Popular Post Razors Edge ★ Posted March 16, 2021 Popular Post Share #1 Posted March 16, 2021 ...with my wife was about what you would expect. It is mainly a Trek shop and is next to the flooring place she wanted to go to look at carpet and flooring options. Anyway, we dropped in, and they actually had fairly good inventory - not great, but good. LOTS of ebikes on the floor, and a few demos ready for riding. I have been slowly working on my wife that an ebike wouldn't be a bad idea for her, but damned if she didn't immediately notice the $5k up to $8k price tags on the ones at the front. The Allant I would consider for her is $6k, and she definitely wasn't buying the $5k difference between her "real" bike and a "cheater" bike. Never mind there were less expensive ones towards the sides of the store. Not sure that is a smart or stupid sales tactic. Anyway, the rest of the store was like any bike shop - MSRP on everything so she was seeing price tags of several hundred dollars on helmets, shoes, etc., and having sticker shock. Stuff was on sale, but not having the price covering the MSRP stickers didn't help. Long story short, it is interesting to see the sport through a casual participant's eyes. To her, none of the pricing made any sense at all - especially as the nicer bikes that cost in the $10k+ range start to seem like car pricing, not "bike" pricing. It is hard for some folks to accept that a pair of $300 cycling shes can last years vs a pair of $100 running or exercise shoes are done after a year, so they are not apples-to-apples. But the pricing is definitely why I usually visit an LBS alone or with other cycling folks, and also why I shop online for some stuff. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChrisL Posted March 16, 2021 Share #2 Posted March 16, 2021 25 minutes ago, Razors Edge said: ...with my wife was about what you would expect. It is mainly a Trek shop and is next to the flooring place she wanted to go to look at carpet and flooring options. Anyway, we dropped in, and they actually had fairly good inventory - not great, but good. LOTS of ebikes on the floor, and a few demos ready for riding. I have been slowly working on my wife that an ebike wouldn't be a bad idea for her, but damned if she didn't immediately notice the $5k up to $8k price tags on the ones at the front. The Allant I would consider for her is $6k, and she definitely wasn't buying the $5k difference between her "real" bike and a "cheater" bike. Never mind there were less expensive ones towards the sides of the store. Not sure that is a smart or stupid sales tactic. Anyway, the rest of the store was like any bike shop - MSRP on everything so she was seeing price tags of several hundred dollars on helmets, shoes, etc., and having sticker shock. Stuff was on sale, but not having the price covering the MSRP stickers didn't help. Long story short, it is interesting to see the sport through a casual participant's eyes. To her, none of the pricing made any sense at all - especially as the nicer bikes that cost in the $10k+ range start to seem like car pricing, not "bike" pricing. It is hard for some folks to accept that a pair of $300 cycling shes can last years vs a pair of $100 running or exercise shoes are done after a year, so they are not apples-to-apples. But the pricing is definitely why I usually visit an LBS alone or with other cycling folks, and also why I shop online for some stuff. Was it one of the Trek Superstores they have down there? I got a screaming deal in my wife’s 1st good road bike there. Funny that my wife, who does ride had no qualms plunking down $250 for new cycling shoes. She gets the pricing as she has been around me long enough! She actually rides a pretty high end bike herself. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinneR ★ Posted March 16, 2021 Share #3 Posted March 16, 2021 Bike shops can be like auto dealerships. You are not going to see a budget friendly Corolla on the showroom floor just out on the lot. Take a look at the Orbea Vibe or Gain. They start under $3k and weigh a lot less than those Trek or Specialized e-bikes. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
12string Posted March 16, 2021 Share #4 Posted March 16, 2021 Jr. Wife just took a job doing phone sales and rentals at a LBS. So I am expecting at least 90% discounts on stuff. Of course, she has zero understanding of bikes other than renting them to ride on the boardwalk, and she'll be answering those calls from home, so I'm assuming that until I go back to the office I'll also be working for the LBS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razors Edge ★ Posted March 16, 2021 Author Share #5 Posted March 16, 2021 29 minutes ago, dennis said: Take a look at the Orbea Vibe or Gain. Finding Orbea dealers is less easy. Trek, Spec, Cannondale, or Giant are usually all over. Orbea dealers are sadly fewer and farther between. But, yeah, I'm not sold on Trek only (but she has a 25 yr old Trek she loves). 33 minutes ago, ChrisL said: Was it one of the Trek Superstores they have down there? Maybe. It was a large-ish store and almost exclusively Trek/Bontrager, but did have a smattering of other stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razors Edge ★ Posted March 16, 2021 Author Share #6 Posted March 16, 2021 36 minutes ago, dennis said: Orbea Vibe or Gain. Do see a shop nearby but WTF is up with this Orbea "stock" photo for the Gain??? Jeebus - it's a flat bar bike, not a race machine! That hurts my back and neck looking at it! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinneR ★ Posted March 16, 2021 Share #7 Posted March 16, 2021 1 minute ago, Razors Edge said: Do see a shop nearby but WTF is up with this Orbea "stock" photo for the Gain??? Jeebus - it's a flat bar bike, not a race machine! That hurts my back and neck looking at it! The Orbea website kind of sucks. Look at the Vibe. They have changed the models up for 2021. The Gain is road/gravel bike with a drop bar or flat bar. The Vibe is urban/commuter, more friendly to the avg rider. They moved the e-bike controls to the bar instead of the top tube. https://www.bikeradar.com/news/orbea-vibe-2021/?image=2&type=gallery&gallery=4&embedded_slideshow=4 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinneR ★ Posted March 16, 2021 Share #8 Posted March 16, 2021 This is a good video; more informational, less flashy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Razors Edge ★ Posted March 16, 2021 Author Share #9 Posted March 16, 2021 8 minutes ago, dennis said: Look at the Vibe. Boy, my wife will be thrilled to get a Vibe for her birthday but it may be a little uncomfortable when she tells all her friends her hubby got her a high powered vibe for a gift. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dinneR ★ Posted March 16, 2021 Share #10 Posted March 16, 2021 4 minutes ago, Razors Edge said: Boy, my wife will be thrilled to get a Vibe for her birthday but it may be a little uncomfortable when she tells all her friends her hubby got her a high powered vibe for a gift. Don't tell anyone it's an e-bike. The battery is stealth. The hub is big because it powers the lights like a Dynamo. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longjohn ★ Posted March 16, 2021 Share #11 Posted March 16, 2021 My wife wanted to go with me when they called and said my last bike was ready. She never wants to go with me to the bike shop. I think she was curious what I paid for it. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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