The Pro’s Closet feedback
#51
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You have to know what you're doing. The used market is currently pretty stoopid
Eg. Here's a used Trek SL6 Disc Pro from TPC: https://www.theproscloset.com/produc...6-disc-pro-l-2
and here's Trek's listing for that model bike: https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...grey_greylight
Eg. Here's a used Trek SL6 Disc Pro from TPC: https://www.theproscloset.com/produc...6-disc-pro-l-2
and here's Trek's listing for that model bike: https://www.trekbikes.com/us/en_US/b...grey_greylight
I know I have looked at their website off an on over the years and I always thought their bikes were overpriced.
#52
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Also: I always wonder what people do to their bikes to need warranty so badly. Ive owned so many bikes (and even crashed a few), and never had a frame issue (even after crash). I understand it might give you peace of mind on an expensive bike, but I doubt most people need it, and I would take the savings of a used bike any day.
I know plenty of people who have cracked frames, both aluminum and cf, and many of these were covered. I've also seen people upset when warranty is denied.
You're right, most people won't break a frame. Just like most won't have a major engine failure in a car. The warranty is for peace of mind and to protect the unlucky ones who do need it.
#53
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I’ve sold a couple of bikes to them and they paid very fair for them….since they then turned around and list them at very strong prices. That business model seems to be working well, especially now with the relative bike shortages/supply chain/etc.
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It's funny to click on all the links in this thread and see that all of the bikes being discussed as absurdly overpriced garbage have sold.
Does TPC ever lower a price once they've listed a bike? I don't think I've ever seen anything last more than a few weeks.
Does TPC ever lower a price once they've listed a bike? I don't think I've ever seen anything last more than a few weeks.
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Used bikes now are going to be expensive. No way around that and yeah, they will eventually sell. I have sold a bike to Pros (before Covid) in the $1,600 range and got maybe 15% less than from a private buyer. I also bought one from them pre-Covid and paid maybe 15% more than from a private seller. It is a professionally-run outfit with some very cool guys, in my opinion. I actually went there and they helped me quite a bit, and are so knowledgeable as well...that helped. There was no pressure either.
#56
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Used bikes now are going to be expensive. No way around that and yeah, they will eventually sell. I have sold a bike to Pros (before Covid) in the $1,600 range and got maybe 15% less than from a private buyer. I also bought one from them pre-Covid and paid maybe 15% more than from a private seller. It is a professionally-run outfit with some very cool guys, in my opinion. I actually went there and they helped me quite a bit, and are so knowledgeable as well...that helped. There was no pressure either.
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#57
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Thought I'd provide some updated thinking here.
As mentioned above, I bought a bike from The Pro's Closet last year. This is a high end ti/carbon cyclocross bike. Yesterday, I noticed a crack in the weld of the rear dropout. The bike was not crashed and the crack was not there before, so it looks like a weld failure. Who knows if it's fixable. The frame builder does not offer any warranty to anyone but the original buyer, again not unreasonably. I emailed the manufacturer about the possibility of paid repair, but I haven't heard back yet.
What to do in this situation? The Pro's Closet does not offer any sort of warranty or post-sales support. It's probably unreasonable for them to do so and I don't blame them. The manufacturer is unlikely to offer anything beyond a costly repair (which is probably the road I'm headed down here). No shop around here is going to help as I didn't buy from them. Again, no one is doing anything wrong here but this is all obviously a MAJOR reason to not buy a used bike in general: you're kinda screwed if something goes wrong.
As mentioned above, I bought a bike from The Pro's Closet last year. This is a high end ti/carbon cyclocross bike. Yesterday, I noticed a crack in the weld of the rear dropout. The bike was not crashed and the crack was not there before, so it looks like a weld failure. Who knows if it's fixable. The frame builder does not offer any warranty to anyone but the original buyer, again not unreasonably. I emailed the manufacturer about the possibility of paid repair, but I haven't heard back yet.
What to do in this situation? The Pro's Closet does not offer any sort of warranty or post-sales support. It's probably unreasonable for them to do so and I don't blame them. The manufacturer is unlikely to offer anything beyond a costly repair (which is probably the road I'm headed down here). No shop around here is going to help as I didn't buy from them. Again, no one is doing anything wrong here but this is all obviously a MAJOR reason to not buy a used bike in general: you're kinda screwed if something goes wrong.
