Art's is the best online bike (or anything) store ...

Art's is the best online bike (or anything) store I've used. And I've used quite a few. They don't necessarily carry everything, but they do carry quite a bit and, even though I shop for both, the road and mtn separation on the site is helpful. And when I've called customer service with a question, I've received outstanding service! The how to choose and how to do video's are a great feature! The orders I've placed have qualified for free shipping - $50 purchase for UPS ground and $175 for UPS 2nd day. Those terms really make them even more competitive with other online stores and, although I support my local bike shops as much as possible, the prevalence of online availability has forced brick and mortar to carry less inventory. So, your options are to have your local shop order it, sometimes taking longer than same-day merchants like Art's who ship orders same-day as placed. And local shops often aren't likely to give discounts on special orders. Just as a personal strongly held belief, anything that needs to be seen, felt or tried on SHOULD BE PURCHASED FROM THE LOCAL STORE YOU USE TO DO SO! It costs local shops $ to stock inventory for you to inspect and try on. I know people who negotiate some kind of discount with local shops when their price is significantly higher, but the act of checking out or trying on an item at a local store then ordering that product online is DESPICABLE! So anyway, please read on for the highlight of the Art's Cyclery experience (in addition to great customer service):

THE VERY BEST THING ABOUT ART'S: THEY ALWAYS SHIP UPS!!! I live in an urban area and have a small locked fenced yard and the entry door is behind that fence. Package delivery is a nightmare. Even suburban areas of Houston have issues with stolen packages when they are left on doorsteps and anyone over 18 can sign for a restricted delivery package from most shippers. And if and when you get notices of attempted delivery, it takes extra days to as for a pickup option and finally get your package. So... if I can count on the fact it will be shipped UPS, I can address it directly to the UPS Customer Center (not a store, a distribution center with retail desk), where it is held as soon as it's received - no waiting for (unsuccessful) delivery! Has been very reliable. MOST ONLINE RETAILERS use a variety of services and either don't indicate the method of shipping until it's shipped (e.g. AMAZON - shipping method decided by an automated algorithm) and others sometimes tell you the wrong shipper when you call since it depends on certain factors. I have been told by merchants a purchase will be sent UPS, so I have it delivered to the me, c/o UPS Customer Center and then it's sent UPSP or Fedex and of course UPS won't accept another carriers packages at their address! I can count on Art's to send UPS every order. I only recently discovered them but they will be my first go-to for cycling items. I have vowed never to use AMAZON again. That's hard bc they have everything and for good prices. But I can't deal with a merchant who can't tell me how my purchase will be shipped.

So THANKS ART'S - your online customer support (videos, chat), exceptional customer service and timely/consistent/dependable shipping make you my go-to online retailer!