3 ms·

I like how the first 2 comments here say that: 1) online sales are destroying in-person bike retail 2) in-person bike retail can never be replaced by online sal

• jseliger 9y ago
  Yeah. I would guess that over time, bike shops will morph into a) repair shops and b) showrooms that might, for example, get $x from each company for each test ride on one of their bikes (or something along those lines). A person who chooses to buy the bike would then get it shipped to the shop and built; eliminating inventory should also eliminate a lot of cost. As for Vanhawks specifically, I think they have a very cool idea but their bikes are just a little too expensive for me. Which is actually pretty frustrating. I'd like one of their single-speed bikes, but the bike is $1300. Then shipping is $150. Then assembly is ~$50 – $100. Then a rack and fenders are more. Something like a Priority bike is $900: https://www.prioritybicycles.com/products/thecontinuum https://www.prioritybicycles.com/products/thecontinuum and the company often offers free shipping. Fenders and a variable-speed transmission are included. Total cost is a lot lower.
• no_flags 9y ago
  I didn't mean to imply that I think retail bike shops will completely disappear. I was more trying to make the point that there are already a few successful online-only bike brands. So maybe Vanhawks' issue is their product, not the online sales model.