Amazon Adds Bike Trainers Assembly and Setup. Here Is How It Works

Amazon offers assembly and setup program for some items purchased directly from Amazon.com. It’s a really convenient way to get help with things like TV installations, furniture setup, home security, and now bike trainers.

This service is offered in some location depending on the availability of technicians specialized in the specific item you purchase.

A few weeks back, I started to notice this service is offered in my area for smart bike trainers. So I decided to dig into it deeper and see how it works and what to expect if you decide to spend the extra money and get “expert” assembly.

WHAT IS AMAZON EXPERT ASSEMBLY?

Amazon Expert Assembly – also known as Home Services – has been available since 2015. You can browse through available services directly from their Home Services directory or through product pages.

For example, if you search for NordicTrack Treadmill, you can order the treadmill and for an additional fee – in my case, it’s $85 – you get professional setup and assembly for the Treadmill. I know of a few friends who used this service to set up the treadmill they purchased from Amazon and they were satisfied.

SMART BIKE TRAINERS

When searching for bike trainers, I found the expert assembly available for the majority of bike trainers from Tacx, CycleOps, Elite, Kinetic, and others. The service is offered by a small local “bike & scooters” shop in my area and costs $85 per unit.

According to Amazon, the assembly includes:

Assembling the bike trainer.
Attaching your bike to the trainer.
Trainer setup and clean up.

The service in my area was offered by a small bike shop. I called them up to get few questions answered and get more details on how the process works.

The guy was very professional and tried to answer all of my questions. However, one thing that stood out to me in the first minute of our chat was, he probably never assembled a bike trainer before. After a few more minutes, he told me he never really assembled a bike trainer. Hmm…?

Either way, I don’t think it’s that difficult for a bike mechanic to figure out how to install a cassette or attach a bike to a trainer. But it can get problematic if you are also looking to get the trainer calibrated, figuring out the pairing process, firmware updates, ensure the trainer works the way it should work or have a Zwift question.

With Expert Assembly, expect to get the following services:

Shipping: The trainer will be shipped directly to your shipping address, not the technician’s unless a different arrangement was made ahead of time.
Bring the trainer and your bike to the bike shop. Per my conversation with my local technician, I had to bring my bike and trainer to the shop. However, reading some of the reviews, this seems to vary per area. Call your bike shop to verify.
Trainer Assembly. This will vary depending on the trainer you order. Some trainers require some assembly, like attaching the legs or in some cases, attaching the whole resistance unit. Some come already assembled, or just need a cassette.
Cassette Installation. If you order a direct drive trainer, then you need to provide your own cassette in most cases. Some selleres on Amazon do include a cassette. The expert assembly price you pay doesn’t include a cassette but will include cassette installation.

Browsing through the reviews, you will find many happy and satisfied customers that worked with different providers.

“They set up the trainer in a few minutes and showed me how to tighten the tension. They also communicated with me on the timing of when they would arrived . really appreciated their flexibility.”

However, some of the reviews seems to be for general bike assembly things and not trainers specific like this one:

The bike assembly personnel was on time, very courteous, and professional. He completed the assembly in short order and provided instructions on how to use the assembled bike. We were very satisfied with the service.

In summary, if you are looking to take advantage of the expert assembly service offered by Amazon, find the local provider information and give them a call to get into specifics. This information is available in the Expert Assembly Details page.