TotalCycling.com- Good, Bad, Ugly?

[sean]

Ugly, yes. The site needs some work.

But besides that, what are ya'll experiences with them. Thinking of ordering some stuff and would love a little yay or nay.

Thanks.

[false_Aest]

if they have stuff they get it to you

if they don't have stuff, they forget to tell you and then you wait and wait and wait.

[cody.wms]

I've had good luck with both Total and Ribble, but all of my stuff has been in stock when I ordered.

Total has some older Campy stuff that pops up from time to time, which I like.

[AngryScientist]

ordered a bunch of stuff including a full chorus-11 group from them, never had any problems, and the girl who answers the "help" emails is always very prompt and courteous

[kinofaucet]

ordered a crankset from them and it came within a week (to california).

highly recommended along with chainreactioncycles as my favorite UK sellers

[bobswire]

Ordered 10 speed Centaur and R. derailleur from them,very satisfied with price and product, just make sure they have what you want in stock. I suggest emailing beforehand. Otherwise they can be slow in informing you they don't have it in stock.

[alexstar]

The first time I ordered in 2008, my order took 30 days to arrive, but such is the peril of international ordering. Subsequent orders have had no problems. I hear that they list items on their website without verifying stock; so, if you order an item and it is out of stock, they will ship it when it arrives, which could take months. My brother ordered a bunch of Campy bits and they shipped the wrong derailleur; after emailing back and forth, they shipped the correct one and he returned the wrong one. So it worked out okay with no bad feelings on this end.

Last time I checked, they still did flat rate shipping to the US. I got a wheelset and a bunch of stuff shipped, relatively cheaply.

I wouldn't hesitate to do business with them again, but I would email them to check stock before you place an order.

[firerescuefin]

Excellent...have ordered from them numerous times. Very satisfied.

[maximus]

If they have it in stock - you are fine. You can contact them ahead of time and save some waiting and possible disappointment - though if you write an email, expect to wait for a response anyway.

That being said, I received a nearly complete Campagnolo group for a decent price a while ago. They had a part out of stock, so they held my entire order til it arrived - but gave no indication of when it would ship out. After a few attempts to contact them with no response, I was getting nervous. In the end - I never got a response, but did receive the parts a couple weeks late.

If you like feeling confident that your parts would arrive as said, I would spend the extra few bucks and go with Wiggle or Pro Bike Kit (if they have the parts as well of course).

GL!

[BdaGhisallo]

I would try chainreactioncycles or Primera Sport. In my experience, they are more trustworthy and reliable. TC often charge your CC for things that aren't in stock and you only find out about it weeks later when the goods don't show and they are extremely hard to communicate with.

I used TC quite a bit five years ago, but they went downhill.

Parker International are the top UK mail order place in my experience, but they are limited with what they will ship to the US.

[Marcusaurelius]

I've used Totalcyling many times and sometimes it was good but other times it was bad. The don't tell you when an item is out of stock and you can wait weeks for the item to be in stock.

I found Ribble to be much more reliable. Chainreaction is also very good.

[sean]

Thanks all for the advice. They had a set of century finish centaur hubs for $150 and I couldn't pass that deal up.

I'm usually a PBK fan, at least until they "lost" my return. That is becoming a PIA to deal with.

Anyhow, lots of positive reviews and good "watchouts". Thanks~

[binxnyrwarrsoul]

I also want those Century Grey Centaur hubs, but was reluctant to deal with that shop. I've used ChainReaction for a saddle and some Sidi Doms in an odd color, got them in 6 days (to CT). No problems.

[cody.wms]

I also want those Century Grey Centaur hubs...

Those are likely in stock. They've added them to the webpage somewhat recently (within the last year).

Also, I ordered a bunch of stuff from Ribble on Sunday, the package was at my door here in DC yesterday (Wednesday).

[blschaefer1]

No direct experience with TC, but have ordered from Ribble many times over the years and have also had excellent service. If it's in stock the gear get here crazy fast.

[sean]

They came through. Got the hubs this A.M. Waaay faster than expected.

Was a bit worried though. Placed the order, didn't get a confirmation or anything. Sent an email and got an immediate response with a tracking number.

Def. a good experience.

[LiteFM]

if they have stuff they get it to you

if they don't have stuff, they forget to tell you and then you wait and wait and wait.

That was my experience with them as well. I had a hell of a time trying to get someone to respond to me as well. The never replied to my emails...I finally broke down and called them using Skype! If you're not in a rush and want to save some cash it's fine I suppose.
-John