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Buying a bike in Oz

  • 03-04-2011 6:04am
    #1
    coolbeans
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭


    Hey all, I've moved to Perth in search of better pay and found this deal at the LBS. It's a Merida Ride 93 priced at AU$999 or E730. It's seems great value to me with full Tiagra, CF fork and Shimano wheels instead of AlexRims which I hate. Bikes are fiercely expensive here with 150% mark ups being the norm so I'm wondering should I snap this up without delay or am I missing something. I must admit that I don't know very much about Merida.


Comments

  • #2
    8kvscdpglqnyr4
    Closed Accounts Posts: 413 ✭✭8kvscdpglqnyr4


    Don't know much about Merida bikes ... but I bought 2 bikes while living in Sydney a few years ago. I found bikes in Oz MUCH cheaper than here at that time. Basically, I was seeing that if a bike cost €1,000 here in Ireland it would cost about AU€1,000 there. I paid AU$850 for a Trek 1000 Flat Bar Road bike (at the time when converted to Euros was about €550).

    If you plan on staying there for more than 1 year and them coming home bring a car back with you too if you can afford it ... we took home a new Toyota Land Cruiser. Exactly half the price over there compared to here. We sold it on when we got home and made a tidy profit.


  • #3
    blorg
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 15,995 ✭✭✭✭blorg


    Merida are the second largest manufacturer in the world (AFAIK after Giant.) They make Specialized among other brands (and have minority ownership.) Bikes should be solid.


  • #4
    petethedrummer
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,604 ✭✭✭petethedrummer


    James Cracknell rode a Merida in his jaunt across America.


  • #5
    coolbeans
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,129 ✭✭✭coolbeans


    Nataly Scary Poultry wrote: »
    Don't know much about Merida bikes ... but I bought 2 bikes while living in Sydney a few years ago. I found bikes in Oz MUCH cheaper than here at that time. Basically, I was seeing that if a bike cost €1,000 here in Ireland it would cost about AU€1,000 there. I paid AU$850 for a Trek 1000 Flat Bar Road bike (at the time when converted to Euros was about €550).

    If you plan on staying there for more than 1 year and them coming home bring a car back with you too if you can afford it ... we took home a new Toyota Land Cruiser. Exactly half the price over there compared to here. We sold it on when we got home and made a tidy profit.

    Things have changed! Practically everything is more expensive but then again wages follow a similar trend. Helmet wearing is compulsory btw and it definitely effects numbers cycling and the its attractiveness as a hassle free mode of transport. Interestingly, Oz was the first country to make seatbelt wearing in cars mandatory so I guess the helmet thing is in a similar spirit. I believe though, and the stats back me on this, that it's a flawed ill thought out approach. They recently introduced a free bike scheme in Melbourne and take up has been slow. The helmet requirement is credited with severely compromising the attractiveness of the project. Noone wants helmet hair it seems.


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