Can't buy SRAM groupsets in Australia from overseas online retailers?

[familyguy]

Monza Imports (based in Melbourne)are SRAM's main distro in Aus, have been for many years but Echelon Sports in Queensland also deal with SRAM Road & Zipp, a continuation from being the Zipp importer from before SRAM bought Zipp.

Maybe they had contract wording that meant SRAM had to prevent other means of import? Whatever. No more SRAM until I can get it in line with the rest of the world pricing.

Edit: It appears one of the Usual Suspects didn't get the memo yet...

[am50em]

Just sent email to SRAM Australia and USA telling them I will not be using their products in the future.
Will be interesting to see if I get any response.

[Lukeyboy]

Say that to apple and wait their response.

[Mulger bill]

Say that to apple and wait their response.

WOFTAM would be my guess.

Just get a Google Pixel, all the look AND it comes pre-drilled for headphones...

[RonK]

With a little digging it's not difficult to find willing sources of Sram components. I'm not going to mention who or how as it seems likely this forum is being watched.

Personally I take great delight in defeating their attempts to embargo sales to Australians. And if the the forum is indeed being watched I have this to say to the watchers: it's you who will ultimately be the losers. Hope that sticks in your throats.

[am50em]

I do not buy Apple products either.

[warthog1]

Might as well run the trashy cr@p down, now that it's uneconomical at the prices we will be forced to pay.
It was perhaps a viable alternative whilst it was cheaper.
When your 2 main alternatives are functionally superior and cheaper it makes little sense to subject yourself to suffering an inferior and more expensive groupset

[queequeg]

Looking at the Groupset counts from the Kona Ironman, SRAM is only shooting themselves in the foot. They don't exactly have a big enough market share to be annoying what customers they have.

I'm already looking at stripping the almost new SRAM Red22 off my R5 and replacing with DA!

[Mulger bill]

Never tried their road. Only reason I went with their MTB kit was the thumb activated cable release on the X series shifters. I won't be going back when this lot is flogged out

[Nobody]

I've got a reasonable amount of Avid stuff in both V and cable disc. I like their Centerline rotors, but I'm sure I can find another brand's rotors in future after not being able to find them at c r c or Wiggle.

[queequeg]

Never tried their road. Only reason I went with their MTB kit was the thumb activated cable release on the X series shifters. I won't be going back when this lot is flogged out

I've got SRAM Rival 10-sp on my commuter bike and Red22 on my R5. Basically, both bikes came with it. Actually, the commuter came with SRAM Apex, and as pieces have worn out I have replaced them Rival, which for some strange reason was cheaper for every component.
I actually like the DoubleTap levers for commuting.

My R5 was another story, as I bought the frameset and the full OEM Red22 Build Kit was only $1250.

Anyways, I have found alternate sources for the spares, the main thing being the XG-1190 cassettes, so it's all good.

[Random1]

OK, when you are browsing a OS online retailer for say, 'bar tape' , 'seatpost' , 'brakepad' or what ever. You wont be buying Sram, because those products will not be displayed in most cases, and if they are you won't be buying them because you are blocked, will you goto your LBS and ask for it? I can't see that happening, you just buy an alternative. Hence exposure to their products will be lower. That has to cost them I would imagine. Additionally, if I am considering a new bike, am I going to want a Sram groupset on it? I can't see it. When factor into your decision that you reliant on your local Bike shop or local online retailer to source or stock parts for it, do you think that will happen? hell no... Once a bike gets a bit old, your LBS will be less likely to be able or willing to get a part, and if they can I reckon it would be a long wait and at a gouged price. No chance of getting that part online locally either, local websites are pretty backward.
Unless you already stuck with Sram group-set and need to use Sram specific stuff then that is too bad, I feel for you because it sucks, but, it is what it is. Would you be 'upgrading' to Sram consciously, not a local retail prices. That has to equal less sales to Sram. Maybe not to the local distributor though, I reckon a slight increase for them.
What Sram has done does not benefit the consumer or them. I question if they have thought this through as they seem to have given their competition a free kick. They deserve any reaction against them. I reckon if you ask them they will have some spin like benefiting the customer by providing consistent products, or combating cloning of their products or some other company speak BS.
I would email them but their website does not have a email address that I could find, I guess they will work it out eventually if they see a sales slump.
But then if Shimano choose the same route......Campagnolo???

[am50em]

In the last few hours bike24.com changed so that SRAM products no longer ship to Australia (or Canada or USA).

[RonK]

^ Nope - that happened back at the beginning of this thread.

[am50em]

Thats strange, yesterday I could see delivery times when selecting options but now I get no shippable message.

[Nobody]

What Sram has done does not benefit the consumer or them. I question if they have thought this through as they seem to have given their competition a free kick.

My thoughts too. Oh well, I'll just go with the next supplier that with actually allow me to buy their products OS online. I'm not going to go hunting for SRAM as higher local prices.

I guess they will work it out eventually if they see a sales slump.

Depends on how many countries they afflict with this. Maybe AU is not big enough to matter.

