Who is CRC?

CRC is great.

I’d love Evans to go out if business though. The sanitised bland bikeshop par excellence.

Lee Evans? He’s quite funny.

How does the American market work? Genuine question as I have no idea (it ‘seems’ more competitive?)

I remember reading US magazines in the early 90s and the prices in dollars were the same figure as we pay in pounds. It always seemed that we paid more in the UK compared to the USA.

UK pricing is higher for many reasons.

1. Import takes
2. VAT
3. They use those two above to inflate the prices even higher

Didn’t realise CRC was in Northern Ireland. Not fussed, its still the first place I look for parts and until it shuts down probably always will be.

My LBS is so busy that my mate had to book a munth in advance just to get his cables thread through his new road bike frame.

Out of all the reasons to spread your cash around and not just shop at CRC, the best has to be their clothing range. Imagine if the only cycling shorts you could buy were XXXL No Fear motocross pants. If we all keep shopping at CRC, that’s our future. 😯

No I meant the homegrown brands, I imagine they are distributed directly by the manufacturer (as why would you need a distributor in your own country/market?).

Lets not forget all clothing and bike bits are made in the US, they are also imported from the far east into the US so attract taxes/cost as well.

Hora, you do realise that unlike the UK where the quoted price includes VAT, in the US you pay sales tax on top of the quoted price?

Slightly OT, but a few years ago you could buy an imported Triumph motorbike from Japan/America cheaper that they were selling them on the mainland despite the fact they were built here and shipped halfway across the world and back.

Which depending on the State can be 5-20%?

Edit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sales_taxes_in_the_United_States (first column)

Whilst I can get most of the parts I need at any one time here (U.S.) a lot of the time it is cheaper to use CRC. The reduction in V.A.T. makes up for the postal.