Forum: bicycles.stackexchange.com
Tags: <shopping><new-bicycle-assembly>
Title: Do Bike stores allow you to ship a bike to them to assemble?
Question: I live in Orlando, Florida, and I am stuck with no transportation besides public buses, taxis, etc. as my bike literally fell apart in pieces in the middle of a road. I am looking to purchase a new bike, but I would need for it to be professionally assembled. My question is would most bike shops work something out where I could ship it directly to them for assembly, so that I do not have to walk with a bike box for a few miles.

Answers:
sents: text: I think there are two questions here: 1
text: - Can you have a bike professionally assembled by a bike shop?
text: In my experience (having done this a couple of times) it will typically cost the price of their "pro tune" or equivalent - the service when they break the bike down and put it back together.
text: $2-300 say.
text: Bike shops can be a bit sniffy about this, but getting to know your local tech staff will help make things easier.
text: 2
text: - Is this a good idea?
text: Depends why you're doing it.
text: If you've got a frame or components you want to put together - say you bought a particular rare steel frame that you want your gruppo from your other bike on...
text: then it can be a great option.
text: If it's about buying a high-end bike for cheaper - it may be a good option but check where you're sourcing from.
text: If it's about buying a cheaper (say sub $500) bike for less than you can pay in an LBS - I'd say a crazy false economy.
text: Instead, buy a second hand bike on CL or similar and save $100 or so to get it checked out by your LBS.
text: Slightly aligned to the point above - if I'm a bike mech, being asked to work on a cool steel frame or a high-end bike from a brand I may never have worked on is pretty cool.
text: Being asked to spanner a cheap bike from Walmart is going to make me feel pretty crappy about myself and question why I work in the industry.
text: The level of work I do is likely to be commensurate with how the work makes me feel...
answer_details: author: bicycles.stackexchange.com/users/13999/Leon Markham
score: 5
sents: text: In my experience, bike shops don't make much money off of turning wrenches.
text: It then follows that they don't typically care for some bike that you chose to buy online instead of from their showroom, which is where most of their money is made.
text: If you buy something that doesn't align well with a particular shop, i.e. an overly cheap bike and a shop that deals a lot with higher-end stuff, they might not want to associate themselves with such an inferior product.
text: Cheap shifters and derailleurs, for example, can be impossible to dial in.
text: One can not expect even a seasoned mechanic to be responsible for cheap metals that bend under pressure as their eventual imperfect performance could then be associated with his work or his shop.
text: As a second example, cheaper rims can be a nightmare to true; as is expecting them to remain so.
text: The time that it takes to work with a cheap bike is not worth the shop's time.
text: All of this being said, however, just go into the bike shop and explain your situation to them.
text: If you're ordering something that they think is worth their time, then expect to pay at least $100 to $125 for them to properly assemble it and tune it.
text: They might even be able to show you something there in the shop that is comparable to what you're interested in!
answer_details: author: bicycles.stackexchange.com/users/8858/CRThess
score: 3
sents: text: My local bike shop has a posted price of $80 to assemble a bike as received in a box (presumably bought over the internet) and $200 to assemble a bike from a frame and set of components.
text: One of my friends bought a frame and groupset (quite a nice one) and they were happy to do the work.
text: You should talk to the specific shop you are thinking of and see what they say.
text: The same shop has free lifetime adjustments on any bike you buy from them, so you need to figure that into your calculation of the economics.
answer_details: author: bicycles.stackexchange.com/users/10998/Ross Millikan
score: 3
sents: text: Yes many bicycle repair shops offer assembly service.
text: Of course they would also like a shot at your business for the bike.
text: You will generally get more free service from a shop where you purchased the bike, so there is some value to that.
answer_details: author: bicycles.stackexchange.com/users/21401/Derny
score: 2
sents: text: I just called a couple of local shops about assembly, one was very straightforward and easy to talk with and gave a simple price.
text: One was like these guys above, a lot of double talk nonsense.
text: I'm going with the straightforward.
text: Assembly is pretty simple.
text: The answer should be too.
text: There are many good online bike sellers and the box
text: arrives needing assembly.
text: I called a shop near me as i am in the same situation with public transport.
text: Perhaps you could call your local shops and ask if you could have it delivered to them for assembly.
text: Best wishes fellow foot, bike and pub trans commuter.
answer_details: author: bicycles.stackexchange.com/users/30793/user30793
score: 2

Summary of the answers:
Some bike shops are happy to assemble bikes bought online. However, bike shops make most of their money from selling bikes, not working on them, hence they are unlikely to be interested in putting together a bike that has been bought online, especially if it is a cheap one. If the bike shop usually sells higher end bikes, its mechanics may well not want to be associated with work on cheaper models. It is best to contact the shop in question, they may even have something better to offer you.
Bike shops have different policies about setting up outside bikes, and may be reluctant to work on inferior quality bikes or support cheaper online purchases. However, some are happy to assemble outside bikes for a higher price than for their own. It is worth asking the shop itself, which might be able to offer a comparable bike that they can set up cheaper or for free.