local bike shop vs online

[vickster]

It's not just about sit bones, there are lots of variables. Padding, cut out, shape, length, width

The manufacturers sell lots of saddles in the same sit bone widths but they aren't all the same

 

[RebornBumbler]

How can someone charge £25 to fit a saddle for you? You sit on a gel pad, sit bone width gets measured and then you buy a saddle that suits your sit bone width.

Yep - did that - bought a 75 quid saddle (Specialized - which I've previously used and been happy with) the right width for my bones, and realised after several weeks that I wasn't getting on with it.
I then bought a Madison Prime (mostly because BikeRadar rated it so highly, and it was cheap) and I'm way more comfortable now.
You just can't tell in a day or two whether a saddle's going to work out - if Cadence do more than measure your bones and get you on the right road earlier, it's got to be worth the money.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

It's not just about sit bones, there are lots of variables. Padding, cut out, shape, length, width

The manufacturers sell lots of saddles in the same sit bone widths but they aren't all the same

Out of interest then: what other measurements do they take?

Edit:

Just found this.

http://www.cadenceperformance.com/saddle-test-facility/

 

[Fifelad]

My LBS is great. Guy is willing to chat and always knocks prices down as he says " I always come back " . Online is ok if you are very knowledgeable on maintainance in my opinion.

 

[summerdays]

Last time I called in at my LBS asking if I needed to various jobs, expecting to part with money, he said that none of it needed doing and also adjusted my gears for me, since they are nice! Today I went back intending to spend money to support them. My rear mudguard has been broken for ages so I didn't look at how much SKS ones would cost online and took empty panniers to fit them in.

Yet again he managed to foil my attempts to spend money, after he wandered into the workshop part and returned with a bracket presumably off an old mudguard. So I ended up buying lube and a key ring I had seen on the way in so that I spent something!

 

[stephec]

Yep, mines the same. Bought my sons first bike there, went there for my hybrid when I started late last year and had great advice. Support afterwards in terms of maintenance and first fettle (with free brake pads) has been brilliant. Always go there for consumables, the owner remembers my kids names, and you can have great banter and advice from the guy. I'm lucky I guess, not everyone has a bike shop like this nearby.

That sounds just like the shop near me.

 

[Cubist]

There's a problem with the likes of Evans and Halfords - neither will swap stems/saddles/tyres if you either want or more importantly need the former two items to improve fit/comfort. Poor service really.

I'm willing to bet they'll sell you an upgrade if you want or need one though. Or even better, let you take the bike you bought, then over time work out which saddle is better for your needs. Then you can explore a whole new world of parts outside of their limited range. It isn't poor service, it's a business model that sells an enormous number of reasonably priced, well equipped bikes. The shops that swap the saddle or stem etc won't be doing it as a public service, they'll factor in the cost to the overall price.

What we tend to forget is that the average cyclist or wannabe will buy a bike and adapt to it. Not everybody wants a micro-measured bespoke fitting from the off. That service is available to the enthusiastic amateur who is at a stage beyond the first time Halfords or Evans buyer. So, if you want to pay LBS style premium for that experience, then go ahead. I bought a stock roadbike at basic price, expecting to learn over time what I needed to fix to make it right for me. The saddle was the first thing I changed, but again, I knew what would suit (the old Spoon off my last roadbike) Had I asked the LBS to fit a spoon I would have expected to pay RRP for the upgrade.

As an enthusiastic lover of building my own custom MTBs, the last time I bought a bike in an LBS (other than a C2W roadbike) was 2008. My Boardman Hybrid C2W bike in 2009 was of course Halfords, but I enjoyed the incredible value for money, and happily fettled it to suit me over the first few weeks of owning it.

 

[MattMM]

So unfortunate enough to break a spoke during the week, whacking whole rear wheel out of true and forcing a limp-home run. Went to LBS today with bike, they fixed it and retrued in a couple of hours without pre-booking, back on the road in time for a run tomorrow. The cost - £10, plus some free banter with the owner.

Honestly you can't put a price on this kind of service. As Warren Buffet said, price is what you pay, value is what you get.

 

[doog]

So unfortunate enough to break a spoke during the week, whacking whole rear wheel out of true and forcing a limp-home run. Went to LBS today with bike, they fixed it and retrued in a couple of hours without pre-booking, back on the road in time for a run tomorrow. The cost - £10, plus some free banter with the owner.

Honestly you can't put a price on this kind of service. As Warren Buffet said, price is what you pay, value is what you get.

If only this service was typical there would be an LBS on every street corner...sadly it isnt.

 

[MattMM]

If only this service was typical there would be an LBS on every street corner...sadly it isnt.

Indeed. As I said in a previous post, suspect I'm very fortunate in this regard.

 

[Chris Norton]

If anyone has read "it's all about the bike" then you'll know what kind of place my LBS is. Ridiculously clean shop area, but the workshop is that kind of special place that we all love. A thousand different nuts, bolts and stuff no one has a clue about. You can drop in and just chew the fat with the lads and almost always there's someone from our cycling group hanging around too. Tube prices match ebay cos if you buy a bike you get some discount for life. Just a great place to go.

I'd always buy LBS now, and don't think they don't discount bikes, they do. Specially last years models.

 

[Byron1788]

My LBS is excellent, really nice fella popped in there just to have a look round told him i wanted to build my own sold me a Forme Plateau frame with just one minor scratch, old stock but still new for £100.00 fitted the forks for me for free, made me a coffee chatted for ages am a regular there now.

 

[fretted]

I took my bike into the lbs this morning and he fit my new pedals for me, and have some nice tips on how I should ride or maintain the bike... I think I'm sold on using my lbs

 

[cyberknight]

Shh!
I bought an apollo bike today , 1 hour reserve and BC discount , its enough bike for the purpose and yes i had it boxed for self build

 

[DooDah]

I would say that a good lbs is the best place to buy a first bike. They will help fit the bike and you get the after sales service. However, for the more experienced, online is a good option, for choice alone. Mind you, if you buy online from a company that has a chain of branches, then you could get a bit of both.