Who doesn’t like a good old bicycle ride? You can ride for hours, just enjoying nature, listening to some music all while having a pretty good workout. Nowadays, bicycles are becoming more popular than ever, due to people being more environmentally aware and that has led to an increase in sales. Due to the situation, we’re currently in, most of these purchases are made online.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of scammers on the internet, so you do have to be careful when shopping for something as pricey as a quality bicycle. That is why we wanted to give a few tips and tell you what some of the things to look for when buying a bicycle online are. Let’s get started!
1. Look For The One That Fits Your Budget
As you might know, a new, quality bike isn’t cheap. It’s quite the opposite, in fact. Some bicycles are worth several thousands of dollars, so before you even begin browsing, make sure you know your budget. The last thing you want is to fall in love with a bike that’s way out of your budget and then ending up without a bike because no other comes even close. Also, keeping a budget in mind can come in handy so you don’t overspend and you end up broke when it’s time to buy the accessories like a helmet, for instance.
2. Look For A Reliable Store
Although you can indeed buy a great, used bicycle for a fraction of the price of a new one, you can never be certain who you’re buying from. When shopping online, it’s paramount that you look for a reliable store or a seller, so your certain in case something goes wrong, you have a chance of making it right.
As you know, many things can go wrong. A product could be faulty, damaged in transit and so on. However, none of those things matter if you can make an official complaint with the seller, return the product and get your money back. On the other hand, if you buy from an unreliable source – that may be out of the question. You could be stuck with a bad product, an empty wallet and without an opportunity to do anything about it.
3. Look For A Bike That Fits Your Needs
If you’re an experienced rider, you must know that not every bicycle is the same. There are many different types, each suited to different kind of rider, different kind of activity, terrain and so on.
For instance, if you’re an adventurous type that likes to ride his bicycle off-road and have outdoors adventures on two wheels – you have no use from a road bike. Road bikes are designed to be ridden on the roads and are best used for commuting, touring or as the name suggests, road riding. They have narrow, slick tyres that aren’t suitable for driving off-road.
The same thing applies the other way around. If you need a bike solely for commuting to and from work, then you probably don’t need a mountain bike. Mountain bikes are designed to be ridden off-road, they usually have full suspension, knobbly, thick tyres and honestly, they’re harder to ride than road bikes, which makes them a bad choice for commuting.
4. Look For Coupons
Another great thing about online shopping is that are websites like Grabatt.de where you can easily look for a coupon that’s going to save you a few bucks. Most people neglect the power of coupons and discount codes when online shopping but that’s not what you should do. Discounts like these could save you anywhere from 1% to perhaps even 20% off of your purchase and if that’s not savvy shopping – we genuinely don’t know what is.
Furthermore, it’s not like coupons are hard to find. All you have to do is do a web search and you’re pretty much guaranteed to be met with at least 20 coupons that are just waiting to be redeemed.
5. Look (Out) For A Deal That’s Too Good To Be True
If you stumble upon a deal that seems almost too good to be true – that’s because it probably is. Amazing deals don’t just appear left and right. In fact, they’re quite hard to get by. That’s why you should be extra careful when you notice something that seems too good to be true.
You’ll see most of these deals if you’re shopping for a used bike and in those cases, you really have to pay special attention to the bike. Look for any signs of damage, repairs or anything out of the ordinary that could be the reason for the low price. If you can’t seem to find any, great, you have yourself a good deal. On the other hand, if you don’t look, you could be getting a bike that’s not even worth the small amount you paid for it.
6. Look For The Reviews
Finally, when you’re shopping for a bicycle online, you must read the reviews. Why? Well, you don’t have any hands-on time with the bike prior to the purchase, so you have no idea what to expect. Sure, you can read all about the type, the tyres, the brakes, the frame, the material and so on, but you have no idea how all of it feels and works together.
On the other hand, there are people who already own this bike and have already purchased it from the same retailer you’re interested in purchasing from. Reading the reviews written by the people who have already purchased the bike will not only let you in on how the bike behaves but what you can expect from the seller, as well, which is very important for online purchase.
Conclusion
All in all, buying a bicycle online isn’t a hard process, you just have to pay attention to a few details and that’s about it. You shouldn’t have any problems if you consider all of the above-mentioned things and we’re certain that if you do – you’ll enjoy your bicycle for a long time.