Hi, I’m looking to buy a new mountain bike but find prices over the border much lower than stores around here (Montreal). It’s nice to support local stores but I can save between 200 and 300 dollars by buying in the USA for the same if not newer models. The same goes for parts and accessories I imagine.
My question exactly is if there are any Canadian stores, outlets or catalogues that sell competitively? I’m looking to buy a Specialized brand. If not, does anyone know of a good store store in the USA close to Montreal or online store?
You can get good deals on last year/end of year stuff at a variety of local shops if you look around and haggle but it is impossible to beat buying from the US and bringing it back north because of taxes and the larger distribution networks down there.
You might very well find that duties, etc will eat up your price tag savings if you try to ship it (or even if you drive it north), especially if you don’t handle brokerage yourself though so be careful there.
Keep in mind that most local stores will offer one year (at least) free maintenance as well as a proper fitting with the purchase of a new bike. When you consider those longer term costs that 2-3 hundred dollar gap starts to get a lot smaller.
There’s also the benefit of building a relationship with a local store. The more frequent a customer you are, the greater the benefits you’ll receive: ever put off a tuneup and need an emergency fix the night before leaving for a big training camp or race? The guys (or gals) at your LBS will be the ones to bail you out when you need them.
have you checked the price of gas lately? Even if you find a store a tank away, that’s still 70 bucks for a small car, probably more like $100 for something mid-sized.