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Anyone had bike/frame shipped from UK?

Old 04-05-20, 03:30 PM
  #1  
RockiesDad
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Anyone had bike/frame shipped from UK?

Been thinking about a N+1 lately and was interested in a steel frame and came across Fairlight who is in London UK. They mentioned that they shipped many frames and bikes to the US before and that it was not too bad. Besides shipping cost I think there might be customs and some other taxes involved. My question is has anyone imported a fully assembled bike or maybe just a frame from the UK and what was it like? Did you encounter any problems with customs etc and anything else I should be aware of when importing a bike? The bike itself is pretty reasonable but shipping does add a pretty penny... Is it worth it???
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Old 04-05-20, 03:38 PM
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I ordered a bike from CRC. There is a $800 threshhold before duty is applied.

Assuming that company shipped once before, they should tell you what your total is. CRC pays for the above $800 duty. Not sure how that is in practice since my bike was under.
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Old 04-05-20, 09:09 PM
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Originally Posted by RockiesDad
Been thinking about a N+1 lately and was interested in a steel frame and came across Fairlight who is in London UK.
I took delivery of a Secan frame from them last August. The process was as smooth as I hoped. Dom is a really accessible guy via email for questions- over the course of a few emails, I geeked out a bit and went down the rabbit hole with him on design theory and why he chose some certain things. It was really neat.

The frame was packed simply and nicely. Well designed packing that used minimal waste.
I had to pay $56.60 to DHL thru its website as an import duty fee. Keep in mind this was when the dollar was the strongest it's been in at least a decade, so the frame cost was great and the fee is a % of the cost.
I just looked, the dollar is close to what it was then right now.

The frame was ready earlier than predicted, shipped the day I paid(or day after due to time difference, I guess), and arrived 4 or 5 days later.

Really smooth process all around.
What frame are you considering? I love the Secan and if I did t already have more road bikes than I need, a Strael would be top of my list for modern road build.

Keep in mind that for the Secan, even though the main triangle is 853, it isnt a feather. The 853 they use is stout and it's used to ensure the frame pass quality certification. If you are considering a Secan and want to know the frame weight of a size or two, post them up and I'll reply as I still have the weights list from when I went thru the process.

https://www.bikeforums.net/cyclocros...can-build.html
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Old 04-05-20, 09:47 PM
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I'm drooling over the steel Strael 2.0 road bike at the moment. Shipping for a frame is $118 and about $297 for a complete bike to CA. Looks like on top of that there is duty to pay. The Ultegra build comes in at about $3200 or so. 105 build is about $350 cheaper. Frame only is about $1450 delivered with the Hope head set. Pretty good value except for shipping costs IMO. Thinking now if I want to do the build myself or just get the whole package said and done, ready to ride...

How does the Secan ride and handle? Is it different from the Black Mountain Monster Cross? Both are steel fat tired gravel type bikes. I'm riding a CF CX bike now so don't need another off road bike at the moment.

Nothing made in the USA catches my eye at the moment unless you go fully custom but that cost big buck$. I did see a Gunnar Sport frame in my size at a LBS but it was around 2012 model for about $1200. So that is another option but I was looking for something more modern. What to do....
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Old 04-06-20, 06:37 AM
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I love the Secan. It rides differently from the Black Mountain frame for sure. The front end of the Secan is a lot stiffer(still comfortable) since it has a 44mm head tube and tapered steerer compared to a thinner head tube diameter and 1 1/8 steerer of the Black Mountain. Also, the geometry is noticable different. The Secan's steering is quicker due to less trail and the bottom bracket is 7mm lower which is a small number, but I think noticable.

I still have the Black Mounrain frame- its built up as a commuter/tourer(not getting much use right now since I'm working in my basement!) And I would guess I'll always have it. Really neutral steel frame geometry and great design spec.

The Strael will obviously be lighter than the Secan since it's intended purpose is differet. The tubing used in the rear triangle of the Strael combined with the thinner 853 in the main triangle will mean a bit of weight is shed for sure.
The finish on my Secan I'd excellent. The main triangle is welded very neatly(no toothpaste welds) and the rear triangle is brazed which looks fantastic. The 3d printed components are strong and integrate nicely into the frame(as they should).

I dont know what wheels the Strael uses at your build level(s), but Hope wheels are good quality and I would want them over whatever the entry is(mavic aksium maybe?) for sure.

What color are you considering?
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Old 07-29-20, 03:02 PM
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Okay I bit the bullet and ordered the Stael from Fairlight in London, UK. Had to wait awhile for them to build it because I think they order frames in batches. Anyway when my turn came up to get built it took about two and a half weeks for assembly. This was exciting but now it was time to ship to the USA. I was a bit worried about it getting lost somewhere never to be found. It blew my mind because DHL picked up the bike in London on Monday. I got delivery on Wednesday, It took a total of three days to ship internationally from the UK to California including going through customs. Wow!!!

Anyway the bike is here and just starting to get used to it. Minor fit adjustments here and there plus trying to get use to the handling. Pretty cool so far. First impressions are that its pretty stiff for a steel bike. My initial thought were that it was going to ride like some of the vintage steel bike with the "steel is real" feel. It didn't. It sort of feels like my CF frame/fork CX bike. Not much road hash and vibrations but when you stomp on the pedals it just goes. Geo is pretty much in the endurance category and pretty easy to ride effortlessly. The steering however is noticeably very stable going downhills. You could almost take your hands off the handlebars going 25mph and not be too concerned. Climbing is okay, wheels are fine, and the GRX 800 groupset is awesome. The other surprise was taking this bike off road and riding some hard packed gravel. This bike feels like its just floating on the gravel. Not sure if its the tires or frame but it rides better than my CX bike. This plus the fact that the steering is very stable gives the feeling of confidence to ride fast on gravel. Very cool and fun...

I'm very satisfied with my purchase. Plus you don't come across this brand or model very often. Not a cookie cutter bike which I like...





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Old 07-29-20, 07:00 PM
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Ooh, you got the orange with matching fork- nice!

here is its Secan cousin
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Old 07-29-20, 08:23 PM
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Originally Posted by RockiesDad
I'm drooling over the steel Strael 2.0 road bike at the moment. Shipping for a frame is $118 and about $297 for a complete bike to CA. Looks like on top of that there is duty to pay. The Ultegra build comes in at about $3200 or so. 105 build is about $350 cheaper. Frame only is about $1450 delivered with the Hope head set. Pretty good value except for shipping costs IMO. Thinking now if I want to do the build myself or just get the whole package said and done, ready to ride...

How does the Secan ride and handle? Is it different from the Black Mountain Monster Cross? Both are steel fat tired gravel type bikes. I'm riding a CF CX bike now so don't need another off road bike at the moment.

Nothing made in the USA catches my eye at the moment unless you go fully custom but that cost big buck$. I did see a Gunnar Sport frame in my size at a LBS but it was around 2012 model for about $1200. So that is another option but I was looking for something more modern. What to do....
Mike DeSalvo has a “builders special” bike for about 3500 with Ultegra hand made by him in Oregon. He is one of the top steel frame guys in the US. You can consider that a custom quality bike.
https://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear...ilder-special/


https://www.desalvocycles.com/bicycles
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Old 07-30-20, 05:16 PM
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Originally Posted by mstateglfr
Ooh, you got the orange with matching fork- nice!
Yup...
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Old 11-07-22, 09:02 AM
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How did the import duty work out?

I've seen references to 4% on frames, and 11-14% on complete bikes. A few hundred dollars makes the pricing less competitive.
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