Shane Tolerico, a fellow local rider recently went through the buying process for a new Bike and wanted to share his experiences. Below is his story
After much deliberation, I finally decided to do what any active, outdoor-loving, red-blooded American should do and buy a new bike. I’ve been kicking around the idea for about two years now but the timing feels right. My old bike, Salsa bucksaw x01 has been reliable and good to me over the years, but like a student graduating high school, I was ready to move on to the next chapter and it was time to get rid of the old bike and let it be someone enjoy it.
As I dove into my research, I was shocked to realize how much has changed in biking while I was happily riding my Bucksaw. Plus tires are no longer a thing and all new models have 29-inch wheels where they used to be 27.5-inch, and mullets.... among other things. So, after spending a week on YouTube and various other sites reading about current trends, I decided that my new bike should have 29-inch wheels, a good amount of suspension, and have oil slick painted everything.
My next step and what I believe should be the next step for any responsible consumer was to go to my local bike shop, take a demo and ask someone with more knowledge than me. The bike shop I went to has a very knowledgeable staff and a fantastic demo fleet. All the bikes I’ve been salivating over online were right before my eyes. The cream of the crop, top-tier bikes were a joy just to behold in person. Although the staff is extremely helpful, I felt foolish asking any questions because I could just take any bike out and demo it to see how it performs. I had done so much research by this point I knew all the specs by heart anyway so there was nothing left to do but put the rubber to the dirt.
While many people have made the transition to buying even the most expensive items online, I firmly believe in the value of the local bike shop. Not only do they have knowledgeable staff, but that staff shares the passion for the outdoors that their customers do. They’ve likely ridden the same trails. And, as I mentioned above, it’s a lot easier to quickly eliminate bikes that you thought would be perfect but can tell they aren’t as soon as you sit on them.
I ended up purchasing an Ibis Mojo 4 SLX and I couldn't be happier.
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