In-store or online?
In-store or online?
When it comes to looking for end-of-season bargains the Internet will almost certainly figure in everybody’s search. And why not? It opens up the possibility of finding discounted bikes all over the country, potentially at a better price, and the opportunity to buy a brand that may not be available locally.
However, the thought of grabbing a cheeky bargain and the ease with which you can buy a bike online can turn sour. If you’re buying a bike from a brand that you’re not familiar with how can you be sure that the listed size is the right one for you? Different manufacturers measure frames in different ways; one company’s 56cm frame may equate to another company’s 58cm. As we said before, if the bike doesn’t fit properly then it’s no longer a bargain.
The only realistic way to check a bike fits is to try it for size and that is one of the benefits of going to an actual shop rather than an internet retailer. When you’re in store you can also try and improve on the deal on offer; maybe get a bit more off the price or a few accessories thrown in. Needless to say, this isn’t an option online where the purchase is made by simply ticking boxes. But don’t be surprised/offended if you politely get told where to go…remember the bike shop staff need to get paid at the end of the day. How else are they supposed to pay for their own bikes if they give you too much of a discount on your bargain?
If the store you’re heading to is part of a chain then there’s the possibility of the best of both worlds; the internet and bricks and mortar stores. The chains have large amounts of stock, which usually means a reasonable selection of frame sizes and often bigger discounts than smaller stores, just like the internet retailers, but you can do a face-to-face deal and chance a bigger discount. Even if one store doesn’t have the exact bike in stock that you want it could be at another of the company’s stores and if they want to make the sale then it should be an easy option to get the one you want, in the size you want, sent over to the store you’re dealing with.
On the other hand, if you’re confident about the sizing of the bike you want, online retailers open up a whole world of sake options beyond what you might find in a bike shop.