When Trek Bikes announced this past summer that it would allow customers to buy bikes directly online, we predicted the move might force other big manufacturers to follow suit. And yesterday, Giant Bicycles announced it will make direct-to-consumer online sales available to US consumers by August.

RELATED: Trek to Offer Direct Online Bike Sales

Plenty of bikes are available online through third parties, but it’s only recently that any bike manufacturers have tried to sell online to US consumers themselves. Giant has already experimented with this model in the UK, where it’s been successful.

Like Trek, Giant is working hard to not cut local bike shops and dealers out of the equation while still letting customers shop online.

According to Bicycle Retailer, Giant USA’s general manager John Thompson told Giant dealers Thursday that when DTC sales begin, customers will still collect their purchases at their local Giant dealers. This move will potentially minimize the specialty stock a bike shop would have to carry—things like enduro bikes or high-end road bikes, which are costly to stock and less in demand—while still enabling customers looking for less popular bikes to get what they want.

Also new, Giant Gear—think soft goods like clothing—will be shipped directly to consumers, but local stores will still receive a margin of the profits.

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Customers who live near a select group of Giant Retail Partner Stores will be able to shop online as part of a beta-testing program as early as March, but Thompson says that the program won’t be available nationally until August.

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