Bike shops swapping parts on new bikes.
Discussion
Still a thing?
When I used to buy bikes, if I wanted a different saddle / stem / whatever the bike shop would swap them and I'd pay any price difference.
I've just got back from the Specialized Concept Store, looking for a road bike for Lady Balfour, and they won't do it. You've got to buy new parts and discard the old.
I wonder whether Specialized dealers that aren't Concept Stores might be more flexible?
Most bike shops tend to copy and paste the manufacturers pages when it comes to a particular bike’s spec so I imagine it will cock it all up for them if they swap stuff out especially if you walk in and find it different to what the website said if they haven’t bothered to update the listing.
I also imagine the concept store has to adhere to very strict manufacturer requirements on how bikes are presented for sale.
I also imagine the concept store has to adhere to very strict manufacturer requirements on how bikes are presented for sale.
valiant said:
Most bike shops tend to copy and paste the manufacturers pages when it comes to a particular bike’s spec so I imagine it will cock it all up for them if they swap stuff out especially if you walk in and find it different to what the website said if they haven’t bothered to update the listing.
I also imagine the concept store has to adhere to very strict manufacturer requirements on how bikes are presented for sale.
Perhaps I haven't made myuself clear.I also imagine the concept store has to adhere to very strict manufacturer requirements on how bikes are presented for sale.
If we buy Lady Balfour a bike and she wants a different saddle I don't really want to have to pay to swap it. Time was when a bike shops would swap a saddle or stem at no cost when selling a new bike.
Louis Balfour said:
Perhaps I haven't made myuself clear.
If we buy Lady Balfour a bike and she wants a different saddle I don't really want to have to pay to swap it. Time was when a bike shops would swap a saddle or stem at no cost when selling a new bike.
As said, they then have a sale, but they're left with a bike with mis-matched parts. If someone comes in wanting a pee-built bike exactly as per the manufacturer spec, they'll need to order the missing parts in. I guess there was a time when it was worth their effort but maybe it's more hassle than it's worth for them now.If we buy Lady Balfour a bike and she wants a different saddle I don't really want to have to pay to swap it. Time was when a bike shops would swap a saddle or stem at no cost when selling a new bike.
Mastodon2 said:
Louis Balfour said:
Perhaps I haven't made myuself clear.
If we buy Lady Balfour a bike and she wants a different saddle I don't really want to have to pay to swap it. Time was when a bike shops would swap a saddle or stem at no cost when selling a new bike.
As said, they then have a sale, but they're left with a bike with mis-matched parts. If someone comes in wanting a pee-built bike exactly as per the manufacturer spec, they'll need to order the missing parts in. I guess there was a time when it was worth their effort but maybe it's more hassle than it's worth for them now.If we buy Lady Balfour a bike and she wants a different saddle I don't really want to have to pay to swap it. Time was when a bike shops would swap a saddle or stem at no cost when selling a new bike.
As long as the bike shop has the other saddle or wheels in as a product surely they can do a swap.
They may charge a little extra.
The alternative would be to buy the bike and buy the 2nd saddle separately and ask the shop to swap it over and then sell your original saddle 'as new' on eBay.
I do think big bike brands should offer some flexibility on things like wheel specs as car manufacturers do.
They may charge a little extra.
The alternative would be to buy the bike and buy the 2nd saddle separately and ask the shop to swap it over and then sell your original saddle 'as new' on eBay.
I do think big bike brands should offer some flexibility on things like wheel specs as car manufacturers do.
As long as the bike shop has the other saddle or wheels in as a product surely they can do a swap.
They may charge a little extra.
The alternative would be to buy the bike and buy the 2nd saddle separately and ask the shop to swap it over and then sell your original saddle 'as new' on eBay.
I do think big bike brands should offer some flexibility on things like wheel specs as car manufacturers do.
They may charge a little extra.
The alternative would be to buy the bike and buy the 2nd saddle separately and ask the shop to swap it over and then sell your original saddle 'as new' on eBay.
I do think big bike brands should offer some flexibility on things like wheel specs as car manufacturers do.
g7jhp said:
As long as the bike shop has the other saddle or wheels in as a product surely they can do a swap.
They may charge a little extra.
The alternative would be to buy the bike and buy the 2nd saddle separately and ask the shop to swap it over and then sell your original saddle 'as new' on eBay.
I do think big bike brands should offer some flexibility on things like wheel specs as car manufacturers do.
They always used to. I am just checking what is the norm now.They may charge a little extra.
The alternative would be to buy the bike and buy the 2nd saddle separately and ask the shop to swap it over and then sell your original saddle 'as new' on eBay.
I do think big bike brands should offer some flexibility on things like wheel specs as car manufacturers do.
No it does not work like that.
You are expecting them to value a used saddle, probably with marked rails, no packaging and quite possibly even a model that is not available aftermarket or with differing graphics to the retail version, at full retail price.
