Great Shopping Experiences

[splash_dad]

Have bought a few things from http://www.letour.com.au at very good prices. However they also have great after sales service, a pannier rack I purchased in May 2017 snapped a mounting stay in February 2018 and they replaced the whole pannier rack straight away.

[10speedsemiracer]

Have bought a few things from http://www.letour.com.au at very good prices. However they also have great after sales service, a pannier rack I purchased in May 2017 snapped a mounting stay in February 2018 and they replaced the whole pannier rack straight away.

I've also used these guys a bit, quite good in terms of their online, but the markup in-store for the same item was obscene. Good online experience though.

[cycles gitane]

Have bought a few things from http://www.letour.com.au at very good prices. However they also have great after sales service, a pannier rack I purchased in May 2017 snapped a mounting stay in February 2018 and they replaced the whole pannier rack straight away.

I've also used these guys a bit, quite good in terms of their online, but the markup in-store for the same item was obscene. Good online experience though.

I have bought from Letour online twice.
Poor experience both times. Terrible customer service, parts missing, poor delivery times.
Never again.
LBS is the best option.

[Ross]

I've bought online from LeTour (via eBay) a couple of times and not had a problem. The parts I bought were only spare tubes I think but the transaction was smooth and pricing was good.

[Ross]

I was at Greengrocer bike shop/cafe in Goulburn on the weekend checking the place out after it had been rebuilt after a fire gutted it a while back. I noticed they had the CamelBak Podium 600mL bottles for $13.99 which is $1 less than Pushys sell them for online and a whopping $10 cheaper than I paid recently at a local Canberra LBS (I won't name and shame them)

[Ross]

I have used both Starbike and Bike24 on a regular basis. Both charge €20 for shipping, but the prices are so much cheaper than c r c or Wiggle, and the product range is much larger. For example, there is a massive range of wheel building parts, dyno lights etc that nobody else carries, and those that do carry them don’t have much of a range.

I price compare baskets against the usual sites, and I stockpile wish lists to bulk up shipments. Most recently I had packages coming from Wiggle, c r c, Bike24 & Merlin all at the same time.

There are also some lesser known sites that are good for getting SRAM stuff, but I’m not naming them lest SRAM find out and block them. I used to get all my SRAM kit from Bike24.

I find the opposite with B24 and SB pricing compared to Wiggle. Even before you add on the freight costs they aren't competitive. I just shopped around for 6870 derailleurs and Wiggle were the cheapest out of all the online bikeshops (inc eBay) that I know including B24 and SB. Bikebug were second cheapest. I agree they both carry a lot of products that Wiggle don't have. Interesting thoughwith Wiggle I am a "platinum" customer supposedly giving me a discount yet often c r c are same price, sometimes cheaper (I know c r c are owned by Wiggle)

[queequeg]

I have used both Starbike and Bike24 on a regular basis. Both charge €20 for shipping, but the prices are so much cheaper than c r c or Wiggle, and the product range is much larger. For example, there is a massive range of wheel building parts, dyno lights etc that nobody else carries, and those that do carry them don’t have much of a range.

I price compare baskets against the usual sites, and I stockpile wish lists to bulk up shipments. Most recently I had packages coming from Wiggle, c r c, Bike24 & Merlin all at the same time.

There are also some lesser known sites that are good for getting SRAM stuff, but I’m not naming them lest SRAM find out and block them. I used to get all my SRAM kit from Bike24.

I find the opposite with B24 and SB pricing compared to Wiggle. Even before you add on the freight costs they aren't competitive. I just shopped around for 6870 derailleurs and Wiggle were the cheapest out of all the online bikeshops (inc eBay) that I know including B24 and SB. Bikebug were second cheapest. I agree they both carry a lot of products that Wiggle don't have. Interesting thoughwith Wiggle I am a "platinum" customer supposedly giving me a discount yet often c r c are same price, sometimes cheaper (I know c r c are owned by Wiggle)

I pretty much do a price comparison side by side on multiple sites, and while individual items might come up cheaper on various sites, it is the overall shopping cart price that I look at when choosing, and this also factors in free shipping thresholds etc. For example, the tyres I wanted were the cheapest on ProBikeKit, and I was over the free shipping threshold for those alone, so I bought from there...then PBK only sent me one tyre (only charged me for one, as it was last one). They didn't tell me that of course, I had to chase them...but fat lot of good one tyre is. AT keast they still shipped me the one tyre free, even though it now fell under the free shipping amount.

