds of people in this world. ones' that grow atteched to something and keep it forever (houses, stocks, wives, car, BIKE) and those who regularly trade in/up and don't have any emotional attachment to things.

the people who have bought top line bikes from good manufacturers without testing them out first, are fairly confident they are getting a good bike - and trade it in - in a season or two and say...oh yeah, i rode a derosa. good bike. same with components.

ever wonder how so many people (even on these boards) seem to have owned everything in sight at one time or another?

what kind of owner are you? lease or own or long term.

p.s. i'd be intimidated NOT shopping for a bike the proper way. the process is as good as the actual ownership.

~LongRider~

You just havent found the right bike shop yet. Keep looking. If your local shops suck, then dont limit yourself to them. There are plenty of shops out there where they are happy to spend time with someone who has $3000 in their pocket.

Guest

True- I wouldn't even mention how much money you have to spend. Just walk into a shop and tell them what you want. If they won't help you out like these guys detailed, back out of the store slowly, turn and break into a run, and don't look back (or risk being turned into a pillar of salt! ).

I say a store should help you no matter how much money you have to spend. The store that goes above and beyond without knowing you've got the 3 grand will be your store for life, I suspect.

Good luck with your search, and don't forget to post the pics when you get your bike!

Koffee

miamijim

MEasuring your current bike is good idea. Heres one I did with customers back in the day. Bring your Schwinn with you and line it up against the model your interested in. The easiest way is to back both bikes against a wall then stand to side and compare. You'd be surprised at how easy it is to comapre seat tube angles, BB height and a myriad of other dimensions using this techniques. Go to a big city. Find the old Schwinn brochure pertaining to your bike and compare geometry.

Dchiefransom

It doesn't sound like your bike shop can afford to eat the cost of losing a bike, or wearing out tires for a serious test. If you can get to San Jose, you can get up to Chain Reaction in Los Altos or Redwood City. The Redwood City store measures you, puts you on a trainer, and sends you out on a course with a route sheet to test the bike. I believe there are also hills involved. I don't think they handle Look bikes, but I would find a shop that wants you to take off on a ride. They are online at www.Chainreaction.com. I think they are a Trek/Klein/Lemond dealer. There are many shops in San Jose, you just have to find the ones that want you to really check out their bike before you buy it.

Gustaf

Just out of curiosity do you recall who was helping you when you bought your bike? I recently bought my first road bike there and it seemed to me that most of the employees didn’t seem very interested or could care less about your potential purchase. There was one exception that being a guy named Leif, he was extremely helpful and whenever I go back there I always seek him out to ask questions.

Just curious if you had the same experience.

Maybe their level of customer service is a function of how much you are spending. Who knows.

Citabria

To the thread starter... are you in Santa Cruz? If not, have you checked out the bike shops in the area? After shopping in SJ for awhile, I came to the Spokesman in SC and bought my current (cyclocross) bike there a couple yrs ago. They had a great selection and were cool about letting me take the bike for as long of a test ride as I wanted (I think I left my drivers lic with them)... I went a couple miles and came back.

I really enjoy the bike shopping scene here quite a bit more than the 'over the hill' counterparts in SJ!

ImprezaDrvr

I'll third (or maybe fourth) the notion to measure your bike and use that as a baseline for fit. I just ordered a bike over the phone from a dealer in Oklahoma that I know and trust, and I'm confident that it's going to fit very well. He's been great and I fully expect the bike to be easy to fit shoud anything come up. If you want to have a local shop keep up with your labor, etc. you could go somewhere else and get some advice and go to a local shop to tell them what you want. But, keep in mind that the level of attention you receive on the sales floor might very well reflect the attention that your bike will get in service. There are a ton of shops in northern Cali that wouldn't be too far away from the area you've talked about. I can't imagine that one of them wouldn't help you out. Go into it like you're shopping for a shop first and a bike only after you find a good shop.

Stinger9oh

Thanks, everyone, for some great practical ideas. I really did learn some things that I needed to know. I just want to clarify something: $3,000 is my top limit if I find the dream bike that I must have at that price. I'd like to spend quite a bit less if I can.

I live in Watsonville, which is at the south end of Santa Cruz county. I know the Spokesman. Yes, the guys are nice and knowledgeable there, but what I have to spend is fairly low end for a road bike from them.

I do like Bici and Shaw's in San Jose. Maybe I should start from there.

BTW, when I did the self-fitting from Wrench Science, I realized how lucky I was to find the bike I did. I originally bought it because it was a great buy in my original price range and the fit seemed OK. It turned out to be right on the money when I measured myself a year after buying it. Maybe needs wider handlebars and a longer stem.

I like the idea of taking my bike with me when shopping. First, if I get snobbiness for having a $750 Schwinn, that will be a sign to abandon that shop. Second, if they see what I have basically a good fit, I can say what I want better, and they can take it from there. It also gives them the opening to say, "Let's take your pedals off and put them on this bike and give it a ride."

Actually, I'm getting more confident already.

Rich

Stinger9oh

I do keep everything forever, but not out of deep attachment. Laziness is a more like it. My surfboard is heavily dinged and maybe a bit little bit waterlogged, but for me it is easier to just grab it, surf, and have a great time than to spend my time shopping for a new one. I think it's the same with my bike--no, it's not waterlogged--I am comfortable with it. Hmmm, maybe I shouldn't be thinking about a new one at all.

Rich

TXCiclista

If you're gonna drop $3,000, you might as well approach it like you're buying a car. You definitely wouldn't buy a new one if they only let you drive to the end of the lot and back.
I'd just walk in and start looking. When you ask about a test ride, just say "I'm not gonna buy a bike like this without taking it for a decent test ride. I'd like at least 30 minutes. Can you do that for me?" If they really want your money, they'll say "Yes". If not, I'd honestly say "That's too bad. I guess I'll have to go somewhere else." That should get some attention.
Another thing, don't get the new guy. He may not know all the ropes. If you can get someone who's been there a while, they might be mose used to long rides.
I think you'll be fine. The idea to ride your bike in is a great one. I bet if you find someway to let them know how much you ride (17,000!!!!!!) they'll know you're not just there to screw them.
Best of luck. And if they're all jerks, don't hesitate to buy out of town. They don't deserve your money...

PS Knowing a lot about the bike you want before you go in puts the ball in your court. Keep them from pulling the wool over your eyes and lets them know you're serious. They're probably just worried about theft...

TXCiclista

PS Awesome avatar. I love it everytime I see it. That you? Your "senior member" blurb is pretty cool too...