Advertising bicycles without pedals - why?

[GrasB]

IIRC there are potentially conflicting regulations across the world with regard to what you need on the pedals, eg. what standard the reflectors should adhere to. So the manufacture doesn't supply the bike with pedals & it's up to the LBS to supply the correct ones. From what I can tell (from buying boxed bikes from outside the UK) manufactures don't supply a bell or reflectors with the bike either.

 

[bpsmith]

My Bianchi was sourced via Germany recently. The box was exactly as shipped to them from Italy and unopened.

Contents included reflectors and front and rear lights. No bell in there or pedals. I suspect that manufacturers include what's needed specific to the country, rather than the LBS being responsible.

It came with bottle cage and bottle too, which rarely happens here.

 

[biggs682]

one advantage is at least you know they are not seized on the threads , must admit i always sell bikes with pedals even if just the basic flat ones .

most serious cyclist will have a pedal shoe combination of choice that not every bike is sold with

always worth taking a pr of pedals with you if you are going to look at a bike for sale so you can check the threads on the crank arms are sound and so you can ride it round the block to try it

 

[srw]

In the UK, as I understand it, bikes must be sold with bells and wheel reflectors - a piece of regulation dating back quite a long time. In order to get around the regulation, vendors sell bikes without pedals, and therefore aren't selling a bike. That may be an urban myth, but if so it's quite a good one.

As for why bikes aren't sold without a saddle - well, frankly, unless you're splashing out for a Brooks every saddle is as uncomfortable as every other. Most people (I realsie that people on here are likely to be an exception) simply stick with what's on their bike, and like it or lump it.

 

[MontyVeda]

.... Most people (I realsie that people on here are likely to be an exception) simply stick with what's on their bike, and like it or lump it.

the same could be said for pedals too

 

[youngoldbloke]

You don't need cleats to sit on a saddle. Anyway I get the impression that most entry level bikes and a good many sub £1000 bikes do come with very cheap basic pedals (and clips in many cases). Most of the sddles on cheaper bikes are rubbish too. Most good LBSs have a box of reduced saddles too - the ones that customers have had swapped when buying a bike. Can't believe that the OP chooses a bike based on the sdddle and pedals - must restrict his choice a bit!

 

[azir]

My, distinctly entry-level, road bike came with rubbish plastic pedals and toe clips - which is handy if you want to ride home after impulse-buying a bike at 7.30 on a Friday night. Not that that's what I did or anything....

 

[Apollonius]

Off topic, I know, but it might amuse. Mrs A wanted to try some of the top-end bikes at the cycle show the other week. "You'll need pedals to suit your shoes", says I. Needless to say, this is as we are going out of the door, so I dash down to the shed looking for loose SPDs (the square mountain bike ones are the sort she favours). Aha! I spot a pair of nasty old pedals that were given to me when she first expressed an interest in "going clipless". You know the sort. About 15kg of Aldi's finest. Spud on one side and hobnail-boot enabled on the other. Horrid in every way.

Later....

Did you try some bikes then? "Yes a Trek Silque and a Pinarello Dogma. The Trek was lovely, I hated the Pinarello."
So, those hideous pedals had been attached to £11,000's worth of fancy plastic. Glad I wasn't there!

 

[tiermat]

In the UK, as I understand it, bikes must be sold with bells and wheel reflectors - a piece of regulation dating back quite a long time. In order to get around the regulation, vendors sell bikes without pedals, and therefore aren't selling a bike. That may be an urban myth, but if so it's quite a good one.

Not an urban myth, according to a discussion I had with the owner of the LBS. Without pedals the bike is classed as a bunch of bike parts, hence no need for bell, wheel reflectors or pedal reflectors. Imagine spending £X,000 on a <insert name of dream carbon fibre bike here>, only to find the first thing you have to do, when you get it home, is remove a pound or more of Poundshop junk reflectors, pedals and the like.

Incidentally, the same rules apply to if you have the bike built from frame, it's classed as bespoke(which is a psoh way of saying you have paid for a pile of bike parts, not a bike), so no need for that junk to be hanging off the bike.

 

[steveindenmark]

I invariably change the pedals and seats on all the bikes I buy. If they advertised them without either it wouldnt bother me providing they didnt charge me for them.

 

[Apollonius]

So, if it has no pedals it is not a complete bike. Thus the vendor has no legal obligation to decorate said item with (I like this term) "Poundshop junk." That makes a lot of sense. It doesn't quite explain why some very decent bikes (Dolce Elite, in my experience) come with Poundshop pedals. There again, they are fully Poundshopped up when delivered.

 

[steveindenmark]

Totally right. But if the buyer has any sense he will ask what pedals come with the bike at that price. If he doesnt like the pedals he doesnt buy it and the sellers position is vidicated.

 

[srw]

I've got free plastic flats from a well known bike chain because they have a box of spares behind the counter.

 

[tiermat]

So, if it has no pedals it is not a complete bike. Thus the vendor has no legal obligation to decorate said item with (I like this term) "Poundshop junk." That makes a lot of sense. It doesn't quite explain why some very decent bikes (Dolce Elite, in my experience) come with Poundshop pedals. There again, they are fully Poundshopped up when delivered.

This where you hit a quandary. The general public (i.e. those who, generally, do not frequent this and other fora) EXPECT a bike to be sold with pedals. Bike shops like those kinds of buyers as they will buy any old carp low to mid-range bikes, on the whole. The more bike savvy will know what kind of pedals work for them (and here I am referring to the kind of person who does frequent places like CC) and selling bikes without pedals makes sense to the bike shops, and the manufacturers, on cost, liability and work grounds.

Everyone knows that the first thing you do when you get home with a new bike is remove the pedals and reflectors (no you are not allowed to do it in the shop, I asked, but as soon as it is out of the door it is your responsibility, so you can do what you like), but the law is as it stands so they have to go through the front door with the Poundshop junk attached

FWIW the conversation I had with the LBS owner started when I asked why there was no bell and reflectors on the bike they had just built for me (Ridley Triton-T). That was how I found out about the custom built part of it (and they were firmly in the clear as they only supplied the frame/forks, stem, seatpost and front mech clamp, I had sourced the rest for a lot less than they could)

 

[youngoldbloke]

The lack of pedals/incomplete bike business used to be true, but apparently this loophole was closed in 2010 - from Chris Juden's pages on the CTC website:
'Since the 2010 revision, the expression “bicycle” now includes a substantially complete vehicle (whether or not assembled) even if one or more parts are omitted. This closed the loophole by which retailers used to dodge this regulation by not including pedals.'
Much of the legislation does not apply to bespoke, custom made bikes BUT only if used for competition, so as is pointed out, if you have a touring bike built to your requirements you'll have pretend ...... What a mare's nest.