Buying a bike online: Better spec vs lbs

[HamboCairns]

Hey all,

I want to recommend a decent decent entry level mtb to a friend but I don't know if I should include online brands -

I want to recommend the Vitus Sentier 29 which comes with a decent air fork compared to Trek and Norco which come with a coil (XCM) fork, lesser groupset etc.

Has anyone really needed to rely on their lbs for support when it comes to this level of bike?

 

[HamboCairns]

Really depends how good your LBS (or the nearest shop stocking what you want) is.

If you have some basic tools and mechanical skills, modern bikes are mostly pretty easy to work on. In the unlikely event it's properly broken upon arrival, you would most likely be able to return it (always check the fine print), but would wear shipping costs to do so.

 

[gillyske]

Your LBS will happily take your money to do a service on your bike you bought online.
Whether they do a good job or not depends on your luck, not where you bought your bike.
Find a dedicated mechanic in your area instead.

With that being said youtube can teach you how to do most things. I'm slowly learning that you're your own best mechanic.

 

[Daniel Hale]

agreed buy online and get an independent to service it

 

[HamboCairns]

Sounds good to me!

 

[AaronM]

From my Googling and finding a few of the local bike mechanic (or bike shops where selling a boutique brand also means servicing anything to pay the bills) websites it’s seems that $300 or so is what a “make my online bike a real bike” costs.

That buys a shed load of the weird bike specific tools, and even covers a small torque wrench and maybe even a cheap workstand.

As I’ve discovered and has been echo’d here LBS quality varies greatly and while you may have a great purchase experience and get a great bike that’s exactly your size the actual care and attention used to assemble it can be less than stellar.

I think I’d still try to buy LBS (or boutique workshop locally) to get the fit/comfort factor right in the full expectation that I’ll be spending my time double checking stuff I didn’t think I’d have to do.

FFS my wife’s new LBS sources Merida didn’t have any brake fluid pressure on the rear brake. It was spongy and pulled straight to the grip from new.

They’re sorting it but I’ll be learning how bike hydraulics work soon....

 

[gillyske]

From my Googling and finding a few of the local bike mechanic (or bike shops where selling a boutique brand also means servicing anything to pay the bills) websites it’s seems that $300 or so is what a “make my online bike a real bike” costs.

That buys a shed load of the weird bike specific tools, and even covers a small torque wrench and maybe even a cheap workstand.

As I’ve discovered and has been echo’d here LBS quality varies greatly and while you may have a great purchase experience and get a great bike that’s exactly your size the actual care and attention used to assemble it can be less than stellar.

I think I’d still try to buy LBS (or boutique workshop locally) to get the fit/comfort factor right in the full expectation that I’ll be spending my time double checking stuff I didn’t think I’d have to do.

FFS my wife’s new LBS sources Merida didn’t have any brake fluid pressure on the rear brake. It was spongy and pulled straight to the grip from new.

They’re sorting it but I’ll be learning how bike hydraulics work soon....

"Moutnain biking is full of charlatans" - Some dude probably.

 

[tubby74]

FFS my wife’s new LBS sources Merida didn’t have any brake fluid pressure on the rear brake. It was spongy and pulled straight to the grip from new.

I've mentioned it before but I bought my son a Norco from a chain store a bit less than a hundred. Gears weren't adjusted, a tube pinched and flatted within 500m of riding, and the brakes went to the bars the second ride. When I took it back to them to fix, they didn't book it in correctly so I had to chase them, they then claimed the brakes were not something they would normally fix as a warranty issue. I then said I was returning the bike as unfit for purpose and they decided they could fix it after all, but failed to update the system so still couldn't find the bike when I went back to get it. All these are things I could do myself but shouldn't have to, especially if you try to claim lbs service, relationships blah blah. I do have another good lbs I'm happy to pay extra for. If things need doing and cost more they explain what, why, what the otpions are and what the impact may be if I don'. They've also said they are happy for me to pay for their time to work on parts I bought on line (as my ambition outweights my actions on projects) and that any store who doesn't do that is going to suffer and deserves it. They've never given me any grief about working on bikes bought elsewhere or on line