Anyway, the main issue I have had is product availability messing up the ability to get the free shipping threshold. On Bike24, you don't have to pad out your order just to avoid paying the extra for shipping.

Here is one large glaring example of extra cost. I just bought an Ultegra R8020 Shift Set, with the R8070 Calipers and all the cables.

Wiggle for just the Shifters ($1,026.49): http://www.this link is broken/shimano-ultegra ... -shifters/ plus another $180 for the Calipers (http://www.this link is broken/shimano-ultegra ... per-front/ + http://www.this link is broken/shimano-ultegra ... iper-rear/ )

Bike24 for the whole kit including shipping (482EUR/$AUD758): https://www.bike24.de/1.php?content=8;p ... 2%5D=22614
So, that is a Wiggle/Bike24 Price difference of $448. That is not just a couple of dollars difference.

In Actual Fact,. BikeBug locally has the Shifters on their own for $699 (http://www.bikebug.com/shimano-ultegra- ... 75665.html), undercutting Wiggle by $327. However, BikeBug still sells the Calipers for $90 each (same as Wiggle), so it was still cheaper to source the whole kit from Bike24, with the shipping included for a lesser saving of $140. That also ignores that when I bought the shifters, BikeBug didn't stock them.

Of course, if the items you are looking for can only be sourced from places like Bike24 or Wiggle, it is a no brainer, if you need to buy DT Swiss Aero Spokes inidividually for a wheel build, and pair that with a particular hub, or you want a DynoHub...good luck getting those from Wiggle or c r c.

Wiggle & c r c used to be my main stores, but both have fallen out of favour with other options.

[Ross]

I pretty much do a price comparison side by side on multiple sites, and while individual items might come up cheaper on various sites, it is the overall shopping cart price that I look at when choosing, and this also factors in free shipping thresholds etc. For example, the tyres I wanted were the cheapest on ProBikeKit, and I was over the free shipping threshold for those alone, so I bought from there...then PBK only sent me one tyre (only charged me for one, as it was last one). They didn't tell me that of course, I had to chase them...but fat lot of good one tyre is. AT keast they still shipped me the one tyre free, even though it now fell under the free shipping amount.

Anyway, the main issue I have had is product availability messing up the ability to get the free shipping threshold. On Bike24, you don't have to pad out your order just to avoid paying the extra for shipping.

Here is one large glaring example of extra cost. I just bought an Ultegra R8020 Shift Set, with the R8070 Calipers and all the cables.

Wiggle for just the Shifters ($1,026.49): http://www.this link is broken/shimano-ultegra ... -shifters/ plus another $180 for the Calipers (http://www.this link is broken/shimano-ultegra ... per-front/ + http://www.this link is broken/shimano-ultegra ... iper-rear/ )

Bike24 for the whole kit including shipping (482EUR/$AUD758): https://www.bike24.de/1.php?content=8;p ... 2%5D=22614
So, that is a Wiggle/Bike24 Price difference of $448. That is not just a couple of dollars difference.

In Actual Fact,. BikeBug locally has the Shifters on their own for $699 (http://www.bikebug.com/shimano-ultegra- ... 75665.html), undercutting Wiggle by $327. However, BikeBug still sells the Calipers for $90 each (same as Wiggle), so it was still cheaper to source the whole kit from Bike24, with the shipping included for a lesser saving of $140. That also ignores that when I bought the shifters, BikeBug didn't stock them.

Of course, if the items you are looking for can only be sourced from places like Bike24 or Wiggle, it is a no brainer, if you need to buy DT Swiss Aero Spokes inidividually for a wheel build, and pair that with a particular hub, or you want a DynoHub...good luck getting those from Wiggle or c r c.

Wiggle & c r c used to be my main stores, but both have fallen out of favour with other options.

I mainly just buy mainsteam consumable items like Shimano 11 spd drivetrain components (chains, cassettes, brake blocks etc) and GP4000S tyres, spare tubes (Wiggle Lifeline are pretty cheap) and the occasional Di2 upgrade bits and usually only spendaround $100 an order. Not into dynamo hubs or buying spare spokes - mine are Shimano specific and only broken 1 in ~10 years.

