Take your business where you are allowed to ask for a discount.

Plus as mentioned there are great frames out there that arent overpriced. They all come from the same group of factories dont they? 🙄

If your regular shop gets you the bike through a third party it would officially be second hand before they sold it to you so you would have little or no warranty

I think Orange mention this on their own website somewhere, warranty only applies to official dealers

I bought my P7 from Sunset and got a cracking price, give them a bell, ask what they can do for you

I think the issue is he doesn't want to give the money to his other local shop…that ebing the case, I'd contact your next nearest Orange dealer and see what they will do…that way you aren't supporting to 'wrong' LBS to you and you are still getting your bike…I'd be amazed if you could get a 'discount' on the bike – might get £50 off it but I'd see what else they could throw in and consider anything else gained as the discount.

I think Orange mention this on their own website somewhere, warranty only applies to official dealers

…but if the bike seller is a business then they have to front any problems under the sales of goods act.

We are all being squeezed under a recession so I let companies charge RRP. I'd take my (smaller) wallet elsewhere.

I use Cycleworld in Arbroath,one of VERY few Orange dealers in Scotland.I know for a fact that the margins on Orange are very slim,and discounts tend to be in the way of kit.There are also sold out in a lot of cases, 19" Crush being an example. While you sit on the internet,OTHER people are buying the last few in YOUR size…. 😕

Guys- okay, was definitely worth posting, a few good ideas. I'm going to explore the other bikes mentioned, so it's a few days reading reviews and doing 'builds' on an excel spreadsheet (sad and anal I know, but part of the fun).

Got thrown a curve ball yesterday evening also, was out on my old bike with a pal and on the way past his he suggested I borrow his Speccy Enduro Pro 2006, much upgraded and spangly and rarely used. In essence I can get a practically brand new bike for less than half price, but it's four or five season out of date. Probably not – I'm not that interested in full suspension – but worth a few trial spins. At the very least it's something novel to ride while I sort out a hardtail.

Dickbarton, I think you're right, I don't want to give them the money, so Sannys Ambleside suggestion is going to be the Orange option if it comes to that.

Over and out!

Biketreks are great. Worth a phone call to check availability or just go as an excuse for a Lakes ride.

They also do Orange test day/evening rides.
http://www.biketreks.net/

Kudu cycles can also be recomended. Mate got a really good deal on a 5 and we both got a lunch out of it 😆 (long story)

When to take out a short-term loan?

The 2006 Enduro is the best of the Enduros. It's not much like the R8 though. I don't think the R8 is as overpriced as some make out; the new 853 Pace frame is more or less the same price.

Discounts aren't always a dirty word. Pop into Merlin and have a look at their bikes. Great value, but all have 2 prices on them. A finance price and a 'pay now' price. Some good stuff in there, too. Handjobs, RL 853's.

Worth a look, maybe?

im totally with the OP on this. no harm at all in asking for discounts.

do it on cars, houses, motorbikes, almost everything! why not ask your bike shop? what is there to lose?

I'll resurrect this with a self self-congratulatory update.

Got an R8 frame for a small discount with a free hope headset.

Got £1.5k of components for about £800.

Begged and borrowed a few newish bits of pals and off my old hardtail.

End result, £3K build achieved for about £1.5K. Bargaintastic.
It pays not just to march into a shop and buy 8)

So in the end it was more economically viable to self build.

Ask for the discount. If they say no, either live with it or go elsewhere. Keep going until you get to pay the price you are happy to pay or realise that if you really want this bike then you'll have to pay full whack. If at the end of the year/as new models are released any shops that have an old model left may sell it at a Sale price. But since Orange are a small company and tend to evolve rather than follow the model year paradigm of the big brands this may well not happen.

My interpretation of free market is that you as the customer are free to ask for a discount. If the seller wants to shift the item quick and thinks that he won't sell at full price in the near future he may give a discount. But he also has the right to say, sorry it's tag price only. I imagine that if (s)he knows their business they will know whether they can sell an item at full price or need to discount.

Yup , always worth a try. I feel kinda socially responsible so I give my LBS a chance almost every time. There is an LBS near me, Richards Bikes, Exeter, they give discount every time, have obscure tools when you are in the sheeet and are all round good guys…

Got an R8 frame for a small discount with a free hope headset.

You have to tell us where from. It's the rules.

I'd always give a shot, if you can find a cheaper price online ask for a price match. Quoted a generic "10% of all 2010 full price bikes" offer at Evans to get 10% off my Tricross recently at the LBS.

If anything they seemed delighted to get a customer who walked in and knew exactly what they wanted, without any hard sell.

You have to tell us where from. It's the rules.

Sounds a bit like the generic Sunset MTB deal they always seem to have on.

http://www.sunsetmtb.co.uk/shop/index.php?product_id=1427&category_id=81

Err, plus some haggling!