This is a guest post from Robert Brokamp of The Motley Fool. Robert is a Certified Financial Planner and the adviser for The Motley Fool’s Rule Your Retirement service. He contributes one new article to Get Rich Slowly every two weeks.
I must begin this tale of consumer conflict — both internal and external — with four caveats:
- I’m on the other side of 40, gaining weight, out of shape, and from a family with a history of heart attacks.
- I’ve tried to ride my bike to work. However, I find a traditional bike very uncomfortable due to a bad back and neck, which might be from my high school days of playing football and running track (MVP twice, including a couple of decathlons — see decades-old photo at right) — or maybe I’m just throwing that in to prove that I wasn’t always a crotchety wimp.
- A colleague suggested I try a recumbent bike, which has a seat that’s more like a chair and thus not so rough on the bones.
- My wife encouraged me to get something good as an early birthday present.
As a result, I recently spent $2000 — two-thousand dollars! — on this Catrike Trail recumbent bike:
This isn’t Robert, but this is what his expensive bike looks like!
It almost pains me to write that I spent $2,000. Except for houses, cars, and kids, I’ve never spent so much money on a single item.
That likely amazes you. It’s certainly caused me to wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat (no kidding). The last two cars I bought were used and cost less than $10,000, so I’m not one who usually splurges on transportation. (This morning, I cut my lawn with a reel mower—the kind you just push — that I pulled from the garbage yesterday.) But if you look at the prices of similar-quality recumbents—trikes or otherwise—you’ll see that this one is “budget-priced,” as Catrike says on its website.
Yes, I looked for used bikes on Craigslist and eBay (no luck, because these bikes are relatively rare and not mass-produced — they’re hand-assembled here in the U.S. of A.). Yes, I visited several stores and tried out several makes and models, some that were cheaper. And yes, I absolutely love this bike. It’s a blast to ride. So I bought it.
I rationalized this large purchase thusly:
- I’ll get more exercise, lose weight, feel better, and live longer. (That’s the kind of line journalists cite with irony in a news article headlined “Biker Run Over—Trucker Didn’t See Him Because the Grown Man Was On a Low, Bizarre-Looking Tricycle.”)
- I’ll keep this bike for a long time, both because I spent so much for it and because it’s well-made. I bought my previous bike in 1995 from a friend for $50, and I still use it to pull my kids in the chariot thingy that kids get to ride in. If I’ve kept a $50 bike this long, I expect that I’ll be buried with a $2,000 bike. (The news article will continue: “The widow had to order a custom-shaped coffin so the deceased could be buried with his tricycle. According to a family source, the deceased made this request because the bike was so expensive. Also, it was impossible to disentangle the two after the accident.”)
- I’ll save money on gas and less wear-and-tear on my car. (“To raise money for funeral expenses, the family is selling his possessions, including his car, on Craigslist and eBay.”)
- It’s so fun to ride! (“Witnesses say that the deceased died with a smile on his face.”)
If this article were following a classic dramatic structure — such as Freytag’s pyramid — we’ve gotten through the exposition. Now, on to the conflict.
Pricey Wasn’t Perfect
The day after I bought the bike, I rode it to work. It was a bit noisy, and a few times it shifted gears all by itself. I showed it to my bike-expert colleague at work (who, along with his wife, has several bikes, including two recumbent trikes), and he pointed out that the bike was damaged: a few scuffs and scratches, a chain too long for my height, and a bent rear derailleur (that thing the chain goes around before it gets to the gears on the wheel—mine rubbed up against the tire when in higher gears). While I was riding it around the office, the chain just fell off.
Now, I knew I was getting a demo bike. I was aware of the scuffs. The option was to take the demo, or have the shop order the bike, wait for it to get delivered, and drive back to the shop to get it (a 45- to 90-minute drive, depending on which of their two shops it was delivered to). Were I able to do it over again, that’s what I would have done.
But I didn’t. So I emailed the owner of the shop, explained the problems, and said I expected it to be fixed — or the bike replaced — plus something extra for trouble (either some money back or extra accessories). He offered to have it fixed it ASAP, but didn’t offer anything else.
I asked again about getting something in return for the problems, and he replied, “These things happen to us all. They happen to all bikes and trikes, some for twice as much, not that it’s easy when it does.”
And so I took the bike back to the shop. They worked on it and tested it for 90 minutes, and replaced the derailleur. Including travel time, the process took me three hours and a few gallons of gas.