I dislike the way B24 lists prices in Euro, not AU$ so you have to convert it, but that all goes out the window when you actually buy it because they use a different exchange rate, plus if you pay using CC the bank stings me with foreign currency transaction fees.

Why is mechanical so expensive, you can get Di2 11spd hydro levers, discs, caliper and hoses for <$500 from Ribble?
I could of sold you a lightlly used BR-RS785 Hydraulic levers and calipers (with hoses) for a good price, I'm upgrading to Di2.

[queequeg]

I mainly just buy mainsteam consumable items like Shimano 11 spd drivetrain components (chains, cassettes, brake blocks etc) and GP4000S tyres, spare tubes (Wiggle Lifeline are pretty cheap) and the occasional Di2 upgrade bits and usually only spendaround $100 an order. Not into dynamo hubs or buying spare spokes - mine are Shimano specific and only broken 1 in ~10 years.

I dislike the way B24 lists prices in Euro, not AU$ so you have to convert it, but that all goes out the window when you actually buy it because they use a different exchange rate, plus if you pay using CC the bank stings me with foreign currency transaction fees.

Why is mechanical so expensive, you can get Di2 11spd hydro levers, discs, caliper and hoses for <$500 from Ribble?
I could of sold you a lightlly used BR-RS785 Hydraulic levers and calipers (with hoses) for a good price, I'm upgrading to Di2.

I don’t make a habit of ordering things like hubs etc, but I just rebuilt my commuter bike wheels onto wider rims. I got the rims from Wiggle, but they didn’t sell spokes. I got 80 spokes from Bike24, along with the matching nipples. Local cost for spokes was something stupid like $10 each. bike24 cost was $3. As a commuter I have broken a lot of spokes. I keep extra spikes of each length when I do a build to save on having to source one spoke when I break one.

The EUR to AUD conversion is 2 seconds. Just go to google and type “20eur in Aud”...done. My CC does not have any annual fee, no conversion charges and no overseas transaction fees. 28degrees MasterCard, which I use for all online shopping.

I went mechanical/hydro instead of Di2 because the bike it is going in is for ultra endurance all terrain and I wanted to keep it simple. For every person who says the batteries will last forever, I have ridden with just as many others on Di2 that have been stuck in one gear because their battery went flat mid-ride. The frame set is fully compatible if I want to go Di2 at a later stage. If I wanted non-series levers, sure, I could have got them cheap. Just quietly, I am also concerned that if I make one bike do Di2, it will start the slippery slope to upgrading my other 3 bikes...and that is a battle I won’t win with my wife (yet)

[Ross]

Have bought a few things from http://www.letour.com.au at very good prices. However they also have great after sales service, a pannier rack I purchased in May 2017 snapped a mounting stay in February 2018 and they replaced the whole pannier rack straight away.

I've also used these guys a bit, quite good in terms of their online, but the markup in-store for the same item was obscene. Good online experience though.

So, same as Pushys then...

Ordered some stuff from Wiggle and PBK on Saturday. Got an email from Wiggle on Sunday saying it was picked and packed and on it's way. Package arrived Thursday.

PBK sent me an email on Tuesday saying it was picked and packed and on it's way. Package arrived the following Tuesday.

So great service from Wiggle and not quite as good but not terrible service from PBK. Interestingly the PBK package had a sent from address on the parcel listed as The Hut Group PO Box 6493 Alexandria NSW.

[jasonc]

Wiggle ordered Tuesday morning. Arrived Friday morning

[chriso_29er]

Was pretty happy with my first Bikebug order.
Ultegra pedals at a great price (on par with wiggle), ordered late night Thursday, arrived in Melbourne lunchtime on Monday.

[Paul B]

I was very happy in getting a set of Enve wheels from Pedals Plus. Ben the owner was very good to deal with. The freight experience was less than ideal..... but overall, a great buy. I would definitely buy from Pedals Plus again.

[Arbuckle23]

Pushys again for great service.
Ordered a Wahoo Kickr Core Wednesday last week
It was in Melbourne Friday morning, but couldn't be delivered as a public holiday of course.
First thing Monday it was delivered.

