Best time to buy a bike

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Permalink Reply by Tim Metzger on March 17, 2011 at 7:59am

Personally, I would buy now and try and get a decent closeout deal on a past year model.  IMO unless you are buying the top of the line cutting edge (which is also debatable) I don't think you lose anything by not getting the current years model, except $$ of course.  Additionally if you are planning on racing the fall CX season I would want to put some time on the bike beforehand and in the past the new CX models were released on a not so convenient schedule to allow enough time prior to the new season.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Wahlin on March 17, 2011 at 11:06am

I had the same thought, but am having trouble finding good cx bike discounts online.  Has anyone found any recent bargains they would like to share?  I'm new to the sport and as long as I find something with at least 105 or Apex, I'd be happy.  

 

Best I can find is: Colnago World Cup 2010 -- http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=51081

Any thoughts on this bike?  The one downside is I'd have to ship from the U.K.

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Permalink Reply by Paul on March 18, 2011 at 6:46am

Complete bikes might be hard to find, but I've been watching lots of closeouts on framesets. This is a good option if you have spare components/can get them cheaply, and dont mind taking time to build up the frameset. Having a reliable LBS or mechanic buddy is also a huge plus in that regard.

 

Research the classifieds on this website if you dont mind riding used gear. If you want new, Excel Sports Boulder and cyclocrossworld.com (two reliable sources for me) are offering decent markdowns. Also check Urbane Cyclist (Salem, MA);  I recently bought a frameset from them on closeout, and their customer service was impeccable.

 

Lastly: Be VERY careful purchasing anything from overseas vendors! You'll likely pay a small currency conversion fee on top of the nominal dollar price, and then DHS/CBP will slap a hefty import duty on your gear. I bought a groupset last summer for $950--but had to pay a $87 tariff to take it home from the post office. I could've saved $$ buying the same components from a domestic supplier. 

 

Good luck!    

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Permalink Reply by Mike Wahlin on March 18, 2011 at 6:50am

Thanks Paul.. good to know about the tariffs.  Yeah, 10% on a $1,000 would be just enough to wipe out savings even on Wiggle.co.uk!

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Permalink Reply by Chris Mayhew on March 17, 2011 at 5:07pm

Buy it now. You can always put slick tires on a 'cross bike and ride/race it during the summer. But 2011 bikes are going to be out of stock soon and you won't be able to get 2012 till very close to the season.

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Permalink Reply by Mike Wahlin on March 18, 2011 at 6:46am

Alright, so deals are out there.. just not easy to find.

I placed an order for a 2010 Focus Mares Disc CX bike from o2gearshop.com for $829 with free shipping on a size 60cm (the only size in stock).  It comes stock with mostly 105. The minus side is that the fork is aluminum.  It made #4 on a 2010 list of CX bikes under $1500.  It will be fun to try CX with disc brakes.

 

http://thatswhatshesaidaboutyourbike.blogspot.com/2010/08/top-nine-...

http://home.online.no/~sigurdhu/Focus-Mares-Disc-10.pdf

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Permalink Reply by Todd Rudaitis on March 18, 2011 at 7:56am

A shameless plug I know, but have you checked the classifieds on this site?

I happen to know of a great deal on a TCX1!

lol

Todd

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