Buying Online
 

I am getting my bike at a L.B.S., but the various accessories I need (rack, helmet, tools, etc.) are as expensive as hell. I am new to biking, so I only know of one website that sells many of the accessories I need for less, niagaracycle.com. How do I know I can trust this website as far as quality, legitimacy, etc.? I appreciate any other website recommendations as well.

There's a crap ton of etailers. Amazon, Nashbar, ebikestop, JensonUSA, pricepoint, bikesomewhere, treefortbikes, penncycles, universalcycles, wiggle (in the UK), evanscycles (also in the UK)... too many to list and most won't have products/prices that you want.

Look here for feedback/questions on various brands/products/websites.

BTW, have you figured out what bike you'll be getting yet?

While I get a VERY good discount at my LBS, sometimes I find that their pricing is still a bit too high on things. Fortunately for me, there is also a Performance shop in town. Every year, I join their TEAM PERFORMANCE, which gets me 10% on all my purchases toward more stuff from them! :thumb:

Oh, yeah, as far as rack go, they will vary in design by purpose. Some work with panniers better, some with trunks better, some will do both. This would be good for a trunk or small basket on top, but not any bags/baskets on the side.
Something like this would work for side loading, and this would work for both top and side loading, because it has a lower rail to attach panniers to.

Hey there Blue!

Both bikesdirect and nashbar have pretty good customer reviews. Performance is also pretty good, too.

Of course, we all know that www.rei.com/outlet has an excellent reputation. The only real problem with purchasing a bicycle from any online store's website, is the fact that it just might not be the right fit. In that case, you'll be force to pay for extra shipping costs. Most of these online stores have the 100% satisfaction warranty in place.

- Slim :)

PS.

Really...What bike DID you get?

1. She's made it clear she buying a bike through her LBS, and that she's currently only aware of niagra cycles as a source to obtain her accessories. She's needing feedback about that site, or recommendations for others.

2. And I want to know what she has her sights on as well.

Yes! I'm already aware of these facts.

What's your point, friend?

I got a little carried away with the bold when quoting you, but I don't recall BD selling accessories on their site, so I questioned why you mentioned them. Maybe you meant to say bikeisland instead? That is BD's accessory site, as well as serving as the outlet site. But from I understand, the things she is interested in (and the price she's willing to pay), bikeisland probably won't get any business from her.

Join REI, and then you get membership rebates.
REI, return everything indefinitely.

Your LBS might offer a discount off accessories when you buy the bike...

Niagara Cycles sells through Amazon. You should be able to read feedback there.

I have ordered stuff from Niagara, they're fine.

But DO NOT order multiple items from them through amazon, or you'll get a shipping charge on each item.

www.bikeisland.com For framepump and multi tool. Topeak Road Morph w/Gauge 35.00 Park MTB-3 Multi-tool 20.00 No shipping
www.rei.com Delta Mega Rack Super Sherpa 15.93+ shipping. Superb product.
www.pricepoint.com Sette Glo HL 10.00 Sette 316 blinkies 10.00 Get 3. 2 for mounting on rear and 1 to carry in tool-kit if needed. These are 'be seen' lights. For a really good 'ultra-blast' taillight the Cygo-lite Hot-Shot is 40-50 dollars and is re-chargeable. Don't have one myself, but it's my next commuter purchase. The reviews are really good.
www.nashbar.com Niterider Mi-newt 150 Cordless 70.00 +shipping. Great light for the money in case you commute in the dark.
www.biketiresdirect.com for tubes and tires. Free shipping after a certain dollar amount.

No1mad mentioned several. All have good reputations on the Commuter sub-forum. If you get on their e-mail lists you will be alerted to closeouts, special discounts, etc. It's kind of like going to a thriftstore...one has to go back a few times until running across that 'sweet deal'. Just have to be patient.

Btw, I buy everything online in knowing what's needed for my bikes ahead of time, usually.

Pricepoint currently has it for $49.99+s/h.

I have ordered thrice from Niagara and my experience was very good. Nothing missing or wrong, shipping was fairly quick,and they actually answer emails with real information (not like the outsourced support that Amazon uses).

