[KobayashiMaru]

Along the lines of bike fit from modern geometry being such a tricky thing to peg when buying without even being able to sit on a bike...

We bought a mattress today. Some of these things are as high as mid level full suspension bikes. Of course nobody knows how they'll like a bed until they sleep in it - for a long time - so you get a 4 month try it out period. If you don't like it at all, you can return it for a 20% restocking fee. If you swap it out for another mattress, you only pay a 10% fee of the original mattress when you move to the next one. They sell the mattresses that are returned at 60% off.

Could the bike industry take any cues from this?

I know there have to be differences between cost of design and engineering, raw materials, skilled labor for manufacturing, distribution, wholesale cost vs msrp and mark up... but still.

 

[ctxcrossx]

One big difference is everyone knows what last year's model looks like, that's not really a thing for mattresses.

 

[seat_boy]

This is also reflective of the markup on mattresses.

 

[Mike's MTB]

Not much you can do to change the way a mattress sleeps. There are plenty of ways to change the way a bike rides.

 

[006_007]

Bigger question is do you do dirtier things on the mattress or the bike.......

 

[Shark]

Who want a bike that someone else has had a good ride on?

Oh wait...

Sent from my SM-G991U using Tapatalk

 

[noapathy]

You do know the mattress industry is one of the biggest ripoffs of all time, right? Tons of BS claims about "technology" and "upgrades". Snake oil, smoke and mirrors, whatever. If they're so advanced, why do I have to keep replacing it every so often? It's basically just springs and whatever combo of some foam with few exceptions. There's a reason those tags are on there...they used to put all kinds of nasty crap in there (look it up).

 

[bikesdirect]

I am not sure what is done with returned mattresses
Thinking about it makes me wonder if I should just start sleeping on the beach

 

[KobayashiMaru]

I am not sure what is done with returned mattresses.
Thinking about it makes me wonder if I should just start sleeping on the beach

I heard Jim Gaffigan say once you can't give away a used mattress but we pay a hundred dollars a night to sleep on them in hotels.

The salesman said they sell returned mattresses at 60 percent off. Maybe people game that system with friends who buy the returned one, but I'm sure they have the numbers worked out to where they'll keep making profits.

Tons of BS claims about "technology" and "upgrades". Snake oil, smoke and mirrors, whatever. If they're so advanced, why do I have to keep replacing it every so often?

I'm sure you're right in most cases, but we got 18 years out of our mattress. We didn't start to think it was worn out until this year. I remember when we bought it the salesman said they were engineered for 20 years of use. Could have been complete BS from a guy that had only been there for two days who used to tune pianos, but it wasn't far off the mark.

Not much you can do to change the way a mattress sleeps. There are plenty of ways to change the way a bike rides.

Good point, but people still buy bikes based on what they think they should do or how they'll ride and they don't always meet those expectations. Even doing everything you can to change a bike you still get stuck with a high expense item that you just don't want if it doesn't suit you.

I don't know Mikesee personally, but I'd bet money he knows what he's doing with his bikes to get the ride out of them he wants. He bought a Supercaliber not long ago and ended up selling it. If I remember correctly, it just wasn't the ride for him. I would hazard a guess the majority of people that buy bikes don't know as much about proper fit and setup as Mikesee does, so the occurance of people that buy bikes ill suited to them has got to be pretty high.

When you look at situations where you just have to order a bike without even sitting on it, there has got to be some help the industry can offer consumers. I wouldn't just order a bed without laying on one in a showroom, but if I had no other option and they offered a 10 percent fee to swap if I didn't like it inside of 4 months, I'd pull that trigger.

Bose offers a 90 day no questions asked return policy on their products. Most of what they sell doesn't hit the 1000 dollar mark. They take it back, refurb it, and sell it as a refurb at a discount. Trek has a similar policy on gear. Why not some variation for bikes?

 

[J.B. Weld]

We bought a mattress today. Some of these things are as high as mid level full suspension bikes. Of course nobody knows how they'll like a bed until they sleep in it - for a long time - so you get a 4 month try it out period. If you don't like it at all, you can return it for a 20% restocking fee. If you swap it out for another mattress, you only pay a 10% fee of the original mattress when you move to the next one. They sell the mattresses that are returned at 60% off.