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#58
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Thought I'd provide some updated thinking here.
As mentioned above, I bought a bike from The Pro's Closet last year. This is a high end ti/carbon cyclocross bike. Yesterday, I noticed a crack in the weld of the rear dropout. The bike was not crashed and the crack was not there before, so it looks like a weld failure. Who knows if it's fixable. The frame builder does not offer any warranty to anyone but the original buyer, again not unreasonably. I emailed the manufacturer about the possibility of paid repair, but I haven't heard back yet.
What to do in this situation? The Pro's Closet does not offer any sort of warranty or post-sales support. It's probably unreasonable for them to do so and I don't blame them. The manufacturer is unlikely to offer anything beyond a costly repair (which is probably the road I'm headed down here). No shop around here is going to help as I didn't buy from them. Again, no one is doing anything wrong here but this is all obviously a MAJOR reason to not buy a used bike in general: you're kinda screwed if something goes wrong.
As mentioned above, I bought a bike from The Pro's Closet last year. This is a high end ti/carbon cyclocross bike. Yesterday, I noticed a crack in the weld of the rear dropout. The bike was not crashed and the crack was not there before, so it looks like a weld failure. Who knows if it's fixable. The frame builder does not offer any warranty to anyone but the original buyer, again not unreasonably. I emailed the manufacturer about the possibility of paid repair, but I haven't heard back yet.
What to do in this situation? The Pro's Closet does not offer any sort of warranty or post-sales support. It's probably unreasonable for them to do so and I don't blame them. The manufacturer is unlikely to offer anything beyond a costly repair (which is probably the road I'm headed down here). No shop around here is going to help as I didn't buy from them. Again, no one is doing anything wrong here but this is all obviously a MAJOR reason to not buy a used bike in general: you're kinda screwed if something goes wrong.
I wouldn't expect anyone to do this work for free in this situation. This doesn't seem any different than any other used/second hand product and doesn't seem to have anything to do with Pro's Closet - unless your contention is that they sold you a cracked frame?
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I like pro's closet and buy a lot of components-mostly wheels from them. My only gripe is that they lack a mechanism/system to make an offer on a bike, especially since some of the bikes have really stoopid prices. I get it if they don't accept an offer but at least be open enough to evaluate it. BTW, TPC was the first site that actually measured wheel truness/bearing smoothness to help you determine if you wanted to buy it or not, and everything I bought from them was in better condition than their description, an honest site.
Have fun.
Have fun.
Last edited by N2deep; 06-15-22 at 02:56 PM.
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#60
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I like pro's closet and buy a lot of components-mostly wheels from them. My only gripe is that they lack a mechanism/system to make an offer on a bike, especially since some of the bikes have really stoopid prices. I get it if they don't accept an offer but at least be open enough to evaluate it. BTW, TPC was the first site that actually measured wheel truness/bearing smoothness to help you determine if you wanted to buy it or not, and everything I bought from them was in better condition than their description, an honest site.
Have fun.
Have fun.
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I'm sure TPC does occasionally lower their prices on bikes that have been listed for a long time. I'm not surprised that they adhere to a "no haggle" pricing structure though. This is part of the business model, much like CARMAX and used cars. You're paying extra for the ease of the transaction and the "no haggle" aspect is part of it, just like the inspections, photos, buy back guarantee, etc.
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#62
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Apparently, Pro's Closet is not even offering money for bikes anymore, only store credit. Sent them photos of a bike and they did provide a generous offer, but it was only for store credit... Just FYI...
#63
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I am thinking that the pandemic bike boom is over and supply chain issues better, so prices for used bikes probably peaked last year and are on their way down. So it makes sense they would make this change to stay in business.
Last edited by datlas; 11-22-22 at 06:16 AM.
