Custom titanium: Far east middleman?

gbr236

HI
I have the geometry I like.
Is there a firm in the uk who will take all the hassle out of ordering from the far east?

Monty Dog

What hassle? - I've ordered 5 custom titanium frames direct from China.
Waltly Titanium are one of the easiest to deal with - they take Paypal, are polite and speak good English, agree drawings before payment and send photos before shipping.
I've ordered from XACD too, but they charge too-much for custom extras and insist on payment by an expensive foreign currency transfer.

RDW

Just curious what you end up paying for a custom Ti from China, after delivery, VAT, duty etc.? For comparison, a Burls custom job (made in Russia) starts at £1050:

http://www.burls.co.uk/prices.php

Bordersroadie

Another vote for Justin Burls - just a UK phonecall away and will give his very experienced (framebuilder's) input into your design.

Very nice guy to deal with. Huge choice of tube sizes/profiles at no extra charge plus a menu of additional options at reasonable prices - eg replaceable derailleur hanger. He even gives a choice of whether you want it made by his Russian framebuilder or his Chinese.

The Chinese builder is the same company that makes ti frames for a well-known UK brand. The Russian builder is a smaller company that has been making ti frames for years and used to make the Colnago branded ti frames in 2000. Both are bike-specific ti fabricators. Justin reckons there is nothing to choose between them for quality, which is very high indeed - see several recent Burls threads/photos on this forum.

Monty Dog

My last Chinese custom titanium frame was $800 including shipping, no Vat or duty.