As the title really – I know there are a few (?) regulars on here living in euroland. Obviously looking for somewhere cheaper but still decent service. Cheers

my mate in France uses CRC…

Bike-discount.de or Rose Bikes, both in Germany. I use both and live in the UK.

There are a bajillion German stores (probably all listed somewhere here on the forum) and the French probikeshop.fr (and a few others whose names I forget), which has some incredible sales sometimes. Most charge postage, but often still work out significantly cheaper than CRC.

Also
http://www.bike24.com
http://www.actionsports.de
http://www.bikecomponents.de
http://www.hibike.de/

Thanks for all of the names so far. I wouldn’t have thought to go searching for german bike shops until I read a thread on here this morning where someone mentioned the price of BBs from a german store. I’ll have a look at these stores, and search for any others now I know.

German bike shops are good for price, but you still have to pay shipping to France.

For delivery in France it’s worth keeping an eye on alltricks.fr (I had some wheels off them for a very good price) and probikeshop.fr – I suspect that they’re actually the same people behind both as they often have remarkably similar special offers.

There are other places like http://sergedutouron.fr/ and rcz but the two above seem to be the pick of the bunch for price and service.

Well last time I checked, France was crawling with very good local bike shops.

alibabike.fr is a good one I’ve recently used. Some good reductions, very fast despatch and 5% off your first and second orders.

Seriously, you’ve order on a website called alibabike… Jeez

@Juan – appreciate that Juan – but for various reasons, sometimes people just want to buy a bunch of bits and pieces, tools, etc, from an online retailer, rather than travelling around and especially if one is trying to be a bit self-sufficient (maintenance wise). And you know how big France is, and I live in the middle of nowhere – so yomping around searching for parts isn’t what I’m interested in. With regards to your comment about how good the LBS are, no comment on the last specialist mountain bike shop I used, and the very well respected one in the city is having a laugh on component prices. Thanks though.

@oldgwegg, while you can do whatever you want in the UK, I will try and make a stand in France against people like you wanting to save some money by buying on foreign websites. While doing so, you do not pay French VAT, French local taxes and charges. You may not care as you’re not French but I do, for various reasons. First one, these taxes are needed to make the country works. They pay the teachers, doctors, policmen and so on. Second a LBS, will give money to various institutions that will train people in the different jobs graviting around the biking industry and therefore keeping the quality of the trade. Third, withtout LBS, there will be no clubs, no races and the sport will die as there will be no young guns to keep it living. So maybe next time you’re in the need of an ER at 3am or that you’ll go to a race, you’ll think twice about buying online.

Except if more people ordered online, the foreign retailers would pay your/our VAT. I basically agree on the rest though.

Juan: Jeez….I did order from a site alibabike.fr (having first checked it out as being legitimate). And jeez I ordered on a Wednesday and got the forks the following Monday.

while you can do whatever you want in the UK, I will try and make a stand in France against people like you wanting to save some money by buying on foreign websites. While doing so, you do not pay French VAT, French local taxes and charges.

But – he’s buying from Germany or the UK – all part of the European Union. This kind of trade is explicitly allowed and encouraged. It’s part and parcel of being in Europe and the economy of France benefits greatly from its membership of Europe. We’re not talking buying from the far east and having £300 forks sent marked as gift, value $0.99. He’s paying German taxes on the purchase.

It’s one of the benefits we get from being in Europe. It’s a level playing field, or should be, and if the Germans are out-competing the french online stores, that’s the way it goes. I say take advantage of the open borders, open market and buy where you see the best bargain.

I say take advantage of the open borders, open market and buy where you see the best bargain.

What a charming character. I really do hope that you’ll remember that next time you have to visit an hosptial that is funded by the state.

Juan – don’t come on here lecturing people about what they should and shouldn’t be doing. You have your opinions which is fine, as do others – but the thread question was about discount retailers in the EU, NOT about the ethics of buying abroad. If you want to have a debate about this then open a new thread, otherwise give it a rest.

Hey Juan – maybe buying in Germany will help them continue to contribute to all the agricultural subsidies that keep French farms going. Try looking at the bigger picture.

What a charming character. I really do hope that you’ll remember that next time you have to visit an hosptial that is funded by the state.

And that’s a state that’s far more prosperous because it’s in Europe and benefits from the same open borders that you seem to feel it’s immoral for the general population to take advantage of.

Take a step back, look at the bigger picture and remove the chip from your shoulder.

Euain wins. Juan loses.

juan, I bought a (British built) bike frame from a french website (probikeshop.fr) and had it shipped to me in the UK, paying all my taxes at the point of sale in France.

Your’e welcome.

Your argument is based on a fallacy as people aren’t shopping around to avoid tax; if the item is bought within the EU you pay the 20% rate EU sales tax (which the UK rate has only just equalled) in the country the item is sourced from. If French retailers aren’t competitive, they will lose business to German/UK/whatever retailers, until they become so. They all operate in the same market, buying from the same suppliers (with most mail order giants bypassing national importers and buying OE overstock etc).

You seem to be having at least 2 different arguments (dont buy online and don’t buy from foreigners), unfortunately it is 2012 not 1969 so that particular ship (full of cheap imported goods) has sailed. Should I cancel my planned French ski vacation and holiday in the UK to support the Great British Tax Payer?

What is the French equivalent of the Daily Mail?

Juan – you’re also welcome on the tax I paid on the forks I bought….from the on-line retailer in France you poo-poo’d!

If that’s the way you feel Juan, why are you so often on here, supporting a British based business ? Surely you should be using a French equivalent of STW.

Well I did lived 4 years in the UK, and I have supported British industry while I was in the kingdom . However, I’ll be happy to leave and cancel my premiership. Plus how are you sure I don’t support a French mountain biking website? It’s funny that when people are pointed to the damaged they do that they are all defensive. Yes buying on-line from another country is legal, doesn’t make it right though. But then I really should know better than try to make capitalist understand that. If you feel ok to abuse one system go ahead, I won’t stop you. After you do live in French and probably use the French public system on a regular basis.
And for the record I don’t concur on the European farming scheme. Nor do I concur on the European austerity plan. As if the state would be more financially prosperous from the EU I personally don’t think so. But that is my own opinion indeed.

Me thinks someone needs to go on strike and blockade something

+1 for bike-discount.de

Ordered Rockshox Reverb on Wednesday last week, they arrived two days later… £50 cheaper than CRC and other UK stores and included bleed kit which is £30 here… Postage was only £4 from Germany, which is cheaper than most UK websites..

So everyone should shop local and support the little man?
We should all operate in some sort of benevolent semi-capitalist system, with our local shop making profit on the cheap Chinese cycle components?
And paying local taxes?

Yeah, everyone should play fair and not be selfish.

Call me cynical but my local bike shops are chainstores. I’d rather buy from CRC, Germany, USA etc.

As to where my taxes go I couldn’t give a fig.

And I really shouldn’t drink cider on a school night…

Ordered from bike-discount.de on Thursday night, delivered first thing Monday.

Take a step back, look at the bigger picture and remove the chip from your shoulder.

Pommes frites, non?

What is the French equivalent of the Daily Mail?

La Poste?

There’s probably some people here who have paid more VAT in Germany than in the UK this year. Also I’m probably more likely to end up in a hospital in Italy France or Austria than the UK. It’s a small corner of a small world.

Maybe if your Mavic wheels and ummmm… Bos Shocks were available with discounted tax rates when purchased locally to their production (like certain wines etc.) then people would flock to the are to sample their delights…

Nice to see some posts putting across the other side of the argument about where we should spend our money. I felt a teensy bit pissed off when Juan (Kerr ?) started having a go at me for living in France but choosing to shop EU wide. I only wanted to know where to buy some bits and didn’t want to go off on one.

Still, got my purchases sorted and bookmarked all the sites, so just getting this off my chest: Juan, most of what you said sounds like good intentioned bollocks. Surely you just need to make sure your own house is in order before you start dishing out instructions about what others should do. Personally, I’d have a huge amount of respect for you if you took everyone’s interests in to account before you make every decision in your life, even if it meant losing out yourself – but I’m never going to know about that because I’m not a nosy prick. Well, I’m not nosy anyway.

juan – Member
Well last time I checked, France was crawling with very good local bike shops.

I seem to remember a post from you complaining about how your local bike shop couldn’t get the parts you wanted. Can’t be that good, infact a perfect example of why people shop on line. If French sites, shops choose to work on bigger margins or are not able to carry the stock people want then it is perfectly reasonable to buy elsewhere.

In response to the original question, all trix was recommended to me as being pretty cheap.

As we all pay VAT in the EU country of origin surely the French should be encouraging us to shop online in their shops so they can build more hospitals!? I live in Germany and am actually exempt German VAT (through an odd work arrangement) and the bike shops both online and real are more than happy to go through the trouble of processing the forms as they obviously get the money. I am scoping a LS LEV from an online German shop that will be £191 and the retailer could not be more helpful.

