Commuter Bicycle with fenders, chainguard, rack, etc., Any available in the U.S.?

[Steven M. Schar]

Don Wiss <donwiss@no_spam.com> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...

>Also I have applied for a VAT refund. At Schiphol, next to where I bought the bike box for 20
>Euros, is the place to get your paperwork stamped. Then you have to mail the original back for a
>refund. In my case this is 122 Euros. The bike was 764 Euros (899 Euros less 15%). Purchased in
>Rotterdam not too far from the train station.

So how did you get the bike to Schipol? Are you allowed to take it on the train, or did you ride it
from the shop to the airport? I haven't decided on the U.K. or the Netherlands yet, depends on the
availability of tickets with my miles, and what bicycle I want. The Batavus bikes are cooler, but
the Giant bikes may be more practical and are less expensive.

It all seems a little insane to me to even be thinking of flying to Europe to buy a bicycle (though
I've brought 3 folders home from Taiwan). You'd think that at least one major bike manufacturer
could sell reasonably priced commuter bikes in the US., it's not like they'd have to design anything
new, i.e. Giant has sveral models that they sell in Europe for $250-400 or so, that they could sell
here as well; someone decided that no one would buy them, so commuter bikes become a boutique item,
sold at high prices.

 

[Don Wiss]

"Steven M. Scharf" <[email protected]> wrote:

>Don Wiss wrote:
>
>>Also I have applied for a VAT refund. At Schiphol, next to where I bought the bike box for 20
>>Euros, is the place to get your paperwork stamped. Then you have to mail the original back for a
>>refund. In my case this is 122 Euros. The bike was 764 Euros (899 Euros less 15%). Purchased in
>>Rotterdam not too far from the train station.
>
>So how did you get the bike to Schipol? Are you allowed to take it on the train,

Yes. It costs an extra 6 Euros to take a bike on the train.

>or did you ride it from the shop to the airport? I haven't decided on the U.K. or the Netherlands
>yet, depends on the availability of tickets with my miles, and what bicycle I want. The Batavus
>bikes are cooler, but the Giant bikes may be more practical and are less expensive.

What is impractical about a Batavus (or the similar Gazelle)?

Don <donwiss at panix.com>.

 

[Don Wiss]

"Steven M. Scharf" <[email protected]> wrote:

>It all seems a little insane to me to even be thinking of flying to Europe to buy a bicycle (though
>I've brought 3 folders home from Taiwan).

I would think that you can order one and have it shipped over. I would think that the VAT would come
off right upfront, and it could cover the shipping. You can call the place I ordered mine from. It
is H.T. Frensch. Ring up 011-31-10-465-3223 and ask. Closed Sunday and Monday.

Don <donwiss at panix.com>.

 

[Steven M. Schar]

Thanks, I'll try that. I e-mailed a shop in the UK that has on-line ordering and says to inquire
about shipping rates to the U.S. Their response, "we don't ship to the U.S.." Probably they meant
that they don't ship complete bikes; not suprising since most bike makers prohibit mail order sales.

"Don Wiss" <donwiss@no_spam.com> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> "Steven M. Scharf" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >It all seems a little insane to me to even be thinking of flying to
Europe
> >to buy a bicycle (though I've brought 3 folders home from Taiwan).
>
> I would think that you can order one and have it shipped over. I would think that the VAT would
> come off right upfront, and it could cover the shipping. You can call the place I ordered mine
> from. It is H.T. Frensch. Ring up 011-31-10-465-3223 and ask. Closed Sunday and Monday.
>
> Don <donwiss at panix.com>.