so i finally built my new(ish) bike yesterday…
the donor bike is still running an old deore square taper b/b that just wont die so i’ve never been able to justify upgrading to hollowtech 2 yet…but i was worried that i wouldnt be able to take it off the frame to transfer across so i went over to my local Halfrauds to get a new b/b just in case i needed it…
the guy nearly gave me a heart attack when he told be a new deore square taper (un-53) costs £28!! WTF!? a new XT hollowtech 2 b/b costs £30 and the deore version costs £15…
somebody seriously needs to have a word with themselves….
on the plus side though the existing b/b came out with no trouble and went on the new frame easily so i will be taking my unused new b/b back to the shop for a refund!!

And breathe?? 🙄

thing is, they are local to you, had it in stock so you could rent it for a day ‘just in case’ at no cost to you and maybe it’s worth/possible to charge a premium for that.

As for comparison to HT2 – a square taper BB is a lot more than a couple of plastic cups with bearings pressed into it so I’d expect it to cost more if anything.

Seriously ? over something that cost £28 ???

How is it Halfords who are doing the pricing maddness ? You think they buy them in for £8 and charge £28 just in case you came in ?

I was after a cassette recently.
Halfords prices were pretty much double everyone else’s.

Compare Halfords with CRC

They can’t even use the convenience of a local shop argument, as a few of those are web only deals.

Edit because the extremely long Halfords URL doesn’t work.
Search http://www.halfords.com/ for Shimano Cassette.

i’m not angry or anything, i just think its daft for them to be so expensive compared to a modern external b/b…
still the new bike will soon be due a new b/b and chainset upgrade so i’m glad spares for it will be relatively cheap!! 😀

First world promblem order it online if you want it cheaper.

First world promblem order it online if you want it cheaper.

i would have done but i needed it there and then and halfords was closer than my preferred LBS so i used them for the convenience…its just that i’m surprised they cost so much compared to HT2 b/b’s….
its more likely that as the existing b/b is more than 12 years old and still works perfectly i’ve not needed to get a new one so i wasn’t aware the price had gone up so much….that one cost me £15 back then….

is it me or is it getting awfully hot in here?…. 😆

so, £28 for more than 12 years use on the UN53 or £15 for 6 months with Deore HT2.

Those HT2 BB’s are a positive bargain when you look at it that way 😉

Sometimes, pricing models aren’t as simple as you’d think. Halfords aren’t necessarily competing directly with CRC etc- with the whole internet to choose from, you end up in a race to the bottom price wise, and also in a sensitive market product wise. All of which means shifting volume, reasonably quickly (you need to deal with a lot of items to get a decent sized profit and you need to sell them quick to make sure you don’t get stuck with millions of 2011-spec parts in 2012)

So, instead of going for that market, they go for the “aaargh my son’s bike has broken sell me whatever I need” market, in which you sell less items but for massively more. Carry less stock, make enough off the sales you make to cover the sales you don’t.. It’s a less effective approach generally but that doesn’t mean it’s bad, because it’s a less effective approach operating in a slightly different market to the more effective approaches.

I’ve always assumed that it Halfords charging RRP (or close to) with them being in effect a high street retailer.

Judging by the majority of people I see in there when I go in they aren’t fussed for shopping around online for what to them is an obscure part, they just want to have the broken bit on their bike fixed.

I think forum users assume that their buying power is greater than the casual bike riding Joe public.

I got some roadie mud guards off them last week, they were in the bargain bin and i told them id give them a fiver for them which they accepted. I prefer this way of shopping!

I got a pair of GP4000’s plus tubes out of a Halfords bargain bin for £4. 🙂

You’re complaining for paying the retail price for an item “just in case” you may need it from a large chain store whose customer base is either generally the uninformed bike buying public or people who need something desperately. And then you are expecting them to take it back and refund you because you didn’t use it.

Halfords price match with CRC sometimes if you are nice about it, at least the one I work at will do if we have it in stock.

Just wait until you find out that Rose bikes in Germany were knocking out XTR HTII BBs for £17ish posted (from the Fatherland).

..oh.

And then you are expecting them to take it back and refund you because you didn’t use it.

after i explained what i needed the guy at the store said “if you manage to fit the existing one and dont need this just bring it back and we’ll refund it”….so yeah i do expect a refund

Lots of snooooobery in this thread. It’s all relative. Like a bad uncle. Who touches you.

Lots of snooooobery in this thread. It’s all relative. Like a bad uncle. Who touches you.

I like square taper BB’s they last longer and you get a free axle.

van cough cough – Member
Lots of snooooobery in this thread. It’s all relative. Like a bad uncle. Who touches you.

Amazing, love that post! 😆

took the unused b/b back yesterday and even though i had somehow managed to lose the receipt they still gave me a full refund….happy days!! 😀
and well done Halfords!!

I was preparing to say how they’re just selling at retail etc etc, but actually, the UN53 is now the UN54, and it retails for £23, so they were pretty wide of the mark anyway! Madison.

Comparisons to HT2 are daft though, no axle or owt.

Even when HT2 was released on XTR M960 in 2003 it was cheaper than the Octalink equivalent at the time, despite being lighter and stiffer.