Bendover...no vaseline!

[peleton]

Been new on thehub, let me give you a brief history before venting my frustrations.

 

I am on the search for a new bike. Been off the bike for a good few years after 7 odd years of racing. So when i got bck onto the bike i opted for a cheapie to see if i could get the legs back and spend time in the saddle. Happily i am getting back in a big way....but now my cheapie is just not gonna cut it.

 

So i am looking for a carbon bike and am doing tons of research on the net and think I have settled on 3 options: Pinarello FP3, Look 566, or Specialized tarmac Comp.

 

Now the frustration and dilemma! I find a bunch of online retailers in the states and UK and can get the LOOK or Pinarello complete with Ultegra and fulcrum wheelset for around R30k and that is taking into account possible duties and shipping costs....so why is it that if i want to support a local bike shop they want me to pay R23k just for the FRAME!

 

I am so tired of been ripped off as a South African consumer because these bike shops want to rip the arse end out of their margins!!!

 

If anyone has brought a bike in from overseas i would love to know if the process works as I refuse to support these sharks locally!

 

 

[Spinnekop]

Peleton.

 

My advice would be to buy a frame...and then later or at another shop, buy the rest.  That way you don't attrack duties, only VAT.  Saves you about 30%.

[Andyr249]

Peleton. Blame it on the Rand, SARS Custom duties and Distributors.

[Iwan Kemp]

1. Welcome to The Hub

 

2. Chill

 

3. Such is life

 

4. The bikes you are looking at, bar the Spez, doesn't sell in high volumes locally so you are in effect paying for exclusivity.

 

 

 

Look at something like a Felt or something similar. Not common, but not pay-for-the-name expensive. It'll be much better value for money .

 

5. Welcome to the layer cake

[GoLefty!!]

The ZAR is not really the issue. The main problem is the forward cover the distributors use to hedge against volatility in the exchange rate. Save for a few ghastly spikes, the ZAR has been pretty consistent over the last 6 years so why the need for excessive forward cover.

 

Because the can make a bigger margin thats why.

 

shipping costs to SA is similar as to any other part of the world.

 

SA Customs has no duty on bicycle frames. You only pay VAT which you would pay on the shop floor as well.

 

what online shoppers need to watch out for is that US based shops quote prices excluding General Sales Tax (USA does not use VAT), environmental tax, state tax etc.

 

once you hand over the ZAR to them then the actual price becomes clear and suddenly it's not so cheap any more.

 

[blockhouse]

Peleton, if you purchasing from overseas make sure you don't bring it in as a complete bike, bring it in over a couple of orders as spares.... As Spinnekop says this will save you 30%. Remember the local distributors don't do the volumes to attract the sort of manufacturer rebates that the guys qualify for in in the larger European and American markets....

[Iwan Kemp]

Just remeber it'll only save you 30% on the frame. And a complete bike bought in bits and pieces will cost more anyway so in the end it might still be the same or maybe even cheaper to buy locally.

 

 

 

And if anything goes wrong you'll have SA warranty.

[PokerFace]

Have you checked out Canyon bikes? German - used by Silence Lotto - and you can only order directly from Canyon. They obviously also felt that the middel man is making everything too expensive. Canyon ship bikes to customers/clients, so they know how to pack it and charge it. Fantastic value for money. Check out www.canyon.com

 

[Sammajoor]

go to Slane cycles and have a look at there specials.

[GoLefty!!]

for lovely Ti frames, look at www.vannicholas.nl

 

 

 

[Christopher Brunsdon]

Move down to the Cape.

 

It seems that all the up country Hubbers LBSs are not interested in competing with international online stores while here in the Cape its often cheaper (and way more convenient) to buy from a LBS than even CRC.

 

[Wayne Booysen]

What would you propose to be a fair margin?

[Joe Low]

What would you propose to be a fair margin?

 

There's no such animal, it's a market where something is worth what someone will pay for it.

 

The only time "fair" comes into it is when businesses behave illegally through price-fixing or somesuch.

 

 

[David #7]

There is no price fixing in the South African bicycle market!

[GoLefty!!]

 

Today as i was lying on the lounger next to my pool, just watching the clouds drift by, i noticed how blue the sky looked. The clouds had a fantastic feathery texture. My fixation on the clouds was broken by a flock of pigs passing overhead. Boy, am I glad Cows don't fly

GoLefty!!2009-12-13 12:00:27

[PokerFace]

There is no price fixing in the South African bicycle market!