Originally Posted by
Bob Dopolina
That's not a sales trick.
The mixed spec is done by the product manager of the brand to try to spec the bike to reach a specific target price. If they can save a dollar using a different brake and then invest that same dollar to upgrade the der they may do that as it adds to curb appeal.
The shop sells what is spec'd by the brand.
+1
The whole notion of trickery is bogus anyway. The bike is on display. Parts aren't covered up...lol. An uniformed buyer isn't going to make an informed buying decision. It doesn't matter if it is a bike, a car or a house.
It probably is a common pitfall for a newbie to get 'taken' a bit with a bike purchase. Guys around the sport for 20+ years know value better. There are also a lot of guys who riding higher bikes for decades and know very little about them. They just go in the shop and pick out the model...or rather color they like.