me and my bike

is it bad to ask a lbs to price match on a bike. Im looking at the cannondae trail sl 4 29er and they have it for msrp (890) while everyone else has it for 800. Isnt it quite into the season to keep up msrp. Whats u guys think? will they agree or send me to the dungeons?

pablosnazzy

you can always ask, just don't be a d!ck about it. be nice, mention "everyone else" having it for less and see what they say. if they say they can't, don't argue.

perhaps "everyone else" got the bike for a better deal, or perhaps "everyone else" doesn't have all the bills that shop does.

me and my bike

good answer man thanks. any one else oppinion or experience?

Skepsis

Your bike shop also offers more services when you buy a bike from them. That should include a fitting as well as at least a years worth of service.

Daspydyr 

Who else has it for $800? If shipping is involved and then assembly, you will be way behind. Having an LBS in your pocket is a good thing.

JChick

I purchased a demo mtb that was already discounted so I didn't negotiate, however I did establish a good relationship with the shop. They have been good to me on other purchases and great on service prices. If you like the shop and plan on doing alot of business with them you may get that 90 dollars back in the long run. Either way It wouldn't hurt to let them know what the other guy has offerd as a price. Good luck and post some pics when you make your purchase.

NoBrakeNate

Just ask them. They should have no problem knocking 10% off the bike.

pablosnazzy

really? ? why do people expect that? i know many bike shops offer that, which makes people think it's standard, but what do you get for a years worth of "service" ? what do you expect? why do you feel entitled to free stuff?

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3speed

^ People feel entitled to that because we're American.

...But on a non-societal study level, it's because many shops do offer that service and because it's a lot of what keeps people from buying the bike/part for cheaper online. The majority of people in our country are raised with money in mind, not decency. If they can get it for a cheaper upfront cost online, what incentive to they have to support their local community business other than the service a shop can provide? As for what that includes, the standard in my area seems to be something like 1 free flat repair and a couple tune-ups. One being at the "break in" period, and another 1yr after you bought the bike. I personally haven't ever had the money to just go buy a $1000 bike new from a shop, but knowing what I do of the local shops, I'd ask them to cut me a deal and offer service too. But I also happen to live in a major biking area where there are 8 shops that I can think of at the moment within 15min of my house and basically all of them usually price their bikes above MSRP, which I think is definitely asking too much. And only about half of them have decent customer service, so why else should I feel the need to pay even more than MSRP if not for the service? There is one shop within a few minutes drive that has a great, helpful service department, and I tend to buy most all of my small items there, even though they cost a bit more, simply because of the service department. It goes to show what a little customer service is worth.

contango 

I don't feel entitled to free stuff. If I'm going to pay a higher price for something I expect a higher standard of service. If the LBS has the exact same item as another retailer, offers the exact same level of service as the other retailer but charges a higher price I'm not going to pay it just because they are local unless there's some other factor to justify the higher price. I know local business are struggling but so are most consumers and most people don't have a bottomless budget to pay extra to support the local guy just because he's local. Being local isn't a good enough reason to raise the price if you want customers to be loyal.

My LBS offers the first service at no extra cost if you buy a bike from them. It's nothing to do with free stuff, it's included in the price. Free would imply that you're not paying anything for it, when you clearly are. If you don't buy a bike from them they'll service it but at a cost.

There are times I will pay a bit more for the convenience of using the LBS, and if all else is equal I'll often pay a little more at the LBS than online. The reason is simple - if I can buy everything I want in one place and collect it that offers me convenience over and above having multiple suppliers sending me parcels and having to wait in for every single one of them. It's also useful for me to have the LBS around on the basis if I break my bike I can carry it there (it's a 5-minute walk) and they'll fix it for me. For good measure they've often done minor stuff for me for free, and for as long as that kind of dynamic exists it works for everyone for me to support them and them to support me. But you can be sure that if they stop supporting me I'll lose interest in supporting them, and if I stop supporting them I can't expect them to support me for free.

samburger

I don't expect it, because I know that labor costs are where my LBS makes the majority of their money, & I don't expect them to sacrifice that for an entire year just because I bought a bike that will come nowhere near the same profit as a years worth of service (if I didn't do all my repairs/maintenance on my own, that it). But I also live my life on principal more so than what is immediately gratifying. Perks of being a bachelor, I guess.

It's cool if a shop offers that, but then only standard one should become accustomed to is getting exactly what you pay for. Otherwise life will continually disappoint you.

me and my bike

thanks gang for the replies. Everyone is making sense . I still think tho that if a shop isnt makeing you happy then there is no reason to support them no matter how local they are. Just the other day i went in to my lbs and overpayed a couple of bucks for a repair. Normally i wouldnt be so mad but when i left not even a goodbye and the store was empty. Are you serious? How do they expect to compete when they have no customer service. Does anyone know how much profit shops make for bikes?

contango 

Doesn't matter what markups are, the key thing that sets the LBS apart from online box shifters is that local service, the fact they can give advice and be a friendly resource. If they don't want to do those things then people won't pay the higher prices.

