With the current shortages, I think there's an opportunity for someone to offer a component finding service.
I'd be happy to pay a bit more to save trawling through hundreds for sites in different countries.
Can someone get on this? I need some Deity Racepoint 35mm 38mm Rise Stealth bars 🙂
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How much more? An hourly rate that it takes whoever to find what you want? What if there simply isn’t stock anywhere?
There was a site to find the lowest prices a few years back, but I believe they struggle to actually get the prices off the 'sellers' websites, so folded in the end. TBH if a website showed you the info, what's to stop you going to the seller direct, and not paying the surcharge? Pay the surcharge first.. what happens if you not happy with the results?
Matt's suggestion is fine in theory but often just leads you to places which list it but out of stock, or dont have the right size or whatever, it is far from infallible
Offer your services to the bike shops...if you can magic up the bits they need to finish customer builds you could get things moving again.
I’d be happy to pay a bit more to save trawling through hundreds for sites in different countries.
I don't see the business model. How will they know they will get paid? If they charge you to point you to the supplier's website, you could simply refuse to pay. If they have to order the part and have it delivered to you, then they are on the hook if anything goes wrong along the way. Who's responsible if it's the wrong part?
www.freewheel.co.uk/
If you are happy to pay a bit more can't you just find something else? Just put the extra money towards a better part that is in stock
Hmmmm,
The online retail price variance of most bike parts isn't really that much typically...
Ultimately the price you find via the standard searches on say google, eBay or Amazon are probably going to yield up the cheapest (delivered) price.
Your proposed part finder service would have to bypass the various retailers and go direct to manufacturers or regional distributors to score any meaningful cost saving to you, all of which isn't really in manufacturers or distributors interests. The industry has a tiered distribution model that mostly works (for those on the selling side) and is happy to let retailers fight over a couple of quid here and there in the name of competition.
The few companies that do direct distribution seem to hit a bit of a glass ceiling where their brand becomes less desirable as their prices become more competitive, again it's not in their interests to opt into a price finder service, they've already dodged some tiers of the traditional distribution/retail pyramid and control 100% of their distribution and pricing, Why would they add an extra layer of cost that won't yield a vast leap in sales?
Ultimately there is a reason you're after a ~£70 pair of bars rather than the ~£30 pair with similar width/rise/sweep/weight you could score from some other brand. Deity know this and set their RRP accordingly.
Hence the best price Google provides is about what you'll manage, it's hardly "trawling" a five minute search, bang in your card details and wait a few days for arrival (or a call from your bank's fraud detection team).
Hooray for the internetz!
I think you're missing a trick here.
What you need to create is "Bikepartpicker.co.uk" using the same business model as pcpartpicker.co.uk.
You don't charge the buyer anything for the service, you just pickup the commission that's usually paid to Google (or quidco, topcashback, etc).
That’ll be £300 as a finding fee please...
Actually, scratch that...chose the wrong colour...
I’ll be facing the corner if anyone needs me...
Or get the burgtec bryceland ride high bar, 35mm, 38mm rise, 9 deg back 5 deg up sweep, same as the deity, 800mm vs 810mm though.
I think you’re missing a trick here.
What you need to create is “Bikepartpicker.co.uk” using the same business model as pcpartpicker.co.uk.
You don’t charge the buyer anything for the service, you just pickup the commission that’s usually paid to Google (or quidco, topcashback, etc).
Probably a better idea, but the nightmare of organising a database of bike parts and addressing all the potential incompatibilities as well as sifting prices?
I'd say there are fewer component interfaces (and related standards) in a PC than there are on a bike...
They're not a million miles different to Burgtec Ride wides
Deity: 810mm/9 degree bend x 5 degree upsweep/330 grams (25/38mm rise)
Burgtec 800mm/9 degree bend x 5 degree upsweep/300 grams (15/22.5/30mm rise)
Both cost ~£70
The main selling point for the Deity would be their offered "Lifetime Crash Replacement Policy to the original owner"...
But then 5 more minutes googling and there's the Nukeproof Neutron (a CRC/Wiggle owned & sold):
800mm/9 degree bend x 5 degree upsweep/385 grams (12/25/38mm rise)
~£35
Half the price, 55g heavier, no crash replacement, I'm sure a lighter, flexier option could be found for another fiver maybe? who knows...
9 degree bend/5 degree sweep seems to be the main thing for bars these days.
Probably a better idea, but the nightmare of organising a database of bike parts and addressing all the potential incompatibilities as well as sifting prices?
I’d say there are fewer component interfaces (and related standards) in a PC than there are on a bike…
Presumably it's relatively straightforward with common APIs if you're IT literate.
Basicly a Google shopping but prefiltered so it only returns results from bike shops.
There used to be, a long time ago, things called local bike shops.
If this thread carries on much longer, it’s going to cost the OP a fortune...
Ah, but there'd have to be a manual component to the service - ie. phoning the shop that shows they have it online, to see if they do actually have it in stock.
All I want is bike part concierge service.
I request for the bars I want. He/she does the leg work and I pay a finders fee.