You've been had, I recently bought a new mattress and I think every one I looked at (including the one I bought) came with a 6 month free trial with zero restocking fee if you decide to return it.

The fact that they all offered that indicates-

A) exorbitant profit margins, and-

B) they know that an extremely low percentage of people will take them up on their offer.

 

[Nat]

I learned that there’s an awful lot of haggle room when buying a mattress. Treat it like a car purchase.

 

[Stewiewin]

Along the lines of bike fit from modern geometry being such a tricky thing to peg when buying without even being able to sit on a bike...

We bought a mattress today. Some of these things are as high as mid level full suspension bikes. Of course nobody knows how they'll like a bed until they sleep in it - for a long time - so you get a 4 month try it out period. If you don't like it at all, you can return it for a 20% restocking fee. If you swap it out for another mattress, you only pay a 10% fee of the original mattress when you move to the next one. They sell the mattresses that are returned at 60% off.

Could the bike industry take any cues from this?

I know there have to be differences between cost of design and engineering, raw materials, skilled labor for manufacturing, distribution, wholesale cost vs msrp and mark up... but still.

LMAO at 14k$ a bike, the bike industry is robbing the riders blind pretty good 😅

 

[J.B. Weld]

You can always test them out in a store

 

[KobayashiMaru]

You've been had

Perhaps. I'm not really that concerned about the terms of the sale as I am about how I appreciate that it's a positive customer service aspect. I've bought 3 new to me bikes in less than 3 years, but none were new. (Edit: Oops. I forgot my gravel bike that I bought new. That one worked out well, but at least I got two test rides on it before I pulled the trigger.) If I had some sort of insurance policy buying new, maybe my dollars (and more of them) would end up going through a shop. Maybe I'm an idiot, (and plenty of people here think I am) but as much as I want to support the LBS, I can't put that much at stake without some sort of try it out approach or a failsafe.

I would be a fool to imagine my musings would change the economic exchange between the bike industry and its patrons, but I'm sure I'm not the only person that has the reservations I do about buying new. Maybe there's a lot of money that never even gets put on the table for bike shops and the industry as a whole because of issues like this?

 

[J.B. Weld]

If I had some sort of insurance policy buying new, maybe my dollars (and more of them) would end up going through a shop. Maybe I'm an idiot, (and plenty of people here think I am) but as much as I want to support the LBS, I can't put that much at stake without some sort of try it out approach or a failsafe.

I would think an "insurance policy" like that would result in higher prices for everyone. Personally I've never had any issues buying bikes based on research, reviews and maybe a quick test ride but you're not comfortable with that there's always the option to rent. Kind of like buying a car.

 

[djlee]

I would be a fool to imagine my musings would change the economic exchange between the bike industry and its patrons, but I'm sure I'm not the only person that has the reservations I do about buying new. Maybe there's a lot of money that never even gets put on the table for bike shops and the industry as a whole because of issues like this?

Perhaps. It could also be argued that there is too much money being put on the table, up front, for other products (like mattresses.)
Market forces swing both ways because markets seek equilibrium.
Bike margins are really, really thin. If customers were willing to spend considerably more, up front, then shops could offer a more customer-friendly return policy.

 

[Nat]

Many shops do demos where your rental price applies towards purchase.

 

[KobayashiMaru]

there's always the option to rent

I've mentioned that plenty of times in other threads around this topic. There aren't any shops with demo bikes near me. The closest is almost 5 hours away. Paying for the demo rides over a two or three day weekend and the travel expenses would be worth it to know I'd be good with the bike and its fit, but thank you Covid, nobody has demo bikes anymore.

 

[djlee]

I've mentioned that plenty of times in other threads around this topic. There aren't any shops with demo bikes near me. The closest is almost 5 hours away. Paying for the demo rides over a two or three day weekend and the travel expenses would be worth it to know I'd be good with the bike and its fit, but thank you Covid, nobody has demo bikes anymore.

You could move? A lot of people pay more money in order to live near what they value.

There are 5 shops and 3 manufacturers within a few miles of my home, all of whom offer some type of a demo program.
Property values are more expensive here, compared to other parts of the country.

You get what you pay for.

 

[davec113]

I am not sure what is done with returned mattresses
Thinking about it makes me wonder if I should just start sleeping on the beach

Amazon...