For the last month I've been pouring over mountain bike websites and magazines in the hope that I can pick up a decent bike at a reasonable price.

In the distant past this was a no-brainer. I would head to my local bike shop and ask about some recommendations. The advice was always balanced towards the models they had in the store or could order in. To be fair most local bike shops carry a fair range of mountain bikes, and if these were the only ones on offer then you can always find something that will suit your needs. Things are changing though with the introduction of Internet based bike companies. These small companies offer better specced bikes for less than the majority of bikes that are available in your local bike shop. They do this by selling directly to the customer, cutting out both the distributor and the local bike shop.

On-one have been a favourite of mine for a while. Their initial line of singlespeed steel hardtails were sold direct to customers from their website. Within a few months they were a success. Today they now carry a bigger range of bikes and frames for all different types of riders.

Bird are another mountain bike company that have recently surfaced using the same business model. With just one hardtail frame and full-suspension frame in their product line, they offer a number of build options for each frame according to the customer's budget.

Both of these companies aim to do one thing. Save money on the amount you pay for the bike by selling to you directly.

The business model is great for customers. They end up saving money on a similarly built bike offered in their local bike shop or they can get more bang for their buck by spending the same amount at the online retailer than they would at their local bike shop. Ask most people where they would probably buy their bike and I'm willing to bet that most would pick the online retailer. This is bad news for local bike shops though. Bikes are big ticket items, and if the trend towards buying from online retailers gains momentum, it would

I'm still on the fence about it. The Bird Zero is great value for money in terms of its specification. The other bike I'm considering, a Whyte 901, is distributed through bike stores and while it carries a higher price tag than the Bird Zero, it's not too far off my budget for a new bike. Both bikes match my preferred riding style, so there's no problem there. At this price level, £200 more for a bike isn't going to break the bank, but it does mean that I'm supporting a local bike shop. On the other hand, buying from an online retailer means saving a bit more money. I am swaying towards buying a store bought bike, but the decision isn't final yet.