It may feel tempting to order online and have your purchases arrive at your doorstep – after all, convenience is all that matters, isn’t it? BUT, online shopping does have its downfalls and usually does not offer the full range of services that your local bike shop can provide.
Check out these five free services you can get at your local Singapore bike shop that you CANNOT get online!
#1 Free Basic Fit
As customers of poorly-fitting bikes can testify, a properly-fitted bike tailored to your size is crucial in ensuring a comfortable cycling journey.
Imagine having to tiptoe each time you pedal or having your knees bunched up to your chest when you ride – the discomfort just takes all the fun away from cycling!
While specifications of the bike of interest are provided when buying a bike online, there is no way to guarantee that the bike carries those specifications until it arrives (i.e., until it is too late). Besides, customers don’t always know what size they should be riding.
Your local bike shop can provide you with advice on the perfect bike size for you, and provide you with a basic bike fit following purchase.
You can then wave awful bike riding experiences goodbye!
#2 Free Gear Tuning
Protect yourself and your sanity by getting your gears tuned for free at your local bike shop!
With all products (and people), things go a little wonky and don’t work as well when they get old.
Ever ridden a bike that merely ‘groans’ at the idea of you wanting to change gears? It surely makes for an annoying bike ride, and a possibly dangerous one too if you happen to be cycling on hilly terrain.
If you buy a bike online, it is highly implausible that the company would take the bike back from you simply to do a gear tuning.
Furthermore, shipping takes time – you wouldn’t want to be away from your bike for that long now, would you?
#3 Free Replacements (Sometimes!)
You just bought a bike online, and after just two rides, the light decides to switch off – forever! What do you do now?
Chances are, the online shop you bought the light from probably won’t issue you a replacement. That’s the double-edged sword of “hassle-free” online shopping.
After you complete the transaction, the fate of the product often becomes of no relevance to the seller.
Instead, if you buy the bike light from a physical shop and the same thing happens, chances are, the shop will replace or repair it for you.
However, shops cannot be responsible for the damaged or spoilt items that are a result of non-standard or irresponsible usage by the buyer.
#4 Free ‘training’ advice
Just bought a bike online and got no clue where to start? Well, you could always order one of those training plans online and try to stick to it.
That isn’t a bad idea in itself; however, such training plans often adopt a “one-size-fits-all” approach to training, and as we all know, none of us are the same.
However, if you go down to your bike shop in Singapore to buy a bike, staff members, many of whom are UCI (Union Cycliste Internationale) or SCF (Singapore Cycling Federation) trained cycling coaches, will be more than willing to give you advice regarding getting started on cycling, and can also advise you on the basics of how the Singapore cycling community operates.
#5 Free From Worry
Have you ever ordered a shirt online, only to find that it’s only big enough to fit your cat? Yeah, we’ve all been there.
While online shopping is convenient, who is going to guarantee that what you see on the website is what you get?
Especially when buying from less-reputable sites, the seller may even include in their terms and conditions that they will not be responsible if buyers “select the wrong product”.
While not exactly a free “service” per se, a peace of mind is priceless. Especially if you’ve just spent hundreds or thousands investing on a good bike, you’d want it to be tangibly here.
Nothing beats having a butt-to-saddle experience and having a go at it ASAP!
- FREE services you’ll find at your Singapore bike shop, but not online - September 23, 2017