Posted by: XXX_er
YT or Commencel are likely comparable in quality to A-list bike store bikes but shit still breaks, mountain bikes will break, have broke lots, have only got more complicated with more shit TO break since Gary fisher made the very 1st MTB so If buddy the customer can't fix a mtnbike or doesn't have a shop to depend on ... he might wana think twice about buying an internet bike
Also think about the components which every bike maker has to buy that should be good for a couple years but due to a mfgers problem shit the bed get recalled or fail prematurely, would a shop do something for ya to keep you riding or are you on your own?
What would an internet bike shop do for you and if they do nothing will you still be ahead on the cheaper purchase price if you need to pay to fix it your self ON A TIMELY BASIS ?
As for performance I haven't ridden any so I can't say for sure and the fact you/we/me can't ride them till they show up on the doorstep anywhere up to 2.5 months after ordering means one has to base their purchase on somebodies opinion from the internet which will hopefully be the same as yours
That guy in that shop you wrote off due to a sarcastic remark probably doesn't even work there anymore, on the other side of the coin would you write off an internet site that disses all bike stores for being too expensive? but in any case from what you just wrote you know the value-add of the bike store but you really want to buy an internet bike
As for "why Santa Cruz/Specialized etc. is worth 30-50% more for the same product from the same factory " cuz its not really the same product even if they all get made in the same factory they are made to an individual designers specs and that is what makes the bikes from different companies different, whether or not paying 30-50% more is worht it ... is up you to ride & decide
YT/Commencal are not catalog bikes, they have their own engineers and do their own R&D just like the big guys, my point is there are made in the same factories as the big guys and the fit and finish (especially on the 2018 Capra and Tues) is pretty damn impressive.
You can demo these bikes before riding them, more of a pain in the ass than LBS for sure, but easily doable in the sea to sky.
If a component fails within warranty, in theory you just send it to YT/Commencal and they warranty it to the OEM or give you a service centre to send it to. This has been hit or miss based on online reports... I've been lucky to not need anything in the first year of my YT.
As a somewhat educated consumer who knew what kind of bike I wanted, it was simply no contest. I would have paid maybe 10% more for a bike from a local shop for the extra value they provide, but 30-50% (30% being Norco, Devinci, 50% being Santa Cruz).
$5,900 for entry level 2019 Bronson carbon with Yari, SRAM NX boat anchor groupset, Guide T brakes etc.
$5,500 for 2018 Jeffsy CF with Fox 34/DPS Performance Elite, RF Next R carbon cranks/handlebar, XTR/e13 9-46 drivetrain, Fox Transfer dropper, Guide RSC brakes etc. Gotta step up to the $9,250 X0 build on the Bronson to beat that spec. The gap is way too big.