I’m off to visit the relatives in Toronto next week, so I thought Id take a look at what the local bike shops have to offer and at what price.

I was quite surprised to find that a Yeti 575 2011 frame retails at $2300 (can)and that’s with Tax added.
That = £1450 UK, which is approx £250 cheaper (Providing you get it trough customs on the way back 🙂 )

Then I had a look at a Santa Cruz blur LT 2011 frame @ $2090 = £1300, which is an astonishing £500 cheaper.

Transition Convert or Bandit also about £250-300 cheaper.

I appreciate that you don’t have a UK distributor to call if things go wrong but the chance of that Is small anyhow.
+ Some of the stores I spoke to will still honour there warranty in the UK.

Have any of you in the singletrack world bought a bike from overseas? and if so what was your experience?

Many thanks in Advance.

Don’t forget import tax when you’re walking through customs with a massive bike box under your arm.

Not enough saving there IMO

I’ve certainly seen 2011 575s at < £1500 here

I reckon I’d need a 40% saving before I’d bother

One of the stores told me a very simple thing around the customs issue.
Involes a lot of mud and a slighty dirty suitcase.

You won’t have any trouble at all bringing a bike back that’s obviously been ridden

and the reciept/warrenty info posted back, not sitting there in your luggage, waiting for them to discover…

Downside being warrenty’s, most UK distributers will not want to get involved with an self imported frame.

Downside being warrenty’s, most UK distributers will not want to get involved with an self imported frame.

And why should they? Buying from abroad doesn’t exactly help local shops or distributors.

He didn’t say they should, did he?

Did I suggest that they should? ❓

I merely pointed out this was a downside of buying abroad.
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EDIT too slow.. cheers Chakaping

Sorry it just really gets my goat this kinda thing. It’s tough enough for small businesses these days.

At least a lot of brands are becoming more heavy handed in enforcing not selling to other countries now.

I just imported some Fox forks from the States

I don’t want – or expect – any warranty in the UK
I certainly don’t want to be told where to shop either

Mardy bum

Got your forks through Colorado cycles didn’t you uplink? Just got my 2012 model float 29 from them. Worked out at about 250 quid cheaper than here.

At least a lot of brands are becoming more heavy handed in enforcing not selling to other countries now.

Not my experience, both SRAM UK and Mojo/Fox dealt with my US imported forks/shock. When asked, they replied their kit has a worldwide warrenty regardless of purchase point.

To be honest I don’t see why this shouldn’t extend to bike frames, don’t Specialized warrenty stuff world wide(?).
The importer will still be credit for warrenty work, no matter where the product was purchased, so other than the loss of sale (they aren’t competitive) what’s there beef?

Got your forks through Colorado cycles didn’t you uplink? Just got my 2012 model float 29 from them. Worked out at about 250 quid cheaper than here.

Yup, F29s here too, hadn’t really worked out the price difference

Also, not available here

What’s their beef? Have you ever tried to get a credit out of a supplier?

Sorry it just really gets my goat this kinda thing. It’s tough enough for small businesses these days.

except most bike brands aren’t small businesses. why should we sit here paying (sometimes) hugely inflated prices and not playing the globalisation game. the bike companies do.

have a look at giant bikes US pricing compared to UK. savings of up to £650. that almost pays for the flight.

JDW: Nope, but shirley, thats a issue the trade as a whole should be dealing with, not penalizing customers who want a bargain.

Where not talking penny’s are we? I’d buy from the UK retailer happily, if they had it at the similar price to what I could import it for. Not hundreds of pounds more than the same product personnally imported. I paid VAT, DUTY and parcelfarce P&P tax on my products, they were still loads cheaper.

Fair enough. The bike trade is pretty funked in some ways.

How are they uplink. Haven’t had time to fit mine yet. Have to wait after Mayhem.

They feel good, first ride this morning was just a setup sort of ride so no real time on them yet

Aye, along with a lots of other stuff, s’not good.

HMRC might get a bit suspicious on the way back in, and could check whether you had the same luggage going out as coming back.

If you declare it you will pay something like 15% import tax plus 20% VAT on the whole lot. If try to avoid paying the tax when you bring it back and they nab you, they will slap a fine on top of that as well.

Plus you will have no warranty.

Bottom line is that you need to make sure you have a BIG saving to make it worth the risk and hassle

Edit: in past experience the customs people are pretty good at looking for scratches and other sign of wear rather than just dirt

HMRC might get a bit suspicious on the way back in, and could check whether you had the same luggage going out as coming back

I don’t believe that customs have any legacy info on the contents of your luggage, I also don’t believe they would attempt to find out if you’d booked a bike on the outward link.

I’ve got a bike bag, so to be safe, I could buy an old second hand bike from the bike guy at my local market.
Pay the airline an extra £90 for the bike bag both ways.

Give the old bike to charity in Toronto, by a new bike, ride it round the single track around Don Valley in Toronto for a week (going to be there for 3 weeks).

Bring it home and still save a couple of hundred quid, jobs a good’un, I hope!!