My little man graduated off his glider bike early this spring and was using a hand-me-down bike all summer to zoom around our neighborhood. I figured when he grew out of it, I’d shop around online to find another bike that some other kid grew out of and was getting rid of.
One day after my son took a spill in the South Park BMX Track, I decided it was probably time to move him out of his maybe-protective-but-super-adorable-matchbox-car-helmet into one that might actually you know, protect his head in the event of a fall. Pro Bike + Run was on our way home and I figured I might have better luck finding him a quality helmet in there vs the big box stores I had previously been purchasing them at.
Walking into Pro Bike + Run, we told the guys behind the counter we needed a new helmet for my little guy, and he was immediately sized into a MIPS-equipped Specialized youth helmet that fit him like a glove. Perfect. Mission accomplished!
As I tried to steer him toward the register to check out, he spotted the shiny, “big boy bikes” in the back of the store and BEGGED me to go take a look. His eyes fell on a beautiful orange Cannondale with hand brakes and easy-to-shift gears. Once the seat was adjusted to his height, I watched my little man’s face light up as he became one with that crush alloy frame; and I knew it just had to be.
If you are in the market for a bike for someone in your family this holiday season, I’d like to share with you 6 reasons why you should consider Pro Bike + Run for your investment instead of the big man in the sleigh.
Safety
It’s easy to think that if you make your kid wear a helmet, they’ll be safe on their bike. Did you know that it’s recommended that even if you get your bike preassembled from a big box retailer or the North Pole, you should have it safety checked by a certified bike technician before hitting the rode with it? To my knowledge, the North Pole does not employ a trained bike mechanic familiar with bike safety for assembly. Many times, the elves assembling bike's in large workshops like the North Pole (or your big box retailer) have little experience (if any at all) in that field. While they will get the job done, doing the best they can, it can be at a huge cost to your child’s safety. When bolt torque is inadequate, you can encounter major safety issues as well as unnecessary expensive repairs. Tires can pop off and loose handlebars can slip mid-ride. These are things only a seasoned pro would know. The technician at Pro Bike casually mentioned to me that more often than not, when a customer brings in a brand-new bike bought from a big box store for a safety check, there is always a major issue. Breaks on the wrong handles, handle bars placed backwards, breaks rubbing against the tires, you name it. Things that wouldn’t be missed by a trained technician.
When you purchase a bike from Pro Bike + Run, it is going to be preassembled by a certified bike technician. The fine-tuning happens once they have your measurements, and the bike will be adjusted to your specifications; from the height of the seat to the angle of the grips on your handle bars. The bike goes through a pretty rigorous inspection before you’re allowed to take it home with you, from a crew that genuinely cares about your safety.
You’re getting a more durable bike that will require less maintenance over time
At some point in time, your bike is going to need serviced. If it came from the North Pole, chances are it’s a heavy steel frame that was mass-produced with lower quality pieces to ensure it hit a certain price point. These lower quality parts that are manufactured specifically for mass production and are often different sizes or shapes than the industry standard; making it difficult to find compatible hardware at your local bike shop. And clearly you can’t take it back to the North Pole to be repaired. While the bike you've been eyeing up may seem like a good deal, it's very possible it's going to end up costing you more in the long run with replacement pieces and repairs. This held true for me with my Toys R Us liquidation bike 100%.
When you purchase a bike at Pro Bike + Run, it’s likely made from aluminum or carbon and high quality components designed to withstand the elements for a long period of time. While some things may need minor adjustments over time, with a little TLC they won't need to be replaced as soon as it’s big box counterpart. Pro Bike + Run technicians will show you basic bike maintenance that you can do on your own to increase the life of your bike. When it is time for some in-shop maintenance, there’s a good chance the certified technician that built your bike will be the one doing repairs on it, not some random elf that typically works stuffing Santa’s bag.
Superior Selection & Comfort
Santa’s a busy guy. We get it. He has a large market to appeal to. To get the most bang for his buck, his elves will often mass produce their bikes in a few sizes depending on the model. That means, you might have to compromise on certain comfort or features to fit into a “one size fits all” model, leaving you with a bike that's inaccurately sized for you. If you have kids, you know that if they’re not comfortable, there’s nothing you can say or do to have them work through that. If you buy a bike for your kid that is uncomfortable, it’s unlikely they will want to continue to ride.
Pro Bike + Run keeps a wide variety of comfort and performance bikes (for children and adults) in stock at their 4 different locations with new bikes arriving daily. They worked with me to find the best bike for me and my son within our ability. Your kid will get that ideal fit that will keep them asking to ride all day long. To ensure the perfect fit, there is a large parking lot for that first test ride before you decide to buy.
Education
When Pro Bike + Run fit my son for his bike, it looked HUGE. The same thing happened when they wheeled out a bike for me. I was assured that neither of them were too high, that our legs needed to have more extension than allotted with a shorter seat. I was educated on the importance of maintaining an upright body position while riding to open up the chest to encourage healthy blood flow and circulation.
Local Support
When you need a little love on your bike, you’ve got a great team all over Pittsburgh willing to get you road ready at any time. And guess what? Everyone that I met while shopping for bikes at Pro Bike + Run is a cyclist themselves. Whether it was mountain biking, BMX, road racing or something else, they all had incredible experience of their own on two wheels.
It's an investment you will feel good about at an affordable price
One of the biggest things that really sold me on this bike as an investment is Pro Bike + Run offers a Trade-Up program - when you purchase a new bike from the store, you can bring it in and receive up to 50% of what you paid for that bike, towards the purchase price of your next one. So while your initial cost might seem steep up front, it's an investment and still not much more than what you would be paying for that big box store bike after all is said and done. You will find comfort knowing that your child is riding a safe bike that is fit for their current needs. Using the trade up program, your child will continue to ride a safe, high quality bike at a price you can afford from their first bike until their last.
Once you've decided on the perfect bike, it's all about the gear and the swag. Here are some of our suggested gift ideas for the bike lover in your family this holiday season. Under the tree or in a stocking, these are sure to bring a smile on Christmas morning.
| For Him: Floor Pump Car Rack Chamois Butt'r ATB Lube | For Her: Specialized Helmet Padded bike shorts Chamois Butt'r | For Kids: Bike accessories Helmet Pitt Vipers |
