[LDB]

Anyone with experience on making an offer on a new bike please speak up. My LBS has a 2009 Cannondale Rize 4 NOS originally marked $2499 now marked down to $1499. I'm interested in the bike plus a good lock and a good helmet and a set of USB rechargeable f/r lights I saw at their shop. I was thinking about offering $1500 out the door with the extras.

Questions.

1. Does that sound like a reasonable offer?
2. How receptive are shops to offers?
3. Should I consider a different offer?

Thanks for any and all input

[davereo]

If the bike is already marked down 1000 I doubt they have more room to negotiate. It wont hurt to ask about a discount on accessories purchased at the time of the bike sale.

[carlharsch]

The markup on bikes is narrow, so don't expect much room there.

[rola643]

Originally Posted by carlharsch

The markup on bikes is narrow, so don't expect much room there.

Not in my experience ! Markup is HUGE! My Madone was trashed and I was offered one at cost and I was...shocked to say the least!

[Merlincustom]

I read somewhere recently that bikes are at a 36 point average margin, and soft goods 50 points. There might be a little room on the accessories, but if I were the shop I'd want to tell you that the bike discount is so huge that I'd have to sell the other stuff at list.

[Industry_Hack]

Don't ask us. Go in there, tell the owner what you're after, and see what you two can agree on.

[kneedrachen]

Originally Posted by rola643

Not in my experience ! Markup is HUGE! My Madone was trashed and I was offered one at cost and I was...shocked to say the least!

I think this is relative; a good friend owns a shop and had explained, similar to what Merlin had said. The margin on bikes is smaller than accessories (locks, lights, etc) but I think when comparatively speaking, it looks larger due to the price of a bike versus a lock.

That being said, I agree with all of the above statements; $1000 off sounds like they want the floor space back and it off of the inventory books. I think your best bet on this one is to pay what they are asking for the bike, but see if there's a deal to be had on accessories. I've found most shops, when buying a bike, will work with you on accessories.

[wild]

I allways bring cash, and get the out the door price for what you want. This is a good time to be buying a bike I think. So make him an offer but dont insulte him, he neads to know you are realy interested in a deal.
my ¢¢

[synack]

Make sure you look over the bike too. I saw one that was $1k marked down at a local shop and after looking it over and questioning the sales guy, it turned out that one of the mechanics was riding it constantly. The bars may have been re-taped but look at the drive train.

[John_V]

Originally Posted by LDB

Anyone with experience on making an offer on a new bike please speak up. My LBS has a 2009 Cannondale Rize 4 NOS originally marked $2499 now marked down to $1499. I'm interested in the bike plus a good lock and a good helmet and a set of USB rechargeable f/r lights I saw at their shop. I was thinking about offering $1500 out the door with the extras.

This is just my opinion, and it may/may not mean anything, but .... I would not think that offering him a $1.00 profit on the bike and accessories will get you the bike. Personally, I would go in with $1,550.00 (to start) and tell him that this is all your budget will allow for you to spend on a bike and accessories. Second, if this is a new bike, I would ask him why a 2009 model has not sold in four years. I would also look over the bike very carefully to see if it has been used quite a bit as some shops loan bikes to their employees or it may have been a rental at one time. I would also do some research on this particular model to find out if the $2,499 is the MSRP of the bike when it was a new model or if that is the price he was selling it for and if the components on the bike are what the manufacturer offered on that model. I know of several incidents where some LBS' have taken in stock bikes and used their components to upgrade a bike for a customer, then replace those components with lower grade components and try selling it at the same price. The more knowledge you have of the product going into a negotiation, the closer you will be to getting your desired result. All this may sound a bit paranoid, but when buying a bike that old being sold as new, I want to know what I'm getting for my money and make sure I'm not getting taken advantage of.

Of course if the bike isn't your size, all this is moot because if you bought it just for the price, you'll be miserable on every ride. If you haven't already done so, consider other avenues such as Craigslist.