Georgetown University Survey

[gtownbikedude]

Hey Guys,

I’m new to the Bike Arlington forum, but I’ve really enjoyed reading the banter on a lot of these posts. I’m a Georgetown University student, a loyal daily commuter, and also been a bike mechanic the past few years at an area Washington, DC shop. As a class project, I’m gathering information about bike buying habits of people in the area and was hoping some guys / girls on here would be willing to help me out. The survey is all bike related takes 3 – 4 mins to complete. I’d really appreciate it! Thanks in advance!

http://mcdonough.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID= … EcNriaGuJS

Topic

[DismalScientist]

@Tim Kelley 10871 wrote:

I’ve frequently used the KPP plan that Revolution Cycles offers: http://www.pedalpowerri.com/KPPBrochureSample12_12_08.pdf

Other than the staff and location, it’s the reason why I’ve purchased most of my bikes there.

What does this actually cover? Is repacking bearings, adjusting cables, truing wheels considered routine maintenance? Is truing wheels considered a normal result of wear and tear?

I sounds like it only extends the coverage on frames and components deciding to suddenly self-immolate. I’m not sure I would pay for it.

[Tim Kelley]

It doesn’t cover any of the routine stuff like you mentioned, but I’ve had a chain snap taking out my front chainring and deraileur. (Massive quads and all that right? )

Got it all covered and more than paid for the itself a few times over! As to whether or not it’s worth it to someone, it really depends on how much/hard they ride…

[gtownbikedude]

Hey guys – thanks to those who filled out my survey. Right out of the gate, it looks like link did get broken, here it is again:
http://mcdonough.qualtrics.com/SE/?SID=SV_eRlw4EcNriaGuJS

I’m personally very interested in entrepreneurship at the McDonough School of Business, however I’m primarily using these results for a Finance class. I realize that not everyone rides or commutes on a road bike, and that’s totally fine, however I purposely picked the road bike category as a way to focus the results. I myself commute to campus daily using an old cyclocross bike.

Regarding the comments on the snobbery of several area bike shops… I’ve seen shops from both points of views, both as a customer and the past 5 years as a mechanic. While I was an undergrad (with some pretty cheap gear), I steered clear of the shops who turned their nose up to my Mirage/Tiagra components. After being out of school for a few years and partnering that with my shop discount, I’ve been able to do a nice overhaul of my equipment, but certainly haven’t forgotten when that wasn’t the case. DC is so congested with cars, anyone, whether you’re riding a Huffy or a Colnago has the right idea. With that said, I hope no one has gotten an elitist impression of the shop I work, when they walked in the door.

If you haven’t yet filled out the survey, please do!

[elcee]

@gtownbikedude 10876 wrote:

however I’m primarily using these results for a Finance class.

Well, that probably means “new bike purchased at retail,” which invalidates my inputs. Wasn’t there a question about financing? I would think that there’s no financing mechanism for bikes, as opposed to cars, because it’s so hard to calculate residual value. I’d also think most people finance their purchases through their credit cards.

[acc]

@Tim Kelley 10875 wrote:

It doesn’t cover any of the routine stuff like you mentioned, but I’ve had a chain snap taking out my front chainring and deraileur. (Massive quads and all that right? )

Yeah, there’s something *massive* going on here….quit Blacknelling.

I wouldn’t finance a bike.

I wonder what proportion of customers are folks who own >1 bike. Clearly, there’s an addictive nature to this sport, however, I bet a large segment of the market is represented by customers who buy one bike, become discouraged or lose interest, and then drift away for a variety of reasons. Figuring out what keeps some people on bikes versus the people who drift away, and then capturing that demographic would be interesting.

Also capturing the family. Get the kid on a bike which leads to getting Mom on a bike, which leads to getting Dad on a bike (or the reverse).

Good luck with this project.

ann

[Author]

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