I'm a first time buyer and looking at buying a Felt Z35.
So I went to my one and only local Felt dealer and discovered that beyond the fact that they apparently have a major woody for Trek since that was the only brand of bikes in the shop wall to wall there were absolutely no Felt bikes. I want to support the LBS but I am extremely uncomfortable on buying from these folks and I don't know how to handle this. What kind of an authorized dealer has no bikes he is an authorized dealer for? I am not about to plunk down several thousands of dollars on a bike sight unseen. I want to test ride one and see how it rides and how it fits before buying. But they have none in stock. The first and only time I was in there the kid said they would order one and get me fitted and the like when I was ready. Surely they don't expect me to pay for the bike and have it shipped before I know if I want it by taking a test ride and seeing how it fits? If there was another Felt dealer in town I would go there but I only have the one. How do I resolve getting a test ride on the Z35 before buying at the LBS? I even thought of calling Felt itself and explaining the situation to them. I would imagine they would like to know about one of their authorized dealers not carrying a single one of their bikes. Any ideas on how to tactfully resolve this dilemma?

Thanks,
Chris

There are actually two seperate issues at play here. One is that your LBS, although an authorized dealer for other brands, pushes one specific brand. In this case, Trek. If I followed you correctly, the other issue is that the bike shop orders bikes when and if the customer places a deposit. So essentially it's a 'special order' shop for 'other' brands.

I don't know what size you ride, but as someone who rides between a 50 and 52 cm, I face this consistently in bike shops. Few and far between will order a bike and let me ride it with no commitment (read nonrefundable deposit) because if I don't buy it, who will? And they don't want to get stuck with it.

Back to issue #1. We have a couple of similar shops near me. One carries about four brands, but has 90% of their floorspace filled with Specialized. If you want something else, first they'll try to talk you out of it and if that's not successful, then they'll offer to order brand X - with a deposit, of course.

My best advice is to go to Felt's website, punch in your zip on the dealer locator and start making calls. It's take some time and driving, but you may find a dealer semi-close to you that is more of a Felt enthusiast, thus more willing to assist. I for one leave shops that don't pay attention to what I'm telling them because they 'know better'.

Best of luck to you, and BTW, Felt's are nice bikes!!

First of all, I love the Z35 - great bike at a great price! Likely our number one seller for 2008. Second, many Trek and Specialized dealers have bought into the "concept" store deal and are contractually obligated to sell one of those particular manufacturers products. We have turned this down, as it takes choice away from the consumer, and basically turns shops into car dealerships.

Hopefully you can find another dealer close by, but if not you can look at the geometry and tell whether or not a bike will fit you. Top tube length is the key, as it's easy to get saddle height correct even if you're a size or two off - reach is more difficult if you purchase the wrong size. Also note that the popularity of the Z35 has surprised even Felt, and they're doing all they can to get more out to their dealers.

The ride of the bike is a very good blend of performance and comfort. The wheelbase makes it a very stable ride - if you want a fast or twitchy steering bike, the Z geometry is not for you. If it helps you at all, when customers come into our shop looking for a bike in the Z35's price range, we fit them to every bike we have at that level and let them choose for themselves - the Z bikes get picked 7-1 over other brands, and when other brands are picked, it's usually because the customer had their minds made up before they even came into our shop. I know that doesn't make up for a test ride, but I really believe you'll love the bike and can be confident in it's ride quality. As for the performance aspect, Felt continues to be surprised how many of their sponsored riders choose the Z bike over the F series. I'm not a big believer in copying what professional riders do, but their choices always interest me. Hope this helps.

My best advice is to go to Felt's website, punch in your zip on the dealer locator and start making calls. It's take some time and driving, but you may find a dealer semi-close to you that is more of a Felt enthusiast, thus more willing to assist. I for one leave shops that don't pay attention to what I'm telling them because they 'know better'.

Best of luck to you, and BTW, Felt's are nice bikes!!

Thanks for the advice. That's what I am about to do right now. I am going to call all the listed dealers in my state there are 5 and see if any of them have any in stock. I have a feeling none of them will except perhaps the Kansas City dealer. Here is to hoping! I am really excited about Felt's and hope I can snag a Z series very soon!

Thanks again!
Chris

First of all, I love the Z35 - great bike at a great price! Likely our number one seller for 2008. Second, many Trek and Specialized dealers have bought into the "concept" store deal and are contractually obligated to sell one of those particular manufacturers products. We have turned this down, as it takes choice away from the consumer, and basically turns shops into car dealerships.

Hopefully you can find another dealer close by, but if not you can look at the geometry and tell whether or not a bike will fit you. Top tube length is the key, as it's easy to get saddle height correct even if you're a size or two off - reach is more difficult if you purchase the wrong size. Also note that the popularity of the Z35 has surprised even Felt, and they're doing all they can to get more out to their dealers.

The ride of the bike is a very good blend of performance and comfort. The wheelbase makes it a very stable ride - if you want a fast or twitchy steering bike, the Z geometry is not for you. If it helps you at all, when customers come into our shop looking for a bike in the Z35's price range, we fit them to every bike we have at that level and let them choose for themselves - the Z bikes get picked 7-1 over other brands, and when other brands are picked, it's usually because the customer had their minds made up before they even came into our shop. I know that doesn't make up for a test ride, but I really believe you'll love the bike and can be confident in it's ride quality. As for the performance aspect, Felt continues to be surprised how many of their sponsored riders choose the Z bike over the F series. I'm not a big believer in copying what professional riders do, but their choices always interest me. Hope this helps.

Jim,

Thanks for taking the time to reply to my post. Thanks for the vote of confidence in the Z35. As a first time buyer who is pretty turned off by his local felt "dealer" its good to hear I am interested in a good bike regardless of the lack of support from the local dealer. I commend you on offering your customers choice. I know for me as a first time buyer walking into a LBS that is a dealer for Trek, Specialized, Giant, and Felt and seeing nothing but Trek sets off all kinds of warning bells and I go somewhere else to spend my money. I dont even know why a LBS would bother to be a dealer for anyone else if they carry only one brand, to me that makes the worst business sense in the universe. To paraphrase from a movie "It's not what you like, its what the consumer likes." But im not a LBS owner what do I know :)

I am glad to hear Felt is selling more of them than they thought. This is another sign I am interested in pretty good bike if demand is exceeding production. Hopefully they will ramp up production and keep it selling like hotcakes.

Im also glad to hear its a good blend of performance and comfort. The main goal of my buy is to stop using my car and commute to work (to lose weight) and also to start training for century rides and eventually, hopefully, with enough practice the Bike Across Kansas yearly ride. I originally looked at the F75 but when I read about the Z series I thought that might be a better fit since i'm not racing as my main goal. I just wanted a good bike to do centuries on, commute with, and do the occasional race for fun :) The Z series looks like it would be more comfortable for those three things than a purely race oriented F series.
Thank you again for your reply and input it's made me feel much better about my first choice for a Z35. For a first time buyer who is nervous to plunk down several K on a bike, that helps tremendously!

Thanks again!
Chris