Oroluk Lagoon

UPDATE: We are now back in Mexico.

We were told by our immigration agent that it would be expensive if we brought new bikes in by plane. However, if we had brought them down on an RV or car we PROBABLY wouldn't have been charged very much if anything, especially since we have permanent visas.

In the end we opted to buy bikes down here. We bought a Trek 4300 for me and a Trek 3700 for my wife at a LBS here in Puerto Vallarta. We had to pay a premium over what they would have cost in the states. I figured that if I took the online retail price of the bike in the States and to that added the duty (about 17%) plus $50 for shipping it came out almost even with what I paid for the bikes down here, especially if I throw in Washington State sales tax on the purchase of the bikes in the States.

So, it would seem that we avoided the hassle and uncertainties associated with shipping bikes down here by buying them here. Plus, we established a relationship with the LBS, which is worth something. Another factor is that we might have bought the wrong kind of bike. I was originally thinking of getting a road bike but once I got down here I realized that only a minority of the roads are suitable for road bikes. There's a lot of cobblestone, pot holes, dirt roads, gravel roads etc. that you need or want to take in addition to the paved roads. A mountain bike just gives you more flexibility as to where you can ride.

As to why the bikes cost more here....bikes like Trek and Specialized are imported to the US from Taiwan. These probably went to a distributor in Texas. They were then purchased by a Mexican distributor in Monterrey. And finally, the LBS bought the bikes from the Monterrey distributor. You can imagine the profit-taking at each transaction. There are other lesser known brands of bikes here for less money, but as we know you usually get what you pay for.