pound vs euro when buying a new bike

[surfdude]

is it worth buying a new bike in Europe and getting it posted to here as the euro is so low at the moment . posting looks likely to be about £50 . i am after the Defy Advanced Pro 1 . looks like it might be about £600 cheaper than over here.
i may have got this wrong .
if anyone has brought one from Europe please let me know of any pitfalls to doing it

 

[PeteXXX]

Don't know about the exchange rate, but make sure the brakes are on the UK way round.

 

[twentysix by twentyfive]

Italian or English thread BB?

 

[Oldbloke]

a mate of mine bought a Giant Defy Adv Pro 1 3 weeks ago when visiting me in France, saved around £900.

I hasten to add that this was a promotion price at 20 percent discount.

Being envious I then bought a Propel Advanced 0 with di2 for the equivalent of £1650, £500 less than UK price.


So should be well worth paying out £50 postage....

 

[MarkF]

The saving gives you the opportunity to ride it back to the UK.

 

[postman]

The saving gives you the opportunity to ride it back to the UK.

That's if the French don't set fire to the tyres.

 

[gavroche]

but make sure the brakes are on the UK way round.

Also make sure the handlebars are for left hand drive for UK roads.

 

[nickyboy]

Just make sure that the price you are being quoted to purchase from mainland Europe is inclusive of their version of VAT. I presume you are not registered for VAT in the UK yourself so whoever is selling you the bike will be obliged to charge their version of VAT on it

Is the warranty transferrable around Europe? I seem to remember there is some EU legislation on this but there are plenty of instances of UK (for example) distributors trying not to honour warranty on products purchased elsewhere in the EU

 

[vernon]

I bought a hybrid from Decathlon in Orleans for £350 when the frame on my aged Galaxy broke and pedalled it back to England where I discovered it was for sale at £450.

Anything approaching its specification from other makers would have cost nearly double.

There were no hidden costs.

 

[Milkfloat]

Some places that officially supply the UK won't let you pay in Euro you have to pay in pounds. Canyon is one such example and they really stiff you on exchange rate. If you do find one that lets you pay in euro, consider how you will pay as you could get stiffed there too. I suggest the Halifax Clarity credit card as there is no fee or loaded exchange rate.

 

[Aperitif]

Don't know about the exchange rate, but make sure the brakes are on the UK way round.

 

[Dayvo]

If it's an Italian bike, make sure you get rid of the reverse gears.

 

[Globalti]

I've bought ski touring equipment at a very favourable price from a sports shop in France and there's no reason why you can't buy anything from anywhere in the EU. it is, after all a common market. I believe some people buy cycling stuff from German websites.

 

[vickster]

I recently bought some flat bar SRAM brakes and shifters from Germany at a favourable price (they may not have been available from any of the larger UK retailers). I'm not sure I'd buy a whole bike unless a very big saving just because of the potential hassle factor if there's a problem

Read the Ts & Cs of your credit card in terms of charges etc

 

[glasgowcyclist]

My bike isn't sold directly in the UK so I had to buy it from a German dealer. The dealer only accepted bank transfer or Paypal and after checking the charges for the first option I opted for Paypal as they gave a better exchange rate and didn't lump on a foreign transaction charge.

Only pitfall might be convenience of making a warranty claim.

GC