Mountain Biking - canadian mail order

i want to get levers, but shipping is a *****... and customs... any good canadian bike mail orders?

i want to get levers, but shipping is a *****... and customs... any good canadian bike mail orders?

If it's just brake levers, shipping will always kill you. Going to your LBS might be the best bet. Otherwise go visit the closest Mountain Equipment Coop store or call them and ask them if they have some. I found my MEC sell a lot more components than what is listed in the print catalogue or online. I know they ship and for a reasonable price so maybe by calling them and getting the part number from them you can then call the 1-800 order line and place the order to have it shipped to you.

Otherwise, PricePoint is the best US shipping option as they ship via USPS so that means you will pay "only" GST/PST + $5 handling fee by Canada Post.

Did you decide between the BB5 or BB7? If you stlil haven't bought them yet then I recommend you put the order together and the shipping charge will be less of an impact.

i want bb7's, decided my lbs wasn't worth supporting. i'm still trying to raise funds for the BB7, so right now it's still a no-go. i'm upgrading (not by much) my shifter and lever setup to Alivio's (possibly courtesy of Raiyn) and speed dial 7's (possibly from PP, it's got the best price so far)

you could always risk www.bikeroom.com It the only one that competes with american stores for us. I had a few problems early this season but they supposedly changed ownership a couple of week ago. Might make a big difference.

I got some stuff from them recently, went well for me.

Pricepoint or bikeroom?

you could always risk www.bikeroom.com It the only one that competes with american stores for us. I had a few problems early this season but they supposedly changed ownership a couple of week ago. Might make a big difference.
i had some problems with them the last couple orders i made with them also. i'm kind of iffy about ordering again... i'm still kind of waiting to hear from others if their service has gotten better.

oh my god. their prices are stupid.

i might as well get the levers from pricepoint.

oh my god. their prices are stupid.

i might as well get the levers from pricepoint.


Elaborate, what prices are you getting from both places? What product? Have you considered eBay?

i won't consider ebay. 34.98 for Avid SD7's at PP, 65 at that canadian place.

Brauns.com is the best Canadian I've found.

brauns... heard of it, i think ill try.

just went, i find it sucked.

1 Minute between those two posts. You must have really scoured that site for all it's worth in that amount of time.

i found what i wanted. 100 bucks.

Ok. Try this.

http://www.bikecanada.com/list.php?prod=brake%20levers

Much cheaper but I've never ordered from them. Avid 7's right?

Holy crap brauns is expensive.

they're stil 62 unshipped. i might as well go american for about the same SHIPPED.

i won't consider ebay. 34.98 for Avid SD7's at PP, 65 at that canadian place.

You're too quick to judge. Take the time to properly evaluate this.

PricePoint
Avid SD7: $34.98 USD @ 1.20 exchange rate = 41.98 CAD
Shipping: $15.48 USD @ 1.20 exchange rate = 18.58 CAD
Mandator Insurance: $1.25 USD @ 1.20 exchange rate = 1.50 CAD

GST/PST on Avid SD7: 41.98 * 15% (assuming Ontario) = 6.30 CAD
Canada Post handling fee: $5.00 CAD

PricePoint Total: 73.36 CAD


Bikeroom
Avid SD7: $64.62 CAD
Shipping: $9.58 CAD

Only GST would get charged to you since they are based in B.C.:
GST on Levers: 64.62 * 7% = 4.52 CAD
GST on shipping: 9.58 * 7% = 0.67

Bikeroom Total: 79.37 CAD

It's only a $6 difference but you would likely get it much quicker than the PricePoint order and it is in Canadian dollars. The flip side is that I assumed 1.20 exchange rate but it likely is a couple of basis points lower so a 2% difference may be larger.

I think you should order it from BikeRoom that way you can report back to us on whether or not it's safe to shop from them again. :D

ah but i'm not too keen on being your guinea pig :P
there was also soemthing else i wanted to buy simply for its bling factor...

avid rollamajig

:D

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/11296-108_AVDRG8-0-Search--/Avid-Rollamajig---Derailleur-Cable-Device.htm

that thing looks so cool :D

ah but i'm not too keen on being your guinea pig :P
there was also soemthing else i wanted to buy simply for its bling factor...

avid rollamajig

:D

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/11296-108_AVDRG8-0-Search--/Avid-Rollamajig---Derailleur-Cable-Device.htm

that thing looks so cool :D

Report back on how the Rollamajig works. Although I would like to hear from others what their opinion is.

