Why buy bike shop bikes?
We recognize that you have a lot of options for where to buy bikes. We get asked sometimes why someone should buy a bike from us instead of from a big box store, department store, or online retailer (which is a bonkers rude question, if you think about it). Our answer is, by necessity, a bit self serving, but it is also demonstrably true that bikes you buy from any bike shop are, by-and-large, better, and that purchasing from a local bike shop has some advantages.
Better materials: Bike shop bikes are made from higher quality aluminum and steel than department store bikes, usually 6061 aluminum, or Reynolds 520 chromoly, as compared to hi-ten steel and, well, we can’t even find declarations of the aluminum qualities on department store bikes. Component quality is a major factor, too. Brake calipers, shifters, cranksets, pedals, and wheels on bike shop bikes all meet a standard of repairability and replaceability. The parts are better made, last longer, and can be replaced with standard parts.
Safety: Bike shop bikes arrive in the same partially assembled condition as department store bikes, but our bikes are then built by professional mechanics who ensure the mechanical condition of the bike. A professional bike build includes all of the following: adjusting hubs, truing wheels, adjusting headsets, setting up cockpit controls, resetting tube valves to straight angles, adjusting brakes and shifting, checking tightness and lubrication of all fasteners, and correcting factory errors and shipping damage.
Component Life: It actually takes a lot to build a bike well, and the quality of the build is directly related to how the components wear. The bearings in an overtight cup-and-cone bearing hub, for instance, will result in excess friction on the bearing balls, and the hub will grind and wear prematurely. We’ve seen brand new wheels on brand new bikes wear out after a year. These hubs are set by machines in factories, and we frequently have to readjust them upon building even some of the nicest bikes we get. This skill is not one taught in big-box-store training sessions.
Knowledgeable staff: Our sales and service staff are all here to help find you the right bike for your riding needs, and the right fit. We’re here to adjust your seat height, go over options to help make a bike fit you better, discuss and answer questions about componentry and upgrade options, fit you to a helmet, send you out to test ride bikes, and get you set up with whatever other gear you are interested in.
Break-in service: All brand new bikes will require adjustments during what is called the break-in period. New brake cables and shifter cables all stretch during the first few rides, and brakes and shifters need to be adjusted when this happens to keep the bike performing its best. Spokes on wheels also require retensioning in the early life of the bike. It may require multiple return visits to your local bike shop to complete all of these adjustments, but we do them for free.
Support a business: One day, chances are, whatever bike you buy will need to be repaired. In addition to selling bikes, most shops also repair bikes. We are happy to work on whatever bike you bring us, but when you support us by buying our goods, we stand a better chance of staying in business long enough to provide you with services as well.
Resale or trade-in value: We have special trade-in programs for kids bikes (see below). And we frequently offer a partial trade-in credit if you are looking to replace your adult bike with a new bike. While we can offer some amount of trade-in credit for a kids department store bike, we just really don’t have a resale market for department store bikes.
Do you take trade-ins?
A trade-in is a store credit issued by us to be used toward the purchase of a new bike. If you have an old bike, and are in the market for a new bike, we are happy to take a look at your bike and consider making you a trade-in offer.
Kids bikes purchased from JRA Bike Shop: We stand by the quality of bikes we sell, and offer the following trade-in values for any other youth bike for 3 years from the date of purchase.
Year 1: up to 50% trade-in
Year 2: up to 40% trade in
Year 3: up to 30% trade in
Of course kids bikes get used, scratched up, beat up, and sometimes abused. Trade-in value is ultimately determined by the cosmetic and mechanical condition of the bike. If new parts are required to make the bike sellable, we may deduct cost and replacement time from our offer, or decline to take a trade in if the repair needs are deemed too extensive. During peak season, mechanical evaluation of trade-in bicycles may take a day or two.
Other kids bikes and adult bikes: To be determined by a mechanical evaluation. If we think it is a bike we can sell (based on quality, size, and style of bike), we will usually offer you half of what we think we can sell the bike for minus the cost of replacements parts. During peak season, mechanical evaluation of trade-in bicycles may take a day or two. We typically pass on full-suspension mountain bikes, e-bikes, triathlon bike, recumbents, cargo bikes, trikes, and department store bikes.
Do you buy bikes?
We cannot buy bikes for cash or store credit except as part of a trade-in deal.
Can I return a bike I bought?
We work really hard to help ensure that if you buy a bike from us, you are buying the right bike. But sometimes things happen, and you change your mind. Unfortunately, this puts us in a difficult spot because the bike you’ve purchased has undergone a mechanical evaluation before it left the shop, but has been out of our care and mechanical oversight since. We will need to do a mechanical review and safety check of the bike before we can issue any refunds. We will only offer a partial refund to reimburse us for the time we spend doing our out-the-door checks, and evaluating the bike again when you bring it back, plus transferring serial numbers, and other paperwork involved in restocking the bike. So the short answer is yes, we do allow returns on bicycles purchased from us, but only within 10 days, and we charge a 10% restocking fee (of pre-taxed sales price of the bike) to reimburse us for our time. If during the mechanical evaluation, we discover that the bike is not in “new” condition, we cannot issue any refunds. If we had to alter parts that are original to the bike for you, we will deduct replacements from your refund. For instance, if we cut the stock seatpost or handlebars, the cost of new ones will be deducted from your refund.
