Non-Ebay Deals/Bargains

Good to hear, may get one myself at that price.

North Face doing a year free of Strava subscription (usually £55) with a purchase of trail running gear. Best if you actually need something from that collection, but there are things less than £55.

https://www.thenorthface.co.uk/shop/en-gb/tnf-gb/men-activities-trail-running

It didn't come in a Shimano box, but I guess someone like Ribble is probably getting them wholesale in different packaging from a consumer. It still had some grease on the axle so I'd guess it was fitted/removed from a stock bike, but can't see any marks/wear.

Thanks from me too, mine came in exactly as James says. Unfortunately, the link shows 404 now, you need to grab what you need, before posting the heads-up on here :-(

Grey market/bike builder stuff hence lack of packaging.

Ah no, grease is always present on the new cranksets, so definitely new. Otherwise they'll be in breach of sales contract

Indeed. When it comes to some items such as bottom brackets Shimano can be quite overzealous when it comes to how much grease they apply at the factory.

I've often found Merlin also sell OEM parts which goes a long way to explaining why they're often good value.

It’s an OEM part

I bought a saddle at a massive discount, it failed within 6 months and warranty has proven almost impossible as I’m having to deal with Ribble themselves and their warranty department is not well set up.

I find Merlin really cheeky in how they sell OEM Shimano parts without saying it.
Ok who cares about retail packaging, but they don't include the little parts specified for installation that Shimano either provides in the retail box, or doesn't as they know a dealer has a box of 100 to hand.
E.g. mechanical rear derailleurs, Merlin don't advertise as component-only, but in my experience they won't be including any cable tongues or the cable outer (OT-RS900) specifically for the tight bend to the derailleur.
Okay it will still work without these little bits, but the consumer hasn't made an informed choice to not have them or has to find somewhere selling them separately.
/Rant

Has this recently with a groupset I got from them - a few of the miscellaneous cable and outer routing and finishing bits etc. were absent. As you say, annoying enough to be annoying!

The front mechs I've got from Merlin never come with the support plates

buy cheap, buy mysterious

Dura ace 910o rim brake for £65
Shimano Dura Ace BR-R9110 VR Direct Assembly Black 2017 Rim Brake Body https://amzn.eu/d/hfu6ueP

One for the BMXers...
Clarks gyro cables a quid each for (long) uppers and lowers at Halfords:
https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-parts/bike-brakes/clarks-lower-gyro-bike-cable-247184.html?cmmmc=Google+PLA--Cycling%3EBike+Parts%3EBike+Brakes--Cycling%3EBike+Parts%3EBike+Brakes--247184&_$ja=tsid:|cid:17631808078|agid:|tid:|crid:|nw:x|rnd:7456902975165670344|dvc:c|adp:|mt:|loc:9044886&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzdPN486_hAMV7ZZQBh0RCw91EAQYASABEgKiovD_BwE
https://www.halfords.com/cycling/bike-parts/bike-brakes/clarks-long-upper-gyro-bike-cable-247176.html?cmmmc=Google+PLA--Cycling%3EBike+Parts%3EBike+Brakes--Cycling%3EBike+Parts%3EBike+Brakes--247176&_$ja=tsid:|cid:17631808078|agid:|tid:|crid:|nw:x|rnd:7456902975165670344|dvc:c|adp:|mt:|loc:9044886&gad_source=1&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIzdPN486_hAMV7ZZQBh0RCw91EAQYAiABEgI6LvD_BwE
I got a couple of each, so still in stock.

I mean, apart from stating "fuck Amazon", it's only £65 because it's used...

I’ve had stuff off Amazon that’s from warehouse that’s turned up brand new so maybe try it first. You can always send it back…

I don't need a potentially used direct mount, seven year old caliper though

Why even bother commenting then?

So, finally had a chance to get a look at the Reynolds ARX41s I bought. Look great, all OEM packaging there. Fitted them to a bike and they don't seem to move excessively compared to any other wheels I have (Lightbicycle and Miche)

I was just pointing out they weren't new, at least the £65 one isn't

I completely agree with you, I’m just putting something up that someone might want/need. It could be an overpriced bag of shite, maybe not. The joy of Amazon is you can scam the fuck out of them.

Moving on, I’m not sure if this is a bargain or not. Depends what you find under the ‘repair’ 🤦‍♂️
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/304530372333456/

Supacaz co2 inflator for €8…
Supacaz CO2-Oil, QuikFix-Gonfiatore di CO2 – Oil Slick Uomo, Nero, XL https://amzn.eu/d/fF1KUOP

50% off at https://www.probikekit.co.uk/

Nabbed some Dura Ace Di2 stuff

Thanks, you just saved me £200 on some stuff I was about to buy elsewhere.