Your homework is to provide the same analysis I did but from BikeCanada using the link nodnerb provided.

I still think you should try out BikeRoom. Look, you won't get screwed - the worst that happended to me was that I had to call back and cancel the order because it was taking too long, they never even charged the credit card.

well i would but they dont have the rollamajig.

well i would but they dont have the rollamajig.

BikeRoom Rollamajig (http://www.bikeroom.com/items.asp?CartId={6A91A65E-F779-4F13-AD5A-17EF501483B3**&Cc=1217&Tp=)

Now go get your credit card.

yes sir!

once my brother gets home.

I ordered from Bikeroom and had a lousy experience. I placed my order for a Kalloy seatpost, SRAM 9.0 front brake and a Spot spacer kit in late July. Weeks go by... I send a few e-mails and leave a voicemail, but don't get a response. It's late August and I haven't seen any parts or anything, but hey - they've charged my Visa! I logged in to check my order and they have shipped the seatpost and brake, but they have charged me for the entire order cost, less $0.01. The post and brake arrive, and the brake is the lower-end 7.0 model. WTF?!?!? I called several times and sent an e-mail but didn't get a response. Then the Spot spacer finally shows up mid-September. More calls to Bikeroom, but their VM is full. So, I'm out around $12, and didn't get the part I ordered. I'll try calling again, but I'm not optimistic.

okay so no bikeroom then?

Report back on how the Rollamajig works. Although I would like to hear from others what their opinion is.
I used the Rollamajig for about 5 years. It worked pretty well on the old XT ders with the "light-action" spring. The light spring wasn't able to overcome the friction of the cable housing, so shifting was sucky. The Rollamajig fixed that. However, the newer Shimano ders have much stronger springs, and as long as the cable housing is the right length, it shifts fine even when dirty. If you don't want to spend the money on a Rollamajig, just get your LBS to cut a fresh piece of housing for you. It should be no more than $5, even with the little metal end caps.

okay so no bikeroom then?
If they've changed ownership, then maybe, but I would need to see their customer service make a quantum improvement. For the time being I'll be shopping elsewhere...

If they've changed ownership, then maybe, but I would need to see their customer service make a quantum improvement. For the time being I'll be shopping elsewhere...


Shhhh!

We're trying to convince RevMonkey to test BikeRoom for the rest of us. :roflmao:

If they've changed ownership, then maybe, but I would need to see their customer service make a quantum improvement. For the time being I'll be shopping elsewhere...

They have changed ownership. Well sort of. David still owns it, but it now have no holding from airbomb and has 2 new partners I think. I have 100$ set aside that I intend to use as a test. I will pull the trigger shortly, I just need something to buy that is non critical. I will work my way back up. Its been his loss, I am a 3 to 5000$ a year customer that he chased away with a 50$ mistake. I was willing to absorb the mistake but was warry to use him.

I will post a review of how it goes, I have received 2+ years of decent service and great pricing from bikeroom. This year, by their own admission, has been a rough one for them.

Pricepoint or bikeroom?

Sorry...it was Bikeroom. I got X.9 shifters and rear derailleur, and a Race Face crankset. After shipping and exchange, the parts came in a little less than they would have from Pricepoint. The shifters and derailleur were in stock and I got them within the week. The crankset had to be ordered in and I got them within a couple of weeks. I wasn't in a rush for the parts and I knew the crank wasn't in stock.

If I was in a huge rush, I would probably would look at other suppliers. And for pricing, it depends on the part, some of their prices are better, some are similar, others are high. I'll selectively order from them. I'll likely get some stainless Eggbeaters from them next spring....Pricepoint has them for $110US and Bikeroom has them for $111CDN...I don't mind waiting at that price difference.

