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HELP!!! I'm stuck with something
Right, let me outline this a little and see who can chip in with advice for me 
I spied a new bike that I REALLY liked the look of, after a bit of searching I found out all the details and looked for stockists, unsurprisingly for a bike I'd never heard of, there were only US and Canadian dealers, so in my infinite wisdom I went straight to source and contacted the manufacturer. This is where it gets a bit complicated.
So after a dialogue of emails back and forth, I've figured out they have NONE of their bikes anywhere outside of the US and Canada, BUT they are looking to expand into the UK and Europe, So to be cheeky and maybe grab myself a discount, I offered, if upon purchase of a bike, if they contacted retailers/dealers who might wish to have a look at and potentially stock their bike/brand, then I'd happily within reason travel with my bike to show interested parties.
So having received an email not that long ago and getting prices and spec's, I really cant refuse the chance of getting 25% off Industry Pro Deal they are offering me.
My problem now comes regarding shipping, I've entered the weight and dimensions into various websites who could ship it for me, but getting at best around the £500-600 mark for shipping, although even with that amount of shipping, I'm still grabbing a bargain price, But after looking at flights (return) to the US, I can do it cheaper myself, flight from Aberdeen - London - America comes in at £400 odd return.
The help I'm asking for are just a few tips/suggestions about this all
1. If I ship it via a courier, I'm guessing there is a good chance of getting stung with import duty, because its a high value item, I would want it declared for shipping insurance.
2. If I travel to the US personally to collect my bike, say with an empty bike box (hiring or buying something like this http://bikeboxalan.co.uk/) Then packing it up and flying home with it, would I be able to avoid import duty?
3. The way I see it, flying over and collecting it, I could gain a lot more knowledge if in the future they ever wanted me to show the bike to any potential clients and OF COURSE, my first port of call when getting back in the UK, would be to Road.cc HQ to let you have a look/ride and review the bike, giving you the jump and exclusive scoop on this new bike.
So any helpful tips and ideas would be gratefully received because I'm stuck as to what to do, Dave if your reading this, its regarding the bike I sent you a PM about.
If you're new please join in and if you have questions pop them below and the forum regulars will answer as best we can.
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40 comments
Oh boy,
Yes, i got A bike delivered, it didn't even make it out of its box though (which is a really nice travel box)
I went with the Dura-Ace set up and some carbon rims
I got sent a Rival set up with alloy rims
So i looked in the box and it looked sweet, but i dont want a Rival set up, so it went back on an RAF flight two days later, got a refund, but still working out how to get the Dura, Also, it came through "custom's" with no problems
Threads gone a bit quiet and I was looking forward to seeing how it worked out.
Have you sorted the delivery yet Gkam?
Which perhaps explains why it looks a lot like the roubaix...
Yeah the guys are in a court case because they are ex specialized employee's who came up with the idea while working for them
Only half like a Specialized according to the judge...
I'm lead to believe that Dizzee Rascal funded the early part of his career by buying cheap electronic and music gear in the states and flogging it on when he got back home.
And look where he's ended up.
looks not dissimilar in approach to the Spesh Roubaix (albeit with disc brakes). They seem to do ok as a race bike...
Certainly wouldn't go to the trouble for something that looks that dull! I'm disappointed Gkam
Oh I thought it was a race bike... think I'd rather have a chopper!
It is a race bike
and dull?? its certainly not that
btw, GKam, is it one of these?
http://volagi.com/bikes
Interested to hear your thoughts on the ride - they certainly look like an interesting bunch.
Also interested to know if they really are manufactured in the US - that sort of manufacturing is expensive there compared with the Far East, but the bikes don't seem unreasonably priced. Doesn't seem to say on the site where they are manufactured, but you mentioned you were going to the factory?
