What mail order do you use?

NEILHEAD

Hi all i am after a few new shineys And i have used chain reaction and wiggle but would like to price check further and recommendations welcome

Sir HC

Uk Bike Store, Merlins, Stif, Woolyhatshop

Papa Smurf

Evans Cycles

god1406

Chainreaction!

I've used Bikedock before too, and Stif/UKbikestore/Winstanley.

Wadescycles were awful... they took 35 days to deliver a Fox bag, and never answered the phone or replied to any emails. Not that i hold grudges...

NEILHEAD

Thank all, Im saving them all to favorites please keep em coming 8)

Dazzza

http://www.betd.co.uk/

KonaMike

Merlin,Chain Reaction and Wiggle are all I've ever used but never had a problem with any of them !!

Cheshley

I usually use Chain Reaction because postage is free and they have some great offers like the RaceFace Chainset I get last year at 60% off

If I need something immediately tho or I'm buting something that I may need to take back for advice/adjustment etc, I make the short drive to JE James cycles in Rotherham because they pricematch.

i-drive

the good wiggle crc & merlin stiff cycles

the bad rutland leisure lakes

jabztattoo

i know its a bit of an old thread but balfa.co.uk is good for dangerboy stuff hotlines-uk.com other than that id use chainreaction (free del + paypal) or ebay

Snow-Junkie

gotta be crc or stif(stif charge postage but really good prices on past season gear)
t

Surf-Matt

Had issues with CRC recently - they took three days to tell me something was out of stock then were in-contactable.
Wiggle use City Link - not good.

www.velokit.co.uk are new and very good but only do certain items.

Evans seem expensive on a lot of stuff.

Willing to try CRC once more as there stuff is good. Some ebay shops are good too - High on Bikes sent me pedals very quickly and were great VFM.

Bones!!

tredz.co.uk not the best range, but can be good for some things.

switchback18

I do a UK google search - not the 'shopping' link - for the item I want, sometimes a site will show up that otherwise wouldn't be on the 1st few pages for online bike shops. That often works well

chuckcork

A single shop is unlikely to be able to supply everything you might want.

I've bought plenty of stuff from CRC but then also from the CTCshop for some bits, SJS Cycles for a dynamo hub buildup and lights, Dolphin Fitness for a Polar HRM kit, BikePlus for a light, Cycleways (in Dublin) for clothing, and so on.

Problems tend to be with deliveries, for which shops take no responsibility. E.g. had something from SJS which the Irish post office An Post wouldn't deliver for a pathetic reason that it wasn't addressed well enough, which is to say it was the correct address but a specific company at that address and climbing the stairs was a H&S issue for them, so SJS had to send it twice and it took three weeks to receive in the end. Also had CRC's delivery company apparently attempt to deliver but not leave a card, and then spent days trying get them to deliver, with the delivery company website being as clear as mud and my having to chase to find out where it was.

Mind, also had an order where after two weeks I queried were it was and the company stated they were out of stock and not likely to get any in soon (theoldbicycleshowroom); and where the wrong goods have been supplied (CRC and Dolphin Fitness) which has entailed a lot of mucking around with sending items back.

Worst has been a new bike from SpaCycles, who basically told me the rear derailleur breaking off after three weeks wasn't their problem and to chase the manufacturer if I wanted a warranty claim. Ending up with a replacement courtesy of the LBS so won't be giving them my business again (and had a few hundred pounds worth of purchases since, spent elsewhere)

Also bought a bike through the CTCShop/Evans which came with the front wheel out of true, had to true it before I could ride it.

Needless to say its pretty frustrating at times.

chuckcork

Surf-Matt wrote:

Had issues with CRC recently - they took three days to tell me something was out of stock then were in-contactable.
Wiggle use City Link - not good.

Had Citylink apparently attempt delivery and then state that noone was at the address to take it....I had been there all day waiting for it so they were frankly lying.

Unimpressive performance of the delivery company reflects on the company that use them, and which we generally have no choice over. The delivery companies of course know this and frankly seem take the p*ss if and when they can. After all the contract isn't with them, but the company you order from doesn't want know about it, so they do as they see fit.

All that can be done is to threaten to taken business elsewhere.

Bones!!

I've had that problem with City Link, but now the bloke that delivers for them in my area worked out that when i was signing for deliveries at work and my name appears on his delivery schedule that maybe i might take it from him there, thus saving him the journey to my house to find that i'm at work!

.blitz

My fave is Chain Reaction and Winstanley's have also been very good (hi fellas).

But if it's something expensive I have to get it from a shop.

J C 8

Don't use Winstanleys, their customer service is awful and you never know what they will send out, mens bike, women's bike it's all the same to them. And you'll be forever trying to get what you originally ordered.

.blitz

J C 8 wrote:

Don't use Winstanleys, their customer service is awful and you never know what they will send out, mens bike, women's bike it's all the same to them. And you'll be forever trying to get what you originally ordered.

So I'm told but I've never had anything other than great service from them. Ask for Theresa or Dean or the owner Carl they are all very helpful.

dunker

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/
http://www.merlincycles.co.uk/
http://www.stif.co.uk/
http://www.wiggle.co.uk/d/Cycle/7/1/1/
http://www.cyclestore.co.uk/
http://www.toolshopdirect.co.uk/
http://www.pvrdirect.co.uk/
http://www.thegorestore.co.uk/index.php
http://www.bonthronebikes.co.uk/
http://www.thephotonshop.co.uk/
http://www.service-champions.co.uk/

all used successfully.

eyes like marbles

http://www.edinburghbicycle.com/

http://www.minx-girl.com/

Yeti575

If you aren't in a rush, Merlin have various deals on over a period of time and I've waited for the right thing to pop up and bought. Never had a problem from them, likewise CRC but Wiggle got a bit bolshy when I had a problem with them so don't use them any longer.