I should note that, aside from this episode, the service at this shop was excellent. They’re friendly, informative, and they let my son and me try out all kinds of bikes. But I still feel like I got a sub-optimal deal, especially given the amount of money I spent. The bottom line, for me, was that I paid full price for what turned out to be a damaged bike, and I had to spend time to get it fixed.
Determine the Dénouement
So that’s the conflict. How should it be resolved? Or has it already?
If you were me, would you demand a discount or some additional accessories at this point? If you’re a bike expert, does this sound like a big deal to you, or just part of buying a bike? Let me know in the comments below. I’ll use your advice to decide what to do next, and report back on the resolution (if any).
And if you live in the Washington, D.C., area, please don’t run me over.
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If you lived in the UK, that bike would be “not fit for purpose” – you bought it as a working bike for you to commute on, and were only told about cosmetic damage. So you would be covered by consumer rights legislation. I’d have to check, but I think you’d be allowed to demand a refund or a replacement, but not additional costs, as it’s close to the time of buying (after a certain time, the retailer is allowed to choose what you get – refund, replacement or repair).
However, I don’t know what the relevant law is in the US, or even if it exists.
Having said all that, I would ask for reasonable reimbursement for travel expenses to the shop to have it fixed. However, it would be tricky to do that in retrospect.
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First, congrats on the trike! As a fellow cyclist I can tell you biking is one of the best ways to exercise. You can do it for the rest of your life without the negative consequences that come from high impact sports. .
That said, I wonder why you agreed to buy the demo of an expensive product with no discount. Point of purchase is the time you should have struck a bargain. People usually only agree to buy the slightly-used floor model in exchange for a lower price because they know it will not be perfect. It seems a bit late now to go back and retroactively get that deal. I’m glad the shop fixed the bike, but beyond that you knew you weren’t buying a product that was straight out of the box.
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Buying a used bike is just like buying a used car – you could see it and test drive it before you plunked down the cash to buy it, I assume? If so, the shop did their due diligence in making you aware of all the foibles of the product in question before you purchased it. You could have asked for those items to be fixed before purchasing, or negotiated for accessories at that point (usually easy to do, markup on water bottles and helmets is dramatically higher than on the bikes themselves).
I don’t want to sound like a douchebag, but I’d be thankful that the shop did what they did for free. $2000 sounds like a lot for a bike, but in the world of high-end cycling, you’re just getting started. And lets be honest here – what’s the loss to the shop if they piss off one customer who is (you said it yourself) never going to buy another bike anyway?
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Did you not notice the defects on your test-ride? Seems like you would have ridden it around and shifted it all over the place. Those are pretty common issues to have on a demo bike and you bought it “as-is” from the shop.
If you are buying a nice bike that is designed to help at least partially replace your car, treat it like buying a car, not buying a 50$ bike. Would you get in a used car, leave it in first and tool around the parking lot on the test drive? Probably not. A used bike should be treated no differently.
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I too ride my bike to work in urban Tampa and you are brave riding that recumbant. Your post was funny. As far as getting more for your time, you already got it in the reduced price for the demo model. You can’t expect perfection from a demo and hopefully you negotiated a bit off of it when you bought it. I personally don’t think you should expect extra compensation from the shop in the form of money or accessories.
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EVERY bike has these problems, it may have been demo, but that still means it probably wasn’t ridden that much (not a dig at you, but you probably didn’t even ride it that much if you found these things on the first ride). The cables on new bike will stretch, expect to have to adjust your breaks and possibly the derailleurs again. The new derailleur is unfortunate, but again not uncommon. I would bet the bike shop had lots of bikes in small area, taking bikes out and putting bikes back will result in a bent derailleur or two at a shop – next time test shifting more thoroughly though. Most shops offer a free tune up after purchase to address these issues. I think the bike shop handled it well.
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Frankly, when I buy something that is a demo, I’m negotiating a discount up front. There is no way I’m paying list for something that’s been a demo. That said, you should be satisfied with the repair. you can ask for an extra, but I wouldn’t fault the shop for denying the request. The scuffs are no big deal, and come with the territory of a demo. The busted derailleur was not, and he stepped up and fixed it. I think you were treated fairly.
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Which DC shop did you buy from? Revolution… Performance… Big Wheels?
