Lost in Oz

Neilums

Well not quite, I know where I am but it is thousands of miles away from home

Can anyone provide any good & reliable (cheap would also be handy) mail order establishments in Australia along the likes of Parkers, Ribble, Wiggle, Chainreaction Cycles and all, please?

If you can also mention any favourite cycle shops in and around Melbourne that would also be ace.

Thanks in advance

Bugly

not much in the way of cheap mail order or internet type shops in oz mate - we buy most of our cheap stuff from the UK and US :oops:

For a limited range try torpedo7

cant help with melb bikes shops as I am a couple of thousand ks north.

good luck

nicklouse

torpedo7 limited?

i remember there being big issues about their range and prices a few years back.

but have a look.

http://www.torpedo7.co.nz/

John Stevenson

www.phantomcycles.com.au is probably the most popular Australian mail order retailer. (Disclaimer: Kerry the owner is a friend of mine, but search around other places and you'll find plenty of praise for him.)

But as Bugly says, prices here are relatively high, even from Kerry.

baudman

Torpedo7 is great - especially if you subscribe to their email and get things when they are (ridiculously) discounted. They have a flat $9 mailing fee, so if you buy a few things there's a heap of bargains.

Also Phantomcycles (as above), http://www.bikes.com.au/ and http://www.deanwoods.com.au/ can have some (semi) decent prices.

I have a mate who wanted to get into Cyclocross. His brother is a bike mechanic and get stuff at cost. It was still cheaper for him to order most of his stuff from the UK (ribble etc), than to get it thru his brother.

LBS? I work in the CBD so I don't really have an allegiance. I got my roadie at BikeNow (Park St Sth Melb, between Kings Way and St Kilda Rd). They were great. Did a good bike fit for me - heaps of discount on bike and bits. SHM (in QV) is good, but not cheap. Cecil Walker (Eliz St) are good. Pushi (King St?) are Coooool. Brunswick St Cycles (Brun St Fitzroy and now Eliz St City) is where I got my MTB. They're fine too.

In fact - any of the actual 'bike' shops and not the chain stores (Goldcross - our 'Halfords') would be fine in my experience. It's sometimes luck of the draw which salesperson/mechanic you get at the time.

quokka

I'm afraid I have to agree with those who have posted before me. My online shopping from here in Adelaide is usually from Chain Reaction Cycles. I did once buy a saddle from Cecil Walker in Melboune online and I would recommend them as a LBS as well. I lived in Melbourne for a couple of years and had good experiences with them, Brunswick St Cycles and the sadly no longer there Christie Cycles. Good Luck.

top_bhoy

I feel that discounted prices have yet to really find their way onto Oz internet sites in general - never mind cycling. (Web prices are often just marginally cheaper than shop rrp prices but after factoring in possible shop discounts and delivery costs, it rarely is cheaper). I don't know why that is as i haven't any 'behind the scene' info. All I know is that despite searching hard, for cycling stuff, I have found it is either substantially cheaper or far simpler to have the manufacturer/item of choice to order elsewhere. In terms of efficiency, if I order from either CRC, Ribble or Parkers, I can have the item delivered to the house within 7 days (often less) of placing order!!!

Neilums

Cheers folks.

Interesting to see that people tend to have things shipped over. Quick look on the Australian Customs website and the impression I got was that anything under a value of $1000 can be imported tax free - is that right?

Also re shops, had a good look around town and had some good experiences. The aforementioned BSC both on Elizabeth St and Brunswick St were great; ended getting an '07 bike from Fitzroy Cycles for a good price.

top_bhoy

Two things I wouldn't buy overseas and that is 1) an expensive bike - due to tax and possible warranty issues and 2) helmets - helmets bought overseas don't carry the Oz standard certification sticker.

I did buy a Kineseis Racelight RC2, a FSA headset and Kinesis carbon forks for just under $1000 (approx. 400 quid) at the start of this year from CRC and stuck on a Centaur gruppo from the accident damaged bike it was replacing. It was to be no more than a quick, relatively inexpensive quick fix to get me back on the road again (didn't quite turn out like that but thats another story ). I paid no additional taxes and this included shipping from NI and didn't think it was a bad deal at all - but that is the maximum really I would have went buying in this manner.

baudman

Neilums wrote:

... Fitzroy Cycles...

Should've mentioned them too. Got my partner's (WS) roadie there. They're good too. (Told you... I have no allegiances!)