SBR Sports

Anyone used them before?
http://www.sbrsports.com/

Just trying to work out if they are a good etailer. Their site looks smart and they have what I want in stock, but if forum experience isn't good then I'll go elsewhere.

I've had a few bits from them and haven't had a problem.

I'm a pretty understanding customer, and would'nt dis a company on a popular site like this usually. But I would'nt touch them with a long barge pole.
http://www.lfgss.com/post1074446-84.html

i've ordered a few bits from them, can recommend.

i think their shop is in fulham?

I have nothing particularly bad to report but didn't enjoy visiting their shops. Particularly the one they closed in Fulham.

Don't go by what's on their website as being 'in stock' if you need it in a hurry. They show Shimano's whole catalogue of spares as being 'stock' even though they obviously just order in from Madison and tell fibs even when you phone to check.

"So is the Dura Ace track axle kit in stock?"
"Yes, it's at out warehouse"
"You mean Madison's warehouse?"
"No our warehouse, it will just take a couple of days to get it to the shop"
"From Madison's?"
"No, from our warehouse" .... repeat ad infinitum

they were shit when i used them

i ordered rims for collection from a shop, was told they would take a couple of days to arrive

kept calling and being stalled

eventually i bought rims elsewhere, emailed them to cancel the order

the next fucking day the rims arrived at my office - they had sent them to me despite me saying i'd collect them from their shop

was not really too impressed, bunch of muppets to be honest

Don't go by what's on their website as being 'in stock' if you need it in a hurry....

+1

I tried buying a stem off them once, which appeared in stock on the website. It took them 2 weeks and quite a bit of messing me about before they admitted it wasn't in stock... I cancelled the order (I think) in the end.

Oh and they sent me a free drinks bottle for the inconvenience which was actually quite a nice touch.

Their shop in Fulham has just closed down - i thought they were part of the Bonthrone empire. The people in there were good, and their mechanic was the Polish guy who owns Katana. However he left about a year ago and it went downhill from there.

I live 'off the beaten track' and therefore do all my bike bit shopping online. From shops based all over the world. In my experiance, even the best internet shop can make a mistake, and faulty goods are usualy just the fault of the manufacture. It would be unresonable to expect these things never to happen. Its how these issues are resolved that really counts.

4 months, 6 E-mails, several international phone calls, to fail to deliver a couple of inner tubes, is all together a mind blowing level of incompetence though.

A pretty telling series of posts.

Go elsewhere it is then.

I live 'off the beaten track' and therefore do all my bike bit shopping online. From shops based all over the world. In my experiance, even the best internet shop can make a mistake, and faulty goods are usualy just the fault of the manufacture. It would be unresonable to expect these things never to happen. Its how these issues are resolved that really counts.

4 months, 6 E-mails, several international phone calls, to fail to deliver a couple of inner tubes, is all together a mind blowing level of incompetence though.

That's the litmus test of any online retailer. Anyone can sell stuff at a low price, it's how they handle problems and the approach that they take to resolving them that gives you a true understanding of how good they are.

most retailers will have a few people say how good they are

SBR fail on that front

and their inability to recover from service lapses makes it clear as to why they probably dont get our repeat custom

That's the litmus test of any online retailer. Anyone can sell stuff at a low price, it's how they handle problems and the approach that they take to resolving them that gives you a true understanding of how good they are.

I had a faulty pair of water proof over shoes from ProBikeKit. I E-mailed them, they replied asking to have them posted back, and I replied saying that I would. In the reply I made a throw away comment about the Norwegian climate and my poor toes. The day after I had managed to get to the post office, I recieved the replacement. They must have sent them out straight away, instead of waiting to recieve and inspect, the returned pair.

ProBikeKit my toes love you ;)

Looks like i just got lucky.

PBK is definitely a great shop, myself and a number of friends use it and have never had a problem.

Looks like i just got lucky.

PBK is definitely a great shop, myself and a number of friends use it and have never had a problem.

Just ordered some nalini bibs off them for £10 with free delivery to Norway :).

http://www.probikekit.com/display.php?code=C8185

(sizes looked wrong though 32/33" = size 4 usually (I'm short))

i've ordered a few bits from them, can recommend.

i think their shop is in fulham?

it's shut down now, unsurprisingly. I went in with the view to buying a bike and the staff thought it better to chat between themselves and read magazines than come and talk to me. Head office was not impressed.

+1 to looking elsewhere.
Don't like bad-mouthing retailers but I've bought some mailorder stuff from them in the past and have experienced similar problems to those above on separate occasions.
They're cheap but it's a false economy: For an extra few quid get it from somewhere you know and trust.

Yep, went to their Fulham shop once, full of absolute tat, not suprised it closed down...

I ordered some anti-seize grease from them, and when i didn't arrive after 3 weeks i asked them why.
Out of stock apparently... Will send when it comes in stock
3 weeks later... still out of stock

fast forward to 3 months after me giving them my money still no grease, even after several attampts to get something else in return and failed promises to get in contact with me.

They never rang me or emailed me like they said they would, ever..

i eventually got a replacement grease of the equivalent value... but still 3+ months was quite shocking.