I Want a New Bike, But...

Five reasons you have not bought the bike yet

Almost every rider has said some version of "I really want a new bike, but..." and then filled in the blank. We have heard most of the endings at the lab, and most of them have a way around.

These are the five we hear most, along with what we would do about each one.

Problem 1: I need to sell my current bike first

That is a fair point, since nobody wants a second bike hanging in the garage while the first one collects dust and a pile of lowball offers on a listing site.

So let us sell it for you. We take bikes on consignment and handle the parts that make selling one a hassle: the service, the cleaning, the photos, the marketing, and the buyers with a lot of questions. Every bike gets a full inspection and a professional tune before it is listed, and the buyer gets a 3-month service warranty on that work. Buyers like that, because a bike that has been gone through by a real lab is an easier yes than a stranger's listing.

There is one more reason to consign with us if you are shopping for a new bike. Once your old bike sells, you can take the consignment fee off the full retail price of a new bike from a brand we carry. It does not apply to bikes already on sale, and it cannot be combined with other discounts.

Our bike consignment page covers how the program works and what it costs, and you can get started there with two photos of your bike. To see what is listed right now, check our pre-owned bikes page.

Consign your old bike with us, and the consignment fee can come off your new one.Once your consigned bike sells, the fee comes off the full retail price of a new bike from a brand we carry.

Problem 2: Bikes are expensive and I need to save up

Waiting and saving is a sound plan, and nobody should talk you out of it. But if the money is coming and you would rather be riding while it does, you can spread the cost out. Our checkout offers Shop Pay Installments on eligible orders, which lets you split a purchase into payments over time. Whether you qualify, and what the terms look like, is shown to you at checkout before you commit to anything.

Read the terms, pick the plan you can carry, and then go ride.

Problem 3: My significant other will kill me

We have all been there, and the usual peace offerings still work: flowers, the honey-do list, dishes, laundry, a foot rub.

The better move is to get them on a bike too. Bring them on a group ride and let us do the rest. A little friendly peer pressure goes a long way. And honestly, you already know how good this lifestyle is, or you would not be reading a post about how to get a new bike.

If none of that works, there is always the old switcheroo. Buy the new bike in the same color as the old one, and maybe nobody notices that it now has electronic shifting and carbon wheels under the same paint. We are kidding, of course, and we would never suggest that level of deceit. Probably.

Problem 4: I do not have the time

We hear this one a lot, and we do not buy it. Making time for fitness, fun, and friends is doable, and we have the people to prove it.

The Dialed Cycling Team is full of riders balancing family, work, and riding: doctors, small business owners, professionals of every kind. They are fit, they are having a blast, and they are logging rides all the time, mostly because they are honest about where their hours actually go. Pay attention to your own day for a week and you might be surprised.

1. Count your screen time. You do not have to quit cold turkey, but look at the number and then take some of it back for the bike.
2. Batch the stuff that eats your evenings. Cook a week of dinners in one go, and the nights you would have spent at the stove become nights you could ride.
3. Make it a goal, with a date, because where there is a will there is a way. When this post first went up in 2017, one of us had already spent more than 20 years helping people find time for fitness, and very few roadblocks held up. Some real ones exist, and we are sorry if that is you. But "someday" happens when you make it a priority.

Problem 5: I do not know what I am doing, and I have nobody to ride with

This is our favorite one, because it is the easiest to fix. Getting people into cycling is the thing we love most, and teaching people about bikes is a close second.

1. We go over the basics with youEveryone gets a walkthrough before a new bike goes home.
2. We make sure you have the right gearYou go home with the gear that matches the riding you plan to do.
3. We are here after the saleWhen something needs a tune or a fix, our bike services have you covered.
4. We have people to ride withThe Dialed Cycling club on Strava brings local riders together for weekly rides. Be careful, because we might get you racing too.

So say it out loud. "I really want a new bike, and I know how I am going to make it happen."

And remember the rules. The Velominati put it plainly in Rule #12: the correct number of bikes to own is n+1, where n is the number you own now, and you cannot argue with the rules.

If you want a new bike, pick a date. "Someday" tends to never arrive.

Help me get a new bike

After that, all you have to do is figure out where to hang it.