As the former manager of a bike shop in DC, I’d say the repair deal they gave you was fair. Derailers can bend very easily (honestly, you could have banged it getting it into/out-of your vehicle), and 100% of chains stretch and have to be adjusted.
The shop fixed it for free as they should, I don’t really think it’s fair to have them try to compute the opportunity costs of your time.
Also, although every store should of course value every one of its customers, $2,000 is NOT a lot of money in the bike world. Almost every decent road bike is >$1,000, and $2,000 sales are pretty routine.
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I can empathize with feeling awful after spending this much money, I’m the same way. Here is an easy way to make yourself feel better: use the bike every single chance you get. Don’t let it gather any dust. Now is the part where you make the purchase worthwhile.
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A free repair sounds reasonable to me, especially since you agreed to a floor model. Ask yourself how you would feel if the bike had only cost $200 and it was damaged- my guess is that you wouldn’t be so upset. Like the shop owner pointed out, these things happen and it has nothing to do with the price of the product. People with million dollar sports cars still have to go to the mechanic. Paying $2500 for a luxury box at a baseball game doesn’t make the team more likely to win than if you sat in the bleachers. You paid a lot of money for a bike, but no amount of money can guarantee that there will be no bad luck associated with your purchase.
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I think the situation is resolved. “Dangerman” is right, I think you were treated fairly- even though they did the repairs for free it might have even been worth it to pay a closer shop to fix after your time and gas are computed.
This sounds like JD and his mini- we’re so excited to get something like this and the impatience clouds our best judgment. Once the bike is riding smoothly and you’re loving it all the more you will probably forget about this.
By the nature of these problems it sounds like perhaps you weren’t sure what to look for as potential problems on the bike so perhaps other readers can gain from remembering to bring a bike-savvy friend with them on trips like this.
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<paid full price for… a damaged bike
It’s a pretty weak argument, tbh.
You agreed to take the demo – scuffs and all.
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After describing some of your other purchases and the weight that this $2,000 was on you, I think this is more a case of you feeling a bit disappointed that buying something so out of league with your regular spending habits didn’t work out perfectly.
I would put a positive spin on your experience. You made a purchase and had a problem, and now you know for a fact that the store you bought it from is going to take care of you properly. They fixed everything without question and now you’ve got a perfectly working bike. You can rest easier knowing that, unlike your $50 bike, any problems with this one will be taken care of professionally by people you have a good working relationship with.
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Just let it go and enjoy your bike – in a few weeks you won’t be able to tell which scratches came with the bike and which ones were yours.
Maybe for your next maintenance/gear purchase, you try another shop – they’ll either treat you better or worse than the original place.
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I’m a biker wannabe. In 1998, I purchased an expensive (for me) Bianchi Volpe touring bike. I was excited to get it on the road, but during the first couple of weeks, everything seemed to fall apart, and the chain especially couldn’t seem to hold it together. After my fourth or fifth trip to the local bike store in under a month, I voiced my concerns (I hadn’t bought the bike from them). “Don’t worry,” the woman told me. “These are normal adjustments for a new bike. You didn’t get a lemon.”
Last year, I picked up a Breezer Uptown 8. Though its problems aren’t as severe as the ones I experienced with the Volpe, there were still some issues as I “broke in” the bike.
I guess what I’m saying is that from my experience, and from what I’ve heard others say, most new bikes go through this. The scuffs are no big deal; you’ll have plenty of those after a few weeks of serious riding. The only thing I’d worry about is the derailleur, and as long as that gets fixed (even if you have to pay for it), I think you should be fine.
So, if I were in your shoes, Robert, I wouldn’t worry about having a lemon. Also, since you’ve already pushed the store on the problem, I’d probably let it go. I think it’s important to push on this kind of stuff, especially if you know the other side is at fault or has some sort of obligation, but this case isn’t so clear-cut. I’d err on the side of maintaining a good relationship with the shop, a relationship that may save you money in the future! (My local shop has a tendency to give discounts and freebies to regulars and good customers.)
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Congrats on the purchase! I’m sorry you’ve had some initial problems but this is really a great thing you’ve done. I got hooked on bicycle commuting a few years ago and now ride 365 days a year here in Michigan! I wish you the best.
Basically, for a local bike shop, I think you have to give a little bit. 90 minutes and a shiny new derailleur probably comes at noticeable cost to them. However, if it was a big box retailer (REI, etc.) I would flex your muscles!!
