http://www.ambmag.com.au 45O BUY A BIKEsomething we really emphasise, as we don’t want
people getting the wrong bike. We stock a lot of
brands, so there is a lot of choice and test rides
really help.” Jamie explains that while you need to
pay for the weekend test rides, For The Riders will
refund that price as part of a new bike purchase,
within a certain time period.
Smaller shops may not be able to offer that
same opportunity as costs to have their own demo
bikes just might not be viable. But speak to the
staff – maybe they have a suggestion.
SERVICING
A free service, or check up, a few weeks after
you buy your bike is reasonably common, but the
servicing that shops offer, and their prices, vary
considerably. It is worth finding out if there are
long term service plans for bikes bought at the
store you’re visiting. A bike that has been built
well in the workshop is unlikely to need many
adjustments after settling in.
“We really give a shit when we build a bike,”
says Jamie with little ambiguity. “We do the
build prep so we aren’t going to see the bike in
the workshop for a while.” Jamie explains that
if something does go wrong in the first month,
they’ll take care of it. “We recommend servicing
your bike every 6 months, and have an option to
pre-purchase services at a better rate.”CUSTOMISING YOUR RIDE
Making a few component or graphic changes is
one of the fun things to do with a bike, to either
make it look how you want or perform how you
need. Most shops will help you with this, and
brands like Orbea let you even customise your
paint and fine tune your component choice before
the bike is delivered from the factory via their MyO
program. Some shops will go even further with
any bike they sell.
“At For The Riders we are set up to customise
bikes,” says Jamie. “Whether it’s an off the shelf
bike or something boutique, we can swap out
bars and stems and other parts or even get the
right graphics for your rims or suspension. This is
something we specialise in.”GETTING FITTED
When you visit a good bike shop, there is no guess
work in being fitted for your bike. While some
bikes might come in as little as two sizes, usually
there is more choice. Then of course there is stem
length, bar width, seat height, setback, crank
length, grip diameter and of course suspensionsettings and tyre pressure. A store with some
serious mountain bike pedigree really makes a
difference for this.
“Getting fitted to your bike is a huge part of
buying a bike with us,” says Jamie. Like many
high-end mountain bike shops, getting you
comfortable and ripping on the bike is just as
important as finding the right bike for you.
“Fitting is one thing,” adds Jamie, “but so is the
suspension set up. We do a bike fit, suspension
set up and tyre set up for our customers. You go
home with a user manual with all your suspension
settings and user notes, and tyre pressures too.”
This is something that For The Riders do with any
bike purchased, and to us it sounds like exactly
how any mountain bike should be sold.SHOP RIDES
Not every shop will have group rides, but if they
do it’s a great way to connect with other riders,
learn new trails, and basically make sure you’re
using your new bike! Ask the staff whether they
have any organised shop rides. Some shops
might have a weekly ride, others might be more
sporadic social events. Either way, it’s fun to be
involved and this community aspect is a great part
of being a regular customer at a bike shop.