Buying dilemma

[Erik]

Buying dilemma - solved

I am getting ready to buy an Agattu or a similar Raleigh Leicester Ehttp://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/electric-bicycles/1307-raleigh-leicester-e.html

I asked 50Cycles, but they only sell to UK and sent my request back to Kalkhoff, which led to an email from the upcoming Danish importer of kalkhoff, a 2-man operation started in November 2007 and currently only selling cycle helmets.

Their shop is less than an hours drive by car away and the price quoted is £1400, a request for 10% discount blankly denied.

The best price yet from Germany is £1339, the saving being less than the difference in VAT 25% vs 19%.

With maximum haggling I think I could save £150 or small bit more buying from Germany.

If the Daish importer was well established, I would pay the premium for certainty in warranty issues, but as they're not, who knows for how long they will be around.

Please lign up the pro's and con's

 

[flecc]

With the bike part, a warranty is likely to be relatively unimportant, since it's firstly very well designed and built, and secondly is just a normal bicycle repairable at low cost like any other bike. Only the gear hub might conceivably present a higher cost repair.

The chances of a problem on the Panasonic motor unit and battery within two years is very small, but given the high cost of replacement, the warranty would be essential there.

If in the event of a serious problem with the Panasonic unit you could get it back to Germany for repair, that would be a good place to buy. If not, the risk of the Danish importer not lasting is probably the lesser one, making that the better choice I think.

Your purchase would assist in their survival of course.
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[Erik]

Thanks for the input Flecc.

Experienced hagglers say that instead of merely trying to get a lower price, you should try to get extras for the same price, since dealers usually have a better margin on equipment than on the actual bikes, cars or whatever.

Should I try to get some clothing, extra tyres, brake pads or whatever thrown into the deal?

I will only be riding for leisure.

 

[flecc]

That's true for some small margin products like cars, but the margins on imported bikes are normally quite good. I know of the ex-China price of bikes often being doubled for the UK market, and although there probably won't be same latitude with higher German manufacturing costs, the margins are still going to be comfortable.

Therefore I'd go for some discount in your position, since you have little real need for the extras with leisure riding, but not pushing it to the degree that it spoiled the customer/dealer relationship in case of the need for support.

A fair price and a good relationship is the ideal target.
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[Erik]

I've now taken the plunge and ordered a 49cm wawe-frame Agattu from the Danish importer.

The 49cm frame is a compromise between my wife's and my size, I will have to get a fixed saddle post for her use.

It will be built in the first week of April and the importer figures two weeks on top of that for transport.

 

[flecc]

Something to look forward to Erik, not long to wait.

If you want to buy the rigid seatpost to have it ready, it's a 27.2 mm size.
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