Where is my owner’s manual?
Owner’s manuals for all of the bikes we sell are available online. We do try to keep physical copies, and if you did not receive one when you purchased your bike, please drop by and we’ll get you one, or if you’re happy to keep everything electronic, you can link to your manual here:
KHS/ Free Agent Bikes Owner's Manual
Jamis Bikes Owner's Manual
Kona Bikes Owner's Manual
One thing about bike owner’s manuals these days is that they are pretty generic across a company, and much of the writing of them has been outsourced to another company that has made them modular. What this means is that there is one Kona manual, and one KHS manual, and one Jamis manual (not a specific manual for your model of bike), and if you look at all three side by side you’ll notice a lot of the same text and graphics across all three very different companies.
What are your warranty policies?
To be precise, we do not have warranty policies. Every bike company and parts manufacturer we work with has its own warranty policies, and so do many distributors, some of which are linked to below. We handle warranty issues and questions with all the companies we work with. So if you bought a WTB saddle from us, or had us install new Shimano brake calipers on your bike, and you are having an issue with those items, we can look into pursuing warranty claims with those manufacturers. In some cases, if we are confident the company will honor the claim, we can replace the part or accessory immediately. In others, we will need to wait for them to process a claim or ship replacement parts.
Bike warranties are a bit more complicated. Let’s look at your new Jamis Allegro A2 for a moment. Jamis states the following: “The components, other than frame and fork are warranted for 1 (one) year.” But the Tektro brakes or the Shimano shifters on that bike may have a longer period of warranty offered by the parts manufacturers. In general, we will work on our end with the companies that make the bike or its components to fulfill warranty requests.
Also, every company that manufactures bikes or parts offers a Limited Warranty, which means that there are a variety of conditions or situations that will cause a fault to not be covered by a warranty. What is called “normal wear and tear” is not covered. This would include riding your bike until you need a new chain or new tires. Those are wear items that need to be replaced when they wear out. Getting a flat tire, even on a very new bike, is almost never covered. Per Kona, the following are also not covered:
“defects, malfunctions or failures that result from the abuse, neglect, improper maintenance, alteration, modification, accident, or misuse (including without limitation bicycle racing, bicycle motocross, stunt bicycling, commercial use or rental use) of the Kona bicycle.”
These are pretty standard across manufacturers.
Finally, Limited Warranties are always limited to the original owner, require proof of purchase, and apply only to bikes purchased by licensed dealers (like us), and bikes that have been assembled by licensed dealers (like us!).
Here are the words out of the proverbial horses’ mouths. But bikes aren’t horses, you say. Neigh, I say! Neigh.
Jamis Warranty Policies
KHS Warranty Policies and FAQs
Cycle KIDS Warranty Policies
Gazelle Warranty Policies
Free Agent Warranty Policies
To Training Wheels or Not to Training Wheels?
Ah yes, this debate has been known to get heated.
We sell a variety of bikes that can take training wheels, but we do not build them with training wheels or keep them on the floor with training wheels. And many children’s bikes cannot take training wheels at all. Typically a bike that can take training wheels will also come with a coaster brake, sometimes one hand brake. Most bikes with freewheels cannot take training wheels. And a geared bike will not be able to accept training wheels.
The pedaling action is pretty intuitive for most kids. Balance is the harder skill to master, and often kids learn to lean on the training wheels instead of learning to balance. It can be really hard to wean kids from training wheels sometimes. This is why most people who teach kids to ride (including our favorite neighborhood elementary PE teacher) use the balance bike method.
We feel pretty strongly that balance bikes are a better choice for most kids, and we sell 12” and 14” Jamis Critters and Striders, respectively. Sometimes your little one has outgrown these, but all is not lost. We can convert a pedal bike temporarily into a balance bike by removing the pedals, crank, bottom bracket, and chain. We call it “Scooterizing,” and if you find a pedal bike on our floor that is right for your kiddo, or if you already have one at home that is a good fit, we can Scooterize it for them to use as a balance bike, and when they’re ready to add the pedaling in, we can reinstall these. We do this at no charge for bikes purchased from us, and charge $25 for bikes not purchased for us. This is a one-time charge that includes removing the parts, and reinstalling them when kiddo is ready for pedals.
This is an excellent and even-handed breakdown of the pros and cons of each method.
Is it better to carry my kiddo in a cargo trailer or a mounted seat?
We wholeheartedly prefer trailers over seats. There are a lot of reasons for this, but chiefly, and briefly: not all bikes can be made to work with child seats, they negatively affect the handling of the bike, and are just not as safe as a trailer. But you don’t have to take our word for it:
“Bicycle seats vs. bike trailers for children” by Consumer Reports
“Although both types of bicycle carriers have safety issues, the American Academy of Pediatrics states that is preferable for a child to ride in a bicycle trailer rather than a front or rear-mounted bicycle seat because ‘a young passenger on an adult's bike makes the bike unstable and increases braking time.’ The AAP believes that a mishap at any speed on a bicycle-mounted seat could cause significant injury to a child.”