Just spent nearly £2500 in lbs on a 2015 bike and was given a £25 shock pump and a bottle cage. Not even a bottle!
What is the norm for freebies/discount when buying a new bike? I would have thought 10% of value was acceptable.
Should say I have been a customer for about 15 years so not like I have wandered in by accident.

Depends how much it was discounted. I’d not expect 10% on 2500 but I’d expect more than 35 quid.

What was the original price? What did you ask for?

Bike was originally 2800 but cos 2016 model is out was knocked down to 2380.
I asked what they could offer me. My own fault probably for not being cheeky. Shouldnt be surprised, I needed a BB urgently and they were the only local place that had one. Marked up at £28-I got it for 27!

So you’ve had 15% off and some free stuff? Sounds pretty reasonable to me.

So you got a shock pump, a bottle cage…

..and £420 off RRP?

So really you got £500 off not £35

You got a decent discount so wouldn’t expect much.On retail I would expect to get 10-15% in goods.

Okay you have all persuaded me I was being unreasonable. Cant blame a guy for wanting more!

It’s difficult when they put a gun to your head and steal your wallet.Not being able to say no thanks is very hard when there’s a life at stake.

Bike was originally 2800 but cos 2016 model is out was knocked down to 2380.
I asked what they could offer me. My own fault probably for not being cheeky. Shouldnt be surprised, I needed a BB urgently and they were the only local place that had one. Marked up at £28-I got it for 27!

I think you did pretty well to be fair! Had you paid full price for the bike having been a customer for 10 years, then only got £35’s worth thrown in on top I’d say maybe they don’t value you as much as they should.

Given you got 15% off the RRP already, something has to give I’m afraid, and that something is the amount of freebies you had thrown in.

Like everything, your LBS is a business. If they lose money, they go out of business and it’s only when this happens that the (once a year for an emergency inner tube) customers come out of the woodwork saying “it’s a shame they went out of business, good bunch of guys that knew their stuff”…

My opinions may or may not reflect those of other LBS owners, but genuinely, you’ve had 15% off the bike already, don’t be greedy!

It’s difficult when they put a gun to your head and steal your wallet.Not being able to say no thanks is very hard when there’s a life at stake.

That’s my excuse for spending too much time in the (award winning no less) chip shop over the road from work! And then the thieving bastards at the off licence next door keep stealing fivers off me, and thrusting 3 bottles of Wyld Wood cider in my hand every time they see me!

I’d be as thin as Chris Froome if I wasn’t surrounded by such crooks.

What’s this free stuff business? I paid 4k marked price with 70 quids worth of upgrades and didn’t get so much as a bottle of Muc off. I must be doing something wrong.

Think you’ve done ok there.

If you’ve haggled a bit over the price or as you sayvthey’ve done you a deal and given you some free stuff then I think its a bit of a win.

My last new bike I got a fork and drive train upgrade, then £400 off the overall price (on a custom build as well). Free stuff, x4 tubes, free first service. Just got a new dropper this week and got £40 discount as well!

Think it varies a lot though; I’m a cheeky b*****d so will ask upfront what sort of deals they can do, especially if it’s a big purchase. Most of the time I think the discounts tend to be a reduction in mark ups for components. Bottom line they still get a good chunk of your hard earned, the discounts help keep you loyal so they know you’ll be back again for maintenance, spares and the like.

Mods – the OP and slimjim78 must be the same person, surely.

Mods – the OP and slimjim78 must be the same person, surely.

Quite. When did we start thinking that taking as much profit off a business was a good thing? If you have £2.5k you’re not short of ££ after all

Why should the lbs give you anything beyond the goods you’ve requested?
I shop regularly in Sainsburys, but I don’t imagine they’re so happy with my custom that they’ll present me with an extra 10% of goods.
Why is it always presumed that a bike shop will give you discount, just because you walked through the door?

When buying anything from my LBS, I expect at LEAST
80% off list price
A bottle of ’90 Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque
The soul of the owner’s first born*
Full ownership of the shop.

* I have this one. I control him like my little puppet. 🙂

My name is mud in these parts.

Tough crowd. Tough crowd.

Bet you’re not even slim….
That fat Jamie fella…….Humph….

Baking powder?..

So you bought a poncy boutique bike got discount and a couple of free bits and wanted more ? If you want your local shop there I would shut up put your new bike in the Audi and go home

It’s almost as if it’s unique to the bike purchasing world that there is expectation of freebies/discount.

Seriously, the online discounters created this silly competitive market. My rules are service and product above price.

@rone – it’s been in the outdoor industry for years and definitely pre internet. In the 1980s you’d expect to get 10% discount from climbing shops if you were local for example.

Such deals do eat in to the shops profitablity and viability though

If the bikes bought on finance as well you’ve done especially well! Even without that it sounds like a stinking deal, they’ll probably give it a free tune up in a couple of weeks as well no doubt… Some folks really just don’t know when enough is enough.

it is hard from the LBS, more so when LBS are trying to offer things that “internet” can’t offer!
Like offer free “bike Sizing” and free “bike fit” and set up which still cost and takes time. And then customers still want more, money off, free stuff, things fitted for free.

Seriously, the online discounters created this silly competitive market. My rules are service and product above price.

That’s all well and good if you’ve have £4000/£5000 knocking around for essentially a few tubes and couple bits of rubber.
The cycling industry inflated their prices massively over recent years as the cycling trend kicked off. way ahead of standard inflation.

RRP in cycling terms is nuts, look at what Pauls cycles discounts can do to turn around a profit – they’ve been in business for donkeys.
IMO RRP is the industry squeezing the consumer for as much as they can, I have no issue with the consumer squeezing back occasionally.

It is a shame to see LBS potentially suffer as a result. I assume lots of them are still doing ok on the strength of their service – as I still see lots of LBS in business.