Cycling UK Forum

Hi all,

Just a very quick post.

I found the following wheels on eBay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/28-inch-Wheel ... 35ced9ca8b

They are shipped from germany, 700C ridiga rims on a nexus 8 hub, including shifters and roller brakes for the total sum of £240ish.

The same company does a similar wheelset, withou the roller brakes for £162ish. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/28-inch-Wheel ... 35ced9c62a

What I'm wondering is that this appears to be extremely good value, in the case of both wheelsets. Almost seems to good to be true. Am I missing something?

be a beggar to return ?

that said they do have "30 days return police" so perhaps they'd help

mig wrote:be a beggar to return ?

that said they do have "30 days return police" so perhaps they'd help

I don't understand; the only downside is that they'd be difficult to return? Why would they need to be returned, exactly (assuming that they work in the first place)?

How about the value of the goods, any thoughts on that?

damaged in transit?

i would say that you're more likely to have a longer term issue with a hub generator wheel than a wheel with a normal hub. their policy is okay to return within 30 days - which it may well be. after that .....?? i reckon most ebay feedback is left pretty much as the item arrives, very little if any several months down the line. for my money get them made locally if you can. it supports local traders too!

mig wrote: for my money get them made locally if you can. it supports local traders too!

interesting, however only the nexus 8 hub costs £150 http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/shimano-nexu ... tomsection

By the time I get some rigida rims, a front hub, spokes and the cost of wheelbuilding - I'm realistically pushing £300.

I'm all for local traders, local economy, and I do believe that it's a travesty that it often costs less to buy new than to repair, but with £160 vs £300+ it's a hard choice to make...

They look like ridiculous value. £57 delivered for a 20" wheel with 3-speed Inter-M hub gear and backpedal brake - I'm sorely tempted by that for my R20...

Hi Vladimir,

Earlier this month I brought a similar wheelset package from the same company. Identical to the one you linked too, but with 26" wheels.
See below:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/26-inch-wheel ... 35ced01dd6

(I'm building up a low maintenance utility bike; hub gears, roller brakes, dynamo and a chaincase.)

My decision was led by price. I couldn't find a better deal out there. You might have more choice looking for a 700c wheelset though.
(I think I may even have saved a £5 by buying it directly from their German website, instead of from ebay.co.uk)
I do use my LBS for those jobs I can't do; cold setting frames, facing bottom bracket shells and wheelbuilds. But TBH apart from the odd tube I buy everything else online, the choice and price is so much better. It's a case of my heart says 'LBS', support the local economy etc. but my head (and wallet) says 'online'.

The advertised nexus 8 rear wheel was the SG-8R31 version. They actually sent me the SG-8R36 'red band' version - result!
However, they didn't include the roller brakes in the delivery.
I emailed them, and received an apologetic email the same day, with a promise to send the brakes the same day.
They arrived a few days later... only they were missing a small part.
Another email, and another apology and the part came a few days later.
As stated upthread, long distance buying means potential hassles if anything goes wrong. Fortunately the issues I had were resolved easily enough, I wasn't in a hurry, and the courier and post office collection depots are reasonably local. But something to bear in mind.

On a positive note, the roller brakes advertised were BR-IM75/81. They actually sent BR-IM81, front and rear.
The wheels were true out of the box, but I've yet to build up and ride the bike so can't comment any further.
I'll feedback how they get on.

Best wishes,

Luke

Why would it be harder to return something to Germany and not Ireland Harrogate or Bridgewater?

The courier collects the parcel or you take to a post office.

Edwards wrote:Why would it be harder to return something to Germany and not Ireland Harrogate or Bridgewater?

The courier collects the parcel or you take to a post office.

Hi, no harder. Might be more expensive though?

I hope not to find out...

Edwards wrote:Why would it be harder to return something to Germany and not Ireland Harrogate or Bridgewater?

The courier collects the parcel or you take to a post office.

With Harrogate, Bridgewater and Northern Ireland being in the UK I'd feel much more confident knowing my rights and the supplier's responsibilities courtesy of the UK's Distance Selling Regulations and Sale of Goods Acts 1979, though I'm sure I'd have some similar rights under German Law. It would be more expensive to return an item to Germany than the UK via insured courier. This wouldn't be a problem if you knew you'd be reimbursed but some businesses can be reluctant even with faulty items. If something went really wrong (Item didn't arrive, fraud, seller refusal to replace/refund) I would consider taking it to court using the small claims procedure. I don't think I could reasonably do the same in Germany. Okay, all this is unlikely but would be at the back of my mind in buying something very expensive from abroad.

That said, you do have Ebay/Paypal's buyer protection. Unfortunately, that's not much use if there's a problem a few months down the line.

Also, I'd always been advised to avoid rear touring wheels which weren't handbuilt. Are machine builds up to the job these days?

Bicycler wrote:

Edwards wrote:Why would it be harder to return something to Germany and not Ireland Harrogate or Bridgewater?

The courier collects the parcel or you take to a post office.

With Harrogate, Bridgewater and Northern Ireland being in the UK I'd feel much more confident knowing my rights and the supplier's responsibilities courtesy of the UK's Distance Selling Regulations and Sale of Goods Acts 1979, though I'm sure I'd have some similar rights under German Law. It would be more expensive to return an item to Germany than the UK via insured courier. This wouldn't be a problem if you knew you'd be reimbursed but some businesses can be reluctant even with faulty items. If something went really wrong (Item didn't arrive, fraud, seller refusal to replace/refund) I would consider taking it to court using the small claims procedure. I don't think I could reasonably do the same in Germany. Okay, all this is unlikely but would be at the back of my mind in buying something very expensive from abroad.

That said, you do have Ebay/Paypal's buyer protection. Unfortunately, that's not much use if there's a problem a few months down the line.

Also, I'd always been advised to avoid rear touring wheels which weren't handbuilt. Are machine builds up to the job these days?

You might find this thread useful.
viewtopic.php?f=5&t=78113