Big 3 spring sales?

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chiltonp
Posts: 154
Joined: Fri May 01, 2009 8:48 pm

by chiltonp

I apologize if this is not the right place for this question. It seems like around spring time last year Cannondale, Specialized, and Trek (to a lesser extent) all had pretty decent sales on some of their higher end road bikes. Unfortunately last year I was not in the market.

I plan to upgrade my road bike at some point in the near future and was curious if anyone was aware if any manufacturers will be doing any similar promotions this spring. I'm not sure if this is an annual thing or if last year's sales were a one time thing. My total budget will be somewhere around $4000, and I would hate to go ahead and purchase if I could stretch my money further by waiting a bit. Any insight would be appreciated.

rijndael
Posts: 402
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Location: Haines, AK - Temporarily

by rijndael

IME: Now is the time to buy CX bikes, Aug/Sept is the time to get a road bike.

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FIJIGabe
Posts: 2241
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2012 6:07 pm
Location: The Lone Star State

by FIJIGabe

Those "sales" are usually bunk. If you have a good working relationship with your bike dealer, you can usually get better prices than the "sales" at any time during the year. Also, don't be afraid of asking your dealer to check the company's internal website for leftover inventory. You may still be able to find some good 2013 bikes in the warehouse, especially since all three of those manufacturers sell through authorized vendors, and don't have online retailers. You may have difficulty in getting leftover Treks, as they've switched to the Apple model, where they don't have specific model years, they just let stock dwindle before releasing an updated model.

chiltonp
Posts: 154
Joined: Fri May 01, 2009 8:48 pm

by chiltonp

I feel like I have a good relationship with all of my local shops, that being said they have never offered to cut me any crazy deals. I'm not really a racer associated with any local shops, that being said, unless the shop has it marked down they are typically selling stuff for retail.

I tried to negotiate on a Cannondale F29 last year and they wouldn't even help me out on the sales tax.

oreoboreo
Posts: 510
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2011 2:25 pm
Location: Aloha, Oregon/ Poipu, Kauai Hawaii

by oreoboreo

If they expect to sell at the retail listed price, find another shop. With the bikes reaching used car prices, they should work with you.
Let's finish the ride with a 20% grade.

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ARL002
Posts: 25
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 7:54 am

by ARL002

I know asking for discounts at a local bike shop can be a very loaded question. However the above advice to ask for options with left over 2013 inventory is probably your best bet. Had a friend recently pick up a 2012 S-works Venge at a fairly steep discount. With the models that are not changing much year to year, you can get a great deal on a bike that differs only in paint job to the 2014 models.

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FIJIGabe
Posts: 2241
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2012 6:07 pm
Location: The Lone Star State

by FIJIGabe

I can honestly say that I have never paid anywhere near MSRP for any bike I own, including three Project One bikes I have bought. I lived in a very competitive market, and anyone trying to charge MSRP either sold exotic, high-end frames (and were the only vendor in the area) or took you for a sucker (driving a Mercedes, wearing a Rolex, guess what, your price went up). That being said, I developed and fostered relationships with my LBS, to the point that even though I'm not local to them anymore, I still buy my bikes from them, when I visit, once or twice a year. Where I presently live, the LBS charges everyone MSRP, which would explain why no one rides a new, high-end bike (and if they do, they bought it in another city or online).

by Weenie


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