Originally Posted by
hueyhoolihan
it's possible that they have warehouses in the U.S.
or maybe some kind of mutual assistance contract(s) with another vendor(s) , possibly in the same state as the customer. if that's even legal
.
and maybe, say shimano, let's their clients (bike shops) order directly from them and THEY ship the item to their client's customer from the U.S. based warehouse.
No, I don't think so. The packages always arrive by US mail, not UPS or FedEx. They're put in the US mail after they've gone through US customs. ChainReaction calls themselves the world's largest online bike retailer. I don't think they would be running an illegal operation.
I have bought front and rear hydraulic disc brake sets twice from the UK. On both set the longer hose was on the left side, the shorter hose on the right side. In other words, right hand front brake, left hand rear brake, opposite of the US. Those brakes were for the UK market. All I had to do is swap the hoses, no big deal.
I know it sounds too good to be true but it is true. It's cheaper and gets here fast from the UK.
I took an interest in a Pashley Speed Guv'nor 3-Speed bike. $1043 from Evans Cycles in the UK, $1695 in the US. The Speed 5 is $1243 from Evans and is not available in the US.
The Speed 5 would be a sweet bike for an Eroica.