Maybe its my age, but i had to google him
Yeah its a Volagi, I'll let you know what i think when i get my hands on it
After alot of emails and when i was going to be over, i was offered a tour of the warehouse/factory, i think the frames are made in-house but not 100% i'm just going on what i've been told and as there is nothing to say otherwise
Also f1 cars made in england yes but the same people are not making bycycles.If they were the cost would be £100000 per frame.Tipical ripp off Britian.
You missing the point. Lance would pass any of us on a chopper.Like i say its not about the bike its the man pushing on the pedals thrust me.
Oh dear. Someone *had* to bring up Lance's chopper...
Well, he's missing the point if he just wants to go fast. Or maybe not, since Lance wouldn't have won the TdF on a chopper - the bike does make some difference. An awesome bike won't make a nag into a racehorse, but it will make a nag slightly faster than a less awesome bike.
The thing is, it isn't always about going faster - it's about having more fun and (forgive my capitalist society ideals) about owning something lovely and taking pride in it. A lovely ride quality makes riding more fun. And you can debate the rights or wrongs of wanting to own something special, but it gives some people pleasure to own something interesting and unusual. So for those purposes, it's ALL about the bike.
Getting visions of Rick Mayall in Blackadder. Nice.
The UK has a great history with carbon fibre lately, although it many not be in bikes, its certainly in F1, just look at the best car of the last few years, the Red Bull, based in Milton Keynes
The aircrafts that are built here are starting be use more and more of it.
The general cars that are being built with carbon in them aswell in the UK and the US
One last thing to add.........twatwaffle
Yeah it is about the bike, without a bike, i'm not a cyclist
70% of all bikes are made in the far east and the best carbon manufacture is in Japan.just buy a 2011 sale bike already.At the end of the day as Lance said its not about the bike.
As much as i'd love to get something from the UK, nothing compares to this
Fully Carbon (apart from the wheels, as i wasn't paying stupid money to have them), Fully Dura Ace (carbon levers) and Disc brakes
A). I'll have you know that Britain is set to become world leaders in composite technology very soon, billions are being spent
B). Have you actually read Lance's book
C). I'm not trying to be rude, but it CLEARLY is all about the bike, as set out in velominati rule number #4
http://www.velominati.com/blog/the-rules/
Forget everything above, I've just been on the phone to my mum, her mate in the RAF has just been awarded an OBE for something or other, so he's got to fly back to collect it and He's based not far from where I would be going to collect.
So after the phone call, my mum called over there, Sorted, he can take it over and for some reason they avoid custom's altogether on RAF flights?
Didn't Frank Lucas do something like that?
Did you pack the bag yourself, sir? And are you carrying any explosives... oh.
Hmmm its something to look into i suppose.
I always wondered if sponsored riders, who are given a bike by a company had to pay import duty at all, but then i looked at the rules on gift's and thought they may still have to pay, don't know how that works either
But there's no UK importer/vendor...so that's why it's a 'sample'...???
Can't you say that it's a 'prototype' or'sample' and that you are interested in it's marketability in the UK???
There's something in the HM customs website regarding this...
Thats actually quite a good idea, IF the brand wasn't on sale in America already and the bike will have logo's on it.
Would work a treat for a plain carbon frame or something like that though
There's a high probability that the bike is made in the Far East so why the need to go for all the effort? When you factor in duty and vat, it's just not worth the hassle IME.
My experience is that HM Customs are pretty strict on goods from the US but stuff from China (probably due to higher volumes) often comes straight through. I recently received a consignment of 3 custom titanium frames from China and paid zero vat and duty
Considering you don't even know the make, how can you say "There's a high probability that the bike is made in the Far East"
I guess you didn't read my starting post, the manufacturer is where I'm going to collect the bike from, in the US, nothing to do with the far east. Basically i'd be collecting it straight from the factory.
Vat and Duty is the same, no matter where things come from outside of the EU, its to do with the value of the items and what they are, not where they come from
I'm not a betting man, but I think he'll take a chance on big Bubba
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