7 good reasons to buy from a bike shop in your city

In the globalized world in which we live, online sales have become a habit in our day-to-day life. But bike shops continue to be for many reasons the best option for most cyclists, here are 7 good reasons to shop at them.

7 reasons to buy at a bike shop in your city

For convenience, to avoid travel, for not finding exactly the product we are looking for, for the price... there are many reasons why online sales of cycling products have skyrocketed in recent years, making traditional brick-and-mortar stores barely survive.

However, stores continue to be an indispensable part of the distribution of cycling products for brands, as well as being the resource that many turn to when they have to deal with some kind of problems with their bikes or with the products they have purchased online. For all these reasons, we should continue to support physical stores and prefer them when buying what we need for ourselves or for our bike.

1. Personal experience with qualified workers

It's true that many of you reading these lines are true bike experts, you know the size of each bearing on your machine and can recite from memory the specifications of the trendy components on the market.

However, you will agree that this is not the usual and many are those who, when changing bikes, acquiring a new component or choosing the clothes that best suits them for their outings. For this type of user, the majority of those who pedal, stores have staff who have the answers to their questions and who are able to properly advise cyclists on what they really need.

Any store has sellers who know the product well, are passionate about cycling and will be able to advise us properly and answer our questions.

2. Possibility to test the product and receive trusted advice

Among the services offered by many brands through physical stores is the one of having a fleet of demo bikes that allows to bring the novelties to future customers. Often, when changing bikes, we are a sea of doubts, uncertainties that we can solve simply by pedaling on the bike we have in mind.

In addition, these test days that are organized are usually accompanied by brand experts who will reveal every detail of the bikes and will advise us sincerely about the product. In fact, do not doubt that, if the bike we intend does not suit the use we are looking for, they will not hesitate to indicate it to us and propose an alternative that better suits what we need. Something especially important in the off-road world where many are lost with suspension travel, modalities, etc.

3. Professional and personalized setup and mechanics

Although today there are tutorials on YouTube for practically everything, when we have a mechanical problem with our bike there are few who have the knowledge and the right tools to repair or replace the damaged component. Even some maintenance tasks such as a brake bleed or the assembly of tubeless tires pose a challenge for most users.

Having a trusted workshop run by staff who know what they are doing is essential to ensure the correct setup of our bikes and that the necessary repairs are done properly. Tasks that are even more complicated with the arrival of electric bikes or electronic changes that have added more complexity to bicycles.

4. Biomechanics and other associated services

When it comes to adding value, stores have been incorporating services in their catalog that not only diversify their income but also serve to retain customers. It is no longer enough to sell a bike, offer a review after a few months and forget about it.

Now the user wants the guarantee that the bike will fit like a glove from the moment they leave the store, which has made many establishments have to incorporate biomechanics among the services they provide and that complement the sale of the bike to ensure that the bike will be perfectly adapted to the cyclist from the first moment.

Also included among the services offered by stores is post-sale advice with which the cyclist will not find themselves helpless in the face of any doubt they have with their new bike or any other product they have purchased, let's keep in mind that for many people managing the operating modes of an electric bike or configuring a modern cycle computer are tasks little less than science fiction and that in the store they will know how to guide them.

5. Warranty management service

Although, with the increase in online sales, many brands and distributors promise to simplify warranty procedures, the reality is that in many cases, if we have purchased a product online, any problem with a product becomes a major hassle.

However, through stores, the process of managing any problems with a product is simplified. They will know how to assess whether it is something that is covered by warranty or not, whether it is repairable or not, and they will carry out the necessary tasks and, in case they have to process the warranty with the brand, they will take care of the whole process so that we get a solution. Something that saves us a lot of time and complications in a current world where many do not want or can complicate their lives solving problems.

6. Reduction of the carbon footprint and support for the local economy

Purchasing products in bike shops in your city also has an important ecological component. The purchase of products through the internet, not only cycling, is becoming unsustainable, involving thousands of trips and movements of personalized product for each customer that result in huge extra emissions of carbon dioxide.

However, a store has product acquisition plans that reduce transportation needs, making the whole process, from the product leaving the factory to reaching the store shelf, much more sustainable.

In relation to this, it is also necessary to refer to what physical stores mean for the local economy, providing jobs and contributions that stay in the city, region or country where the store is located.

7. Support for the cycling fabric

Finally, there is the important club role that stores have traditionally performed, which in many cases tend to be the meeting point, closer than social networks, that connects cyclists. In fact, the first recommendation if you are new to a city and looking for someone to ride with is to go to a store where they surely organize outings or can refer you to the different local clubs.

In addition, stores also play an important role in grassroots sports, not only with their own clubs that many have but also organizing local competitions, and even larger ones, providing technical support to events or even giving a small sponsorship to young promises and other athletes in the city so that they can carry out their competitive activity.