Bike Direct warranty service
12-30-12, 02:28 PM
#26
Full Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Santa Barbara
Posts: 317
Bikes: 2011 Surly Cross Check
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 18 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 6 Times
in
4 Posts
Too late for today, son is gone already and off to work. Good idea though, maybe I'll stop by his work later and check that out.
12-30-12, 02:50 PM
#27
Banned
That is a set up adjustment Not Warranty item.
Some buyers have a bike shop do the set up.
Some buyers have a bike shop do the set up.
such as the Park Bicycle tool company site..
Dealer setup and prep is what you bypassed buying from BD.. you just have to cope with that choice.
12-30-12, 02:54 PM
#28
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,138
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 67 Post(s)
Liked 83 Times
in
44 Posts
Well that was a day late and a dollar short. It's almost like you read the first post and decided to drop some knowledge without realizing that the OP had already coped successfully with his choice.
12-30-12, 02:59 PM
#29
Galveston County Texas
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: In The Wind
Posts: 33,222
Bikes: 02 GTO, 2011 Magnum
Mentioned: 19 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1350 Post(s)
Liked 1,245 Times
in
623 Posts
See Post #27, just in case you skipped it.
__________________
Fred "The Real Fred"
Fred "The Real Fred"
12-30-12, 03:05 PM
#30
Banned
Even at those inflated margins, one bad online purchase can wipe any savings that one might have gained by not checking out a bike personally. Spending 250 dollars extra at the LBS would have saved me 5 times that by not having to scrap out one online bike, and ending up buying a lesser model bike at the LBS of what I wanted originally.
12-30-12, 03:13 PM
#31
Senior Member
Join Date: Aug 2011
Posts: 3,138
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 67 Post(s)
Liked 83 Times
in
44 Posts
Yeah, homeboy sounds competent. Just a little unfamiliar with indexed shifting. The smarmy, condescending advice, aimed towards someone who didn't need anything but a quick point in the right direction, kinda grates on me.
12-30-12, 03:15 PM
#32
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Santa Fe, NM
Posts: 4,599
Bikes: Vassago Moosknuckle Ti 29+ XTR, 90's Merckx Corsa-01 9sp Record, PROJECT: 1954 Frejus SuperCorsa
Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 174 Post(s)
Liked 157 Times
in
75 Posts
Even at those inflated margins, one bad online purchase can wipe any savings that one might have gained by not checking out a bike personally. Spending 250 dollars extra at the LBS would have saved me 5 times that by not having to scrap out one online bike, and ending up buying a lesser model bike at the LBS of what I wanted originally.
However, BD has a return policy, so no need to "scrap out" a puchase and call it a loss. Inconvenience, yes.
IMO online sources are great if you know what you are looking for (geometry, etc) and are comfortable with mechanical aspects. I love my LBS and do support them whenever I can. That said, I have done all of my own mechanical work since the 70's so my LBS business tends to be maintenance items and relatively small purchases.
If the day comes when I decide to build up a new bike, I'll engage my LBS for the frame purchase, or perhaps a complete bike if one exists specc'ed as I want (not likely). That said, if I can find the same thing online for significantly less than the LBS can offer, I'll make my purchase online. That's the reality of it. As much as I love to support my LBS, I don't have the luxury of extra cash to spend locally if there is not tangible benefit other than some local brownie points.
Last edited by canyoneagle; 12-30-12 at 04:19 PM.
12-30-12, 04:05 PM
#33
Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: North County San Diego
Posts: 1,664
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times
in
0 Posts
My experience with Bikes Direct when I bought my Motobecane Lechampion Ti was great.
A couple adjustments here and there but otherwise it's a great bike and no issues...
A couple adjustments here and there but otherwise it's a great bike and no issues...
12-30-12, 04:14 PM
#34
Senior Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location: Santa Fe, NM
Posts: 4,599
Bikes: Vassago Moosknuckle Ti 29+ XTR, 90's Merckx Corsa-01 9sp Record, PROJECT: 1954 Frejus SuperCorsa
Mentioned: 11 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 174 Post(s)
Liked 157 Times
in
75 Posts
The same circumstance exists when the LBS doesn’t normally carry the bicycle you desire in their shop. They tell you they can order it for you, but you must pay for it prior to it being ordered so it’s no different than Bikes Direct in that you can’t check it out firsthand prior to purchasing it. I was initially attempting to purchase a Giant Roam 1, which, as it turns out, they don’t normally carry in the LBS. Since Giant doesn’t allow potential customers to order their bikes directly, I completely ruled out the purchase of a new Giant bicycle and I have no regrets (though I like Giant bikes).
When I returned to that LBS a few days later and asked the owner where he kept the GT Transeo 3.0’s, he pointed to the other side of his store. I searched diligently, but he didn’t have any. When I returned to the LBS owner, I said, “You don’t carry Transeo 3.0’s, do you?” The conniving thief next said, “I forgot… they changed the name of that bike to the Nomad this year and I have them over here.” Well, I knew better, as GT offered both bikes during the same year and they were very different from one another, but the LBS owner was banking on an ill informed customer and hoped his deception would yield him a sale. I turned and walked out after telling him that GT didn’t rename the Transeo 3.0 and I’d never set foot in his store again.
Another nearby LBS is owned by his brother and that’s another shop that I’ll never enter again even if they were the last LBS on earth. They’re a family of thieves and cantankerous know-it-alls that lack scruples and common sense. And so I reiterate, Bikes Direct is looking better all the time.
When I returned to that LBS a few days later and asked the owner where he kept the GT Transeo 3.0’s, he pointed to the other side of his store. I searched diligently, but he didn’t have any. When I returned to the LBS owner, I said, “You don’t carry Transeo 3.0’s, do you?” The conniving thief next said, “I forgot… they changed the name of that bike to the Nomad this year and I have them over here.” Well, I knew better, as GT offered both bikes during the same year and they were very different from one another, but the LBS owner was banking on an ill informed customer and hoped his deception would yield him a sale. I turned and walked out after telling him that GT didn’t rename the Transeo 3.0 and I’d never set foot in his store again.
Another nearby LBS is owned by his brother and that’s another shop that I’ll never enter again even if they were the last LBS on earth. They’re a family of thieves and cantankerous know-it-alls that lack scruples and common sense. And so I reiterate, Bikes Direct is looking better all the time.
I learned this from experience when I ordered a Norco Vesta sight unseen from a LBS - it was not a bike they stocked, so they had to order it. The bike was okay, but despite the geo being fine for me on paper, the bike did not ride well for me. I made many changes - saddle, 3 different handlebar/stem combos, you name it, and it just did not work for me. Sadly, the 30 day return window had expired by the time I realized it was a lost cause, so I was stuck with the bike.
In the end, I built it back up to stock configuration sold it after a year for a $400 loss.
So, even with the LBS you can be exposed to the same risks as online.
12-30-12, 05:09 PM
#35
Banned
I've found that BD service is only on par with the purchase price of the bicycle, and an LBS can be the same, but it's just nice in not have to correspond by email, and at a long distance if things don't work out with the bike. A 30 day return policy can go by very quickly, especially if one discovers a frame design flaw when it's too late.
