Navigating the Bike Shop Part 1 - Behind the Scenes

For years I rode a $250 hybrid bike that I picked up on sale at Walmart and considered it to be an expensive bike. When I decided to buy my first road bike, I had never set foot inside a real bike shop and had no idea what I was doing. Ten years later, I’ve visited dozens of shops and even spent a few years working at one but sometimes I still feel overwhelmed when I walk into a bike shop. Not only that, but I’ve had more than a few instances of mansplaining at the bike shop (more on that here) so I understand that it can not only be intimidating but also annoying at times. Let me be clear - there are LOTS OF GREAT BIKE SHOPS out there where you’ll have fantastic experiences. This article is meant to help prepare you with the right questions to ask and insider tips! To help you understand how bike shops operate, I’ll give you a little behind the scenes overview of how the industry works and the types of shops you might encounter. If you don’t live in a city that is large enough to offer you a variety of options it may be worth taking the drive to an area with more shops. If you’re planning to ride any distances over 20-miles or 2-hours, I don’t recommend purchasing a bike online or even a used bike without a thorough inspection by a mechanic of your choice and a bike fitter who can confirm that the frame actually fits you.

The Overview
There are different types of shops. Some are going to be very focused on service and will carry a very small inventory of gear and bikes. Others are going to be more focused on bike sales and will carry a rather large inventory of bikes and gear. If you’re looking to buy your first bike with all of the gear and maybe even clothing that you’ll need, I recommend a larger shop OR even an REI. You’ll be able to get (or at least learn about) everything you need in one place. Bike Shops are Dealers for Certain Brands Bike shops work with brands to become a dealer for that brand and most medium-sized stores will carry 4-5 brands unless they are a dealer-owned store. So if you go to a Trek store, you’ll only find Trek Bikes because the store is owned by Trek. But if you go to Atlanta Cycling, which is a Trek dealer, you’ll find Trek, Cervelo, and maybe 1-2 other brands. Some brands dictate what percentage of the inventory is required to be that bike. So if the store carries a certain brand, they may be required to carry up to 80% of their inventory in this brand. This is important to know if you have your heart set on a specific brand OR if you’re looking to try out several different brands. Bike Shops Will Have Different Retail Models Some bike shops are going to be primarily focused on selling high-end bikes while others will have a broad price range in stock. If you go into a shop and only see price tags that are way out of your price range, don’t get discouraged, the brand likely sells a more entry-level bike and the shop will just need to order it. For the best experience for someone newer to the sport, I’d look to find a shop that sells everything from the $500 bike to the $10,000 bike. These shops are probably making their money off of volume (selling a lot each week) rather than higher-priced items. You may get sticker shock if you walk into a shop specializing in high-end bikes.

Stock
Often bike shops are going to keep their inventory at a minimum, especially in the off-season or as they are waiting for the arrival of new lines. For bikes, this means they may need to order your size (it usually arrives in a few days unless there area backorders). On the clothing front, it can be a major headache for women. Often a shop orders a minimal size run for women and it’s more difficult to find larger sizes. Although brands are starting to create clothing for all kinds of bodies, certain companies are making clothing for the stereotypical cyclist body. You’ll have better luck at a larger store with more inventory when it comes to clothing.

Bike Sizes
Most bikes are going to be sized by centimeters based on the size of the seat tube (the long tube that runs down from the seat). Although this gives you a starting point, two key measurements are going to be stack and reach. The stack is going to measure how tall the bike is and the reach is going to measure how long the bike is. Because our bodies are made differently, two people who are the same height might not fit the same sized bike. For example, my friend Chloe and I have the same bike and we are about the same height. She has a very long torso and short legs where I have a long torso and long arms. I ride a bike that’s a full size larger than she does. You don’t need to get way into the nitty-gritty, just know that asking someone how tall they are is only a beginning measurement. Ideally, you’ll get a bike fit before you purchase a bike to know exactly what size bike you should get and how it should be set up. I’ve known many people who have wasted a lot of money on the wrong sized bike.

Obviously, not all bike shops are going to operate within this pattern. This is just meant to give you an overview so you can understand why visiting a bike shop can be so different from any other retail experience. In Part 2, I’ll share my tips for walking into the bike shop and finding the right bike.