Was just surfing around the Internet and saw that Diamondback is now selling their high end MTBs directly online.
What are people’s thoughts on being able to buy direct these days??? Some of the European brands, Commencal/ YT/ Ghost took this approach and bikes are noticeably cheaper as a result but it seems that there are more and more options to do this now. Are other brands going to start doing this as well and how do you think it will affect bike shops???
Are they actually cheaper? The comparable YT capra to my Reign is $500 more, and the comparable Jeffsy is way under spec’d in comparison. Those are the only 2 I’ve compared becasue they both interest me. I can’t speak for the Commencal, Ghost, etc.
Giant currently does the same. Except it must be shipped, and assembled by a local bike shop. The bike shop gets a percentage of the sale.
It is going to be a growing portion of the market for sure. However, repairs will always have to be done, but if the companies allow the shops to get a portion by building them and ensuring the warranties are valid, I see it as an exciting option for shops.
As some of you know, I directly ordered a Commencal Meta AM via the web. At the price point I paid, with the component spec and suspension it has, there isn’t a thing on the market within $1,000 with a comparable spec. That said, I’m also a pretty competent home mechanic, so I can deal with almost any eventuality.
I also regularly support every single shop in HRM and beyond and have for more than three decades. But, I do like to ride a unique bike that fits my riding style, and for my current ride, that’s a direct purchase. I’m ok with that.
I think it’s awesome! I love online shopping can’t wait for Canyon to become available. Experience is been great - selection, service, support and convenience just unbeatable. Looks like local bike shop will have to change business model rather quickly if it wants to exist. As much as I love supporting local I honestly cannot justify buying tire for 99.99 when I can get same thing for 59.99 delivered to my door. And guess what, days of hidden fee etc also fading away as well as a long shipping time. I get packages from northern England in 2 days for half the price of a local shop.
Not a bike but I tried to order a Troy Lee helmet online from Jensen USA and they will not ship to Canada. Troy Lee wants you to support Canadian Dealers but it is hard to find a shop in Canada who carries them. From the retailers point of view I expect they like this. From a consumers point of view it is stupid AF. I’ll just move on and buy another brand of helmet
Not only can it be hard to find someone who is a dealer for the product you want but inevitably they don’t have it in stock in and the pricing disparity between Canada and other markets is sometimes ridiculous.
If I’m going to special order something anyways (because the dealer doesn’t stock it), I’ll just order it from someplace with a decent price that can deliver in a timely manner.
I’m all for supporting local and do so often when I don’t want to wait or the price difference is not a big deal… but that’s not always the case.
Buy local, ride global. That is the moniker for bike shops in Canada. The problem is, as mountain bikers, the local shops never seem to have what you need. I have been to shops in this city, in May, and not been able to get a stainless steel shift cable!!! WTF. So, like Brightwhite, I support local as much as I can but certainly have ordered online. I have been lucky to ride in a few MTB destination city/towns and they have everything you need in stock, in your size even. Not just black shorts!!!
Peace, out…
All good points…
From what I have seen, many of the direct order companies, like @brightwhite said, do offer a component spec that is very hard to beat when you compare it to the prices seen in local shops so it makes for a very enticing option. With more companies shifting their focus this way, riders have many more options to pick from moving forward.
Like @riderx said, these bikes do need to be serviced and repaired, and this is not something that can be done on the Internet so local shops will get a piece of the pie for sure in this way.
Interesting to see how shops decide to go with this in terms of embracing it or being totally against it…
Its always great to save a few dollars . . . but I find the after sales service of a LBS can be priceless at times.