Lead Times and Deliveries.
By Bikesport, Inc. Staff.

We often receive frequent and important feedback from our customers. We’re pleased to say the majority of it is good and we take great satisfaction in being certain that legacy continues. Satisfied customers are our primary goal and that reputation must be re-earned with every sale.

We also get our fair share of complaints. When we tracked customer complaints over the course of a season we quickly learned there was one predominant complaint about our store, our service and the experience of buying a bike in general: Some people thought bikes take too long to get.

In meeting with other high end bicycle retailers we have learned this is a common customer concern across the industry.

The most frequent complaint we receive- and in fact, nearly the only complaint we hear, is that something took too long to get. This may be a valid complaint in some cases, and it may be a matter of expectations. We’ve learned that if we are as clear about expectations up front as possible this reduces the possibility of disappointment with potentially long lead times.

Buying a high end Performance Bike.

The experience of buying a high end, performance bike is a unique one. It is different than buying a gallon of milk or a passenger car. Every bike sale is unique to the person buying the bike, unique to their fit, and their goals and riding style.

If you were to go to a Ford dealer to buy a Ford Focus, you would see what the dealer had on the lot, arrange a test ride, slide the seat forward or backward and tilt the steering wheel to suit you, take it for a test ride, discuss the payment and close the deal. It is a relatively generic purchase repeated several times through out the day at the Ford Dealership. A person who is 6’1” tall leaves with the same Ford Focus as a person who is 5’6” tall. It’s a matter of color, options and price. The cars aren’t modified significantly from one customer to the next.

Buying a performance high end bicycle is more like the process used to purchase a custom race car compared to a Ford Focus. Much of the car has to built for the specific type of racing the driver will be doing. Some of the car is specifically designed to fit the race car driver. The car is built to the driver’s specifications and then tested before it is used on race day. In the testing process a number of changes may be made.

Another analogy is comparing a high end bike purchase to buying a dress off the rack for everyday wear to buying a wedding dress specifically for one use. It takes time, planning, fitting and alterations to buy the wedding dress whereas buying an off the rack dress usually means a trip to fitting room and a look in the mirror.

Buying a performance oriented high end road or triathlon bike is a process to luxuriate in. The bike is intended strictly for you, configured with your measurements and intended to last the entire time you are a cycling athlete regardless of your goals. This is an opportunity to get equipment optimized for exactly what you individually. As such, the process shouldn’t be rushed. It takes time to make good bikes and fit them precisely. In the internet, e-mail, cell phone instant gratification world of bar codes and tracking numbers the bike industry is geared less toward finding ways to make transactions faster, and more toward making bicycles better.

But I have a race this weekend…

We’re in the high end, performance bike business. Every customer is critically important and every customer has events they have invested time and money in preparing for. Because of this we urge you to buy your bike at least 6 months before the first event you will need it for.

Performance bikes are not built and configured for only one event or one weekend, but for years of riding enjoyment, improvements in fitness and for achieving your personal goals in cycling and triathlon, whatever they may be. The bikes we build and fit are for more than just one race or event. Because of that it is worth being patient and getting the right equipment. Compromising the careful fitting process by hurrying the delivery for one event is short sighted and compromises the reason you’re buying the bike in the first place. It is difficult to wait but it pays in the long run- which is what you are buying the bike for.

How Long Will My Bike Take to Get?

There are two possible answers to this question depending on the circumstance.

It is also worth noting that the overwhelming majority of bikes we sell are delivered and fitted within 10 days of purchase.

1. If you were fitted for a bike that is in our store already and is not yet sold we can perform the final fitting and/or ship the bike to you either immediately to a matter of a few days. If there are no fit appointments conflicting with your appointment, the bike is mechanically ready to be fitted and you are well prepared with cycling shorts and cycling shoes as you will use to ride your bike in the real world then we are ready to get you set up!

We often do initial and final fittings in one visit when all the correct equipment is available in our store. This means the first time you visit the store will also be the day you leave with the bike, completely fitted and ready to ride.

There are occasions where we need to change components relevant to your individual fit and position and the mechanical work required to do this may take additional time. How much time it takes is dependant on the type of work and the availability of those components. Replacing all cables, cutting aerobars to length, sizing seat posts and changing out a crank for proper length could take several hours if all parts are available. This may delay your fit anywhere from a number of hours to a number of days depending on parts availability.

2. You’ve purchased a bike from us that is not yet in our store. This may mean the bike has already been ordered by us and was sold to you from a preseason order or allocation from a bike company, or it may mean we ordered the bike immediately (within 12 hours or less on business days) after you purchased it from us.

We cannot predict precisely when a bike will arrive from a bike company.

We can only offer estimates of delivery lead times. These are only estimates and do not constitute a delivery date promise. No employee, agent, owner or representative of Bikesport, Inc. is authorized to offer a “promise” of delivery date on any bike that is not already in our store.

Bike companies do not provide or have systems for tracking individual bike orders for specific retail customers to us. As such, we cannot “track” your bike from the bike company to us. This makes checking the “status” of your order difficult or impossible to do precisely: Bike companies simply do not have the information to provide to us.

If you need your bike for a specific event or date we recommend you allow 6 months to receive your bike, get an accurate fitting and to become accustomed to riding your new bike as well as perform the initial maintenance required on all new bikes for optimal performance and safety.

When we sell a bike that is not already in our store the normal lead time is 1-3 weeks with most bikes arriving in less than 2 weeks. Again, these are estimates and there are exceptions. If lead times are a concern we urge to you to buy early.

Can you check on my order? What is the “status” of my order?

We are always pleased to answer questions about an outstanding order. There are limitations to the amount of information we can obtain and provide since the bicycle companies that ship to us may not be able to provide us with specific information about a given retail customers bike order. We simply have to wait until the bike arrives, is allocated from our order lists and assigned to the appropriate customer by order and fit date. Until that process is entirely complete and we are ready to schedule your final fitting or ship your bike to you, any update on order status is an estimate.

While we always want to hear from our customers, repeated inquiries about the status of an outstanding order do delay the delivery of bicycles by occupying our staff with researching orders, deliveries, lead times and returning phone calls and e-mails rather than building and fitting bikes. This slows things down for everyone, including your order. It can be difficult and frustrating to wait but most bike deliveries take place in a reasonable time (usually within 10 days of purchase). If your order takes longer please remember that a performance bicycle purchase is a purchase designed to last a long time and shouldn’t be rushed.

What can I expect from Bikesport, Inc. if I order a bike?

If you order a bike from us you can expect the following: