I’m very interested in buying a Rose Granite Chief or Uncle Jimbo but wanted to know the cheapest way to do it? Their site offers pounds or Euro’s, and unless my maths have failed, sterling seems a bit cheaper. Anyone have any real life experience of purchasing this way, if not Rose, Radon or YT?

Ta

Sterling! Otherwise you will get a rough deal from your CC issuer/bank/whatever.

Unless your CC issuer/bank/whatever offers a good deal (Halifax Clarity CC for example). Just calculate what you will pay including fees and choose the cheaper option.

Recently bought a YT Tues. Payment was in Euro only so used my Caxton fx card.

Other cards are available but I find Caxton really easy to use with their app and the rates/spreads are reasonable

It’s basically a prepay credit card where you fund the card and fx to the currency you want at the same time.

Useful for holidays too, especially when you don’t want to be carrying loads of cash.

Banks will usually give you a crap rate on debit card transactions in non sterling and some levy a % charge as well.

Unless I clicked the wrong button, I’d check you actually have that option. It might show you the price in sterling, but I believe it charges your card in Euro…bought some clothing from them yesterday and a big boxes flashes up “payment in Euro”

Food for thought. My bank doesnt charge a fee for wither mcc CC or Debit. I believe it then uses Visa’s exchange rate – this worked out really well in US last month.

Anyone bought a Rose bike that can give a real recent example?

I’ve a demo later this week.

Almost all will load a fee somewhere. I don’t know of any CC that will charge no fee and give you the base exchange rate. Wouldn’t make sense for them to do it. However they can be favourable rates or loading.

Anyway, the web sites as said may be just showing a conversion but charge in Euros, or they may apply their own exchange rate in which case it’s likely loaded so compare with the card.

Another one to watch is PayPal. Their exchange rate loading and fees are huge if you pay other than the funding currency (bank/CC or PayPal fund). Again retailers using PayPal will likely be using PayPal to do the conversion. I sometimes have a balance in Euros in PayPal from stuff I’ve sold in Europe or someone’s transferred Euros to me, and I then use that to pay in Euros. No fees or exchanges then.

Any reviews on the bikes themselves also gratefully received

I test rode a Granite Chief last year. I really enjoyed it, and then bought a Bird Aeris… The GC was extremely comfortable and stable up and down.

As for payment, I concur with ‘aidso’, that although they may show their prices in £s this is not the actual payment method, which remains €s. For sending funds abroad, like me buying the Bird as I live in France, I used TransferWise, where the charges are very low and fully transparent. I think it cost me about €15 to send €2000!

Enjoy,
Gaidong

Hmmm, will need to check with Nationwide then.

Thanks Gaiding, I like the Aeris but I’ve been keen on Rose GC and Jumbo for some time – unless I don’t love it, it’s where my money is going I think.

Transfer wise looks an option I should check it out post demo.

Hi Paul,

I wasn’t trying to push you towards an Aeris. I was at an event last Saturday with a Rose stand and was still perving over the GC and UJ, especially in that naked alu finish. I’m no great rider but I would have been perfectly happy with the GC and I just love playing with their configurator. Apparently the Root Miller is worth looking at in the ‘Super Trail’ configuration for fairly hard core riding, if you like 29ers.

Transferwise is probably the cheapest way to get money overseas BUT you’d have to look into consumer protection, i.e. would you get the same rights as if you bought with a UK credit card… no idea.

Gaidong

Thanks Gaidon

I will admit to pricing up an Aeris again last night. Let’s see what the ride is like when I demo the Rose bikes. The raw alu is very nice and a real depart from my stealth On One C456 (which I’m keeping of course). Can’t get on with 29ers.

I imagine protection is better with a Cc but I doubt there would be much need to call on it – but better safe than sorry, definitely.