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They fixed your bike for free, which I’d say was fair of them. It’s not their fault that you live so far from the shop, so I don’t see how they should have to compensate you for your time and travel. Though I don’t know anything about bikes
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Your article was very entertaining! I hope you enjoy your bike!
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I can definitely relate with this post- more so because I live in the Old Town, Alexandria area, where I pass the Motley Fool HQ everyday for work. Additionally, I also just purchased a bike, not a recumbent bike, but an Orbea road bike for around 2500 dollars. My initial rationale for getting a bike was “hey, I’ll be healthier and I’ll be able to experience the Mt. Vernon trail.” Little did I know that I’ll be spending 2500 bones on it. Albeit the initial sticker shock, I’ve been happy with the bike and I’ve had more energy given the fact that I’ve been commuting about 20 miles daily. I hope you enjoy your bike and the service you received at your local bike shop is normal for this area.
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I think it’s all part of buying a bike. They are finicky and always need a few adjustments, the derailleur especially.
It sucks that you had to drive so far to get it fixed, but it’s not really their fault that you bought from a place so far away. I think they did you right by fixing it and not charging parts or labor.
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I think the bike shop did its due diligence in disclosing the state of the bike or trike before purchase so you had a chance to pass on it. But for $2000 and buying it from an authorized bike shop, I would expect it not to have any mechanical problems that soon.
As for my suggestion, you should have treated it like buying a car, new or used… bring an expert friend (if you have one) who can probably spot potential problems that you or the shop owners may have overlooked.
In fairness, the bike shop’s responsiveness was great so you still got a good deal in terms of after sales service.
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I agree with Suzanne and everyone else – once you buy it then you deal with it.
$2k is a lot. I’m not familiar with trikes but for regular bikes you can buy some decent for less than $1000. The extra $1000 or more just shaves a couple pounds of the weight of the bike.
I’m not a fan of these bikes for the very reason you stated – visibility is awful. Cars just can’t see you.
I would suggest that you get a flagpole and big flourescent flag which will sit 4-5 feet up. Most of the trikes I’ve seen have this – should help visibility a bit.
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Hi Robert!
First of all – sorry that I divert from the question here.
I´m not sure how to word this so that it doesn´t sound like commentspam – but dealing with backpain sport is a great idea and being a Feldenkrais-student I´ve seen people with severe backpain improve dramatically through lessons in functional integration.
That´s what struck me most from your post – the bike though is great – I love the speed one can manage with it (always looking out for the cars of course).
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I hope everything will be fine with your bike. I’ve never had a similar experience as my both bikes were bought used and cheap, but recently my Dad’s had a similar (if not worse) experience recently. He bought a brand new car 5 years ago and was really treating it with care.
One week ago the engine broke – some kind of issue that should never occur in a relatively new car. Unfortunately the warranty expired and the repair’s going to have to be covered by my Dad.
I guess all purchases come with potential risks. But the headache is much worse when a pricey product that you thought would be serving you for years brakes.
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Be careful! you’re at a much lower “altitude” than cars, especially large trucks and SUVs and therefore at a greater risk of being ignored like all bikers, motorcyclists, and pedestrians. That’s why I ride road bikes as opposed to recumbents, they’re a little easier to see.
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Robert, I want to agree with ABCs about one thing: Portland is a big biking town, and most everyone tries to be courteous of bikers. There are some exceptions, of course, but biking is part of the culture here. I’m a biker, too, even if I don’t ride as often as I used to.
I say all this to point out that I’m always watching for cyclists, and doing my best to make sure everyone on the road is safe. However, I find recumbent bikes very difficult to see if they’re not well-marked. The big fluorescent flag that ABCs mentioned is vital. Three times, I’ve almost turned into a recumbent cyclist because the bike was low to the ground and poorly marked. This never happens if the cyclist and the bike are clearly visible. So, please: Be sure you’re visible.
(And here’s a pet peeve of mine for my fellow cyclists: If you’re going to have flashers or reflectors, make sure they’re not covered! At dusk one recent evening, I almost took out a cyclist who was wearing dark clothing and backpack. He had two flashers going, but the one on his helmet was covered by his backpack and the one on the back of his seat was obscured by the stuff he was carrying on his rack. Flashers don’t do any good if people can’t see them. (I’m so paranoid about this that I often have two rear flashers, a bike headlight, a headlamp, and an armband light all on at once — that’s probably why I don’t ride in the dark very much.))
