Buying Equipment
 

Getting close to buying new shoes , cleats, and maybe pedals - a few years ago I remember Excel , Colorado , Nashbar , and a few other online retailers were popular but what are some good options these days for buying good quality components and footwear recognizing that many companies like Specialized , Trek, Shimano, Campy, etc. probably only sell through a dealer network which are generally bike shops I think - so where do my fellow roadies shop ? is it online , LBS , manufacturer , Amazon , Ebay , etc.

Thanks in advance for responses .

I've had quite good service and luck with Western Bikeworks.

Shoes I buy only in store. Fit matters and cycling sizes can be odd. Pedals I've bought from the LBS on sale or I check with steep and cheap, Cambria, and a couple others. I haven't found good deals at performance. Also shop Amazon warehouse deals, if it says like new or very good they're typically unused. I've bought 4 bikes this way that were pristine. Full sram 1x11 equipped Raleigh with hydraulic disc for 400. Crank Bros stamp 7 pedals for 50.00 with a damaged box.goid deals.

Merlincycles.com and chainreactioncycles.com if you absolutely know the size.

One can often find good shoes for a fraction of retail on E-Bay. But, as @Russ Roth mentions, size matters.

It would be poor form to go in to your shop, try on all the shoes, then buy on E-Bay.

I just was disappointed by Trek/Bontrager.

I have a pair of Bontrager RL mountain bike shoes and the ratchet buckle stopped working. The internal parts are made of plastic and do wear over time. The shoes are 3 years old and I did replace the left buckle a year ago, but this time it was the right. After calling all the local shop, I started to email online sites for a replacement with not luck. I called Bontrager and was told that once they discontinue a product, replacement parts are no longer available. So I was told I would have to buy another pair of shoes.

Luckily one of the LBS called telling me they found right buckle for me, so now i'm good.

The shoes are in excellent condition and nowhere near needing to be replaced. But when they do.. I won't be buying Bontrager.

BTW.. i've never had a problem getting replacement parts for my Sidi road shoes which get 5x the use of the Bontrager.

This sucks, but I understand why it happens.

How long do you think Trek/Bontrager should be required to stock spare parts?

Well... the buckle has know to wear issue so I would think they would support their defective product.

Toyota is recalling 1995 cars with Takata air bags. If they will support a 25 year old car, I think Bontrager can support a 4 year old shoe, but obviously i'm wrong.

Living in a small town I buy most accessories online since the local selection isn't great. On items which I may need/want to return I almost always pick a retailer that provides easy and free returns like Amazon (on some/most items) and Backcountry/Competitive Cyclist (for Summit members). I've purchased shoes and helmets through Bikeshoes.com which will offer a discount and also has free returns. Not the largest selection but easy to work with and will get stuff that isn't on their website if they can. Ebay has several highly rated bike focused sellers I use for items I know I won't need to return like chains, cleats, tubes etc. A few other online vendors but if they aren't familiar to me I will check them out here on BF or other bike forums to see if members have had any issues with them.

A wear issue isn’t a defective product.

I had a similar experience with a pair of Pearl Izumi shoes, but PI found a set of wrong colored buckles that would work, and they sent them to me for no charge. The shoes were 4 years discontinued, so it seemed reasonable to me.

I disagree.... shoe buckles are like car door handles. I'd expect them to last the relative life of the shoe. And if they don't then the manufacturer should carry replacements for the expected life of the shoe.

So is the life of a mountain bike shoe 4 years? And i understand mine are only used in the winter since I use road shoes the other 9 months of the year.

And if mileage is an indicator.. I have 5000 road ridden miles on the mtb and 23,000 on my road shoes and they haven't needed a new buckle or boa.

Agree with Glenn

I’ve a pair of Diadora that fit me really well. Unfortunately the top strap for the adjustable clip broke. The LBS I purchased was no help, “Oh, we don’t carry that brand anymore” was the best they could do. The website e-mail link for Diadora was as is typical, f no use as nobody replied.

Thats a brand I won’t purchase again.

That sounds about right.

I wouldn’t use that shop anymore either.

FTR, I wouldn’t buy Bontrager shoes, or nearly any brand other than Sidi from this point forward.

Cars are often financed for 5 years, and cycling shoes cost less than a dinner for 4.

Do you really expect the same support from the manufacturer?

And the buckle costs less than Whopper meal for 1. What's your point?

Really?



Cycling shoes are about 1% the cost of a car. Do you really expect the same amount of post sale support?

Yes I do.

Well that's your problem.

You have unrealistic expectations,

Car safety recalls are typically mandated by law.

Maybe use less proprietary parts? My many year old Sidi road shoes use the same ratchet buckle as some road and mountain bike shoes up to current. They also use the same ratchet buckle as my xc skate boots. Maybe they're owned by the same company, but still, I've never seen a ratchet buckle like the ones on my fairly old Bontrager RL MTB shoes which leads me to think they're more proprietary.

Just so you know I'm not a Bontrager hater, I happen to love those MTB shoes and have gotten many years out of them without any defect or unexpected wear it parts failure. The ratchets work. They're starting to wear out at the heal and I'll probably go look at them locally again, or buy the MTB version of my Sidi road shoes which I also love.

As far as online, I had to buy my road shoes online and I just found a vendor with free returns. I bought two sizes each of two brands and found the ones that fit well. Locally there's a decent selection of MTB shoes so I'm happy to buy ones I can try on.

Biketiresdirect
Probikekit
Wiggle

Most shoes use proprietary buckles, even Sidi. Thankfully Sidi uses the same buckle on nearly all their shoes, and they are readily available.

Well... my 5 year old Sidi which have 3 times the rides have not needed replacement and if they did, the buckles are still available.