Satisfied or Unsatisfied Online Bike Purchase

[AUbicycles]

I am am keen to test a thesis with an online poll - which everyone can participate in.

It will grab three bits of info,
- firstly the percentage of participants who have ever purchased a complete bike / frame online
- secondly the comparative experience
- thirdly, the satisfaction level


Two Things before Voting

1. Experience
For experience, regardless of how awesome you are (I will believe you), better is a guide to make it easy... not a test or challenge, but it helps. An Experienced cyclists has been riding of 8 years or more riding continuous and has owned 3 or more bikes (not necessarily simultaneously)


2. Satisfaction / happiness
This relates specifically to the result of the purchase and whether you had the bike / result you expect. If you have purchases multiple bikes


Happy to discuss further in the comments and later share some further information on the catalyst for the poill - but for a few days will try and avoid swaying or influencing the voting further.


Christopher

[bychosis]

I haven't purchased a new bike/frame in a shop since last century. Only in the last 12months I've bought new gear, in between was all second hand, mostly locally but a few parts online through forums, ebay etc. My online from retailer experiences have mostly been without dramas and I will continue to buy online happily. I'm reasonably confident I can assess the geometry of a bike and purchase a suitable ride without throwing a leg over in most circumstances.

Since our disposable income has increased recently I've bought a new commuter bike frame and fork and built it up with second hand parts and late last year bought a new MTB (kind of online) - bike shop interstate, but the shop owner was travelling past my location for an event and able to deliver for me.

[mikgit]

I'm gunna say i'm experirenced over intermediate, dunno if thats ture or not
I've only bought frames on the internet, and 2 of those were on the internet, but it was email exchange (on private, one through store) rather than putting soemthing in an online basket/checkout etc and the 3rd was through wiggle. All good results, but the one from wiggle is still the best bike i've owned.

[AUbicycles]

This is a good start to the survey and hope to get some more 'new' cyclists with their verdict.

bychosis, if you talk about what happened last century, it makes you seem old... and made my me laugh "back in my day".

[IncognitoMosquito]

Bought my Battaglin frame online direct from the manufacturer. Was a treat to deal with the various family members who make the business run. I already knew what frame size I needed but after a few measurements Giovanni Battaglin made the same recommendation.

Delivery was prompt. Packing was spot on. I was pleased that the quality and appearance matched the pictures on the web site.

I now ride something that I guess will remain a one off in Perth for a long time.

[cogs19]

I just bought a fairly pricey complete MTB from Pushys. I did lots and lots of research but was still anxious about bike fit (size, geometry and general comfort). The bike I had my eye on was not available for demo anywhere so it was a fairly big gamble (it was north of $6k). I'm happy with the result pending more rides, I haven't been out on it more than a five/six times given the weather.

In future I reckon I will purchase from direct to consumer companies (YT, Canyon etc) - the price hike from a bricks and mortar store is just too high to ignore.

[queequeg]

I have done both of my Ti bikes as online purchases, and there was no option to buy either of those bikes from a shop that I could visit.

For the first one, the online sales team did try to direct me to the local distributor, but when I pointed out that this distributor was 1000km away from me, they agreed that a buying in person was not an option. So, I bought a complete (but unassembled) bike from them in the USA. That was 2011.

More recently, I have done a frameset purchase from the UK, which was essentially a custom frame build, as frames are only made to order with a 6 month delivery timeframe. I had the option to do the full bike build, but as I was being particular about everything on the bike, buying a stock build and then selling bits I didn't need was not ideal. Plus, by splitting the frameset from the parts, I was able to avoid GST on everything except the frame

Overall, pretty happy, but since these were both high end bikes, there was a certain level of attention given to me as a customer.

[DrShifty]

I bought a mid to high end road bike, Specialized Roubaix SL4 Disc over Ebay. It was from a guy in Melbourne who sells used quality bikes only, with perhaps 20 in stock at any time. It was a good price, the bike was practically new (still had the mold threads on the tyres), it arrived in two days and was very well packed.

[AUbicycles]

I am also curious to hear whether cycling friends are generally having good or poor experiences. In my case, many purchase direct from a retailer or the brand so it wouldn't be described as 'online'. The ones buying online are experienced and know exactly what they want so there are no surprises. Any problems (from a bike shop or online purchased bike) are then technical or bike shop assembly issues and not associated with the right size and satisfaction with the choice of bike.

