Chainlove.com

Norm said:
Ugh!

So after finally giving up on online retailers in favor of Jay, someone pointed me to some Castelli bib tights for $65, retail something like $160. I couldn't resist. Sorry Jay, it was too good to pass up.

Well they email me tonight and say my order has been cancelled. Cancelled? Cancelled.

This is the karma you get dealing with online retailers. I will henceforth devote myself to the LBS in the hopes that I do not have this garbage happen again and again. Hey, maybe the reality is that these were lousy, and I'm better off not blowing the $65.

Anyway, there's my chainlove experience.
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Bummer...I'd be curious as to the rationale behind the cancellation. My guess is that they don't "lock" your purchase until the transaction is complete...so if other folks complete the checkout and deplete the stock before you get done with the checkout, you're out of luck. Though, if that were the case, it would seem you'd get a message when you make your final click...but that would assume they took the time to implement safeguards and checks against such a race condition mid-transaction...and we all know how good software is out there these days.

Anyway...

I've ordered a few things from Chainlove w/o issue. In fact, I caught the last bib tights they had, the Castelli Bib Leggeraza's for $60 (retail $189). They arrived yesterday...nice stuff.

I'll never give up on online retailers...there are a handful that I've had nothing but good experiences with (e.g. Jenson, Pricepoint, AEBike, Universal). I've experimented with a few others because of a particular deal; a few good and a few not so good.

However, if I lived closer to Halters, or any shop I liked, I would certainly do more business w/them and less online. The closest shop to me I like is an hour of driving round trip...and jdog is a little over an hour one way.
 
I don't really see buying from Chainlove as taking much business away from the LBS, but the LBS owner may see it differently. The items on there are closeouts and overstocks and are deeply discounted. If your LBS had deals like that, you would most likely jump on them. You can't browse for the deals, they are impluse and most of the time they don't have stuff I need anyways...
 
I was trying not to soil your name stb! Oh well, live and learn. I've exchanged emails with them and they're useless, citing that "hundreds of people were buying the shirt at the same time". I clued them in that a) it wasn;t a shirt and b) the sell rate was 2.3 per minute. The website said there was still stock after I pulled the trigger and placed the order. So the inventory system is a bit more than a little behind.

I think I'm done with these 50-80% off sites. The reality is that there's usually a damn good reason the stuff is discounted that much. This is the 3rd time I've bought (or tried to buy) something and the 3rd time I've been disappointed in the product/service. By and large the stuff is junk, which is why it didn't sell in the first place and they're trying to get pennies on the dollar back for it.

Screw chainlove! Long live Halter's!
 
Norm said:
I was trying not to soil your name stb! Oh well, live and learn. I've exchanged emails with them and they're useless, citing that "hundreds of people were buying the shirt at the same time". I clued them in that a) it wasn;t a shirt and b) the sell rate was 2.3 per minute. The website said there was still stock after I pulled the trigger and placed the order. So the inventory system is a bit more than a little behind.

I think I'm done with these 50-80% off sites. The reality is that there's usually a damn good reason the stuff is discounted that much. This is the 3rd time I've bought (or tried to buy) something and the 3rd time I've been disappointed in the product/service. By and large the stuff is junk, which is why it didn't sell in the first place and they're trying to get pennies on the dollar back for it.

Screw chainlove! Long live Halter's!
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yep, i agree. since i've wrapped my head around the economics of the LBS (read as: since i started riding again) i think i've purchased maybe three items from non-LBS sources?

the bottom line is this: sure, you may save a few $$ buying something on-line but is that retailer going to fix your brakes and true your wheel on a whim right before you want to go for a ride...and likely for free if you've been going there for a bit? no. so, are you really saving anything at all?
 
Norm said:
I think I'm done with these 50-80% off sites. The reality is that there's usually a damn good reason the stuff is discounted that much. This is the 3rd time I've bought (or tried to buy) something and the 3rd time I've been disappointed in the product/service. By and large the stuff is junk, which is why it didn't sell in the first place and they're trying to get pennies on the dollar back for it.

Screw chainlove! Long live Halter's!
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For some reason, I keep checking the site at least once a day. I rarely see anything I want/need. I have only purchased a cheap wicking shirt from them.

I usually go through Gearattack.com. It shows Chainlove and a couple other sites that may have things that appeal to me. But I still never see anything that gets me to pull the trigger. I'm not big on purchasing clothing on-line. I need to check the fit before deciding.
 
bonefishjake said:
yep, i agree. since i've wrapped my head around the economics of the LBS (read as: since i started riding again) i think i've purchased maybe three items from non-LBS sources?

the bottom line is this: sure, you may save a few $$ buying something on-line but is that retailer going to fix your brakes and true your wheel on a whim right before you want to go for a ride...and likely for free if you've been going there for a bit? no. so, are you really saving anything at all?
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For a long time, I held out on the online retailer. Even with clothing, I said the cost is such a huge issue that I had to still go online for some things. I'm thinking that maybe tools is still better to buy online. But almost anything else going to an LBS you know/trust is better. I will say, the "know/trust" is a huge component here.