Sorry...it was Bikeroom. I got X.9 shifters and rear derailleur, and a Race Face crankset. After shipping and exchange, the parts came in a little less than they would have from Pricepoint. The shifters and derailleur were in stock and I got them within the week. The crankset had to be ordered in and I got them within a couple of weeks. I wasn't in a rush for the parts and I knew the crank wasn't in stock.

If I was in a huge rush, I would probably would look at other suppliers. And for pricing, it depends on the part, some of their prices are better, some are similar, others are high. I'll selectively order from them. I'll likely get some stainless Eggbeaters from them next spring....Pricepoint has them for $110US and Bikeroom has them for $111CDN...I don't mind waiting at that price difference.

I agree. And when I ordered for the past few years, waiting wasn't the problem. Although at 3months when I received the wrong order which they wouldn't/couldn't correct, I did get frustrated. I was a huge advocate for this company. I intend to try them again, I love giving a fighting chance to a semi local shop/dealer and really sticking it to the middle man at norco.

. . . I love giving a fighting chance to a semi local shop/dealer and really sticking it to the middle man at norco.

The more I learn about the bike industry, the more I realize that it isn't PricePoint that is to blame for our LBS pricing problems. It's more the Norcos that are the issue. Is BikeRoom buying stuff directly from the manufacturers bypassing the national distributors?

The more I learn about the bike industry, the more I realize that it isn't PricePoint that is to blame for our LBS pricing problems. It's more the Norcos that are the issue. Is BikeRoom buying stuff directly from the manufacturers bypassing the national distributors?

Yes. Or they were (not sure with new ownership) Thats why everything is like 40% off the price at the lbs. The lbs, unfortunately, is getting killed by Norco and other distros. In the states the pattern is (sort of)

Manu -> distro -> lbs

In canada

Manu -> distro (states) -> distro (canada) -> lbs (this is sometimes the case which is why some thngs seem absolutely ridiculously priced. I swear this is how marz works. The price different in forks is atrocious)

One thing to keep in mind is when buying from bikeroom, warranty may be tough to fill. Thats generally a sacrifice I accept. There are only two things I warranty, fork and frame. Everything else usually breaks due to me being dumb or the terrain here killing it (I go through deraileurs and hangers like I go through steak)

Yes. Or they were (not sure with new ownership) Thats why everything is like 40% off the price at the lbs. The lbs, unfortunately, is getting killed by Norco and other distros. In the states the pattern is (sort of)

Manu -> distro -> lbs

In canada

Manu -> distro (states) -> distro (canada) -> lbs (this is sometimes the case which is why some thngs seem absolutely ridiculously priced. I swear this is how marz works. The price different in forks is atrocious)

One thing to keep in mind is when buying from bikeroom, warranty may be tough to fill. Thats generally a sacrifice I accept. There are only two things I warranty, fork and frame. Everything else usually breaks due to me being dumb or the terrain here killing it (I go through deraileurs and hangers like I go through steak)


Thanks for the info. I actually wonder if there's another level in Canada:
Manu -> distro (states) -> distro (canada - national) -> distro (canada - regional) -> lbs

I know my LBS talks to local reps of the national distributors and I wouldn't be surprised if there is a soft, internal makrup going from national office to regional.

Well that just sucks even more. And now that I think about it you may be right.

Well I can tell you Bikeroom hasn't improved. I ordered a wheelset from there a at least a few months ago. I even posted about it casue it was such a good deal. I e-mailed and phoned several times and the voicemail was always full on every extension they had(this is over the course of several months) and never got an e-mail reply. Only took about a week for them to take my money though. THe wheels were supposed to ship in 2-5 days not 2-5 months. Just yesterday I got a call from them saying the wheelsets are finally in and he was calling everyone to see if they still want the wheelset. Having already bought a wheelset cause I actually wanted to ride this summer, I cancelled my order. From what I'm hearing here, this is the kind of service they provide so it'll be the last time I even consider using them. Now I jsut have to see if they actually credit my card.
There is nothing worse than giving money to a company that doesn't answer e-mails etc. I gave them my money and it looked as if they dropped off the face of the earth. They need to learn to be a real company and offer at least *some* customer support. I was actually in the process of disputing the transaction with Mastercard becasue I hadn't heard one word from them since they promptly took my money. THe site is great, good prices and parts, but literally non existant customer support. I would have been totally happy with them saying, "it's backordered and will take a few months" rather than sitting waiting and wondering if I'll ever get my parts or if they are even still in business.