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I have a question about riding the bike. From the photo is seems awfully wide. Any problems “fitting” on the road shoulder?
In my neck of the woods, the roads can have a nasty covering of sand during the early riding season. Riders are generally wheeling along the white painted line; it can be a tight squeeze between the traffic and the “beach”.
Are you out in the traffic lane on roads without a designated bike lane?
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I’ll chime in and agree with what many are saying: the shop had to pay for your new derailleur and pay its employees for the time, and they fixed it – so fair deal. You’ll probably also have to get the bike tuned up again in a month or two – this is also normal.
Also want to add to #20′s suggestion – if it doesn’t have one already, make sure you get a flag for the trike. I would also suggest getting at least a rear blinkie (and possibly a front too). Planet Bike makes this set that may seem a little pricey if you’re new to this realm, but is by far the best bang for the buck I’ve seen – both front and rear are super bright (and if you just want the rear, it can be purchased separately). REI and many local shops carry this if you want to go check it out. There are cheaper lights… but when it comes to not getting hit by a truck, saving $20 seems like false economy to me. Did I mention these are bright?
Side note: for those wondering about price, this can’t be compared to a regular road bike. Trikes/recumbents are a LOT more expensive. This may be a splurge in terms of Robert’s finances, but it’s not a splurge in terms of the type of bike he needed.
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As many of you have pointed out, I should have asked for a discount before I made the purchase, or ordered a new bike. Lindsay nailed it on the head; I let the excitement of getting a new bike cloud my thinking. She’s also right in that I should have had a bike-savvy friend along with me. I didn’t know enough to even know the derailleur was bent until my colleage gave the bike an inspection.
For those wanting more detail, I did give the bike a thorough test-drive, even taking it on a 1.3-mile loop through some hilly farm country. And it seemed fine to me. However, I didn’t buy the bike then (following the rule to wait 24 to 48 hours before making a big purchase). I gave it a smaller test-drive two days later, and then bought it. Did something happen to it between those two days? I don’t know enough to know.
And I think Evan is right. Part of the issue here is that I’ve made a purchase that is much, much more than I usually spend, and that makes me feel worse about the situation.
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As other commenters have said, this isn’t the sign of a lemon or dysfunctional bike. Things like auto shifting happen even on just built bikes, or ones that have been ridden for a while. As with cars, bikes need regular tuning to tighten cables and what not. I just had to take my bike in for maintenance because it was shifting itself as well, just from regular use.
That said, the shop should never have let you walk (or ride) out with the bike without giving it a tune up, demo or new. The shop we frequent does a tune up on the bike after you buy it, but before you’re ever allowed to leave with it—just to be certain everything is in top shape. But even after as few as 50 mi, you might need to take it in for a tune up. The first few months are considered a break in period.
I think the shop handled the issue fine once you went back, but they should have tuned it up when you bought it, not after you complained.
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I’m with everyone else: it’s very common to need adjustments on a bike within the first couple of months, and it is likewise common for the shop to handle this by making those adjustments for free. Depending on how the bike was transported, you may also have slightly bent the derailleur in transit or something, and they should totally still help you out, but I’d only think of it as a circumstance deserving extra perks if you have serious evidence that they damaged the bike or didn’t include something they said they’d include (like an adjustment to the chain after you fitted the bike to your height).
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I haven’t read all the comments, so maybe somebody already said this: if worried about security because the bike is too low for drivers to see, please buy a flag such as the one used by children riding bikes (at least in the Netherlands and other european countries).
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I think it is reasonable to demand a small compensation for your traveling but it is good to keep in mind that it is not the shops fault that you live far away. What is the shops fault is the fact that this bike was not tested or inspected for problems before being sold to you.
With that being said, I consider it much more important that you have a good relationship with the shop (as you have admitted not being an expert mechanic) as this will save you the most money in the long run when maintenance is needed or issues pop up.
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Well …. you said yourself that you knew you were getting a demo bike. Of course you expect it to function properly but that, I would say, is the extent of the shop’s responsibility to you. Had the bike been new out-of-the-box, then yes, to expect something extra for your trouble would not seem unreasonable. You kind of threw away your bargaining options when you knowingly purchased a used bike with all of the defects that option could imply.
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Our local bike shop offers one year of free tuneups on a new purchase for this exact reason – a new bike is going to have some adjustments and need chain tightening.
