imi

Hi!

I'm coming to SoCal to tour in january. I am seriously considering leaving my touring bike at home and buying a new one upon arriving... more specifically a Novarra Randonee which would make a perfect commuter once I get it home. This would save me half the air transportation cost and is a great excuse to get a (cheap compared to europe) new bike

However... I would have to test the 57 and 59 sizes so I don't want to order online before I leave. I'll be coming into LAX, so Huntington Beach would be the closest store.

Do REI usually have all sizes in stock? Unfortunately they don't seem to have mail contact.

As you can imagine this is a bit nervy (leaving on tour without a bike), but I'd think I'd be in the right part of the world, if anywhere, to make it work.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated (especially if you're the REI wrench in Huntington Beach )

Baboo

714-379-1938
This is probably not going to be able to be answered by anyone but REI with any accuracy.

Good luck
Allen

sstorkel

It being winter, my local REI has replaced most of their bicycling stuff with ski-related paraphernalia. There are still a few bikes in the store, but nothing like the selection available in summer...

nodachi

I went to test ride a Randonee once at an REI and it was spring time. They only had two different sizes in stock at the time, but this doesn't gaurantee that it is the size you want to try. So I would be careful.

However, are you one of those super knowledgeable bike people who have their bike sizing known to the exact centimeter? You could get the dimensions from the catalog, order the bike size you think you need and have it ready for pickup when you arrive and then as a precaution, you could make the first part of your tour lead to another REI in a different town. That way you could maybe exchange it for the proper size if there were problems?

I know this is still risky and maybe not smart to ride even short term on a poorly sized bike, but just a random thought from a wannabe tourer.

ocho

+1, this is the only way to be 100% sure of a bike. As of last Monday my local store had two in stock on the floor (outside Chicago) but not sure how long or how often.

akcapbikeforums

Call the nearest REI stores directly?

imi

Thanks people! Good information, I didn't know if the stores had rows and rows of bikes in all different sizes, or as seems to be the case just a couple of sizes at a time... Yes I think I'll have to give them a call... shame they don't have mail contact, would have made communication easier...

I am unsure about my sizing on a more relaxed bike than my current one (reach is the problem, I have proportionally very long legs which puts me on much larger frames than would be normal for my height, but would be sunk if the reach is way too much...)

Whoops! I just realized the Randonee has a sloping TT... Anyone know what the effective ST (c-t) for a 57 bike would be?

OK dang it! Any recommendations? I'm 5'8" with an inseam of 33.5". My present bike is a 60cm (c-t) sport touring bike (Miyata 100) which is probably slightly too large... Which Randonee would this be closest to, but if anything slightly smaller, definitely not bigger? Thanks :/

nancy sv

Another option would be to order two bikes that are in the range and have them sent to the REI store where you are flying to. Contact the store and let them know when you will arrive. Then when you get there, you try them out, decide which one works best, and return the other. REI is great about that. Don't count on the particular bike you need being available - they only had one at my REI, which happened to be too small for me.

wrk101

The good news is depending where you are going in CA, there are a lot of stores. LA area has seven. I would definitely call them or email them. Ditto on sizing, I would ask their guidance. REI is known for terrific service, so if you have any problems, they usually will do a lot to make it right.

My local REI rarely has more than two Randonees. Apparently, they don't sell that many. And it is a full service outdoors store, so bikes are just a small part of the entire shop.

LeeG

Manhattan Beach or Santa Monica, Huntington Beach only makes sense if you're coming into Long Beach Airport.

https://www.rei.com/map/store#CA

There are LOTS of other bike stores in that area. If REI doesn't have what you want someone else does.

for example: https://www.performancebike.com/bikes..._20000_1500505 oops, I just checked the size, anyway, there are lots of other bike stores.

https://helenscycles.com/product-list...59/touring-61/

imi

Thank you so much for your help and advice

LeeG: A fellow BF member has very kindly offered me a place to sleep in Long Beach for my first night in the USA, which is why I thought going to the REI at Huntington Beach and then continuing south would make sense.

I realise a project like this may take a day (or more) longer than anticipated (and may entail me running round all the bike shops in LA, usually the way things work out). Are there public busses in the LA area or do you all ride bikes?

LeeG

same applies to LongBeach, there are many other shops than REI. Do your shopping by phone as traveling around by bus will take a LONG time. As you can see looking at the map LA basin is a spread out area. There are buses with racks, check the bus system online. I don't mean to discourage you from getting a Randonee, simply that there may be other deals undiscovered.

Cyclebum

You're idea makes a lot of sense as long as you don't end up wasting a lot of time shopping. Better make some phone calls before leaving. Bikes in your stand over size are the ones that will likely be in stock or at least available. Make sure the shop can raise the handle bars and has an adjustable stem just in case you need to alter the reach. TT length is nearly as important as SO. Check about rack availability.

I've sometimes wondered how practical it would be to do what you are proposing, buying the ride in country to save money and the inconvenience of transport. Hope you don't get slapped with an import tax.

BengeBoy 

I'm not sure what you mean by REI not having "mail contact," or why you would want to contact them by mail. They have 3 or 4 ways to get in touch with them:

1. If you go to their website, REI.com, and go to the "contact us" page you can see they have "live help," which allows you to do live chat with one of their customer service reps.
2. They have email contact as well, with a promise to get back in one business day.
3. You can telephone their help number.
4. You can get the phone number of the store you are interested in, and call that store directly (ask for the bicycle department).

If you get in touch with REI, they can help you with sizing advice, and then let you know where the bikes that are in stock in your size are located in LA. I wouldn't be surprised if they would help you hold the bike(s) in your sizes at the store that is most convenient to you.

nancy sv

I agree with Bengeboy - you should have NO problem getting in contact with someone at the REI store. Call up the live chat on their site and ask for the direct number to the store you want to talk to. they'll give it to you and the poeple there will go out of hteir way to help you out. My experience with REI has been top notch!

imi

I eventually found their email adress :/ hope to hear back from them soon... it's great to see that everybody seems to hold REI's customer service in such high esteem

It's heart warming that so many of you have found the time to give me advice about this! ><

Doug64

An example of why REI customers retrurn:

We purchased a tent in 2004 from REI to replace our heavier touring tent. It was a great tent with carbon fiber poles and we used it for climbing, backpacking and touring. It was used a lot! One of the carbon fiber poles split on a bike trip last summer. I brought it in to our local REI hoping to buy a replacement pole. They looked up the tent for me, and found out that the carbon fiber poles had been replaced with lightweight aluminum poles to solve the splitting problem. Rather than sell me new poles, or just replace the poles; they opted to give us a completely new tent. It didn't end there-- I purchased the tent in 2004 for full price. The day I went in to the store the tents were on sale, so they gave me a $70 refund. I left the store with a new tent and $70! That is pretty hard to beat.

Of course, they just got some pretty good advertizing from me.

nancy sv

so typical - they really do stand behind their products! We started this trip with an REI tent (we bought a new one of the identical style we used on our last trip) and it leaked for some reason. We camped nearly every night inthat tent for 3 months - mopping up water when it rained. When we reached the USA, we turned the tent in for a brand new one - no questions asked.