Road Bikes in Canada

seanynova

Hey,

1st time poster in the cycling forum.
I'm living in Canada now and I'm interested in picking up a road bike for communing and the odd long ride with mates.

Went to a local bike shop today and the entry level endurance road bike comes in at $1200CAD, to me that seems a bit pricey, is it?

Does anyone know of online stores that can ship to Canada where I can get a decent road bike withour breaking the bank?

I should probably point out that this will be my 1st road bike but I kind of want something to last and that I wont want to change it in a year or so for something better, any advice?

Thanks,

Beasty

CAD 1,200 is about £750 or €900 which is not too bad for an entry level road bike. You can certainly get cheaper but could then expect quality to be compromised. To make a true comparison, we would need to know the model and specs you were looking at

You're may be best off trying to get one from the US - they tend to be cheaper than Europe.

In terms of European online retailers, try
www.wiggle.co.uk
www.chainreactioncycles.com

In both cases you should be able to get delivery to Canada based on the VAT exclusive prices, although you will need to consider any Canadian duty implications on import

ednwireland

you could you asking in here http://www.bikeforums.net , maybe try the regional forums. although i did notice one post in the western canada section

No, it sucks. Canada has very high taxes and imports on bike parts. It does not really matter where you buy from because once it hits customs, customs hits you. This is why it can be frustrating seeing bike parts listed on Rei.com etc in the US for so much less money. But then you can see what happens when a country does not have taxes!

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/755894-Canadian-mail-order-bike-parts

most people there seem to order from british sites

seanynova

thanks for the replies, and the links....ill have a look through those.

i actually import my running shoes from the UK as they are way over priced here too, so far i have not paid duty but startfitness.co.uk ship using royalmail so that probably helps. im sure with bikes (ie, larges packages) suppliers ship with courier?

after a little bit more research, i guess the $1200CAD +12% tx($1350) might not be that far off the mark although i was still surprised by the price. i was thinking of picking up a decent bike for the $700-800 range

im not sure what components the bike yesterday had but they were shimano of some sort and the bike brand was, specialized...but it was their entry level road bike classed as an endurance road bike.

ill use it mostly for commuting so i might also look into cyclocross bikes, but if im to pay that much money id like to have the option of taking it for a long ride also to kind of justify the price.

anyway, if there is anything else i should be aware of let me know i guess, but thanks for the replies above.

Postit

Considering that about 75% of Canada's population live within 100 miles of the US border, you could price a bike in a US city near the border and cycle it back.

If you're on the west coast, Portland is sales-tax free!