But then if Shimano choose the same route......Campagnolo???

Yes. But then they don't do MTB stuff.

[find_bruce]

I missed this - thanks to Ron for pointing it out to me. I went to restock my spares inventory. I used SRAM because they still made decent quality 8 speed, but its not like alternative chains & cassettes are hard to find. No I won't be paying the Australia tax - A$15 v A$30 from an Oz online retailer

I would do the same comparison for SRAM 850 cassettes but I can't find them listed in Oz - a niche to small to fill, but worthwhile blocking apparently.

As Ron mentioned there are sources that have apparently not yet got the memo, but I probably won't bother - easier just to substitute with an available brand

[acraick]

My story on this...... i wanted to build a straggler with Rival 1x and some nice Stans wheels about 12 months ago when Rival 1x first came out.

Rang around local shops to get quotes, gave them a list of everything i wanted and was told that basically they couldn't half of what i wanted because they weren't available in the country at the moment (so i would have to wait 6-8 months until the big containers arrived with the local distributor), or they were not their preferred brands so they wouldn't source them, or the parts that were available were around double of what they should be. Part of this was clearly because the local distributor only wants to order enough stock in to suit their time-frame (and sell 'in seasons') and only however many they 'think' they're going to sell locally.

Given this i had no choice but to buy all the parts that were 'unavailable' in country and purchase some of them locally (the frame and got a full wheel build (excluding the hubs as they weren't available in Australia until 'next season')) because i don't mind supporting the local bike shop if their prices are not over the top.

Now that Wiggle, Chain Reaction and Bike24 no longer are allowed to ship SRAM to Australia (or even sell SRAM at all it appears in some cases) if i was in the same situation i could not build to the exact spec i wanted.

How is it that 'exclusive' distribution deals can be setup resulting in no competition between the retailer and product maker in this day and age ? Surely this along with distributors setting retail prices is anti-competitive behavior. I feel for the bike shops the most. They can't really offer much of a discount as they have fixed costs and can't push the suppliers as they have no alternative.

At the same time we have a government bringing in a tax arrangement which is basically just reduce consumer choice behind the lie that they want to level the playing field in regards to GST. Clearly the whole purpose of the new import tax is to slow down the whole import process for consumers and to discourage overseas online suppliers from shipping to Australia at all.

Its amazing the number of people when i had the bike asking me what it was and the level of interest in the SRAM 1x and the Stans wheels. My answer to those people that ask now would be don't bother with any of it because you wouldn't be able to get it now anyway and i'd recommend any other options.

I think this will the be the last i ever use SRAM personally. I'd rather rig up a Shimano Road/MTB road hybrid using the Wolftooth options.

[acraick]

http://www.bicyclingtrade.com.au/featur ... ut-pricing

Heres the head of parts sram bragging about keep prices high and limiting choice for consumers by using distributors to strong arm european online retailers to stop selling thier products into Australia. I like the way he tries to make it very clear its not about keeping their margins high when basically why else would they care when a faulty item can be returned to europe quicker than it takes the disti to proces the warranty claim locally. Sram simply dont care about thier end users.

I also emailed bike24 and was told that sram had specifically blocked them.

Point me to an online shop in Australia (through the official local disti) where i can go out and buy an whole sram rival 1x group with mechanical levers like is being sold on bike24 ? Guess what ? there arent any. Through any retail shop it would have to be ordered, cost twice the price and take months to get here.

I wont buy any further sram products while this policy is in place.

[Calvin27]

I never understood why they allow the use of smirk profile pictures in particular when talking about stuff like price gouging.

[am50em]

Leave a comment on the article!

[hamishm]

http://www.bicyclingtrade.com.au/featur ... ut-pricing

I love it.

“I’m just trying to segment, so that we do business in each area by local rules."

Translation: Australians are used to paying the Australia tax, so we see no reason not to continue shafting them.

[Warin]

There are firms in the USA that can be used - you buy the thing and have it shipped to the USA firm .. and then they ship it on to you.
If there were enough demand ... then a European Firm could do the same thing. Certainly there is an increased cost. But that is small compared to the added costs of the Australian importer.

It is clear that SRAM do not believe in 'free trade'. Fine. I will buy no more SRAM/Rock Shock etc products. I purchased no Mavic products for some time while they restricted trade. Same again.

[biker jk]

Leave a comment on the article!

Only three comments so far. Come on guys, pull your finger out and leave a comment.

[Comedian]

I really do take on and understand the outrage of the contributors here.

However I do understand the issues as well. From a retailers perspective things are becoming untenable - and I think we need shops around. Most people contributing in here have been around for a while and are capable of keeping themselves on the road - but this is not the norm and for most people they need strong shops with good staff and access to tech knowledge, and parts. That's good for cycling's accessibility.

If you look at Shimano - if it wasn't for overseas suppliers you wouldn't have any parts backup as far as I can tell. I've never owned any sram - but I think if they did offer excellent local support and parts backup at reasonable prices through local retailers then I'd actually consider it a positive. #justsaying.