ProBikeKit.com - Are they legit?

Questions about bike hire abroad and everything light bike related. No off-topic chat please

Moderators: robbosmans, Moderator Team

robertbb
Posts: 2179
Joined: Thu Jul 23, 2009 3:35 am

by robertbb

No issues. Two campy wheelsets. A lot of Campy groupset bits. Various cockpit components. All good.

Orbital
Posts: 392
Joined: Wed Feb 14, 2018 12:52 am
Location: Pitt Meadows, BC

by Orbital

Ordered Campy wheels, deda Carbon seat post and bars. No issues. Ordered tires for the winter and they sent with a 3rd party shipper/broker they claimed they were “trying out”. Never saw the tyres. Took 3 months of constant emails and leg work with the 3rd party company to see my money back. Prices are really good but would definitely be nervous to order again.

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



flying
Posts: 2861
Joined: Mon Dec 19, 2005 9:16 am

by flying

Bought Campy Wheels from them no problems

User avatar
dj97223
Posts: 822
Joined: Sun Nov 06, 2005 7:27 pm

by dj97223

They are inconsistent. More than a year ago, they promptly shipped some tires. A couple of months ago, I ordered 2 hard-to-find Campag water bottles. After a couple of weeks and a polite inquiry from me, they canceled my order without explanation. They never charged my account, so I give them thumbs up for that, but I believe they don't stock many of the things they list on their site. I probably won't be using them again.

On the other hand, I find Starbike to have very good prices and good communication and would definitely use them again.
“If you save your breath I feel a man like you can manage it. And if you don't manage it, you'll die. Only slowly, very slowly, old friend.”

User avatar
Mockenrue
Posts: 591
Joined: Mon Aug 20, 2012 10:32 am
Location: Brexshit Britain. Get me out!

by Mockenrue

I've had no trouble at all with them and have used them for a while as sometimes they're cheaper than Wiggle, Merlin etc. They recently let me return a saddle for a full refund despite the 14 days having passed and having used it.

User avatar
zebragonzo
Posts: 971
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2007 7:35 am

by zebragonzo

I've used them no problems. They've been around for many years now. I remember first seeing them when hunting for Aqua Sapone kit.
Dimples: Laminar flow separates more easily from a surface than turbulent air. Delayed separation reduces drag. A groove perpendicular to the flow triggers laminar to turbulent conversion. A spinning object uses dimples so an edge always faces the flow.

mattr
Posts: 4671
Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: The Grim North.

by mattr

MisterNoChain wrote:
Tue Aug 14, 2018 10:22 pm
I had never heard of this website but on google shopping they gave the lowest price for an ultegra di2 groupset. Looked for some reviews and decided never to buy there. 95% of people seem to be scammed.
95%?
Do you work for one of their competitors?

Or did you just search for bad reviews?

User avatar
ryanw
in the industry
Posts: 2284
Joined: Sat Apr 16, 2016 6:52 pm
Location: London

by ryanw

mattr wrote:
Fri Aug 17, 2018 6:25 am
MisterNoChain wrote:
Tue Aug 14, 2018 10:22 pm
I had never heard of this website but on google shopping they gave the lowest price for an ultegra di2 groupset. Looked for some reviews and decided never to buy there. 95% of people seem to be scammed.
95%?
Do you work for one of their competitors?

Or did you just search for bad reviews?
This is a load of sh!t.

I’ve used them for wheels, components etc for years. Never had any issues at all.

Also have a mate that works there now. They’re a genuine firm.
SL8 S-Works Project Black - 6.29kg
IG: RhinosWorkshop

moonoi
Posts: 663
Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2015 3:04 pm
Location: Earth

by moonoi

ryanw wrote:
Fri Aug 17, 2018 9:54 am
mattr wrote:
Fri Aug 17, 2018 6:25 am
MisterNoChain wrote:
Tue Aug 14, 2018 10:22 pm
I had never heard of this website but on google shopping they gave the lowest price for an ultegra di2 groupset. Looked for some reviews and decided never to buy there. 95% of people seem to be scammed.
95%?
Do you work for one of their competitors?

Or did you just search for bad reviews?
This is a load of sh!t.

I’ve used them for wheels, components etc for years. Never had any issues at all.

