totheDude

Hi, new to these forums.

Have been looking for an ebike for my wife and a hybrid bike for myself. Budget: 1000-1500 US$.
To my surprise (maybe I am too used to our consumeristic world of abundance) ebikes that get good reviews (Ride1up, Sondors, etc.) are all sold out and have 1-2 months wait.

But it gets worse. Even "normal" bikes, BMC Alpenchallenge, Canyon Roadlite, Specialized Sirrus, etc. are all out-of-stock.

Yes, I can go to a bike store and find plenty of Specialized for $3000-5000. No thanks.

Why is that? Just seasonality or Covid 19? Are those the most popular choices?

Ready to fork over my credit card, but none wants to take it... Any tips on ways to get any of those desirable bikes any time soon, possibly before school "start" again?

fietsbob

World Wide Pandemic (noticed it yet?) & all the bikes are Imported, so getting the containers full of boxed bikes ,
to the docks & on the ships,

and across the ocean and thru distribution channels is delayed..

here the mid priced bikes like you seek, will sell out as soon as they hit the floor, so you better pick a bike from the dealer's catalog,

see if there is an unsold one due to come in in the next shipment.

Pay for it in advance and then pick it up when it's assembled & ready to ride from the local shop..


These are not Normal times..


BTW.. $1500 wont get you an eBike The shop here charges at least that much for a mid drive motor conversion of an existing bike..








...

Koyote

It's the pandemic. With gyms and health clubs closed, and outdoors being relatively safer, demand for affordable (sub-$1,000) bikes skyrocketed. I regularly visit a couple shops, and they've both been sold out of such bikes since around May. And as fietsbob noted, the pandemic has disrupted supply chains...But of course, most shops would have some difficulty getting new bikes right now, anyway, since the '21 models wouldn't normally be shipping until later this summer.

Some mfrs are selling direct from their websites, if they have the inventory. But that means that you must know your size, and no test ride in advance.

Pop N Wood

REI seems to have bikes in stock.

fietsbob

Marketing importers ...

there are more brands than manufacturers, because the economy of scale,
has really big manufacturers making multiple brands under contract, to many importers with their own brand names.





Bikes Direct , thats their business plan , warehouse to you
I think REI will ship their bikes to your house, now..





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unterhausen

My lbs only has high-end stuff in stock. They are slowly selling through that as well. I heard they were getting some lower-end stuff in and were going to be working through a list of people that wanted the bikes.

xroadcharlie

My cousin's husband just found the bike he was looking for locally on kijiji.. An almost new Specialized low entry model that listed at $850 + 13% tax he got for $500 cash. It seems the people selling this beautiful bike were very generous considering some pay nearly full price for bikes this close to new.

I was surprised to find a few other bikes in the Windsor area on Kijiji for reasonable prices.

wolfchild

I've noticed the same thing. Most of the bike shops in my area are sold out of all the good affordable bikes. I also noticed and increase in e-assisted bicycles. It's not just bicycles that are getting sold out. I was at a fitness store few weeks ago to pick up some hand chalk and all the weights, kettlebells, power racks, squat racks, barbells, dumbbells, resistance bands, rowing machines etc , everything was sold out.

velojym

I just got the hankerin' to find a good bike to try riding some local trails. Horrible timing. I have my shop keeping an eye out, and might get a heads-up when something suitable comes in.
In the meantime, though, I think I'll poke around.

totheDude

Guys, thanks for the answers and for the tips about REI and Kijiji.

Good to see I am not alone....


Now I do have another question, after reading @xradocharlie's post. If I go through a dealer, should I expect to pay less than MSRP? In other words, is buying a bike the same as buying a car, where you have to negotiate and can expect to pay less than MSRP (in most cases, but not for sought-after vehicles)?

pdlamb

Mostly a side effect of closing all their stores for two or three months during peak season.

totheDude

Just checked REI. They sell only their own brand and Cannondale, which should be Ok. The Bad Boy 3 fits my budget, and it says "Low inventory! Order soon". It is NOT in stock at any of their outlets within 50+ miles of my location. Oh, and "shipping orders may be delayed up to 3 weeks"...

Kijiji is Canada only. I guess it's similar to Craigslist.

Hiro11

On the upside: tons of cheap, hardly used bikes on the used market next year.

dedhed

I give until the year after when they need space in the garage.

unterhausen

I don't know, people hold on to bikes because they mean to ride them, "some day." I used to work with someone who had an absolutely pristine '70s era Schwinn Paramount in his basement. Still had the silk sew ups on it.

Trakhak

No, you should not expect to pay less than MSRP, and no, buying a bike is not the same as buying a car.

Bike stores see very little profit on bike sales. The money that they make, such as it is, comes from accessories and the service department.

"Such as it is": with very few exceptions, most bike store owners are lucky to make as much yearly as any of their highest-paid employees. Some don't, which is why bike store start-ups have about the same attrition rate as new restaurants.

Further proof: chain restaurants can be very successful, but the only nation-wide bike store chain (Performance Bikes) lasted about 10 years before it went under.

y2zipper

Exactly what I did was order from a catalog and paid in full with a pending trade in to the shop that I know they'll make some money on. But the windows shops are quoting are huge this year on new stuff that isn't super high-end

totheDude

I see.

A local bike store has one 2019 Felt Verza 6 *with carbon fiber frame* in stock and is advertising it on Craigslist for $450 off MSRP. Unfortunately, they only have the 54 size, which I think it's too small for me (5'11"). I will keep looking.

Mojo31

LOL!

