Modern Buddy

As I write this, it is 2:04 a.m. Info search on the internet - I came across this:

http://www.cyclegear.com/

For me in Northern California a few to choose from. They appear to have stores across the nation.

I knew I had seen that place but wasn't sure where. There's one in Orange, perhaps I'll have to check it out.

There's one in the KC area. I've have gotten a few deals there.

The other place in town (and online) is motorcyclecloseouts.com

The problem with Cycle Gear these days is that they're heavily hawking their house brand, Bilt. The quality of the gear ranges from "piss poor" to "acceptable" from what I've seen. They've also stopped carrying as many other lines and as much gear from other lines so they can better push the Bilt stuff.

Sorry to hear that.

Will check out the Sacramento Store, because my M1 trainer said they had a whole wall of different helmet brands and to try them all to find one that fit just right. The trainer said, 700 dollar one, just because of the high price does not make it the best if it does not fit.

The least expensive one might fit the best then get that one - check that it has the DOT on it.

Yep, as I recall on my one visit to our local Cycle Gear, they had a a small handful of 'name brand' helmets and the rest of the inventory was Bilt. Same with the gloves.

ericalm wrote:The problem with Cycle Gear these days is that they're heavily hawking their house brand, Bilt. The quality of the gear ranges from "piss poor" to "acceptable" from what I've seen. They've also stopped carrying as many other lines and as much gear from other lines so they can better push the Bilt stuff.

very interesting. I use CycleGear for off season items. During the summer of 2010 I bought wool winter riding socks 3pr for $10. I've never liked their selection of helmets or jackets.

hg3 wrote:Sorry to hear that.

Will check out the Sacramento Store, because my M1 trainer said they had a whole wall of different helmet brands and to try them all to find one that fit just right. The trainer said, 700 dollar one, just because of the high price does not make it the best if it does not fit.

The least expensive one might fit the best then get that one - check that it has the DOT on it.

Yup. They have a whole wall (actually 2 walls) of helmets. But most are fairly expensive brands (Shoei, Arai, Icon). Unfortunately there's so many brands and so many models out there, what they have in the store is only a tiny fraction of what's available.

It's hard to find anyplace that has a HUGE selection of many brands of gear —and a lot of their styles — to try on. Even here in LA, one of the biggest bike markets in the US, I have to go to many locations to find something I'm looking for. What's even more annoying is when I go to (or call) a store listed on a manufacturer's site and they don't carry much of the new gear but tell me, "Uh, we can probably order it."

I sympathize with the retailers, though. It's expensive to carry a lot and many took a bath on gear when the market dropped out in '09.

The best place I've found to try a ton of stuff on is the International Motorcycle Show, which is a trade show that tours the country. Sadly, the number of retailers and OEMs there declined with the drop in motorcycle/scooter sales, but last year the numbers seemed to bounce back up a bit.

Cycle Gear use to be great until the economy totally flopped. Now, they push Bilt gear and that's about it. They may have 3 or 4 other brands, but only one or two models from each. Their cycle accessories section for parts and upgrades pretty much doesn't exist anymore, and many Cycle Gears don't even sell tires anymore! They're just glorified clothing shops now.

Shops, even big ones, don't carry the gear like they used to. It gets REAL OLD when people come in to try on your stuff to order it online because its $20 cheaper.
...yeah, I owned a store for 14 years.

I loved it, the experience is still 90% good in my memory, but THAT always made steam come out of my ears.

Sad thing, I still am "old school" . I like to go to a shop to try things on and buy them. Like Eric, I will drive to a couple just to check things out, besides, its a good excuse for a ride.

viney266 wrote:Shops, even big ones, don't carry the gear like they used to. It gets REAL OLD when people come in to try on your stuff to order it online because its $20 cheaper.

I try to do the opposite. For example, I recently did a bunch of research online for an inflatable sleeping pad to use on my upcoming camping trip (it's that time of life) including reviews on vendors' web sites, figured out which one I probably wanted, then went to a local store to kick the tires briefly and buy it.

TVB wrote:

viney266 wrote:Shops, even big ones, don't carry the gear like they used to. It gets REAL OLD when people come in to try on your stuff to order it online because its $20 cheaper.

I try to do the opposite. For example, I recently did a bunch of research online for an inflatable sleeping pad to use on my upcoming camping trip (it's that time of life) including reviews on vendors' web sites, figured out which one I probably wanted, then went to a local store to kick the tires briefly and buy it.

I do a lot of research online when buying many things. The problem then becomes finding what you want to check out in a local brick and mortar.

I recently bought some new gloves, Icon Rimfires 1000s. Read many reviews, thought they seemed pretty cool. Called all over town looking for them to try a pair on and see them in person. Nada, not even at the larger shops and dealers. Eventually ordered a pair online and figured I could send 'em back if I had to. (Didn't have to; love the gloves.)

ericalm wrote:It's hard to find anyplace that has a HUGE selection of many brands of gear —and a lot of their styles — to try on. Even here in LA, one of the biggest bike markets in the US, I have to go to many locations to find something I'm looking for. What's even more annoying is when I go to (or call) a store listed on a manufacturer's site and they don't carry much of the new gear but tell me, "Uh, we can probably order it."

Well, as long as it's not something you need that very day, ordering it for you is good. My shop had a good display of helmets, but they didn't have the color and size combo I needed, but they ordered it for me and had it in three days. That's a lot better than, "Sorry, this is what we have" !

I do a lot of online research before I make any purchases. More often than not, I will purchase directly through my local dealer who then orders it themselves. Some of my purchases have been cheaper going through them rather than doing it online. I know the vendors they use, and support them as well.

I bought a new mesh jacket from Motorcyclecloseouts.com and had it shipped to their store (this way I get free shipping). When it arrived they called me, I picked it up last night.

spr0k3t wrote:I do a lot of online research before I make any purchases. More often than not, I will purchase directly through my local dealer who then orders it themselves. Some of my purchases have been cheaper going through them rather than doing it online. I know the vendors they use, and support them as well.

I agree. I find what I want online and ask my dealer to get it. They are usually happy and eager to do it.

I went to Cycle Gear in Sacramento today for the first time. They have so many options it can be a little overwhelming! I am buying my first scooter soon and I want to be prepared. After walking around for about a half hour and trying different things on I went with a Women's Bell Full Face with a fun design on it. I am very satisfied with it! I can be quite indecisive at times so I was glad to walk out of there with something!

The people at Cycle Gear were all very helpful and nice. The guy helped me pick out some belts so I can use on the UHaul to strap down the scooter. I also bought a lock!

I know this is probably the first of many purchases. I was just happy I could go into a store that had a lot of options and was able to ask questions. It can be a little difficult to know what you're getting online when you're new at this!