I had some Performance Bike credit so I bought a Craft base layer. I also got this recommendation straight from stb, who I trust. This was an amazing piece of clothing. But, it started to unravel. So I sent it back and it's been 2 weeks and I still have no Craft base layer to ride with.

If I see a thread in anything I bought from Jay, he exchanges it immediately.
 
I've come to the conclusion that chainlove sucks, unless you are a woman. Then you can buy cheap bike clothes.
 
Fogerson said:
Bummer...I'd be curious as to the rationale behind the cancellation. My guess is that they don't "lock" your purchase until the transaction is complete...so if other folks complete the checkout and deplete the stock before you get done with the checkout, you're out of luck. Though, if that were the case, it would seem you'd get a message when you make your final click...but that would assume they took the time to implement safeguards and checks against such a race condition mid-transaction...and we all know how good software is out there these days.
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They do. Its happened to me plenty of times on CL and some of the other sites they have with the came concept. You have to listen to your impluse and keep the IJ at home.
 
Norm said:
I was trying not to soil your name stb!

Screw chainlove! Long live Halter's!
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Yes, I realized that but I decided to soil myself because I felt bad they screwed you.

The LBS is the way to go, especially Halters, which has renewed my faith in the LBS. Honestly, if it was for Halters, I would buy all my stuff online...
 
Chainlove is good for occasional impulse purchases- those things you've thought about buying but have never had the impetus to actually purchase. It's no replacement for the LBS, since they only sell one item at a time and it's never what you need right when you need it.

However, Norm, it's not just crap. Manufacturers and retail buyers walk a fine line with forecasting demand, and clothing is very seasonal, so there are always overstocks and items that get lost in the retail mix. I've picked up a couple things from Chainlove and they're the same retail products that I would have ordered from my LBS. The LBS is still my first line of attack for the things I really need, since you can't count on Chainlove to have what you need on sale when you need it. And the sales that LBS's run on out of season gear is usually as good as Chainlove (and the stuff the LBS's put on sale is generally better since they have to be smarter about what they stock into the shop). But for an occasional fun purchase, Chainlove is fine. Just buy both sizes if you're on the fence and return the one that doesn't fit. ;)

One of our NYCMTB board members just moved out to SLC to do marketing for Chainlove/SteepandCheep/Backcountry.com, interestingly enough.
 
bonefishjake said:
the bottom line is this: sure, you may save a few $$ buying something on-line but is that retailer going to fix your brakes and true your wheel on a whim right before you want to go for a ride...and likely for free if you've been going there for a bit? no. so, are you really saving anything at all?
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The answer for me is yes, both from a time and $$ investment perspective--it isn't even close. However, I do nearly all mechanic work myself...this is just as much part of the hobby for me as riding is. And as I said, a trip to a LBS I like is a 1 hour investment for me at a minimum.

With that being said, I usually purchase major items (frames, wheels, forks, etc.) from the LBS. With these high dollar items, it is worth the time & $$ to have the support from a good LBS 'cause if something goes wrong with these things, I'm not gonna' write it off. If it is a $50 thing that has a problem, I'm not likely to spend a couple hours of my time to take it back to the LBS, or deal with getting it sent back to an online retailer...I either fix it or ditch it. Now if it is a $800 frame, that is another matter. Plus, it seems that the more expensive the item, the lesser the cost advantage to online purchases becomes anyway.

Everybody's equation is different...
 
MixMastaMM said:
They do. Its happened to me plenty of times on CL and some of the other sites they have with the came concept. You have to listen to your impluse and keep the IJ at home.
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IJ? The Internet isn't helping. Internal Joke, Indiana Jones, Infinite Jest...?

I clicked, got the credit card, filled out, and done in maybe 2 minutes. Got the conformation email and then maybe 10 hours later a cancel email. 10 hours is a long time to take to figure something out.
 
Hutch's Equinox

$9!!!!
Can't pass up if you need road tires to just do the job!

I have them on my bike. Bought from nashbar bout the same price. They are a great all around tire. Only got one ride on them but they feel good. Could be smoother but i would call it all condition so it's not as smooth. It was wet when I road and they still held pretty great. The surface on the color part have some texture for grip.

I got the blue to matchy match my bike :D
 
new frame anybody.....

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$1247.47
 
Race Face Next Carbon SL Seatpost sizing?!?!?!

This item is up right now but wtf is up with the sizing? geesh. On the right they have 28.6mm and 30.00mm?!?!?! And then on the description they have 27.2 and 31.6. I been waiting for this in 31.6! What the dealyo!

op... GONE NOW! but still... I woulda nabbed one like that if I knew what size it really was
 
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