Plus I’m with the people saying don’t compare it to your $50 bike – compare it to the car or transit pass you’re replacing.
@Dan #25 – it’s not safe to ride in the shoulder, cars will zoom past you really close. Bikes are vehicles and belong in the driving lane. If they’re getting over to the side so you can pass, they’re being nice to you at the risk of their own safety.
Plus I have a friend who rides in DC and she says pedestrians are just as much of a hazard as drivers. Though she’s closer to the Mall so she has to dodge tourists.
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We live in bike-crazy Boulder, CO and alas I have to agree with Dangerman that you’re up against a “one person’s low end is another person’s high end” (maybe a topic for a future GRS post?) issue. I agree that $2,000 is a big chunk of money; however around here, when you talk about a “high end” road bike, you’re talking about the 5-7K range. Also, I think you have to just accept that a new bike needs some tuning because of cable stretch and break-in; so if you choose to purchase a new bike from a store that’s not in town, I think that the commute to the shop is part of the deal.
However, as a freelancer (French translation, not bike sales!), my motto is that when I mess up, I try to give the customer at least twice the restitution that I think they are expecting. When you work in a business that depends on reputation and word of mouth referrals, “sorry, everybody makes mistakes” is inadequate. So from that point of view, I think that the bike shop was short sighted in not offering some other type of compensation.
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Is the picture the exact model or just a recumbent model?
Because you keep talking about bikes but the picture looks like a trike to me.
I’m saying that because due to inner ear problems, my husband can’t ride bikes (he has virtually no balance) and therefore needs to ride trikes… And these are incredibly expensive, and pretty much impossible to rent. It prevents us from doing the biking we’d like…
I’m just wondering, do “recumbent bikes” have three wheels? If so, he could ride one, and maybe they’re slightly easier to find? (Not that I would count on it of course).
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If the store fixed your bike to make it run better, I think they did the right thing and I would move on. Your bike does not look brand-new right now, but you bought it that way. It won’t look brand-new in a few months anyway. More importantly, the bike is working well now. So, if I was you I would just enjoy riding it as much as possible. Ride it in good health for many years to come!
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I think you need to let the guilt go. If you do use the bike most days for years, it will be worth it. If they did fix it to your satisfaction, then you can learn a good lesson from this: don’t buy the floor model. I worked at a furniture/electronics store during university and I’ve seen what can happen to floor models. Especially for something costing $2,000 I would have definitely custom ordered it. But hindsight is 20/20 and it sounds like they were willing to fix it, so just enjoy the purchase for goodness sakes.
If in 2 years you realize you’ve used it 5 times, then I’d start to feel guilty…
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Is spending $2k on something like that crazy?
I say it is a function of income and savings.
Think about in how many hours you had to work to pay for the bike?
Or what % of your monthly income or monthly savings you are investing. “Buying that bike will wipe out the last 6 months of savings vs. 1 week of savings” is a BIG relative difference.
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As a bike enthusiast, and a former employee of a bike shop that sold its demo/rental fleet every year, I’d say the shop was very good to you, servicing your bike and replacing the derailleur for free.
Buying used is pretty much buying as-is. Bikes — especially demo bikes, because the riders are not the owners, and therefore are not responsible for repair — take quite a bit of abuse. Parts wear out. Things stretch, things eventually break. That’s just the way it is.
I have purchased used demo bikes myself before, and it just comes with the territory that the buyer is probably going to want to replace the chain (at a minimum) and most likely the cogset and entire drivetrain.
I wouldn’t be demanding free stuff from the bike shop. Bike shop markup is pretty small anyway. A better thing to do is to walk into your shop with a six pack of beer for the mechanics, and ask them questions about how best to keep your bike in good shape. They’ll give you all kinds of info, and the beer will make sure you get friendly, prompt service into the future.
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It’s also worth noting that most bicycle retailers make very little (or no) profit on bike sales. The markup is pretty low. It’s all about service, parts, clothing & accessories. And although $2,000 seems like a lot of money for a bicycle, it’s far, far from the top. So unless you bought water bottle cages, bottles, a helmet, gloves and anything else, you represented a definite loss for this shop after your repair work & derailleur replacement. I don’t question why they wouldn’t want to go further in the hole to appease a customer who has very little intention to return at another time to buy more stuff.
