I’m off to the States to ride come November and I’m thiking about buying a bike out there. Santa Cruz Nomad with DHX RC4 is $2230, I presume that doesn’t include sales tax (but that can be reclaimed at the airport). $2230= about £1400.
I’m thinking go out with the rest of the bits in the bike bag, collect frsme and biuld bike, ride for 3 weeks and return.
[cough] if I was to declare it [/cough] what would I be paying? VAT at 20% and improt duty at about 10%? If someone were less scrupulous and got caught attempting to go through the green channel is there likely to be any extra fine? any experiences?

when do the 2012 bikes appear in the shops?

And sizing. medium or large…I’#d be inclined to go medium but at 5’11 the SC sizing chart suggest I’d be better on a large. comparing geometries the ONLY difference is top tube 578mm or 603. I ride a 16inch 456 with an effective top tube of 600mm and wouldn’t want anything shorter (80mm stem)…so perhaps the Large Nomad is actually correct?

finally colours…I’m tending towards choclate. feel free to post picks of SC bikes in the current colour range to help me decide (black, white, bare, red ( a post box like shade), lime green, seabright blue and choclate.

oh and headsets (really this is finally), any views on the nuke proof warhead 49eeos or fsa big fat pig 1.5″ headsets? at 45 quid they seen reasonable….but should I spend more on a hope or something else? (big fan of older hope 1 1/8 headsets…I’ve 2 and they just work…but I heard hope aren’t so good now)

The FSA Pig is a heavy, heavy thing, and doubly so in 1.5

Would go large, SC bikes aren’t big. They don’t really do model years either, they update from time to time, but there won’t be a 2012 Nomad as such.

i bought my hope headset a year ago.i thought it was fitted wrong because it was soo smooth.never had a problem with it.fit and forget
dont believe everything you hear.id recommend one

My experience of traveling to the US with a bike indicates that it might not be that easy just ‘hiding’ a bike in or out of the US. They completely took our bike bags apart going over and back? The fact that you are riding it may be a disguise? However, you will need to get a return flight that has the carrying of a bike, otherwise it will look very odd?

If you get caught yes, you will incur both VAT and Import duty as you have identified (apprx. £420) which I think still makes it cheaper?

FSA – Don’t do it! Very heavy and I didn’t feel that it lasted as long as it should have done. If you are buying a bike like the Nomad then you need something like the Hope or CK headset.

I am 5′ 11″ but I have a medium SC Heckler, however, that is the way I like it (slightly shorter as I ‘feel’ how the bike works better), but if you are used to the 600mm top tube then I would definitely go for the large.

Colour……BLACK every time for me!

Have fun choosing!

you might not be able to get sales tax back at the airport – some airports have that, some don’t.

pigs might be heavy but they work forever. like a heavy/cheap version of a king, I suppose. they’re only 170g for the 1 1/8 which may be 40g heavier than a hope, but just have a wee before you leave the house.

I rate the 1.5 reducer pig especially, you can convert it to a tapered or full 1.5 headset pretty easily (most bits are the same on all of them

Take a hack bike out, come back with a new one
That way it looks like you travelled both ways with bike
How would they know the difference at customs?

Be careful with the airline you pick- some e.g. United will add significantly to the flight price for the privilege of carrying a bike (or maybe just the bag in your case on the outward journey).

Oh, and they may try and charge you per leg of the journey if you need a domestic, as well.

Flights already booked. Virgin as bikes go free still, Vegas – mccarron, so many tourists it will be sorted for tax reclaim. Bike bag full of bits on the way out will seem like a full bike I think.

Aaaaarrrrrr I’m a bike smuggler.

Better in a bag than wrapped up in condoms and hidden internally.

Take old frame out in bag. Bin it and take new frame home.

If you get caught yes, you will incur both VAT and Import duty as you have identified (apprx. £420) which I think still makes it cheaper?

If you get caught rather than declaring it you run the risk of getting stung for a penalty which used to be equivalent to slightly more than the duties and taxes in lieu of a criminal prosecution and the duties and taxes on top. Bear in mind that entering the green channel counts as failing to declare.

How would they know the difference at customs?

Probably correct as they’ll have no experience of people smuggling revenue goods,lying to them, access to the internet with makers catologues, bringing expensive bits like mtb’s and golf clubs from the US is a new and unexplored occurence so they won’t have seen that and they won’t have the power to detain your bike pending you producing proof of UK purchase 😀

Also any problems the frame will likely have to go back to the states

bringing expensive bits like mtb’s and golf clubs from the US is a new and unexplored occurence so they won’t have seen that and they won’t have the power to detain your bike pending you producing proof of UK purchase

I think you’ll find that’s not true. They are surprisingly clued up on some things as I know from past experiences (but not with bikes). If you have any European parts on the bike they are likely to get very inquisitive if they stop you.

If they have reasonable grounds to believe you are smuggling they do have the power to impound it until you provide proof of purchase, and if they do you, it’s a hefty fine on top of the VAT and import duty.

I looked at bringing back a SC a couple of years ago. Adding the VAT and import duty on to the US price got it close to the UK price, and then there’s the warranty issue. Wasn’t enough saving to make it worthwhile.

On colour, the brown looks really good on a mate’s LT2 and you can’t go wrong with black. Red also really suits the Nomad but deffo with black forks

I have a friend who has brought a couple of Cannondale bikes back from ‘merica.

He apparently used a connecting flight via Hamsterjam and flew back the same way – takling an old wreck out and new, but used a few times one back. No trouble once he got back as he was bringing it in from an EU country.

Dunno if I’d try it, but it seems to worked for him.

An alternative way of saving money would be to buy the bike + pay tax/import duty, but only purchase a one way ticket. When it’s time to go home, simply wipe your bum with an American flag in a police station and they’ll send you home for free.

HTH

I rate the 1.5 reducer pig especially, you can convert it to a tapered or full 1.5 headset pretty easily (most bits are the same on all of them

Seriously? My reducer pig was awful, very heavy, constantly needed tightening and let water in really easily (it was also a bugger to get in) I’ve swapped it out for an FSA Orbit reducer and not had any problems and it’s as smooth as the day I got it.

CaptainMainwaring I was being slightly sarcastic.

Do you pay duy on the value of the goods in the condition they enter the country – so a used bike would be worth less than a new bike?
You could declare it as used and pay the tax on that lower value.

N