Buying wheels from Europe

Cubic
Cubic Posts: 594
edited March 2012 in Road buying advice
Hi,

I'm going to upgrade my wheelset soon and I've noticed that some shops on the continent are a fair bit cheaper than in the UK.

The ones I've looked at so far are: http://www.salden.nl, http://www.bike-components.de/, http://www.jedi-sports.de and http://www.bike-discount.de/

Salden seems the cheapest for what I want.

Has anyone ordered from one of these shops and had things delivered to the UK? Did it go ok? Would you recommend it?

Are there any other shops I should take a look at too?

Thanks.

Comments

  • ugo.santalucia
    ugo.santalucia Posts: 28,310
    I did buy from bike discount, no problem at all.
    Same rules in terms of warranty apply as for UK purchases. If the difference is small (+ - 10%), I still prefer to buy from a UK retailer, at least there are UK jobs involved, but if the difference is great, than it doesn't make sense.
    left the forum March 2023
  • Cubic
    Cubic Posts: 594
    Thanks.

    I agree, I would usually prefer to buy from a UK shop, but the wheels I'm after are about £200 cheaper in Europe than from Wiggle/CRC and about £300 cheaper than from my lbs. So, in this case, buying from abroad makes good sense to me.
  • nochekmate
    nochekmate Posts: 3,460
    I did buy from bike discount, no problem at all.
    Same rules in terms of warranty apply as for UK purchases. If the difference is small (+ - 10%), I still prefer to buy from a UK retailer, at least there are UK jobs involved, but if the difference is great, than it doesn't make sense.

    Used these guys too! Service first class IME.
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    Jedi Sports are another reputable dealer too.
    Any company that seeks to charge a premium for their warranty doesn't get my business - companies that make a big play about their warranties IME are often the ones with a litany of product quality problems. Properly designed and made products simply don't break IME.
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • tompo
    tompo Posts: 30
    I ordered a set of 2012 Fulcrum Racing 5 wheels from Math Salden last Thursday evening.

    They were delivered yesterday.

    I paid €169 (including delivery) which worked out at £148. Ribble are doing same wheels for £167 + £9.50 for delivery. CRC are doing the 2011 version for £199.

    I had a couple of queries which were dealt with very promptly and efficiently by e-mail.

    Would highly recommend.
  • Cubic
    Cubic Posts: 594
    Thanks. I ordered some wheels and tyres from Bike-Discount.de last Thursday too. Delivery was included. They should hopefully arrive today or tomorrow according to the online tracking. Finger crossed!!!