I was in a local shop today and over heard a guy crying about how he could get an item he was buying for cheaper online.
Why do you choose one over the other? Do you value your relationship with the local shop or is it always about the $$$$$$$$$.
Give me a shot.
I think you might be surprised at what I can match or even beat.
There are many cases where online is cheaper. Most often this is for closeout items that don't sell well.
Most buyers for a LBS will buy what they ride themselves. They have done some product testing and research already.
All the guys at our shop ride and break tons of stuff. We sell what we would use ourselves.
There are more bad products out there than good. A great shop can help by weeding out poor products.
j-
The only great shops I go to are unfortunately too far from me. I don't always have the time to do the trip.
The nearby shops... well don't get me started. I swear sometimes I'm really embarrassed for them.
Online at least you can source exactly what you need, and the convenience can't be beat.
It's a shame because I end up spending a decent amount of money on small items every season.
Maurice
It's a real quandry because once you start hitting bigger ticket items at, for sake of argument, 20%, the price differential becomes more glaring. For example, I am looking at wheelsets, and WANT to support my lbs. However, a $100 plus price difference is hard to pass by Mrs. Shaggz, even if I use the support the local business argument, which we both firmly believe in.
what about the 'if something goes horribly wrong with my new purchase and i have to overnight said purchase back to colorado or montana or where ever and i'm going to be out of a bike for a week will it really matter that i saved $100?' argument?
that's the one i used on myself and it worked.
My vote goes to the local bike shop. I have absolutely zero mechanical ability so even if I did buy stuff online, I would probably pay out the ass to have it installed. I'm more comfortable keeping money local, having things installed properly, and if some thing does go wrong, I have someone available to repair it.
For a while my wife and my sister were buying me online gift cards, so I would spend the money on stupid things like movies, tubes, tires, clothes, etc. They both know now that I would prefer a gift certificate from somewhere local, and they are fine with that.
That said, a few weeks ago there was a discussion on here about pedals, someone was looking to buy some online, J said he could probably match or beat the price, I stopped in the next day and was extremely happy with my purchase.
All in all, to me, the money sometimes saved doesnt compare to the relationship you can get with local business.
Ahh schucks.. I love you too!
what about the 'if something goes horribly wrong with my new purchase and i have to overnight said purchase back to colorado or montana or where ever and i'm going to be out of a bike for a week will it really matter that i saved $100?' argument?
that's the one i used on myself and it worked.
Just out of interest jdog, where is your shop? I'm going to be looking for a few bits and bobs to beef up my MC Fury for Diablo excursions. Little things like a 7" rotor, new pads, a new star nut and a new rear wheel. I may also want to swap the headsets over between two bikes. All little things that, when you add in the shipping, make a trip to a local chap really worth while.
Plus I could perhaps peruse your road bikes and see what one of those single speed things with 29" bits look and feel like.
Cheers, Daniel.