The bike spec is the spec, there's not much the shop (who are at the long end of a chain of companies involved) in being able to do much to it.
You are expecting them to value a used saddle, probably with marked rails, no packaging and quite possibly even a model that is not available aftermarket or with differing graphics to the retail version, at full retail price.
The bike spec is the spec, there's not much the shop (who are at the long end of a chain of companies involved) in being able to do much to it.
snotrag said:
No it does not work like that.
You are expecting them to value a used saddle, probably with marked rails, no packaging and quite possibly even a model that is not available aftermarket or with differing graphics to the retail version, at full retail price.
The bike spec is the spec, there's not much the shop (who are at the long end of a chain of companies involved) in being able to do much to it.
I get what you're saying especially for parts which are only available on the model.You are expecting them to value a used saddle, probably with marked rails, no packaging and quite possibly even a model that is not available aftermarket or with differing graphics to the retail version, at full retail price.
The bike spec is the spec, there's not much the shop (who are at the long end of a chain of companies involved) in being able to do much to it.
However a LBS could easily upgrade a bike on Roval C38s to C50s if they stocked both.
If a 2nd customer came in wanting C38s they'd just use the 'as new' unused pair.
It just depends if there is some margin in it.
My LBS can't get stock of new bikes at present and has turned to selling 2nd hand trade-ins.
If there's an opportunity to make money why not especially if there are customers who want the service.
Sandersports said:
You went to a Global market franchise shop looking for local independent owner shop service ... Thats the actual problem.
I am aware that we went to probably the least flexible of all retailers.I used to deal with the likes of Wildside Cycles in Tunbridge Wells and they used to swap components for me.
Mikes Bikes in San Rafael Cali, the same story.
Leisure Lakes ditto.
Would the likes of Evans swap out components?
I think that the 'customisation' cost for the end user needs to be factored in to any purchase.
Some manufacturers seem to be more flexible than others. I've just bought an Orbea and the standard, non-cost customisations included:
Crank length
Stem length
Custom paint / Graphics
Handlebar width
Cassette ratios
Chainset ratios
Then there are 'costed' options, for these you pay the upgrade cost, not the full retail costs, so just the difference in price between components:
Wheels
Handlebars
Stem
At the end of that process, it's possible to get a really well tuned in bike, right from the outset. With regards to saddles, these are such a subjective subject that shops may as well sell bikes without them, much as they do with pedals!
Some manufacturers seem to be more flexible than others. I've just bought an Orbea and the standard, non-cost customisations included:
Crank length
Stem length
Custom paint / Graphics
Handlebar width
Cassette ratios
Chainset ratios
Then there are 'costed' options, for these you pay the upgrade cost, not the full retail costs, so just the difference in price between components:
Wheels
Handlebars
Stem
At the end of that process, it's possible to get a really well tuned in bike, right from the outset. With regards to saddles, these are such a subjective subject that shops may as well sell bikes without them, much as they do with pedals!
Ian-27xza said:
I think that the 'customisation' cost for the end user needs to be factored in to any purchase.
Some manufacturers seem to be more flexible than others. I've just bought an Orbea and the standard, non-cost customisations included:
Crank length
Stem length
Custom paint / Graphics
Handlebar width
Cassette ratios
Chainset ratios
Then there are 'costed' options, for these you pay the upgrade cost, not the full retail costs, so just the difference in price between components:
Wheels
Handlebars
Stem
At the end of that process, it's possible to get a really well tuned in bike, right from the outset. With regards to saddles, these are such a subjective subject that shops may as well sell bikes without them, much as they do with pedals!
It's for this reason I was thinking of making my next (only my second) road bike an Orbea. I like the idea of being able to go for nicer wheels, for example, and only needing to pay the price difference (being able to choose the paint scheme is nice).Some manufacturers seem to be more flexible than others. I've just bought an Orbea and the standard, non-cost customisations included:
Crank length
Stem length
Custom paint / Graphics
Handlebar width
Cassette ratios
Chainset ratios
Then there are 'costed' options, for these you pay the upgrade cost, not the full retail costs, so just the difference in price between components:
Wheels
Handlebars
Stem
At the end of that process, it's possible to get a really well tuned in bike, right from the outset. With regards to saddles, these are such a subjective subject that shops may as well sell bikes without them, much as they do with pedals!
Can I ask which model you got and if you're happy with it? I was looking at an Orca Aero. LBS is an Orbea stockist.
The trouble with swapping bits over is that it’s a bad business decision and shops are far more professionally run these days. They are now aware that the old fashioned concept of just doing anything the customer wanted led to a build up of crap around the shop which never got sold and ended up in the bin. The shop looked like a junk shop, nobody could find anything, the shop,owner didn’t know how much dead stock he was carrying and hence had no concept of whether he was making money.The new bikes sold were then effected by a poorer margin than could have been attained and the extra time and labour involved was also never accounted for.
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