that settles it then. bikeroom = bikepoo

thats not good, I was just thinking of ordering a new rear derailler and pedals......still thinking though....i'll decide tonight...their price on egg beater sl's are just too hard to beat (plus I bent my rear der :( )

you ordered your wheelset around the time i made my own order. i've already gotten my stuff... it took a really long time, but dave replied to a couple of my emails letting me know when the stuff was coming.

the "ownership change" occurred after our orders were placed, so they might be in the process of fixing a bunch of the crap that's gone on before that, so i wouldn't completely rule them out yet.

i'm considering making an order soon... just want to hear some feedback on people who've ordered stuff since the change. i need to get myself a dirtlid, a new chain and some other small bits and parts... so we'll see.

Well I can tell you Bikeroom hasn't improved. I ordered a wheelset from there a at least a few months ago. I even posted about it casue it was such a good deal. I e-mailed and phoned several times and the voicemail was always full on every extension they had(this is over the course of several months) and never got an e-mail reply. Only took about a week for them to take my money though. THe wheels were supposed to ship in 2-5 days not 2-5 months. Just yesterday I got a call from them saying the wheelsets are finally in and he was calling everyone to see if they still want the wheelset. Having already bought a wheelset cause I actually wanted to ride this summer, I cancelled my order. From what I'm hearing here, this is the kind of service they provide so it'll be the last time I even consider using them. Now I jsut have to see if they actually credit my card.
There is nothing worse than giving money to a company that doesn't answer e-mails etc. I gave them my money and it looked as if they dropped off the face of the earth. They need to learn to be a real company and offer at least *some* customer support. I was actually in the process of disputing the transaction with Mastercard becasue I hadn't heard one word from them since they promptly took my money. THe site is great, good prices and parts, but literally non existant customer support. I would have been totally happy with them saying, "it's backordered and will take a few months" rather than sitting waiting and wondering if I'll ever get my parts or if they are even still in business.

They only changed hands 2 weeks ago. So this still falls under the same complaints I had had.

I might try them again if that's the case. But I will make sure to only order if I do it by phone and make sure the parts are in stock.

ok, I think i'm going to give them a try.....i'm going to order some egg beater sl's and either an x-7/x-9/x-9 medium derailler (got another thread going so as not to hijack this one) either today or Monday. I guess i'll be the guinea pig, haha.

As an aside, I used to work in a shop many moons ago, and I recall my astonishment at "Keystone pricing". 100% markup on just about any individual part, even gruppos and softgoods. There is a certain amount of collusion between shops that they will all sell their parts at the max price. I don't recall there being markup between the nat'l Canadian distributor and the regional reps, since all the ordering is done out of catalogs produced at the national level. The reps get paid commission on whatever the shops order in the pre-season and regular season. Frame and fork markup is a little different, but still pretty nasty, all things considered.
Whole bikes are where things change considerably. Low end bikes have little markup, but the markup increases as the bike gets more expensive. Low end markup could be as low as 20%, while markup on a $6000 8" travel huck machine is more like 100%. Oh, and feel free to negotiate hard when buying your next full-susp bike. All other things being equal, your average fs bike costs quite a bit more than it should, compared to a similarly equipped hardtail. I calculated a difference of around $600 on a top-end 2004 Fuel, even considering the rear shock. Since the tubeset, links and pivots cost maybe an extra $50 in materials, the consumer is being taken advantage of to a certain extent. This difference in price is least at the big brands [Spec., Trek, Giant, etc.] and greatest with the smaller mfrs., who need to recoup their development costs quickly.

OK, hijack over. If you're not concerned with supporting Canadian companies, and want the best price possible, order from the US. With our dollar at a 13-year high, prices are about as good as I have ever seen. I'm going on a biking road trip to the states next week, and I plan to take advantage of Washington's "no sales tax for non-residents" policy. Clothing and hard-to-find parts [e.g. Chris King hubset = $900+ at LBS, $525 MSRP in the US] are the order of the day.

