|   Bike company that deal direct with consumer.... | kdaw
Nov 24, 2002 9:35 AM | | Any of you guys have a recommendation of a frame/bike builder that deals directly with the customer. I do all of my own wrenching and get tired of going to shops to order drop outs, pivot kits, warranty, etc.
I have repeatedly gone to bike shops in my area and asked for help with items like this. I find most bike shops have no interest in helping the customer with small items in which they will make no money.
I also think unless you buy a Trek, Giant, etc, the bike shops switch companies they carry. So, what happens, a customer purchases a bike from a shop, hoping to build a relationship with that shop and get good customer service in the future.
Sometime in the near future, the shop switches their line up and then have no interest in (and may not be able to) ordering warranty or replacements parts for the bike they sold the customer.
I know some may not like the idea of cutting out the LBS. However, I think if I provided the type of customer service I get at most shops, in my job and line of work, I would get fired. Don't understand the LBS or bike manufacture culture in most cases.
Any ideas here? Am I alone in my thoughts? |
| meet them at the shows and expos | derby
Nov 24, 2002 12:07 PM | | The closest to what you want I'm aware of is Turner Bikes, who sells direct to the customer. There are probably many other smaller factories who sell direct, maybe Ventana, Titus, Ellsworth, Santa Cruz. If they do sell direct they will be at the major event expos.
Although you can often get better pricing through a dealer. The factory will always sell at full retail to support their dealer suggested retail pricing.
The factory distributes parts by inventory part numbers. The dealers are there to interpret what a rider needs and look up in the most current factory order catalog for the correct part number.
The dealers have established relations with the factory and are practiced at speaking professionally both to the factory people when ordering or warranting and hopefully with the customer, who often doesn't know exactly what the problem is or what the part is called.
Factories need to produce product as fast and efficiently as possible to stay in the business. They need dealers for interpreters, as well as for space to stock unsold inventory, and for selling and maintenance. Try to find knowledgeable dealers for what you need. Sometime mail order dealers are more knowledgeable, due to their high volume.
Although a good way to gain a relation with the factory is to go meet factory mechanics, reps, and designers at bike shows, race expos, or anywhere they get outside their shops to promote their bikes. If you have a personal relation with a factory person they may provide personal support to you down the road. When they are in the factory they usually have to deal with mass production issues, and have little or no time to deal with individual issues.
- ray |
| It's been my experience.... | rbart4505
Nov 26, 2002 6:41 AM | | That no one knows my bike as well as I do....Or the factory...I can't count the amount of times I've gone into an LBS and basically had to hold their hand dealing with a problem...Yes, they have the contacts, but it doesn't mean they know what they are talking about when dealing with a specific problem on a bike....
Rich |
| check out Turner | ozone
Nov 24, 2002 11:00 PM | | If youre interested in a high end bike,look up Turner suspension bikes.Theyve been making incredible,reliable,performing bike much longer than anyone else on the market.Remember most of the 1st generation of suspension bikes in the early 90s?They were mostly pretty scary!Turner was making great bikes then.He got his start as a test rider for Horst Leitner of Amp.The bikes havent changed a whole lot since then.Check out the reviews,there are no negatives for Turners.The customer service is the best.You can even get custom built bikes from him.I could go on and on.Theyre really that good.If you want a hardtail,checkout Paul Sadoff of Rock Lobster.He builds nice alum. and steel bikes.Hes a nice down to earth guy whos building bikes because he loves it,not to get rich.Dont get snowed by all the hype of the new designs.They maybe good,but arent time tested.Youre not a guinea pig are you?Dont rush your purchase.Make sure that you test ride IN THE DIRT whatever you buy.Good bikes cost too much to rely on a 15 minute ride in the parking lot.Good luck and ride too much! |
| I worked directly with Titus... | sdbelt
Nov 25, 2002 8:57 AM | | on the design of my Ti Racer-X. To be more specific, I worked with the owner, Chris, and I was just some no-name guy that was calling up and asking questions. Alan and Stephanie also helped me out at Titus, and because of how great they all were, I went with them.
Titus does support their LBS distribution chain, and if you have a LBS in the area, they do want you to conduct the financial transaction through that shop. If you don't have a Titus retailer nearby, I understand that they will work with you directly.
I happened to find a great LBS that I couldn't be happier with, but since I was building a custom frame I wanted to work with Titus directly to avoid any mis-communication, and everyone was totally cool with my requests.
--sdb |
| A good LBS is hard to find... | RP
Nov 25, 2002 10:55 AM | | Even here in San Diego it's hard to find a shop that's worth passing up the mail order discount or Supergo pricing. The only shop I go out of my way to support is Speedgoat in PA. Although I do a lot of small stuff through the local Supergo and BeyondBikes, I give Speedgoat the first shot at any big purchases. The owners, Chris and Beth, have a lot of first hand knowledge and seem generally concerned with customer support. Chris is a guy that will spend a lot of time on the phone talking bikes without any sort of pushy sales attitude. They also carry all the little stuff like derailleur hangers for the bikes they sell. The other cool thing is for mail order business, Speedgoat pricing includes all the shipping and handling charges, i.e. no hidden charges. They're also really good about getting a UPS tracking number on shipments. So you know the shipment's status. |
| try DEAN | Que?
Nov 25, 2002 11:01 AM | | www.deanbikes.com
They deal directly with individual customers.
Que? |
| re: Bike company that deal direct with consumer.... | kdaw
Nov 25, 2002 6:56 PM | | Thanks. This is the kind of information I am looking for. |
| MRAZEK | bikerboy337
Dec 4, 2002 6:24 PM | | You all should check out MRAZEK at www.mrazek.com. Give Jeff Burnard a Call, he's the best to deal with. Mrazek's whole business is based on customer interaction and refferral. I absolutely love my Mrazek. Check em out. They offer a lifetime warranty...sweet frames |
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