What a Store!!!

[Gravity Aided]

I look through the ads on Craigslist every day to find one. There are many classics, but yet to find an English made Raleigh. I'm sure my search will pay off eventually. One thing I am is persistent.

Do you have a local bike co-op? One may be there. I see them every now and again, at the co-op I work at. I also know where there is a Rapide Mixte, in appalling condition. And an MTB, in depressing condition.

 

[Rockn Robin]

Also, CRC has free shipping on 50 USD or over purchases, and customs and excise taxes don't hit until 800 USD.

Yes. I paid $75.99 for the Cateye Volt 800 from CRC. But I opted for the $5 and change shipping to get it earlier (I felt a tad impetuous, HAHAHA). That same light sells for $129.95 on Amazon US. I will be shopping for my cycling needs from CRC, Wiggle and others on the links here in future. Even large online stores here like Bike Nashbar don't even carry that light, and as a matter of fact they don't have many Cateye headlights.

 

[Rockn Robin]

Do you have a local bike co-op? One may be there. I see them every now and again, at the co-op I work at. I also know where there is a Rapide Mixte, in appalling condition. And an MTB, in depressing condition.

We have a few bike co-op stores here, but nothing quite like CRC. There is a great online store called Bikes Direct. Great deals on bikes.

 

[Rockn Robin]

I regularly spend thousands at CRC...i then check my basket and remove the items.
Ive nearly owned so many nice bikes and components

Great shop for just about anything though they seem to be limited brand wise.

Steady the bus mate. HAHAHA! But it's so tempting isn't it.

 

[Dbt]

I have this love/hate relationship going on with CRC and wiggle, they take all my money, but I get some fab stuff in return. Just discovered their own make of dhb clothing. Great quality for the price, made in Romainia.

 

[Rockn Robin]

I have this love/hate relationship going on with CRC and wiggle, they take all my money, but I get some fab stuff in return. Just discovered their own make of dhb clothing. Great quality for the price, made in Romainia.

Love/hate. Good way of putting it. We love what we buy, but we hate parting with the money.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

Asia as a whole is now the world's bicycle factory, a huge quantity are built in Taiwan and to be fair, some of them are pretty decent quality. China is also a huge producer of bikes and bike components.

Back to the OP's comments on CRC, my personal experience of their service is very positive and they don't quibble about complaints and claims - like when some muppet Yodel delivery driver dumped my order in my front garden and half of it got nicked before I discovered it was there and took it indoors. They weren't even surprised, must happen all the time with Yodel then!

 

[Racing roadkill]

I often play wiggle and CRC off against each other, they should be the same, they often aren’t.

 

[Rockn Robin]

Asia as a whole is now the world's bicycle factory, a huge quantity are built in Taiwan and to be fair, some of them are pretty decent quality. China is also a huge producer of bikes and bike components.

Back to the OP's comments on CRC, my personal experience of their service is very positive and they don't quibble about complaints and claims - like when some muppet Yodel delivery driver dumped my order in my front garden and half of it got nicked before I discovered it was there and took it indoors. They weren't even surprised, must happen all the time with Yodel then!

Yes, I agree. The bikes coming out of Taiwan are excellent. Most of the well know brands are made there. China always gets a bad knock for things made there. But a lot of what comes from China is good quality. Case in point. I have a Fender Tele guitar from China, and I’ll put it against any US Fender that’s made in their California factory. Manufacturing and quality control is under the supervision of Fender. I’ve owned and played US made Teles and I find no difference in quality and sound with the model I have from China. Oh yes, there is one huge difference though, price. Players who prefer “Made in USA” on the label are after status. Besides, I remember the days when we used to poo poo things made in Japan. People referred to it as “Jap Crap.” Now one looks at Japanese products for quality. I have a 1993 Toyota Camry with 276000 miles on the odometer. It runs beautifully, and it came right out of the plant in Japan.

Things delivered and nicked. Shame isn’t it. I can track my orders from Amazon coming to my house online by their GPS system. I can see where the van is in relationship to my house, and the page refreshes every 10 seconds telling me how many deliveries my order is away. I can then watch for the van when it says it’s on it’s way. When they drop the parcel off, they take a photo, and that photo can be viewed on my order status. It’s a great system, especially if you are at home waiting. I’m thinking of putting cameras around the house just in case I’m not at home. That way if some low life scum bad decides to run off with my order, I’ll have him/her on video. It would be nice to have a recording play,”smile for the camera you idiot.” HAHAHA

 

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The problem with many Chinese Bicycles is that the hardware on them, nuts, bolts, etc, seem to be made of cream cheese. But I also find that the simpler the bicycle, the better with Chinese production. I don't buy much in the way of Chinese goods anymore , but that's for another thread.

 

[EasyPeez]

If you visit the stores via those links then Shaun (CycleChat founder/owner) gets a small commission for each order, which helps pay towards the cost of keeping the forum going

I never knew that, and I use CRC a few times a year on average. Thanks for pointing out.

Excise duties and patriotism aside, isn't there also something to be said for buying goods from within your own country for ecological reasons, rather than having items shipped around the world just for the sake of saving a few quid? Or am I being naive?

 

[Gravity Aided]

If they made bike stuff in my country. But since they just sell it, that's another kettle of fish. Whether our fearless leaders like it or not, it's a world economy.

 

[Milkfloat]

Aren't a large proportion of bicycle frames manufactured in Taiwan, not China though?

 

[vickster]

View attachment 433404

Not really. They are different countries. Even though those with certain prejudices might think it’s all the same

 

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Qualitative differences prove that statement, @vickster .