And as poster #38 has written- there’s nothing like a 6-pack of cold beer to win a bike mechanic’s heart. Everytime I move I make it a point to find the local shop and bring them a dozen doughnuts on a Saturday morning. You’ll get great service (and maybe even a discount on accessories) every time!
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I haven’t seen anyone mention that you stated what your ‘compensation’ was for buying the demo, you saved your waiting time. It’s like people who insist on going to the bookstore for a book they want because they want it NOW rather than waiting for Amazon or a used seller to ship it.
They made it right, so don’t be a turd. There is a happy medium between “Don’t pay full price” and “don’t be a cheapskate schmuck.” (not that I’m saying you’re being a schmuck, but some people do push too hard). Don’t burn your bridge with these people. If you continue to ride you are going to want a shop you trust. You don’t want them to nickel and dime you and you don’t want to do the same in reverse. If you are difficult then they will treat you poorly, or at least hastily, just to get you back out the door and out of their hair.
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@ 34 Avistew –
Recumbent just refers to the riding position, not the number of wheels. Recumbent trikes are more common (and faster and more comfortable) than upright trikes, but you’d probably still have a hard time finding one to rent. For price… you can get cheaper trikes than Robert did if you’re looking for around-town transportation. I’m no expert on either recumbents or trikes, but this online shop seems to have a wide selection… you could look at that and then hunt for reviews, dealers, etc.
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To each his own, but $2,000 is what I would pay for a 5 year gym membership where I live in CA and where I would have invested the money instead. I grew up in D.C. and know that the weather isn’t conducive to bike riding year round. It’s a cool bike, don’t get me wrong, but it’s more like something that I would rent occasionally than ever purchase, and be responsibile for its maintenance? No thanks. Like I said, to each his own.
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@ 41 Sandy –
As a year-round bike commuter in the DC metro area, I disagree with your comment. There is no such thing as bad weather for cycling… only improperly dressed cyclists
My commuter bike cost about $850 all told… but it replaced a car.
As you said though, it is a personal preference and a matter of what you value.
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Sorry, folks, my spam filter got a little hyper-active this morning. It’s been filtering people it shouldn’t filter. As a result, the # staggering is going to be off in some reference comments.
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The repair ordeal was a big inconvenience, but to have them replace the derailleur for free is probably all that you can expect to get from the deal. Dealing with your buyers remorse is a normal thing being that you rarely spend money on yourself to add to the on what have I done factor. I personally believe this will soon fade away as time times and the miles add up on the bike. As time goes on you will get the good feeling of a good deal out of it…That is my opinion.
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I really enjoyed this post. It hits on so many levels. I think you initially bought the bike because you could afford it and you knew it could improve your health among other things. Here’s where the second guessing may come in.
In order for this to “pay off” you have to use the bike for the reasons you originally purchased it. Will it become a fixture in your garage and a sign of regret? Or, will this bike be the game changer for your health? If the later is the case, I am guessing you value that more than $2,000? This is where your attention should be, IMO, not on whether you got jipped on service. The shop owner fixed the bike to your expectations. Something for your frustration? What is that really going to do? There is no trinket, discount or other poster’s opinion that will matter now as much as you getting out there and using this bike for the reasons you originally purchased it.
Good and thought provoking post!
Mike
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Robert, like pretty much everyone else has said. You’re time to bargain for getting the demo was at point of purchase. Replacing the derailuer (instead of just bending the hanger back) was proof of the shop going above. The chain stretch can be expected, as everyone has mentioned – the first year of real use is more of a ‘break in’ period. That said I’d like to share my experience with you. I decided to take up mountain biking a few years ago. I borrowed a friends old bike for a month to know I would enjoy it – then I spent $3200 on a new bike! Holy cow – that was a lot of money – and it didn’t even come with a motor! But over the next three summers I have ridden it between 2 and 4 times a week and can honestly say it was worth EVERY penny. I’ve never been healthier. I’ve had to pay for tune ups, new tires and tubes, replaced a few parts to make the fit a little better (a full custom new bike would have been more like 4-5K point of purchase). Trust me – if you end up riding it as much as you think – you’ll never look back. The most expensive ‘addition’ was getting something similar for my husband so he could join me. But it’s been worth every penny too.
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Every bike needs a tune up at least once a year. The issues you are having are normal. It is not the store’s fault that you live so far away.
You are underestimating the cost of the bike and not including maintenance. Just like a car, a bike will get old and need repairs and replacements. The more expensive the bike, the more the parts will cost to replace.
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