Or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the local bike shop
As with most things nowadays, there is a temptation to look to the Internet for cheaper prices and better deals on bikes. But is this always the right way to go? In our opinion, there are more factors than just price - it always pays to know exactly what you are giving your money for. Here are our top five questions to ask before you flash your E-cash:
1. Is it right for me?
When buying online, it is very hard to know what the bike you are looking at actually feels like to ride. While the site may list countless technical specifications, they can't tell you whether you will enjoy riding it or not, or what size will feel right. A picture may be worth a thousand words, but a test ride trumps a thousand pictures. Here at Station Cycles, you are free to try before you buy - just ask one of our friendly sales assistants and we'll have you out on the road in no time. So before you buy online, ask yourself whether you're definitely going to be happy with a bike you haven't even ridden.
2. Does it add up?
While online prices may appear on the surface to undercut anything you can find in the real world, they do not necessarily work out in the long run. Online sales sites will say that their bikes come "90% assembled" or require "some basic assembly". This means that their bikes will come in boxes, and won't be serviced. All manufacturers recommend that you get your bike serviced by a professional before you ride it for the first time. This will usually cost around £20, and not getting it done can lead to expensive problems. Here at Station Cycles, all our prices, including second hand bikes, include full assembly and servicing. So before you buy online, factor in the costs of servicing, postage and packaging, VAT and import duty if buying from abroad, and more often than not you will find that it's not as cheap as it seems.
3. What if it all goes wrong?
So you've bought your new bike. It's been paid for, delivered, signed for. You start riding it, when suddenly the chain snaps. What happens next? At this point, most companies, after you've managed to get a generic email reply, will tell you that you are responsible for shipping it back to them for inspection. That means arranging and most likely paying for postage and packaging to get it to them before they even tell you if they can do anything about it. If they then deem it to be a warranty problem, they will send you a replacement chain - brilliant! Only, you will still be left to foot the bill of getting it fitted. Here at Station Cycles, all warranty repairs are completely free of charge, and we will usually repair or replace parts such as chains on the spot. So before you buy online, check the site's small print on warranty repairs.
4. Can I get some advice?
When buying a bike, it very often comes down to a choice between two or more alternatives. Customer service agents at online sales companies will usually not have that much contact with bikes in their real, rideable form, since they will mostly deal with bikes in boxes. This means that they will not really be able to help you with your choice. Here at Station Cycles, we work (and play!) with our bikes every day. This means that we all have our own individual opinions on every bike, and so will be able to give you personal advice on which will suit your needs and lifestyle. So before you buy online, see if you can't get better advice from a real person.
5. Can I get it the way I want it?
When most people buy bikes, they buy it as it is sold. But what if you want it differently? What if you want to upgrade the forks on a mountain bike, or the gears on a racer. Most online companies are rigid in their structure, and do not allow their customers to buy anything other than the standard bike, leaving them to buy new parts separately and fit them themselves. Even accessories such as lights or computers will be shipped separately, often requiring complicated fitting. Here at Station Cycles, we will fit any parts or accessories you require at the same time as assembly - we can even custom build you a bike from the frame up. So before you buy online, ask yourself if the bike is really tailored to your needs, or just a formulaic package the company ships by the thousand.