Does Costco Sell Bikes?
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When looking for a good bike, you may sometimes be pushed to the absolute limit of your knowledge, pushed to the edges of stores you know. However, you may be pushed to go to local superstores, which can lead you to ask if Costco even sells bikes.
Costco sells bikes and has several different brands and styles for you to choose from, usually at reduced prices compared to specialized stores. These bikes can be found in their section as they will be on display, while usually also having boxed bikes for when someone buys one.
You need to know several things about getting a bike from Costco, including what types of bikes they have and how to choose what you need. Many people assume they will know what bikes are best for their needs when in reality, the options are greatly affected by your needs.
What Are The Bikes That Costco Sells?
You need to be aware of six types of bikes sold by Costco, each one providing a different experience. Comfort, commuter, fat bike, hybrid, indoor, and mountain, each with benefits specific to the people using the bikes for exercise or fun.
We recommend that you learn what and where each type of bike is used to ensure that you will have the best possible time with the bike you do buy. Further, many people have found that the type of bike you buy will greatly determine what you are capable of doing and learning.
Comfort
The comforting type of bike is a set of bikes meant for those looking for a bike to get them from point A to point B. These bikes are not meant for extreme mountain biking and won’t be capable of going for hundreds of miles on the tarmac in one speedy session.
A comfort bike from Costco will be a reliable bike with the necessary points to allow you some customization, like baskets or rear seat hooks. These bikes are usually average in price and will allow you to have something to use when you no longer want to use the car for every short trip.
Commuter
Similar to the comfort series of bikes, commuter bikes are not meant to conquer mountains or be part of your extreme decathlon trips. Instead, these bikes are made as comfortable as possible and allow you to use the bike as your main or only form of transportation.
If you are going to be using your bike every day as your only form of transport and you have extra money, we always recommend getting something electric. By doing this, you can easily cover more distance with your bike without feeling so tired you may pass out when you reach your destination.
Fat Bike
Moving onto bikes that you may use when you are going to be riding your bike in strange places, fat bikes are also sold at Costco. These bikes are called fat bikes because of their extremely thick tires, allowing you to ride on anything from sandy roads to the beach.
As the tires are much wider than normal bike tires, these bikes are specifically meant to be used where most other bikes won’t be used. However, be warned that the thickness of the tires comes with a price, usually being much more difficult to pedal as the wider tires require more power.
Hybrid Or Cross
At Costco, a hybrid or cross bike is meant to be used in one of two situations: mountain biking or going on the road during races. These bikes usually can have either road tires or off-road tires on them and will be much more capable than other bikes.
With their capability comes a higher price tag than their counterparts, which means you need to be sure about what you will do with the bike. We always recommend that you take the time to research these bikes and even try them out, if possible, before buying.
Indoor Cycle
Normally we wouldn’t mention these, but because Costco groups them, we have no choice but to mention normal exercise bikes. Indoor cycles are the types of cycles you would normally only see at the gym; being stationary, the bike is meant purely for exercise.
We always recommend using a normal bike and seeing the world around your home rather than just sitting on a stationary bike. However, we also understand that sometimes you can’t leave the house or want to exercise without finding the right place to go.
Mountain
The mountain bikes offered by Costco are some of the most average bikes they have, with options provided for children as well. The mountain bikes provided by Costco are squarely in the middle of the price range, allowing you to buy the bike you can afford.
These bikes will safely allow you to go mountain biking through some of the more basic routes you may find in almost any park or city. We recommend getting these above almost any other bike because they allow for the most adventurous, and you can go wherever you want or need to.
How Much Do Bikes At Costco Cost?
There are different price classes for bikes at Costco, and knowing what they are will allow you to make the best possible decision. We always recommend thinking everything through and checking various locations before making your final purchase.
Often people buy bikes as part of an impulse decision, ending up with a bike that is either too much or maybe even perfect for their needs. This can be problematic as some bikes can cost several thousand while only being meant to be used in very specific situations.
Basic Bike Prices
The basic bikes from Costco are the ones that are all under $1000 and can be used in various ways, usually meant to be bought by the average person. Few of these bikes have any special features, like being fully electric or allowing you to track your workouts.
It should be noted that Costco does have one or two electric bikes in this price range, but they are much more basic and can usually only do short distances. Further, bikes in this price bracket are made of metals instead of composite materials, making them too heavy for endurance or sports.
Advanced Bike Prices
We consider any bike above the price of $1000 to be advanced, usually because these bikes are enthusiast-level bikes. Requiring that you use the bike in specific conditions, while the bike itself will have features that few other bikes from Costco will have as standard.
Often these features can be disk brakes, a chassis made from composite material, and higher gear ratios that make them much more capable. We always recommend that you take the time to look through all of Costco’s bikes and only choose these when you know you need their features.
Electric Bike Prices
Electric bikes are bikes with an electric system to help you pedal or track your progress, with many of these having smart features. Further, these bikes will also be made from composite and metal materials, allowing them to have the strength that others may not have.
When choosing a bike, we recommend considering these benefits before buying one, as you may find yourself rarely actually using every feature. People often buy these bikes because of their electric abilities, only to need a bike that is lightweight and easy to carry.
Are Bikes At Costco Good Value?
If you are entering the hobby or trying to get fit again, bikes from Costco are worth the value as they are not overpriced. The bikes provided by the store can handle a fair amount of abuse while also doing several things most basic bikes would not be capable of.
It is important to remember that Costco does not have enthusiast-grade bikes on hand, as these bikes are usually hand-built by bike stores. You will only be able to find basic spares and replacement parts on the shelves at Costco instead of finding the latest and greatest equipment.
If you are looking for something that won’t break on the first impact and won’t empty your bank, the bikes from Costco are perfect. We recommend getting one of these bikes for children, as kids can outgrow bikes faster than you can save up for the next one.
What Should You Consider When Buying A Bike At Costco?
We recommend you consider several things before buying a bike, not just from Costco but from any store in general. Many people assume that they know exactly what they need in a bike when things have changed since the last time they rode a bike as a kid.
Most often, the important thing to include is the features for stopping a bike, as most people are still used to thinking of bike brakes as the rubber pads on the side. However, bike technology has increased, and it has become much more affordable to get most features for any bike.
How You Are Using It?
This is the most important thing to consider when getting your bike: what you will be using it for every day. A commuter bike needs features that a mountain bike will never use, while mountain bikes need to be much hardier than most commuter bikes will ever need to be.
Consider where and how you are planning to take your bike each day, picking the type of bike you have based on these choices. Many times, you may find the perfect bike has already been made for you and is being mass-produced and stocked at your local supermarket.
Your Physical Features
Possibly the most important thing to remember is how larger, small, short, strong, or even thin you are when choosing a bike. Bike frames have weight limits with the type of tire and braking system you will need on the bike, with men and women requiring different features as well.
Further, you may be shorter than most adults, so you require a smaller bike with the right reinforcement to handle you. Often, we see people have the challenge of choosing a bike when all they know about bikes is what type of bike they had when they just entered their teenage years.
Conclusion
Costco has several different bike types to choose from, with strong frames and capabilities allowing you to go wherever you need to. Further, because this is Costco, the prices on these bikes are not as much as you may find if the bikes are from specialized stores.
We recommend that you always consider how strong the bikes are and where you will use them in the immediate future.