12 Good Reasons to Buy from a Professional Bicycle Retailer
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There are many advantages in buying cycling products
from a professional bicycle retailer, as opposed to a department store or mass merchant.
Here are some of them:
1. Professional bicycle retailers offer a wide selection of bicycle sizes and performance
levels. The discount department store offers few different models with few, if any,
different frame sizes.
2. Professional bicycle retailers offer top-quality accessory equipment and advice to make
your riding more enjoyable and safer. The discount store offers a limited selection of
lower-quality accessories, and has limited, if any, advice on proper use.
3. Professional bicycle retailers employ knowledgeable salespeople whose only job is
satisfying your cycling needs. Most department stores employ stock clerks with limited
knowledge about riding, and their jobs cover a variety of areas-- not just bikes.
4. Professional bicycle retailers offers complete explanation of use of gears, brakes, and
quick-release mechanisms, as well as reference to sources for further instruction. Most
department store clerks don't have this knowledge.
5. Professional bicycle retailers provide able assistance in selecting the proper bicycle
size and model. Department store clerks usually have limited knowledge of sizing, and a
selection of bicycle sizes is often not available. This can lead to uncomfortable riding.
6. Professional bicycle retailers will normally allow test rides. Department stores
normally do not.
7. Professional bicycle retailers offer fully-assembled and tuned bicycles which are
inspected by expert mechanics. This is a $30-$60 value which department stores do not
normally offer. Buying unassembled bikes in a box can be a risky and frustrating
undertaking.
8. Professional bicycle retailers will normally offer a free tune-up after an initial
break-in period, a $30 to $60 value. Department stores normally lack service departments,
so TUNE-ups must be done by a bike shop, and paid for.
9. Professional bicycle retailers stand behind the products they sell. If problems arise,
product can be brought back to a professional bicycle retailer, who can honour warranties
on the spot. Department stores generally have little knowledge of bicycles, and cannot
resolve many issues quickly.
10. Professional bicycle retailers sell high-quality products which need minimum
maintenance, and last a long time. Department stores often sell cheap products which can
break easily. Frequent repairs add to the cost of the bike, and replacement parts are
often not available.
11. Professional bicycle retailers sell bicycles which retain value for possible trade-in
or private resale. Department store bikes have little residual value, if any.
12. Professional bicycle retailers offer more fun, better fitness and fewer hassles.
Department stores often sell heavy, poorly-made bicycles which are often uncomfortable due
to improper fit, may be the wrong model for your needs, can be unreliable, and have the
potential for damping your enthusiasm for cycling.
Information provided by the
Retail Cycle Traders of Australia. Look
for an RCTA sticker at your local bicycle retailer http://www.bikeoz.com
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