Buying a bike in a bike shop or bike shop
The stationary bike trade is still the dominant sales channel for new bikes - mail order is far behind in terms of sheer numbers. The trend towards pedelecs is in favour of specialist retailers, as repairs or even fault diagnostics on e-bike drives are beyond the capabilities of the vast majority of hobby mechanics. What's more, the drives require special diagnostic software that non-experts cannot access. Owners of muscle-powered bikes are also sometimes glad to have a dealer of the relevant brand nearby. Even if manufacturer-specific parts from handlebars to cranks (keyword "system integration") or repair-unfriendly details are not yet as widespread as in the high-end road and mountain bike sector, the connection to a dealer workshop is reassuring. Especially during spare parts shortages, as in the past two years, our own customers were often given preferential treatment when it came to workshop service.
But finding a dealer is no trivial matter. In the price war, specialist dealers have often retreated to just one or two brands - the more bikes they buy from one brand, the cheaper the individual bike becomes. So first of all, the price-performance ratio of the brands represented should be right. The quality of service - the real argument in favour of specialist retailers - is best perceived during a consultation and test ride. An important tip: if possible, make an appointment and don't visit on a Saturday morning. If the quality of the goods is similar, service should be the deciding factor.
Another player in the retail sector are large bicycle shops with several branches and own brands, which compete with mail order companies on price. The price pressure is often, but by no means always, reflected in the advice and service.
+ Test drive possible, workshop on site
- usually a little more expensive
Direct shipping - online bike purchase directly from the manufacturer
It is an exciting convergence of systems: Mail order, once reviled as anonymous, has become more accessible in some cases with good telephone advice, service concepts via local workshops and "showrooms" or "flagship stores" in a few cities - but also more expensive. The major mail-order companies' own brands no longer just wave a price tag, but also impress with top-level technology and design. Independent tests have shown that specialist brands are not always more expensive. It usually becomes difficult when it comes to inspections or complaints if the entire bike has to be sent in due to a lack of local authorised workshops. The boundaries are also becoming blurred on the other side: the luxury brand Specialized has recently started to sell its bikes not only in specialist shops, but now also by mail order (at the same price).
+ inexpensive
- Limited test drive, usually more difficult service
Buy a used bike
The loss in value of new bikes was as steep as a ski jump, at least before coronavirus: according to current estimates, a bike lost half of its value in the first two years, and a further 50 per cent after four years. The ten-year-old €2,000 bike would therefore only be worth €250. However, anyone who knows anything about bikes knows that a ten-year-old bike can be anything between a pile of rubbish and a treasure. However, the coronavirus delivery problems have had a massive impact on used bike prices, at least temporarily: in some cases, young used bikes were trading higher than the respective new bike with utopian delivery times.
Nevertheless, used bikes can be very attractive, especially as many bikes have hardly been used. However, it depends on expertise - and realistic ideas about the price of wearing parts. If "only" tyres, chain, sprockets, brake pads and shift cables need to be replaced on a used bike, parts plus assembly can very quickly cost over 250 euros, while new pedelec batteries cost 500 to 1,000 euros. With many drive systems, e-bike buyers at least have the option of having the mileage and charging cycles read out in a specialist workshop - if the seller co-operates. While a private seller usually excludes any warranty, bike dealers must guarantee for one year (two years for new purchases) that the bike has no hidden defects. With expertise, good instincts and a purchase contract (available to download from adfc.de, for example), buying second-hand from a private seller is still a recommended way to get a cheap bike.
+ Real bargains possible
- Good expertise required
Further information in detail at mybike.de
Bicycle leasing
Not buying a bike, but using it for a monthly amount over several years sounds strange at first: some dealers offer "zero per cent financing" for bikes that are too expensive in one go anyway. But leasing can be a tax-saving model: For the self-employed and employees, the leasing instalments for their "company bike" not only reduce their taxable income, they also reduce the assessment bases for social security contributions and health insurance. So if you reduce your gross salary of 3,000 euros to 2,800 euros with a leasing instalment of 200 euros, you pay for your bike from your gross salary instead of your net salary (as with a private purchase). Whether this option is worthwhile is a tricky calculation that also takes into account taxable "non-cash benefits", your own tax bracket, the price of the bike and the amount of your income. Employees are dependent on their employer for this tax-saving model. The employer saves a share of the social security contributions, but in return must conclude the contract with the leasing company (from whose range the employee then chooses their bike). Company bike leasing became attractive due to the equal tax treatment of bicycles and company cars. Informative websites on the subject: jobrad.org ; businessbike.com
+ New material, often with service contract
- Complex cost-benefit analysis
