Their all-in price is the way to go. Quick shipping and most often the tax isn’t terrible.
There are some items where the duty is prohibitively high, usually clothing but then I just tend to avoid those from CRC.
Jensen has become my go to for things I can’t get at my LBS. Their duty paid option is good abs shipping is insanely quick typically.
Recently decided to risk life and limb on direct from factory Chinese carbon. A friend of mine bought a road frame last year and has had a really good experience. I have to say the customer service was exceptional. They responded to every email promptly and answered questions with a precision rarely experienced in bike industry sales help.
I was originally only going to buy a gravel frame but ended up throwing in a set of rims and a set of pre built wheels.
Although the price of everything was ridiculously cheap (ie. carbon gravel rim for 100usd) the shipping was the biggest treat. Although they dinged me up front at 300 for shipping, I only paid 50 taxes and duty on an 1800 usd order! I've paid 50 taxes and duty on packages worth $400. I figure the low taxes and duty basically pays for my expensive shipping. As a bonus, it all arrived from China in less than a week!
If I never post again it's because I died in a catastrophic frame/rim failure accidnent. I figure all carbon comes from China though and I don't really care if Peter Sagan rides the same bike as I do, kind of an experiment.
Posted by: RAHrider
I was originally only going to buy a gravel frame but ended up throwing in a set of rims and a set of pre built wheels.
Good luck. Within my friend group we've got at 10-15 sets of Light Bicycle rims ordered direct from China. Zero issues over many years of use. Excellent customer service in English. I've had $1K+ of rim shipped to BC from China at low cost and with no Canadian customs involvement. That's not been every time and I can't explain how/why it has happened.
A lot of quality bike stuff comes out of China so it's not some kiss of death. Obviously you can get poorly made stuff as well. So inspect it as best you can and read up on whatever reviews you can find for that frame to see what other peoples' experiences have been.
I have been running the same set of LB rims for 8 years now....not one issue! I would and will purchase again!
Posted by: pedalhound
I have been running the same set of LB rims for 8 years now....not one issue! I would and will purchase again!
Kind of thinking about getting an LB wheelset for my road bike since the price for stuff like Zipp/Enve is comically ridiculous...
Posted by: grambo
Posted by: pedalhound
I have been running the same set of LB rims for 8 years now....not one issue! I would and will purchase again!
Kind of thinking about getting an LB wheelset for my road bike since the price for stuff like Zipp/Enve is comically ridiculous...
I recently bought a set of used chris king road hubs, a pair of crc brand prime carbon black edition rims and laced them up wit cx ray spokes. They turned out great and the performance is incredible!
I think the lifetime no questions asked warranty tells you something about the markup on carbon rims. I feel pretty comfortable with a reasonably reputable rim company like LB or CRC.
I have a LB front rim with about three years on it, it’s mint. I only removed it for something wider, will probably lace it up for a CX/gravel bike if I ever get a disc brake one.
I bought 2 sets of hookless LB rims from China back in 2014 after pouring thru the mtbr thread. One set of 26 for the DH bike and another 29 for the hardtail. Built with Pro-Lock Brass and DB DT Spokes. Both sets of wheels were ordered with the HD layup. No issues
Also where is now the go to place to order SRAM/Shimano from? Is US online pricing better than getting Keystone at LBS?
Posted by: Endur-Bro
I bought 2 sets of hookless LB rims from China back in 2014 after pouring thru the mtbr thread. One set of 26 for the DH bike and another 29 for the hardtail. Built with Pro-Lock Brass and DB DT Spokes. Both sets of wheels were ordered with the HD layup. No issues
I ordered a 27.5 hookless LB rim to build up for my hard tail, and it's been great. I've never built up an easier wheel, and haven't needed to twist a single nipple yet. Checked tension twice, after the 1st and 5th ride, and absolutely zero change in tension.
Posted by: Endur-Bro
Also where is now the go to place to order SRAM/Shimano from? Is US online pricing better than getting Keystone at LBS?
Id say its still Jenson for Shimano, not sure about SRAM. Jenson has free shipping at $150USD and has all fees and taxes paid up front. TBS Bike Parts has some of both Shimano and SRAM, but the inventory is usually a bit more limited. Worth a look in case they happen to have what you need.
Posted by: shoreboy
Posted by: Endur-Bro
Also where is now the go to place to order SRAM/Shimano from? Is US online pricing better than getting Keystone at LBS?
Id say its still Jenson for Shimano, not sure about SRAM. Jenson has free shipping at $150USD and has all fees and taxes paid up front. TBS Bike Parts has some of both Shimano and SRAM, but the inventory is usually a bit more limited. Worth a look in case they happen to have what you need.
You can't buy SRAM XO.1 Eagle-level parts from Jenson if you're in Canada. If I recall correctly, it doesn't work at checkout, stating that there are "manufacturer limitations preventing the shipping of this product" or something along those lines.
Translation: we found that forbidding North Americans from buying parts from Europe was such a good idea, we extended the idea to Canada/US. It sucks.
I recently bought my SRAM stuff from bicicletta.cc
You can find authentic Shimano stuff on AliExpress, but there are also fakes out and obviously returning/support will be challenging to non-existent. The authentic stuff is generally cheaper (except chains/brake pads are basically $CAD MSRP). I saved a bunch on Ultegra road chainrings and pedals, and verified authentic against retail stuff here as well.
Yes, maybe an unpopular choice but IME, AliExpress has been great for sourcing all sorts of Shimano parts over the last few years.
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