[Dcyclist]

Bought my newest road bike online, sight unseen,from 99bikes. With pick up from a fairly local store, I felt that I got the best of both worlds, the deal that I wanted with some local backup. Given that it was to replace an earlier model bike of the same brand and similar speck, I was fairly confident in the fit, which was if anything better than the bike it replaces.

[ironhanglider]

What is 'Online' does ebay count? What about 2nd hand?

I have bought a new bike from an online retailer. a 24" girls bike for my daughter. I got exactly what I was expecting/paid for which wasn't much. Fortunately I'm a competent mechanic...

Since then I bought an Aldi bike, and a couple of second hand bikes from ebay/gumtree. Fortunately I'm a competent mechanic...

I was happy with all three purchases, but I could understand others being disappointed with exactly the same bikes if they had to pay someone to do a proper job, or worse tried and failed first.

Cheers,

Cameron

[Velt]

Bought a Bowman Pilgrims Disc frameset online based only on the colour, fit and the great reviews of their previous models. I wasn't disappointed.

[tubby74]

bought a hybrid commuter from wiggle. front disc was warped. contacted them and they gave me the option for them to ship the part and I install, or me to take it to a local store and wiggle would refund me. Money was sent the day after I emailed the invoice.
compared to a local store who argued hydraulic brakes failing on first decent ride was not a warranty issue, booking it in wrong (after two other issues of poor assembly already), not calling me due to that booking, not updating the booking when I called to chase them.

[brokenbus]

Bought a Surly Ogre from bike24 and was happy with the service and delivery quality etc. With the hindsight of a bike fit I may have chosen the smaller size but that's my fault

[AUbicycles]

Bought a Surly Ogre from bike24 and was happy with the service and delivery quality etc. With the hindsight of a bike fit I may have chosen the smaller size but that's my fault

If you were able to purchase in a bike shop, is it realistic to expect that they would ensured that you got the right size. This is part of the 'satisfaction' and assumption that a local bike shop can help you avoid some of the pitfalls in buying online.

[brokenbus]

Bought a Surly Ogre from bike24 and was happy with the service and delivery quality etc. With the hindsight of a bike fit I may have chosen the smaller size but that's my fault

If you were able to purchase in a bike shop, is it realistic to expect that they would ensured that you got the right size. This is part of the 'satisfaction' and assumption that a local bike shop can help you avoid some of the pitfalls in buying online.

I have always been directed to a large by bike shops as well and have purchased at least 3 from various shops. I am 182cm so this would typically be my size but from the bike fit, the medium appears to be more suitable. This is from a Steve Hogg fitting. Fortunately a shorter stem has sorted things out and i know what to look for come new bike time. I do understand about what you are saying about purchasing from your lbs though

[AUbicycles]

I agree that a professional bike fit gives you good starting point.

In store, bike sizing and bike fitting can be a game of chance - the skill and experience of a salesperson is not a given and instore systems that fit you based on maths alone are also lacking.


An issue with bike shops is that most riders want to support them but there is the 'price' difference which many shops will struggle to compete with (this is both local online competition as well as overseas).

The other issue is the service quality and for an industry facing increasing competition from online sales, there are far too many shops that undervalue customers and don't engage with customers as though their livelihood depend on them.

[10speedsemiracer]

I have never (myself) bought a new bike either online or in an LBS, so my relevance to your research is exactly...FA. Sorry.

[AUbicycles]

When you have someone else buying for you... then life is good!

[g-boaf]

I had a good bike fitter work out the sizing of a bike I was going to purchase online. That determined if it was a 51cm frame or a 54cm.

The frame came from a pro team brand new, never used. There was never going to be any competition between them and the local bike shops - although I did buy some parts I needed from the local bike shops and I continue to support some local bike shops.

The Gerry Harveys of the local retail industry have got to get it through their thick heads that people will continue to abandon their physical store locations in favour of online alternatives if they render bad service to customers.

Places like Henry Bucks are a great example of how to keep customers. They have an online presence but the physical retail stores are staffed by people who know what good customer service is. They are respectful and helpful.

I'm more wary of buying an entire bike online - it's harder to know what you are getting yourself in for. You can't ride it before purchase.

