How we source
The carbon market is a maze. We've walked it for a decade.
You spec the bike you want and we route every part through the channel that produces the best combination of price, lead time, and warranty support. We don't pretend to use just one channel — we use whichever one is right for the part.
Where the part actually comes from
DTC direct
When the manufacturer ships and supports the part themselves — Yoeleo, ICAN, Light Bicycle, Tantan, the rest — we go straight to them. Cheaper, faster, and the warranty path is unambiguous.
Authorised dealers
SRAM, Shimano, and Campagnolo flagship groupsets, electronic shifting, power meters — these move through authorised channels because warranty support matters more than a 4 % saving.
Vetted marketplaces
Pandapodium and a small set of curated resellers. We've audited what they ship and from where; we don't use the ones we haven't.
Direct relationships
Niche carbon-frame makers. Phone numbers in our contacts, not customer-service queues. How we land allocation on rare framesets is mostly about being recognised on the other end.
What you save by us doing it
- FX
- The same Evolve CIMA can be 14 % cheaper in EUR than USD depending on the week. We watch the cross. You don't have to.
- Tariffs
- Section 301, Section 232, and the more recent rounds keep changing. We route through the right channel for the right combination so you pay the lowest legal duty.
- Time
- Most of these channels aren't Google-searchable. Knowing a brand exists is 80 % of the win; knowing who actually has stock is the other 20.
- Comparison shopping
- We quote the same spec from three or more sources before we place. Sometimes a $250 difference; sometimes a six-week-versus-six-day lead-time difference.
When we say a part came from X — that's true
- · Every component on your build sheet shows its source URL.
- · The General Certificate of Conformity and supplier conformity docs travel with the bike.
- · You can see what we paid, the shipping route, and the date the part left the supplier.