Originally Posted by
mconlonx
If you come into our shop and ask for a 20% discount on a current model year bike, or a non-current bike already marked down, we will politely tell you, "No." We would, however, be more than happy to build and tune your BD or Performance bike at regular build/tune pricing for the service.
That's because margin on bikes is so low. Customers have no idea how low it is. I remember long ago, working at a bike shop, a customer said he would wait until the off-season and come back and buy at half price. Ain't gonna happen. They're not like clothing; there is no such margin built in that allows deep discounts.
Originally Posted by
noglider
Comparing specs of two bikes doesn't give you the whole picture. You can't compare the quality of a bike you see in person with that of a bike you see on the interwebs.
Let me explain a bit. There are some things that you can't compare because
- you can't see the product until after you've bought,
- they don't want to tell you the difference, and
- spec sheets don't specify and couldn't even quantify the difference if they wanted to.
The things you cannot compare:
- quality of workmanship on the frame, e.g. welds. This can't be changed after purchase.
- quality of the little bits of hardware holding things together, such as seat binder bolt. When there are a dozen crappy bolts that ought to have good quality bolts, the end result is a pretty crappy bike.
- quality of the low-level assembly. For example, are the BB and headset pressed in at proper parallel and perpendicular angles? This can be attended to and fixed, but it often isn't, and the longer you ride a bike before correcting them, the more trouble you have later.
When I got my Nashbar no-name fixie bike, the headset needed adjustment and so did the hub cones. Lots of bikes come from the factory with some or all of the four main bearings (two hubs, BB, and headset) much too tight. Some bike shops correct this as a matter of course before handing a new bike to a customer. There is no guarantee that a bike shop will do this, but there is almost a guarantee that a mail order bike will not be done right here.
Often:
- brake levers are put in the wrong position,
- cables are too long,
- brake shoes are not aligned to the rims, and
- a dozen other details are wrong.
If you trust that your bike needs attention as soon as you receive it in the mail, and if you bring it in right away, or if you take care of all the details yourself, you can do well, as I did with my Nashbar fixie. Most people don't do any of this. Some people have some of the stuff taken care of, but not all.
I'm not entirely against the concept, but the savings just isn't what it appears to be. Knowledge is wealth, and not everyone knows what needs to be known to make an informed decision.