Is it OK to buy online and ask local bike shop to fit?

Just thought I would chime in

Just thought I would chime in on this one, been in the business for 10 years on both sides of the fence. First 5 years were working in a shop, 3 more working for an outdoor distributor and now back purchasing for an online retailer. A few key points below;

– Most shops will fit parts for a charge, they accept this as part of their role but don’t expect priority over customers which have bought their parts instore.

– Warranty issues should be taken up with your online retailer not the shop that fitted the part (unless it was fitted correctly). 

– Be aware of extra charges, if your brake pads are worn but you want a new handlebar fitting the shop will normally have to put the bike into a “safe” condition so they are covered under their liability insurance. 

– Small shops cannot compete on price with most online retailers. Period. One of my local shops will actually match online prices as long as it is above their trade price and if it is below trade they will sell it you at trade, its the business but I understand them not wanting to make a loss.

– Business works on both sides of the fence its crap your shop pays more than an online account but that online account will be making more money for the supplier. It was often known that CRC and the likes will be selling parts cheaper than trade for most other accounts as they buy them from OEM suppliers rather than distributors where they can. 

– Be nice, say hi and treat bike shops with respect, they will help where they can, if possible don’t go in at weekends because that’s when most of the browsers will be in. Appreciate their work and always take them something good, if you know it will be a horrible job (snapped bolts, jammed parts, internal cable routing) take them biscuits or beer and don’t expect a discount. If you’re a good enough customer the shop will give you one!

There is no right or wrong
There is no right or wrong answer to the broader question, it depends on the circumstances. In this case, when you have vouchers to spend, any reasonable LBS would understand your position, and also understand that it is better business for him to fit the parts at a price, than to turn you away. I bought a £2.5k bike from my LBS, and he actually advised me to buy the pedals online, and he fit them.

I suspect that it will depend

I suspect that it will depend on the shop and  thats fair. To suggest that any decent shop will take your parts and fit them is over simplifying things. Each will have its own business model and the customer has to accept that by complying or going elsewhere.  A shop that makes its profit on parts may not want to see you , especially if you rarely visit are bringing parts that they stock. A regular customer bringing in something thats not their normal stock may have a different response.  Which are you. If it’s a no then just accept it without hard feelings.

We have no right to expect any business to deal with our individual needs. On a different note, spend the money on an instruction book. It’s only a bike and thus needs virtually no expensive and rarely used tools.  Fix it yourself and thus remove the need to ask the question.

Perhaps I’m a spoilt Londoner

Perhaps I’m a spoilt Londoner but I don’t understand the weirdness here. 

There are “many” ways for an LBS to make money. Everyone knows that services are the way to make money these days.

If an LBS gives you grief for you offering money for their mechanic services they’re idiots that will be soon out of business. 

You should simply ask them if

You should simply ask them if they’re willing to do so and how much they charge.  I’ve known extremes from one shop (when I was doing a Brompton conversion) where the owner simply told me that he’d be happy to install any components at a regular hourly fee but only if I brought him everything and was willing to assume the risk if something didn’t fit, he simply didn’t want to do any research.  Another shop told me no, adding that neither were they willing to order any ‘exotic’ components nor indeed perform any work on a bike that hadn’t been purchased with them and unceremoneously showed me the door.  A couple of repair and maintenance outfits are building a business model around simply charging by the hour in order to do whatever tickles your fancy, offering a cheaper rate and ‘guaranteed suitability’ if you order components through them.

One option might be to look

One option might be to look for a local cycling/sustainable transport collective – there was one where I used to work and you could pop in and fit your own stuff with a little help from trained mechanics. 

wicksy5508 wrote:

Would you buy a beer at a supermarket and take it to your local pub and ask if was ok to drink it in there? Same beer.

That’s actually a thing. Many restaurants will let you bring your own wine. They’ll usually charge a ‘corkage fee’ for that to cover their fixed costs. Similarly, a bike shop should charge you the necessary ‘repair fee’ for them to be able to make a profit from their labour.