For those of us on the right coast, New Hampshire is a short drive south of Montreal (2-3 hours max) and is a sales-tax free state. I went through it on my way to Maine this past summer and found a Pearl Izumi factory outlet. If I had properly planned, I would have looked for a proper bike shop.

BTW, the Chris King hubset is $509 USD over at Speedgoat.com, at least the pink one is.

BTW, the Chris King hubset is $509 USD over at Speedgoat.com, at least the pink one is.Exactly my point. Somewhere between the US distributor and my LBS, an extra $300-400 is being tacked on to the price of those hubs. Speedgoat also has the CK pink headset for $129, whereas my LBS quoted me $450. :eek: WTFOMGHI2U! I'm feeling a gouging sensation...

Exactly my point. Somewhere between the US distributor and my LBS, an extra $300-400 is being tacked on to the price of those hubs. Speedgoat also has the CK pink headset for $129, whereas my LBS quoted me $450. :eek: WTFOMGHI2U! I'm feeling a gouging sensation...

Furthermore, SpeedGoat is not a grey market seller. Everything they sell is legit, coming from U.S. distributors or at least they have real warranties. $450CAD? Who buys locally? Are there people really going to drop that kind of money without researching alternatives?

[QUOTE=pinkrobe]As an aside, I used to work in a shop many moons ago, and I recall my astonishment at "Keystone pricing". 100% markup on just about any individual part, even gruppos and softgoods. There is a certain amount of collusion between shops that they will all sell their parts at the max price. I don't recall there being markup between the nat'l Canadian distributor and the regional reps, since all the ordering is done out of catalogs produced at the national level. The reps get paid commission on whatever the shops order in the pre-season and regular season. Frame and fork markup is a little different, but still pretty nasty, all things considered.
Whole bikes are where things change considerably. Low end bikes have little markup, but the markup increases as the bike gets more expensive. Low end markup could be as low as 20%, while markup on a $6000 8" travel huck machine is more like 100%. Oh, and feel free to negotiate hard when buying your next full-susp bike. All other things being equal, your average fs bike costs quite a bit more than it should, compared to a similarly equipped hardtail. I calculated a difference of around $600 on a top-end 2004 Fuel, even considering the rear shock. Since the tubeset, links and pivots cost maybe an extra $50 in materials, the consumer is being taken advantage of to a certain extent. This difference in price is least at the big brands [Spec., Trek, Giant, etc.] and greatest with the smaller mfrs., who need to recoup their development costs quickly.


Actually, the biggest markup is on high end hardtails and low-end bikes. I saved over 50% when I got employee purchase on a hardtail, but a FS that retailed for the same price would have given me about 30% savings. Low end bikes and kids bikes the markup is the highest, really.

Actually, the biggest markup is on high end hardtails and low-end bikes. I saved over 50% when I got employee purchase on a hardtail, but a FS that retailed for the same price would have given me about 30% savings. Low end bikes and kids bikes the markup is the highest, really.
The markup on our craptacular Raleighs and Norcos was about $40 on a $350 bike, ~12% of retail, which was pretty low. We made our money by selling huge quantities and high-margin items like helmets, bells, spokey-dokes, etc. Comparing a HT and a FS at the same price point isn't what I was getting at. My bad. I should have said that in a given category, the more expensive the bike the more markup there is. A HT and a FS from the same company with similar components will retail for dissimilar $ and have dissimilar margins, just as a HT and a road bike would.

alright, a little update on bikeroom.com,

I decided to order there, called first but no answer, so I left a message. They called me back (good sign) and I asked about avaliability. 'Dave' (owner? very nice btw) told me that the pedals (eggbeater sl's) were in stock, but the rear der (I went with the sram x-9 medium cage) wouldn't be in until mid-week (they had some regular x-9's though). I opted to wait, as i'm going to be pretty busy this week, and he said i'll get them by early next week.

So, we'll see how this goes, I think it's gonna be alright.

I give a bump when I get them stuff, in case anyone is interested.

Oh yeah, 6$ shipping, 14$ tax (alberta)