Dogsby

I’ve used CRC and Superstar out in France (posted to a campsite no less) and both delivered within 3 days. I believe CRC even guarantee 3 days

I seem to remember a post from you complaining about how your local bike shop couldn’t get the parts you wanted

You’re very true, however I have always wait as I know it’s the importers fault. I don’t pretend to be perfect, however I try my best to make sure I support the community I benefit from. Sometimes it means making a small sacrifice (all fresh food is bought from local producer, bakers or the butcher who is a riding friend of mine). Garage for the car is round the corner. All of this takes time and I could go fro a ride instead of going to the market place on a sunday morning. However I firmly believe that if you want the system to work you have to help the system. And if you don’t like people having different opinions, well you should not post on a public forum. You leave in France and therefore you benefit form the French system. I am perfectly fine with that. I am actually glad you do. However yes I am pissed with you when you don’t try to sustain the system you benefit from just for the sake of money.

And if you don’t like people having different opinions, well you should not post on a public forum

yes I am pissed with you when you don’t try to sustain the system you benefit from just for the sake of money.

Let’s see, how to put this?

Coome ce, comme ca

Bon marché tire agent de bourse

Chacun son métier, les vaches seront bien gardées.

‘De tout s’avise a qui pain faut.’

De qui je me fie Dieu me garde.

Faute avouée est à moitié pardonnée.

Gardez-vous des faux prophètes.

Il faut être deux pour danser le tango.

Il faut prêcher d’exemple’.

Les fous inventent les modes, et les sages les suivent.’

Qui s’excuse, s’accuse.

Nope, I’m not sure, never was very good at French at school

You’re very true, however I have always wait as I know it’s the importers fault.

Ironic that.

Hmmmm difficult one this I agree with Juan’s viewpoint with supporting the system etc, but I do buy online from a mix of EU sources.

However I do feel strongly about non French working in France and remaining outside the French system*. In my opinion that has more of an effect and is deliberately trying to cheat, whereas buying online from the likes of CRC is fully within what the system specifically permits.

* Having moved to France I had to take some risks to do this by going form a salried position to a freelance position (since it has actually been advantageous), as I live in France but was willing to be fully compliant, to be comfortable with the knowledge that I pay my taxes and cotisations in France, and therefore paying in and able to get money/ services out of the system.

…but I guess to be mtb specific we’re talking about non french guides in France and that’s a whole different meling pot.

@iain1775: Nice selection of sayings, french not too bad. Not sure of the relevance, but there you are.

Apart from that, this is descending in to proper bollocks now. There isn’t any question of whether buying from an online store is “within what the system specifically permits”. Do we or don’t we live in a world with globalised markets ? In this case, we are only really talking about buying from within the EU. What does the U stand for in EU. And is France in the EU or not ?? If you don’t like free markets, go and live in a self-sufficient community and opt-out as much as you can.

More to the point, I’d say that most of us act out of self-interest a good part of the time, but equally likely, a good proportion of us act in ways that support different things, whether that be our local communities or a cause like buying organic produce. I know this is a bike forum, and a public forum as Juan stresses, but enough with the judgements even if it is about where to bike bits. What is the point if you aren’t taking the bigger picture in to account ?

@mugsys_m8: And as to

I do feel strongly about non French working in France and remaining outside the French system

. That doesn’t really mean anything, certainly not relevant to the question Juan has raised. If you are resident in France, you are legally obliged to register with the French authorities every bank account and every penny of earnings you make, no matter where those accounts or earnings themselves exist. And you pay tax and social charges in to the french system based on that. The only way you can get round that is to work on the black – but that can (and does) happen everywhere. I’d be willing to stick my neck out and say that it happens in France at least as much, if not more, than in Britain, Germany, and other northern European countries. From conversations with French people here, it is accepted because for quite a lot of people it is the only way to survive and prosper when there is such high taxation and costs to earning.

In danger of taking this way off topic, but:

“If you are resident in France, you are legally obliged to register with the French authorities every bank account and every penny of earnings you make, no matter where those accounts or earnings themselves exist.“

I think what mugsys_m8 is referring to, which I suspect happens more in France (and possibly Italy & Austria) than the UK is the habit of companies in the alps to have offices in the UK, with staff employed under UK law, paid £ and paying UK tax, and then “seconded” to the alps for the entire duration of the contract. It means less tax for the company and they can get the employees to do longer hours for lower wages, but it’s not really fair on the locals, and considerably worse than ordering from an online supplier (which is just a good example of free market capitalism. If you don’t like it, don’t vote for capitalists).

Having said this, not quite on the same level as the surprising number of UK mtb guiding companies out here without local (or sometimes any) qualifications, or the likes of Amazon/Starbucks etc paying nae tax at all in the UK.