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I don’t know if this is the same article Colorado Kid was referencing, but I saw this:
https://www.bicycleretailer.com/indu...e#.Y3zZdi1Omf0
https://www.bicycleretailer.com/indu...e#.Y3zZdi1Omf0
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#67
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This must be a very recent thing, I had a friend of mine sell a bike to them about 3 weeks ago. Said he thought the offer was a little low, but as mentioned somewhere in the thread, the benefit of no haggling, and dealing with people, he took the offer, plus the market is cooling due to the economy slowing and some bikes coming on the market in bike shops.
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This must be a very recent thing, I had a friend of mine sell a bike to them about 3 weeks ago. Said he thought the offer was a little low, but as mentioned somewhere in the thread, the benefit of no haggling, and dealing with people, he took the offer, plus the market is cooling due to the economy slowing and some bikes coming on the market in bike shops.
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Yeah, things are definitely slowing down. A local shop that does consignments is being very picky in what they accept. Last year, they were accepting all kinds of vintage bikes, etc... Now, they just want big name, carbon fiber, and disc brakes... Glad I sold a few last year.
Yep, same here. I sold a Domane SLR about a month ago after I picked up a 2023 Domane, got a decent price, so glad I was able to sell it as quickly as I did. I've sold about 6 bikes over the last 2 years.
#70
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TPC's prices are no longer at the outrageous rip-off levels they were in the fall of 2021, but (in my opinion) they are still too damned high. I'd say they need to knock another 15%-20% off their current pricing for their offerings to be a good option. The pressure is only going to build as I believe lots of new bikes will start getting steep discounts in 2023. I wonder how viable this business model is going forward. TPC is going to have a tough run of it in 2023 and 2024.
Also, update on my broken frame I mentioned above: the original fabricator fixed it and reconditioned the bike for a very reasonable fee. The bike is better than it ever was before, so the story has a happy ending.
Also, update on my broken frame I mentioned above: the original fabricator fixed it and reconditioned the bike for a very reasonable fee. The bike is better than it ever was before, so the story has a happy ending.
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#71
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Got a Zaffiro Pro trainer tire there for, like, 20 bucks.
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scored some new Quarq power meter complete cranks for $380. Re-labeled sram RED carbon arms. I should have bought a second set to stash for a another bike. I like the PM better than the stages I've been using for years.
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I remain surprised by the number of new products being sold by Pro's Closet. They currently have around 300 bikes that are listed as "new", including bikes from Orbea, Mosaic, Yeti, Rocky Mountain, Giant/Liv, Santa Cruz. On the accessories and components pages, 99% of what they're selling is "new". Shimano, Garmin, 4iii, Stages, etc.
I keep checking their site hoping to snag a cheap Stages or 4iiii power meter for a Hollowgram crank, but find nothing.
Beyond bikes and some wheels, the majority of TPC's website seems to be brand new MSRP apparel, accessories and components.
I keep checking their site hoping to snag a cheap Stages or 4iiii power meter for a Hollowgram crank, but find nothing.
Beyond bikes and some wheels, the majority of TPC's website seems to be brand new MSRP apparel, accessories and components.
#74
Pedalin' Erry Day
I remain surprised by the number of new products being sold by Pro's Closet. They currently have around 300 bikes that are listed as "new", including bikes from Orbea, Mosaic, Yeti, Rocky Mountain, Giant/Liv, Santa Cruz. On the accessories and components pages, 99% of what they're selling is "new". Shimano, Garmin, 4iii, Stages, etc.
I keep checking their site hoping to snag a cheap Stages or 4iiii power meter for a Hollowgram crank, but find nothing.
Beyond bikes and some wheels, the majority of TPC's website seems to be brand new MSRP apparel, accessories and components.
I keep checking their site hoping to snag a cheap Stages or 4iiii power meter for a Hollowgram crank, but find nothing.
Beyond bikes and some wheels, the majority of TPC's website seems to be brand new MSRP apparel, accessories and components.
#75
Senior Member
Totally agree. I have two bikes with Quarqs. They are absolutely bulletproof: you get on the bike, they connect to the head unit immediately, calibrate and off you go. Replacing the battery takes about thirty seconds and they give you plenty of warning when they're about to die. They're also super simple: no moving parts, nothing really to break, nothing really exposed. They also offer true dual-sided data without anything unnecessary. IMO, the best PMs on the market.
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