I like the staff at my LBS, I don't tend to go in a whole lot these days just because I don't need a whole lot, but when I do go in the staff will greet me, help me with questions, figure what I need and give me advice where I need it. Sometimes I'm in there to buy, sometimes I'm in there for mechanical work, sometimes I'm in there just looking. If I look and spend time discussing what I need with their staff then unless their prices are truly outrageous I'll buy what I need from them. There's nothing specific stopping me getting advice from them and then saving a bit of cash buying online but IMO that kind of thing is just crass.

You can be sure that if my LBS stopped giving me the kind of service I've come to expect then I'd be buying what I need online at every opportunity.

Pamestique 

Many bike shops offer to match prices... check your shop's policy.

I understand shops are struggling especially with many online companies beating prices. They have to make money but many will also do what they can to keep a sale. I wouldn't push it too far but I have no problem asking as shop to swap out a stem or saddle. I recently got one to add a Chris King headset, saddle and pedals for the original price on the bike but that bike was expensive. The lower the price point the tougher it is for the shop to make any money so keep that in mind. Remember when you buy from a physical shop its for the personal customer service. If the Shop does not offer that, then consider buying online if you need to save money.

ephin

Caveat emptor - let the buyer beware. Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. A fool and his money are soon parted. There's a sucker born every day. These are some of the fiscal cliches I've come to know and live by - and I'm always on the buyer's end of the equation, not the seller. To me, it is my responsibility to do my homework, get a sense for what fair or good market value is for a product (or service), and to try to negotiate. It's not the people on the seller end of the equation who are supposed to do this. I don't blame them for trying to make a profit. That said, it is not easy or comfortable to negotiate if you've never done it before. But like any skill, you can work on it and get better at it. One thing that really motivated me was finding out I overpaid for something. Do I always get the "best" deal? Of course not. Some of it's luck, some of it's timing, some of it's chemistry (as in developing rapport with the seller). What's the worst that could possibly happen? Your efforts fail and you decide you want it bad enough anyway so you pay the original asking price. You're out nothing but maybe a little time. I'd argue, you're honing your negitiating skills and will be better prepared next time. If businesses were monopolies or everyone was a sucker, we'd all be overpaying. Go out there and negotiate and keep competetion alive and well for all of us! IMO, people who are against negotiating or against buying online are luddites. If a business can't change with the times or survive against the competition, don't ask me to prop it up. If that's how you want to spend your hard earned money, feel free. That said, I don't always negotiate. Sometimes I make impulse purchases. Sometimes I gladly pay what is likely a premium for some emotional reason. For example, I recently was at the local Renaissance Faire. I visited a father and son booth that was selling stained glass pieces. I was touched by the family atmosphere and the attention the son was giving to my 2 little ones (ages 3 and 5). He spoke to them in Olde English and made them feel special. I wound up buying a $140 piece without even trying to negotiate (which I'm sure I could've if I tried). I was not in the market for a stained glass piece, don't collect them, and had no idea what a good price is for a similar piece. Was i a sucker? Perhaps. But I don't care. I felt good about the interaction, I have an item to remind me of that day with the kids forever, and my kids had a good time / met some seemingly good people. For all I know, they're a couple of slumlords who do this Renaissance Faire thing on the side. Doesn't matter, they provided a service/product that on that day, I was willing to pay full price no questions asked. Spend your money as you see fit. If you experience alot of buyer's remorse, they you're probably doing something wrong.

Daniel 62

for what its worth, when I bought my first new bike last year, I was a newbie in this lbs, they were pretty cool,
but they knew I wasnt there average road bike customer, I bought the bike and the owner explained How I need to return the bike in approx 90 days for a " free " tune-up. I might have gotten a shallow thank you then he walked off and didnt even offer to hold the door open for me to take it outside.
I've been back, and bought some accessories, but they treat me like a stepchild basicly.
But like another poster mentioned, Sometimes its worth it to be able to run down to the lbs and get something
real quick vs ordering online & waiting. I honestly believe its because I dont personally fit into there little
niche group of stereo type customers, I'm 50. overweight, got tattoos on both my arms and I usually wear
camoflauge wrangler shorts and cheap sneakers. I like bikes cause its helping me be more active and healthy

Dave

contango 

One other thing I always keep in mind where this kind of thing is concerned - if my LBS matches the price of an online box shifter then it's only fair that I also accept a matching service. In other words - here's your box, that's £50, thanks very much. If I'm going to want help fitting it, adjusting it, tuning it, whatever, that has to be an extra charge.