New York - NYC

I'm off to NYC for a week in Feb.

With the weak $$$ would it be worth my while buying a bike to bring back to London?
What bike (£900ish limit, but rather speed much less coz i'm tight as fcuk)? Any hitches with bring it back?
I'd need to buy a bag/box too, but I could use one anyway.

Any tips much appreciated. If all else fails my old reliable Langster is still goin strong.

or - (equally unethically) Take an old crap bike with you and leave it there...
then hopefully customs won't ask too many questions about the one you bring back with you.

Someone once told me that if you buy a bike overseas then ride it around for a bit and get it dirty while you're there it counts as 'used' and you don't have to pay duty on it when you come back to the UK. Same as if you lived overseas - you don't have to pay duty on your entire life's possessions - stuff you bought and used while abroad - when you move back to the UK. And anyway, other threads correctly state that you're pretty unlikely to get stopped coming through UK customs.

provenrad or - (equally unethically) Take an old crap bike with you and leave it there...
then hopefully customs won't ask too many questions about the one you bring back with you.

Or, bring an unwanted bike over there and SELL it, using the proceeds to buy the new bike. :)

your way better off selling the old bike in the uk (weak dollar)

if you want to bring a box over o avoid customs go for it, i think you should be ok caliming it was your the whole time, most people actuly hate doing any kind of work at their jobs.

i dont know what your into, but i just spent some time in nyc, most of the time we hung out in willyb and park slope, or ate really good food. check out fixed.gr/nyc nice people

NYC has weak dollar but expensive track bikes because it is about 100 times more popular than here. I'd go for things that are new and maybe complete bikes (eg Jamis Sonik, Bianchi Pista Concept). if you want deals. Second hand track stuff seems to not be much of a bargain.

thanks guys.
I posted in haste & hadnt seen pistonators similar thread. So between your comments & pistonators bits I've had a good shifty about the NY scene.
See what you mean about some of the prices! But then you can get a Moth for small change too.....tho it doesnt quite ring my ding.

Travelling with my family so only limited time to get to bikie shops, probably just limit myself to some shiny bit sand pieces, but i quite like that Bareknuckle.....

Did you see those Sparton framesets that King Kog in NY are selling? $350 f&f, handmade in santiago, chile... lugged 4130, I believe. They look pretty tasty for that money...

Sano Did you see those Sparton framesets that King Kog in NY are selling? $350 f&f, handmade in santiago, chile... lugged 4130, I believe. They look pretty tasty for that money...

They're also going for about a third of that on ebay.
But then they do weigh an absolute tonne and are apparently a touch shoddy. (Was thinking about it myself. Shipping from the dude that makes 'em is about $90 to the UK.)

I've seen Sparton frames for $200 on ebay, but I think they're a different model - the one that they have in King Kog is meant to be pretty sweet for the cash...

Yo holler when you get here. For 900squid you can buy all of fucking NY at this rate. Fuck man you could/should come home with a vigorelli, a bareknuckle, a few spartons, and a keirin frame or two! Well, maybe not that much but... Anyways, call me up at 1-9one7-87three-4two20 when you get here and I'd be more than glad to show you around.

Brooklyn Jack Crank Yo holler when you get here. For 900squid you can buy all of fucking NY at this rate. Fuck man you could/should come home with a vigorelli, a bareknuckle, a few spartons, and a keirin frame or two! Well, maybe not that much but... Anyways, call me up at 1-9one7-87three-4two20 when you get here and I'd be more than glad to show you around.
ooo maybe we should all sell up and go for a trip! :D

hael [quote]Brooklyn Jack Crank Yo holler when you get here. For 900squid you can buy all of fucking NY at this rate. Fuck man you could/should come home with a vigorelli, a bareknuckle, a few spartons, and a keirin frame or two! Well, maybe not that much but... Anyways, call me up at 1-9one7-87three-4two20 when you get here and I'd be more than glad to show you around.
ooo maybe we should all sell up and go for a trip! :D[/quote]
No shit holmes, my money is good for monopoly and toilet paper. Fucking shit. That being said, the UK is a significantly better place to buy parts (ala jumble sales.) I put my roadbike's all campy components (minus wheels) together for under $300USD at that shit including newer record cranks/cassette/rear der).

ok so i'm going to new york bout mid march, having a couple of thoughts...
I was thinking i would like to take advantage of the exchange rate etc and get myself a set of phil hubs & BB ready for bike no.2 that i want to build. And I was also thinking about hiring a bike for the week that i'm there. But what do people think about combining the 2 kind of, and building a new bike while i'm over there? Would it be possible? Cost wise is it really going to work out cheaper? and any advice from anyone who's brought a bike back from the states.

Thanks

Thing is though there's plenty of US websites where you can just buy stuff at the same price online as if you were actually in the shop. I'm off to NYC in March and was saving money and dying to buy bits while there too but I've pretty much bought everything online now as I can't be arsed to wait and like you say, with the exchange rate so good at the moment it's still cost effective.
Don't get me wrong, I'll still be visiting one or two shops for odds and sods but I'm more than happy with the items I've recently bought(Chris King headset for £38, Phil hubs for £125 to name a few...), plus I think my Mrs will get the hump after 3 days of trawling bike shops when we could be 'spending our time more constructively'! Enjoy your quest though mate! :-)

Wish I was going back next month! Y' jammy git! ;-S
Agree with Pistanator, buy stuff online and post it to a US-based mate... Works out mad cheap and no duty worries... Unless you get a tug comin' through customs on the way back of course...
Virgin Atlantic *were *doing a deal where you could take a bike out (or bring one back?) for free, might be worth a look if you're considering buying a frame...

I flew Virgin Atlantic and it was free to take your bike. It didn't appear to be a special offer or anyhting, just their policy.

Riding your own bike around New York = totally fucking brilliant. Do it Do it. Do it.

Anyone know if you can you hire a ss or fg in NYC? Or, Boston or SanFran.? I am going to all these places next month and as you say be good to try a ride in a town which drives the wrong way round (Yeah that's right - the rest of the worlds roads are wrong!)

monstertrack!

pack up your bike well, and you get 2 bags per person up to a certin weight on transatlantic flights no matter what is in them, so if your under that your bike is free.

Hey,

I'm going over to New York for a month or 2 this april and am packing up my bob jackson to take with me.

Anyone got any suggestions of place to go bike wise or maybe skate (keep meaning to dust down my board).

I tried to join fixed.gr/nyc but don't seem to be able to get past the invitation code bit as I don't know anyone on it to get myself invited.

Thanks for any tips, Paul.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_Square_(New_York_City)

Usually some skaters around of an evening. Brooklyn banks are a cool place to go too.

calver Hey,

I'm going over to New York for a month or 2 this april and am packing up my bob jackson to take with me.

Anyone got any suggestions of place to go bike wise or maybe skate (keep meaning to dust down my board).

I tried to join fixed.gr/nyc but don't seem to be able to get past the invitation code bit as I don't know anyone on it to get myself invited.

Thanks for any tips, Paul.

search on this forum there was some stuff about the nyc fg boar

also ask brooklyn jack crank

Hey, will do. Thanks!

i would get you a code but i cant remember my password grrr