Also have a mate that works there now. They’re a genuine firm.
So interestingly enough I decided to do a search on google for probikekit, and indeed the vast majority of reviews are bad, there is also an article from back in 2014 looking at it in greater detail and notes that if you live in the UK and used them, people are generally very happy with them (90%+), but the issues and bad reviews are all around internationl orders, and those continue up to the current day. So while 95% of reviews are bad might be hyperbole, it's also true to say that they do have major customer service issues for international customers....and based on that I wouldn't use them either.

mattr
Posts: 4671
Joined: Fri May 25, 2007 6:43 pm
Location: The Grim North.

by mattr

Like i say, i reckon MisterNoChain works for Wiggle/CRC or one of the other big web retailers.
Or Evans.

It's either that, or really really really crap at phrasing google searches.

KotP
Posts: 176
Joined: Thu Mar 29, 2018 12:31 am

by KotP

moonoi wrote:
Fri Aug 17, 2018 11:13 am
....an article from back in 2014...
That was probably around the time they were bought by The Hut Group. With the change of ownership they were slow to process, slow international shipping, an absolute garbage fire when it came to customer service and the ease of contacting and communicating with them (web form only). Specifically, I bought a couple of bottle cages, they sent the wrong ones, they asked I return them for a refund, I did, it took many prompts from me for the refund which eventually got processed about 3 months later.

They've turned that around now, I wouldn't hesitate to use them now and I do. Fortunately I've never had to contact CS but prices are pretty low and I get things quickly, comparable with the other big UK retailers.

moonoi
Posts: 663
Joined: Sat Nov 21, 2015 3:04 pm
Location: Earth

by moonoi

KotP wrote:
moonoi wrote:
Fri Aug 17, 2018 11:13 am
....an article from back in 2014...
That was probably around the time they were bought by The Hut Group. With the change of ownership they were slow to process, slow international shipping, an absolute garbage fire when it came to customer service and the ease of contacting and communicating with them (web form only). Specifically, I bought a couple of bottle cages, they sent the wrong ones, they asked I return them for a refund, I did, it took many prompts from me for the refund which eventually got processed about 3 months later.

They've turned that around now, I wouldn't hesitate to use them now and I do. Fortunately I've never had to contact CS but prices are pretty low and I get things quickly, comparable with the other big UK retailers.
You should quote the whole statement I made, rather than taking one small part out of context.

I actually said "...there is also an article from back in 2014 looking at it in greater detail and notes that if you live in the UK and used them, people are generally very happy with them (90%+), but the issues and bad reviews are all around internationl orders, and those continue up to the current day."

This means that the same complaints are still being made, that's over 4 years later and it would appear they still haven't improved.



AJS914
Posts: 5392
Joined: Tue Jan 28, 2014 6:52 pm

by AJS914

moonoi wrote:
Fri Aug 17, 2018 11:13 am

So interestingly enough I decided to do a search on google for probikekit, and indeed the vast majority of reviews are bad

What reviews are you looking at? I see no google rating for pbk. I see that they have terrible ratings on one site, resellerratings.comm but I'm skeptical of them having around 120 1-star negative reviews there. If there was a poll on weightweenies, it seems like they would rate a 4 or so. 120 orders is a small tiny drop in the bucket of their total orders per day/week/year. To me, that honestly looks like a smear campaign on the part of a competitor.

AFAICT, PBK hasn't ripped anyone off. It seems that their worst offense is selling something that is not in stock and then having it list as "processing" for a long time. The other problems seem to usually be with international shipping. I've ordered from them maybe five times without a problem.

User avatar
IrrelevantD
Posts: 857
Joined: Sun Nov 29, 2015 5:47 pm
Location: Near DFW Airport

by IrrelevantD

Personally, never had an issue ordering from PBK aside from the usual tracking and customs delay issues I get when ordering anything from Europe. PBK is better about it than most, trying ordering something from the Czech Republic.

In this case, sounds like a USPS fail, and as others have said, I’d actually go to the post office that delivers it to you and talk to the local postmaster.
* There is a 70% chance that what you have just read has a peppering of cynicism or sarcasm and generally should not be taken seriously.
I'll leave it up to you to figure out the other 30%. If you are in any way offended, that's on you.

User avatar
chorus88
Posts: 354
Joined: Sun Oct 22, 2006 2:58 pm
Location: Toronto

by chorus88

I had a minor problem with PBK back in winter 2016 (ordered Zonda C17s to Canada). Dealt with Peter & Liam. Liam is a lying POS.
IMO, between Wiggle or PBK...Wiggle is more professional.
When Technology Becomes Emotion
2023 Tarmac SL7 Expert R8100 (90622-3352)

by Weenie


Visit starbike.com Online Retailer for HighEnd cycling components
Great Prices ✓    Broad Selection ✓    Worldwide Delivery ✓

www.starbike.com



Post Reply