You're lucky to avoid paying a markup. Maybe a discount on a $5k÷ bike. I just bought two $1300 bikes as well as lights, helmets, saddle bags, etc. And not so much as a free t-shirt or cap.

One store told me if you see a bike online, buy it immediately, and worry about whether you take delivery later. If not, it will be gone in an hour .

gogo123

Yup it's how it is during COVID. All the entry and high end bikes are sold out. I've only seen 2019 mid-level bikes for sale. Even lots of parts and clothing are sold out as well.

Helped my girlfriend sell her old bike on Craigslist, it became a Royal Rumble among buyers who didn't want to pay for new bikes. That got really interesting...

veganbikes

Plenty of really cheap low end e-bikes out there none of which I would spend the money on as they can be huge headaches and problems from the start as I have seen often. Yes you can go to the bike store and you will likely find more quality bikes and guess what that Specialized has a two year warranty on the electronics which for motors sake is Brose (which is easy to get service on post 2 years should you need it) and they have a lifetime warranty on their frames and forks. Plus that shop will likely be able to support your purchase and work on it whereas those cheap-o online brands using random hub motors and odd batteries probably not and if they do it isn't going to be cheap and quick in a lot of cases.

There is a reason why those e-bikes cost so little it is because they are just selling an amalgam of parts thrown together on a frame and telling you the consumer "good luck, you'll need it" and then leaving so you can fend for yourself. Had one brand say "oh your a week out of warranty...too bad" Bosch on the other hand said "your a year out of warranty, we haven't seen that problem so we will send you a new motor" Specialized has said "your bike is three years old and nothing but trouble how about we give you a significant credit towards a new e-bike". It pays to pay money for a bike.

The only reason to get an internet special is if I am literally using the bike once a year or need it for some special project and getting rid of it soon after. Trust me as someone who sees a lot of internet and cheaper bikes and does warranty for their job I cannot recommend buying that stuff. Get something quality and you will have good support and will be less likely to need to bring it in and more likely to be able to ride it for many years to come with support throughout and ability to get parts and fix it post warranty.

Because everyone is buying bikes right now the cheap stuff is selling because it is a bike boom so all the cheap stuff is likely to sell while the more expensive stuff sits a little longer as some people have never ridden and may not know much about bikes. It is easy to get sucked up in initial price especially if you haven't ridden much or at all and don't know what it is like in order to make a good decision about what will work best for you.

veganbikes

Why a discount? Is our time and skills not valuable? Bikes are low margin for shops we don't really make much there and they take up a lot of space and require a lot in order to get them off the floor and into your hands. It is not like we are getting that 5k bike for $100 and marking it the heck up sometimes we are making $500-$1000 and that may seem like a lot but in reality with paying employees, keeping lights on, buying parts, assembling the bikes, exit tuning the bikes, providing support afterwards, paying rent and for business licenses and all of that fun stuff you that isn't much left for profit. Certainly though if you are a good customer and we see you again then we might extend a discount.

However those who just come in off the street and say "I want a discount because I am entitled" is just silly and worse is when you give someone a discount and they say "well that's not enough" as if we are running a charity and I am some intern who is just doing it for the fun. I love my job but it is also my job and I need to make money to survive and also enjoy life as well.

These days it is even more tough to discount because bikes are hard to get so I can sell that bike to someone at whatever the full pop is rather than lose the little money I might make on that bike. Though they are right, get that bike now price shopping means bike losing in a lot of cases. I have had plenty of people earlier on say "well I am going to look around", we tell them "it could sell quickly bikes are going fast" and then they call back that same day "so I want that bike" "we sold it" and then you get the anger and disappointment when they didn't listen to your first hand knowledge. It is a stressful situation, everyone comes in and everyone wants their bike back immediately or wants the bike they saw somewhere and don't want to wait and now things are backed up severely and that cannot happen and COVID rages on but nobody seems to know or care.

RC1991

Yes, most of the LBS here in the PNW have little to no inventory. I was really surprised when I stopped in as I wanted to upgrade. They did have what I was looking for which was a Roubaix Comp though I went with the Di2 model as the mechanical was no where to be found. I was good with it though and have been happy with the bike. We also managed to find a Specialized Como e-bike for my wife but pickings were slim.

scott967

Even Walmart here has zero bikes on the floor. Some of the bigger names except Canondale are rolling out the 2021 models but I think it is a couple months before they start shipping. For ebikes, if I lived in NYC and the options were subway or buy an ebike, I wouldn't have to think too hard (but if theft of bike is bad there I can only imagine how it is for ebikes).

scott s.
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totheDude

I take it you own a bike shop or work in one.

Some brands sell directly online only (Canyon). Some sell through a dealer network, like cars, (a kind of antiquated, middle-age remnant IMHO), some sell both directly online and via dealers (probably the smarter option).

I understand that competition is fierce and margins are slim. But I do not believe that you have zero margin. Otherwise the business model would not work. Brands need dealers to sell and so they must give them some margin. The more high-end the article, the higher the margin. For luxury watches the dealer margin is close to 50%. Now, if a manufacturer makes a direct sale, it makes a large profit (minus the expenses of dealing with the end customer), whereas it must split the profit with the dealer for a dealer sale. (In exchange of not having to keep inventory and deal with end customers). If demand is high and supply is low, like right now, I would not expect a discount. That's why I was surprised by @xroadcharlie mentioning discounts. I am aware that the LBS in the example I cited is giving a discount because it's a 2019 model and in small size (regular size L is sold out).

Still, I don't think it would be unreasonable to offer a small discount, say, for paying cash rather than credit, even if I just walked into the store for the first (and maybe last) time.