I'd been looking at Canyon Aeroad for a while as a potential future bike purchase if and when one of my main bikes starts to get too old/worn out. But having fortunately ridden one given to me by Mavic (one of their neutral support race bikes), that sort of changed my mind. I couldn't tell if it was the tyres that were on it or just the Fizik Antares saddle (an awful thing), but the one I rode was a harsh machine. Fast yes, but harsh over the sometimes appalling quality French roads I was on. When I got my own bike back, it felt like a world of difference. Also with Canyon, it doesn't look like there is much scope to customise the bike to my exact fit.

[hamishm]

I've bought a few bikes online. Mostly because you couldn't get these materials in local shops.

Firstly, a Ti road bike from the UK, with custom paint job (complete bike except wheels). I'm not sure if you can walk in to a shop and buy a Ti road bike now but you couldn't 6 years ago, especially if you wanted a custom paint job. Just a bit of assembly required.

Secondly, a steel gravel bike frame from Curve here in Melbourne, with parts sourced from various online shops (UK mostly). Then it went to a local mechanic for all the assembly work I couldn't do myself. Hard to buy a steel bike in shops, it's either carbon or alloy.

Finally, an alloy Boardman hardtail MTB from Wiggle (whole bike). It was just cheaper than going to a shop, nothing special. I think I emailed them to confirm the size, and then ordered. It was fine. Just a bit of work to assemble and get the disc brakes properly aligned.

I'd do it again, but also I'd be happy to buy a complete bike from a local shop if the price was right. eg last year's model on runout pricing.

[10speedsemiracer]

When you have someone else buying for you... then life is good!

Ha..lol. No I meant that the only brand new bike I've ever had was given to me when I was 12, purchased by my parents. A 1976 Repco 10 speed semi-racer (hence...).

[10speedsemiracer]

I agree that a professional bike fit gives you good starting point.

In store, bike sizing and bike fitting can be a game of chance - the skill and experience of a salesperson is not a given and instore systems that fit you based on maths alone are also lacking.


An issue with bike shops is that most riders want to support them but there is the 'price' difference which many shops will struggle to compete with (this is both local online competition as well as overseas).

The other issue is the service quality and for an industry facing increasing competition from online sales, there are far too many shops that undervalue customers and don't engage with customers as though their livelihood depend on them.

This is actually an extremely relevant point. An in-store bike fit, performed by an employee who may or may not be acting under pressure to sell and with an unknown level of ability to perform a bike fit may actually end up with someone riding the wrong bike. An unsctupulous operation may even use yhe process to shift slower selling or overstocked frames.
An LBS fit is not the same as going to see Hogg or Kennedy and may not be objectively the best thing for an in-between sized customer.
That being said, unless you're having a custom frame made,sizing is a compromise and relies on messing with the variables (seat post/stem/cranks/saddle rails) so often we need to start with an approximation.

[AUbicycles]

Ha..lol. No I meant that the only brand new bike I've ever had was given to me when I was 12, purchased by my parents. A 1976 Repco 10 speed semi-racer (hence...).

My first road bike was a Repco 10 Speed as well... but a few years after yours.


On the in shop bike fitting... a genuine fit is very often about a personality who understand what they are doing and has not merely completed a two day workshop. There are a lot of nuances in bike fitting so it is more that ticking a checkbox.

[Mike Ayling]

I bought a Thorn Twin Raven touring tandem mit Rohloff on line from Thorn in England. Steel tubing which Thorn describes as 969 which refers to the fact that the tubing is butted at .9mm atthe ends and .6mm thick in the middle.
Thorn are a boutique operation do not have agents anywhere in the world. You either visit their shop or order a bike online.
They have a rider measurement chart and one of the questions is riding style ranging from Sporty to what used to be called Sit Up and Beg and this influences the handlebar type, top tube length and stem length. I initially opted for fairly sporty and after some time fitted a shorter stem to give me a slightly more upright position. We are talking flat bar here which is Thorn's preferred option but you can have drop bar if you wish.

I liked the Rohloff so much that I followed up with a Thorn Mercury single also a flat bar and also with the choice of drop bar if required.
This bike is 853 conical steel tubing and is best described as a flatbar roadie/audax bike/light tourer. I love this bike!

Mike