-G

Some smaller Bike shops just don't want to juggle several different wholesalers billing
to have a wide variety of the same sort of thing in stock.

Others probably have a JIT arrangement with like QBP
to not carry unsold inventory for too long.

I purchase from Niagara Cycle Works from time to time, from their Amazon selling account since the shipping costs seem more advantageous there. They are relatively slow to ship, but knowing up front to expect that I've been fully satisfied.

My first suggestion is to at least give your LBS a chance at the business. If they come close then throw them the bone. Most shops don't make tons of money on bike sales, they make it work through selling parts/accessories/servicing.

Niagara Cycles is fine, I've bought from them via Amazon. You can probably find all you need on Amazon. I gave up on local bikes shops. I gave them a chance many times, they insisted on screwing up. I don't have time for that nonsense.

Universal Cycles has been a very good source for me.
Huge selection, never any problems, and no sales tax.

Yes, the brick & mortar retail business strategy is to take slim margins on the bikes and make the profits off the accessories & service. Mail order is fine if you have the time to wait for delivery, you know exactly what you want, and you've factored in the shipping costs. Usually when you order from out-of-state, the sales tax saving makes up for the shipping cost; even better if you can combine your orders to make up a free shipping minimum.

The premium you pay for parts & service at the LBS can be seen as a "relationship fee." If it's a really good shop with friendly and knowledgeable staff, it's worth the premium to establish a good relationship. Once they know you, they will accommodate that one big emergency repair the night before the Gran Fondo, something that's pretty priceless.

And it's pretty easy to find those kinds of LBS's. They will get the recommendations from very experienced cyclists, they are usually quite involved in the local cycling community, and when you visit the shop, the guy at the counter does not try to diminish your knowledge of cycling or its technical issues in order to try to make himself look more knowledgeable. No, but in just talking to him (or more frequently her), it becomes quite obvious that they know one heck of a lot more about bicycles than you, and you've been at this for 40 years. That's the shop you want the relationship with!

Examples from my own personal experience, living in Vancouver, Canada, I would seriously AVOID Simon's downtown, but I can recommend R+E for those in Seattle! (yeah, insert standard disclaimer here)

Luis

Niagara and Nashbar are fine. Niagara has some seriously low prices for tires, tubes, cables and similar items you need. Nashbar is where you can get some great deals on racks, panniers, fenders and items like that...even complete bikes. With Nashbar you can sometimes get really extraordinary deals when they have a "special", which is fortunately about every day. Right now they have silver SKS 45mm fenders for $19.99. That's not bad. Some prices at the LBS aren't that bad, ever been to Wal-Mart or K-Mart? I couldn't believe the prices for bike parts and accessories at these "discount" stores. I'll take my LBS over them any day.

Yes, they generally do. Several people I know confront their LBS with the Internet price and occasionally the LBS will match.

Please do bear in mind that Internet prices should also include the cost of shipping. This is often a reason for me to buy locally, particularly if I only need one item.

And Nashbar branded merchandise is pretty good too. Some of their clothing and shoes are very good, their frames, pedals, racks, bags, etc. are very solid too. So is Performance, they're the same company/owned by the same company. If you're not into flashy brand-name stuff then Nashbar stuff is worth looking at. Their SPD sandals are favorite among touring cyclists at 50% of the price of comparable Pearl Izumi sandals, for instance.

And yeah, another vote for Universal Cycles. They're my #1 place to go for components and parts. They're owned by QBP, same company that owns Salsa, Surly, Civia, etc. They make very good wheels too, by hand, takes a couple of weeks but it's worth it. One of QBP brands, Dimension makes value, but decent quality parts and accessories, stems, seatposts, bars, etc.

The main reason that I often buy from Amazon is Prime and fast, free shipping. Amazon also has constantly some of the lowest prices. One big problem with Amazon is their website: for technical stuff, the product descriptions are often incomplete and misleading. If you really want a 12-36 9-speed cassette you may want to go to Nashbar or Universal and pay a few bucks more but get what you need. But something like a Topeak bag is usually cheapest and easiest to get from Amazon.