[RossinFL]

Hi all,

I just spoke with a local bike shop about a Giant XTC. The salesman said they are required by Giant (and Cannondale for that matter) to charge MSRP for their bikes. This is odd because a few other shops have given me prices that were slightly below MSRP. Now the thing is, he said they do offer free tune-ups for 5 years. How valuable is this service? I'm not sure if this "free" service offsets the $50 - $75 more I'll have to pay.

Thanks!

 

[Mr.Bob]

Personally, I think you'd be much better off being self sufficient when it comes to minor adjustments (i.e. "Tune-ups"). You'll need that skill anyway in case you run into problems on the trail. So, in my opinion, free tune-ups are worthless unless you don't have the tools or are really adverse to doing the work yourself.

I should add that if you are new to biking, a free tune up after breaking the bike in for a while is a good idea. They'll know what to look for and make sure everything is ok. Every shop should provide this service, including the less expensive shops you noted.

 

[JimC.]

just so you know

retail price maintenance is illegal. Yes I know it's everywhere, but it's not legal; here's a snippet from recent litigation over the George foreman grease grill...

Most corporations that use
an independent distribution
network as a means
of getting their product to market
know (or should know) that it is
illegal to prevent distributors from
reselling their product below a
certain price. What many corporations
may not know is that the
antitrust enforcement agencies -
including state antitrust officials -
are serious about prosecuting
companies who disregard this
law. For example, in the past few
months, the Florida Attorney General's
office has been investigating
Nike for allegedly fixing prices by
limiting access to its premier shoe
lines to only those retailers who
agree to charge "suitable" prices.
And, make no mistake; the penalties
for getting caught can be costly.
In a case settled just last September,
Salton, Inc., a Lake Forest, Illinois-
based housewares manufacturing
company and maker of the
popular George Foreman™ line of
grills, agreed to pay $8.2 million to
resolve an antitrust suit filed by 44
states, Puerto Rico, and the District
of Columbia in Federal District
Court in New York

blah blah blah....

source: http://www.butlerrubin.com/BRSBWeb.nsf/pubfiles/May%202003.pdf/$FILE/May%202003.pdf

 

[Harold]

Every shop I've patronized has offered at least the first tune up (after about 100 miles of riding) for free. After that, tune ups are up to you. An annual tune up usually runs from $40-$50 labor plus parts if needed. If you actually plan on using all 5 of those annual tune ups, then it could well be worthwhile. It took me a few years to get a handle on maintaining my own bike. Now, I don't bother with shop service unless I need to have work done that my warranty requires an "authorized dealer" to do.

The shop person you talked to probably gave you that line b/c they don't like negotiating on price. They charge a little more, add the tune up service plan (called a 'value add-on' in the biz) to make it seem like a better deal. It gives them an extra margin of profit b/c most people don't take their bike back to the shop to get their tune ups. Plenty of people forget about the first tune up they get, and I imagine they RARELY get people coming in for their 5th free annual tune up. To make it a value, you do need to actually use those tune ups, though.

 

[JimC.]

good words Nate..

after years I've learned to do a lot; my purchase of a base model Enduro was a surprise though as I've ridden it for 2 years now, and the original cables and shifting is flawless. No stretch, no gnashing of teeth, Nada. I guess quality and parts fit may be at a stage where the bikes are now more stable and don't need all the TLC we learned to apply?

% tune ups seems like a lot (read: too many), and they expect you to not come back after maybe 1 or two.

Jim

 

[Jack Hass]

Hi all,

I just spoke with a local bike shop about a Giant XTC. The salesman said they are required by Giant (and Cannondale for that matter) to charge MSRP for their bikes.

He lied to you don't buy a bike from someone that lies to you.

Also my LBS offer free lifetime tuneups, but they are not the same as the $50 tune up. They are a scaled down tune up that takes about 10 minutes to perform.

 

[Tracerboy]

Yeah, that LBS guy is a buncha garbage. Why would Giant care, the LBS already bought the bike from them. And the shop I work at has a lifetime of free basic tune-ups. Shifting, braking, inspection, air,lube. If your experienced with bikes then the free tune ups is not a big deal. But i have to say people that have not had any formal bike mechanic experience may be able to figure basic things out but often oversee lots of things. They may think they're doing it right....