Internet Bicycle Shops

[BSRU]

I am currently considering using the C2W scheme to buy a sunny day bike, thinking about buying a Specialized Secteur Elite, I have been to the LBS to check it out and sizing is just right for me.

Unfortunately or fortunately, I came across the Cannondale Synapse 105 which looks great which has made me reconsider the purchase of the Secteur.

My question is related to buying from famous name internet bike shops as there is no Cannondale dealer nearby so I will not have a chance to actually have a go on one and the first time I ride it I will have already bought it. I am a little wary of buying something I have not sat on.

What is peoples experience of buying a bike without being able to sit on it first?

The Secteur is an excellent bike with SRAM Apex gear but the Synapse looks cool in black and has Shimano 105 equipment.

 

[phil_hg_uk]

I can recommend the Specialized Secteur Elite I have onem bought it in may, and I love it, in fact I am in the process of getting rid of my other bikes coz I only ever ride the Elite now.

 

[Rob3rt]

I would always advise riding before buying, but sometimes you just cant (like I couldnt with one of my bikes) so just double check with the online store about returns and get all the details, email them for confirmation and clarification if needed. Most good retailers will let you return it if you dont like it, as long as it is still saleable as new (since most bikes are available to test ride in stores, they are still saleable as new with a few miles on them so riding it around the block before returning should you need to, should not be a problem). Do you have an Evans within a reasonable distance from you? They do Cannondale and they also do test rides, they also do C2W iirc.

 

[I like Skol]

Similar advice to Rob really, I would never buy a bike completely blind. Even when I bought my Hybrid at the end of 2010 I insisted on driving 100 mile round trip just to sit on the bike at the sellers premises and make sure it 'felt' right. This was from the cheapest internet provider I could find and I was 99% sure it was the right bike for me but until you try bums on seats you can't be 100%

 

[mark barker]

My question is related to buying from famous name internet bike shops as there is no Cannondale dealer nearby so I will not have a chance to actually have a go on one and the first time I ride it I will have already bought it. I am a little wary of buying something I have not sat on.

Mud Dock in Bristol stock Cannondale and they're only half an hour away by train. They're top folks, serve great coffee and will happily let you try before you buy...

 

[BSRU]

Mud Dock in Bristol stock Cannondale and they're only half an hour away by train. They're top folks, serve great coffee and will happily let you try before you buy...

Unfortunately, at the moment and for the next couple of months, I am really limited to the Swindon area.
The only free day for me is really Sunday the day bike shops are all closed, any other day of the week it's just not possible. I only managed to visit the local LBS's this week as I am off work tiling the bathroom.

The other advantage of the Secteur is the LBS is very local, either Total Bikes or Hargroves, so any warranty problems with it can be sorted easier.

I might ask the LBS if they can supply bikes they do not normally stock, to see if that is away around it.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I'm OK with buying a bike without trying it out first. You can see what the geometry is like and compare it to one you've got or one you can try and get on with.

The last bike I bought, I got the sizes from the website and measured it against my road bike, it was within a gnat's enough for me. I had rung round all the stockists in a 40 mile radius but there was nothing doing so if I wanted it then that was going to be the only way.

Bikes are so much more adustable these days and you should be able to tweak it enough providing you've got a frame size that's in the right range for you.

 

[Rob3rt]

I'm OK with buying a bike without trying it out first. You can see what the geometry is like and compare it to one you've got or one you can try and get on with.

The last bike I bought, I got the sizes from the website and measured it against my road bike, it was within a gnat's enough for me. I had rung round all the stockists in a 40 mile radius but there was nothing doing so if I wanted it then that was going to be the only way.

Bikes are so much more adustable these days and you should be able to tweak it enough providing you've got a frame size that's in the right range for you.

I agree mostly, thats exactly what I did on ordering my latest bike. But geometry isnt everything I guess, different tube material, alignments, dimensions, wall thicknesses, forming and welding etc feels different when you ride it to some degree. Just depends if the user can tell the difference and how extreme the manufacturing techniques are I probly cant tell much difference, but some people can.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

I agree mostly, thats exactly what I did on ordering my latest bike. But geometry isnt everything I guess, different tube material, alignments, dimensions, wall thicknesses, forming and welding etc feels different when you ride it to some degree. Just depends if the user can tell the difference and how extreme the manufacturing techniques are I probly cant tell much difference, but some people can.

A lot of that come with experience of lots of bike I guess, I may have owned a few in my time

 

[BSRU]

I'm OK with buying a bike without trying it out first. You can see what the geometry is like and compare it to one you've got or one you can try and get on with.

The last bike I bought, I got the sizes from the website and measured it against my road bike, it was within a gnat's enough for me. I had rung round all the stockists in a 40 mile radius but there was nothing doing so if I wanted it then that was going to be the only way.

Bikes are so much more adustable these days and you should be able to tweak it enough providing you've got a frame size that's in the right range for you.

Luckily Evans has geometry information for both bikes on their website, I did a comparison and they are very very similar plus being used to a hybrid they are both going to feel a little strange at first.
Their both excellent bikes, probably to good for me, it basically comes down to emotional/practical reasons, the Cannondale looks great in black whereas the Specialized is from an LBS(easier if any problems).

 

[Wardy]

I was in the Evans store at Gateshead today. Made taking my wife to the MetroCentre shops quite bearable. They said they were prepared to order in a couple of bike models for me to try out before buying.