I had noted three months free Zwift promoted on their website a couple of days before I ordered, the offer expired September 30.
When I opened the box, no voucher. Emailed and asked about this, was advised that I should have got a pop up on checkout. When I said that didn't happen, they emailed me the promo code to enter.
Now got my three months free Zwift

[g-boaf]

I'll give a shout out to Rapha in Sydney for great customer service - and a sad farewell for they are closing very soon.

[MichaelB]

Gotta give a huge cheer to Duncan from DIYMTB.

Great service in helping me with a BB (and tools) to put my 386EVO crank in the BB30 frame.

Super helpful and helped me get the order in and on my desk by the next day, and to top it off, it was cheaper than the RRP.

Triple win !!!

[Dave_C]

Ordered some bar tape - Retro cotton from SCV Imports yesterday at 1240pm. Delivered "standard parcel" 10am today ( Central Coast to Sydney Suburbs. Quicker than orders from Bikebug

Thanks SCV

[cyclotaur]

Ordered some bar tape - Retro cotton from SCV Imports yesterday at 1240pm. Delivered "standard parcel" 10am today ( Central Coast to Sydney Suburbs. Quicker than orders from Bikebug

Thanks SCV

No problems with Bikebug here.

Ordered new shoes middle of long weekend, arrived Thursday.

[Dave_C]

Didn't say I had issue with Bikebug - They are quick but this was even quicker

[borat]

i thought you couldn't order from SCV directly?

[P!N20]

This was a great shopping experience thanks to MichaelB who picked up and posted this Concor saddle for me:



Thanks Michael!

[MichaelB]

This was a great shopping experience thanks to MichaelB who picked up and posted this Concor saddle for me:



Thanks Michael!

[10speedsemiracer]

This post is appropriate here, in terms of "As opposed to the Great Shopping Experiences listed in this thread, I had a terrible experience at an LBS which is sort of close to me. I needed a couple of 272mm spokes fairly quick, not worth an online and I had nothing suitable in the stash. Ring my mate who has his own shop (Indie) but he was 5mins away from locking the doors and jumping into his car for an MTB holiday, and didn't have anything close in size and I wasn't about to ask him to chop some up for me.

Ring an LBS a short drive away, which I'd been to once before, just to buy a tube (expensive but tolerable). They were 20mins away from closing but said they'd be happy to cut some up for me. I asked for 3, gave them the details and said I'd be 10mins. Get there in 8, roller doors are partially closed but there are people inside. I roll up the door, climb under and close the door again. So I'm thinking, while they chase the threads on the spokes, I'd grab some rim tape and tubes. I mean, how bad can it be? Then I spy a BB lockring tool which I need as I can't find mine. $15, that's fine.

Up to the counter, 2 Tioga tubes, pack of rim tape (BBB) a lockring tool (BBB) and then the 3 spokes. They tried me on for nearly $80....working thru the prices they're charging $15 for the tubes...each.

The Boss, the boss mind you, picks up the lockring tool and says

what the hell is this for?

. I'm speechless by this point. I put the tubes back on the shelf mid-transaction, which prompted

you won't find them any cheaper

I declined to get into this as the exact same tube is available from other Aus sellers for $5.99 per. Did mention that I had bought the exact same thing from them in Sep for $9.99, but somehow it's now $15....(I even thought $9.99 was a bit rude, but $15 is disgusting).

I query the total price, turns out they're trying $20 for the lockring tool (despite being marked as $14.99) and $20 for rim tape. This exact same rim tape is available for $6.99 from Aus OLS and I could handle $10, maybe $12, but $20 is just rude.

But I give them their $41, grab my motley collection of bits and leave. I'm not going to name the place publicly, but those in the Eastern Subs of Melbourne who want to know which shop to avoid, PM me.

I'm still pissed off, and the spokes aren't even for one of my bikes !

[metalrideroz]

Super fast dispatch from http://www.gkasportsstore.com.au/ . Would use again.

[twowheels]

Needed new cones for a hub rebuild, bought four so I have a spare pair. Found Velogear now have free shipping on all orders, no minimum spend. Great way to compete with overseas online. Delivery was fast too.