those darn accessories
 

I've been waiting (and dreaming out loud) about getting into road biking for a bit now. Last Christmas, my wife thought she could squelch my apparently "annoying" dreaming by getting me a prescription to Bicycling magazine. Well that really didn't help either of us, and now she's agreed to let me dip into savings and go buy one.

My questions is, is it better to buy all of the accessories from the LBS when I get the bike or would it be better/ easier on the budget to buy the essential ones (like shoes) from the LBS but then get everything else like spare tubes, new helmet, bibs, ect. somewhere else (online) hoping for sales and cheaper prices?


thanks for any input

That's kind of like buying an alcoholic a single drink thinking that will satisfy them?

If the LBS offers a discount on items purchased along with the bike, I'd go for it...otherwise there are lots of online deals.

You are aware this is a slippery slope, aren't you?

More like buying them a set of martini glasses -- and suggesting they be filled with ice water.

Unless you really know what you are doing, buy the stuff like shoes and clothes and helmets from a local shop where you can try them on first. Manufacturer size charts are not very accurate.

Most shops will offer 10-20% off all accessories purchased with a bike, so it's best to buy them then if you can. May I suggest...

Helmet
Seat bag
Spare tubes
Patch kit
Tire levers
Floor pump
Frame pump
Multi-tool

and maybe...
Moisture wicking top
Shorts with padding (don't wear underwear with these)
Better pedals and matching shoes
Lights if you intend on doing night rides

I just get all my accessories from performance... great prices there.

I don't know if this is true everywhere, but many local bike shops gives 10% to 20% discounts (on everything, any time) to members of local cycling clubs. That makes bike shops competitive with mail order on most items.

I agree with the comments on discounts at the LBS; you can usually negotiate with them to give you a blanket discount (x%) on the acessories if you agree to buy the bike there.

Personally I love the challenge of finding stuff cheaper than retail. Ebay and Craigslist can be your friend.

Work a deal on the whole lot at LBS. But online is almost always cheaper. Look up prices of things you want then go in prepared.

I bought my SIDI shoes and Keo pedals from the LBS at time of bike purchase. In retrospect I massively overpaid on the shoes and pedals. Those online bargains are tough to beat.

That said, I was happy to give him the business, and happy to be riding right away without having to wait.

It sounds like you already know this, but realize that accessories can quickly, quickly, add up.
Helmet
Gloves
Shoes
2x shorts
2x jersey
Glasses
Pump/CO2 Tubes
Water bottles/cage
Energy Bars

You could easily hit 300/400 bucks doing this, 5-10% of the cost of a good bike.

Find out the internet price for the accessory and then work with your lbs if you want to buy something from them in town. Lots of times my lbs worked with me on the price. Smaller gross profit margin than normal is better than none at all for them.

I think it's good to balance both internet purchases vs. lbs. There are good deals to be had with either if you look hard enough and do your research.

Plus, sometimes you need an lbs in your corner if you ever have a warranty issue or need something fixed on your bike ASAP. Familiar customers always get more attention and preferred treatment. That is, unless your a dick.

Shorts with padding (don't wear underwear with these)

A MUST!!!

My first ride was without them and my ***** hurt for three days!! I finally got a pair...rode with shorts over them the first time because I was a bit self conscious then got over it very quickly and rode just in the bike shorts (aka spandex)....it was so much better...more freedom, alot cooler (temp wise).

Buy all the extras, except shoes and helmets which need to be tried on, online, better prices.

Ah, much better. I knew I had not got the analogy quite right.

welcome to the beginning of the end of your bank account

You asked for input: I'm gonna have to go ahead and disagree with a lot of the advice thrown around in here. Are you sure you'll even like road biking? Why not, instead of buying a new bike, buy something used and vintage (70's-90's)? It's not hard to find a 24 (or less) pound steel road bike with nice components for $150 or less (just make sure it fits) if you look around for about 20 minutes. Then take it to get tuned up, get tires and all that, and spend the rest on "accessories".

Another thing many will disagree with is that YOU DO NO NEED TO LOOK LIKE LANCE ARMSTRONG. You can buy a brooks saddle and be rather comfortable in gym shorts. You can also wear a tank top instead of a fancy jersey. You can also use straps instead of dropping $$$ on clipless pedals and shoes. You can also buy a $10 set of aviators instead of those mad aerodynamic coolguy biker glasses.

Not to say that none of those things have their place, they do, but you could road cycle happily the rest of your life without them, not to mention that it's a pretty safe bet that you aren't at a level where any of that would matter anyway.

That's my 2000 cents, or if you will, "alternative perspective".

Mazdaspeed, now that I've convinced my wife to let me buy a new bike so I can't go to back now. I mean if I don't spend it now where will my credibility go when I want to by something else. (oh, and I've been commuting on my old mountain bike for the last year so I'll be excited for any kind of upgrade new or used)

Thanks for all the input. I went to the LBS and and did some looked at the prices of all the stuff and actually thought they were reasonable. I'm going to try and test ride the trek 2.1, Specialized allez, and giant OCR1 over the next few weeks and work out a deal with the LBS. Thanks again for the help.

Prescription? ;)

I'm a fan of supporting the LBS in purchasing accessories. Especially as a beginner (which I am as well) you will find that the LBS can be very helpful to you. My experience has been that if I scratch their back by buying stuff from them, they will scratch mine by being supportive and giving me lots of advice.