Too Tyre-d to care?

1st September 2009
Too Tyre-d to care?


Well I know that everybody who has the combined joy's and heartaches of owning their beloved bikes will have at some time or will be very soon looking at the bewildering and annoying prospect of having to replace their tyres.

With the internet becoming a major retailing tool in it's own right, fierce pricing has made the once fairly simple task of sourcing tyres from a local shop a thing of the past.

Getting a good deal may not necessarily mean getting the best price, as for some being able to find a trustworthy company to deal with can be one of the biggest issues, as buying on the internet can be a nervy prospect. Passing card details on to individuals you may never meet or get to know in person is one of the main concerns, along with complex returns procedures /order discrepancies or the risk of not seeing items ever turn up are all worrying problems.

I myself last week had the joys of having to replace the cooked Bridgestone 021's on my bike, and like most people dread the gut wrenching feeling when having to spend out at a time when money is tight. Sods law has a lot to answer for.

After phoning around a few tyre shops and dealers, I turned to the internet, to, I suppose kill my curiosity of what deals are there to be potentially had if any, and what could be saved.

Having an idea of what tyre to go for in the first place is always a good start, and ultimately saves a huge amount of time. There is such a bewildering choice of manufacturers and products within them, which in turn adds even more arse-ache before you have even started.

It is so easy to see several similar tyre types with varying prices that you will have the potential to go awry very quickly and end up with a product that may not suit you or your bikes usage. For instance a set of Super Corsa 3 Pirelli's may not suit if you want good mileage for commuting, or stable behavior for your sports tourer, so seeing them cheap may not mean you will save any money in the long run, so beware of falling prey to false economy,whether it being financial or worse still a compromise to your safety.

Another shortfall which can be very easy to overlook, is finding an amazing price for what you are looking for, only to find that there is still carriage to be added, making the overall costs no cheaper than approaching the local bike shop AND paying the labour for having the sodding things fitted!

That is another very serious aspect to consider before trying to save some cash; is the question of who is going to fit the tyres to your machine.

We all like to save money whenever possible, but if you are not prepared to fit your own rubber then you will need help from someone who does know how to fit them properly, as the results if bodged don't even bear thinking about.

If you are at a loss and can only have the local bike shop to do this, then check first if they will object to fitting tyres supplied from elsewhere, as later on at some point you can guarantee that you will be glad of their help in a situation where only they can help.

If you are the sort that find workshop tools and skin disorders exciting, then this is the most worthy route to saving a respectable amount of money, not just on the tyres you have just bought, but also saving on having to pay someone else to fit them. Result!

However, back to the matter in hand; after about two hours of boring myself senseless on the computer checking out various tyre and bike sites to get some prices I stumbled across www.sticky-stuff.co.uk.

Like most sites, there is the promise advertised of deals on pairs of tyres, but Sticky Stuff goes one further, by offering triple deals too which is ideal if your bike has the habit of lunching on one tyre more than the other, which can be the case if you do a lot of fast road or track day rides.

Looking in further detail, it is a very impressive site, with a simple layout, and a good selection of tyres and respective manufacturers to choose from, allowing you to search via manufacturer, tyre /rim sizing, or by pairs or triple deals. This search feature allows the rapid narrowing down to a specific product relatively painless.

It must be noted that the site does have sub menus which are well displayed to one side, so in turn easy to access for double checking the carriage charges (up to 10kg FREE OF CHARGE-NEXT DAY UK MAINLAND DELIVERY), as well as returns and dispute procedures. Adding to this the ability to place an order over the phone with the shops owner, if you are a bit nervy of using the secure sage banking site to make your card payments (which by the way was incredibly easy and painless to use).

I will say though that I would always recommend to either phone or e-mail the vendor concerned (not all on line stores have a easily accessible phone number) to double check the weight of the complete order (to ascertain relevant carriage costs), as well as stock availability.

Just a note for buying on-line: if you have the option of paying by credit card, then do so, as the card will insure the purchase against possible losses, such as plain theft by a bogus vendor or other discrepancies or damages relating to that particular purchase.

As for Sticky Stuff; after looking through the selection on offer and finding a pair deal on the intended set I was after, I completed the order within about five minutes, had the payment and dispatch details confirmed via e-mail within ten minutes later. added reassurance is the order tracking facility which is available if you register you personal details (securely) which adds another five minutes to the overall time spent, which is worthwhile if there is an item out of stock for example.

Stocking a product like tyres can be costly and a imminent nightmare, so Sticky Stuff tends to have most tyre orders dispatched directly from the manufacturer/distributor to customer to lessen the chance of a customer order shortfall.

Errors are always a possibility, and can occur, which was the case in this instance with myself making the fatal (or so I thought) error of ordering the wrong front tyre profile (120/60/ZR17 instead of 120/70/ZR17). After receiving the tyres (WITHIN 24 HOURS!), I noticed the error and e-mailed and phoned to confirm the problem which was dealt with minimum fuss and an exchange taking place within another 24 hours.

To think of some of the things that do take place these days, card cloning, fraud, and general mistrust, mostly thanks to the internet's unstable and abused reputation; it is refreshing that there are individuals that are genuine and offer a quality of service that far exceeds some of the most respected high street concerns.

Just out of interest, the tyre selection I went for was Continental's ever respected road attack radials, with the 120/70/ZR17 – 160/60/ZR17 pairing coming in at £141.99 loose, (WHICH COINCEDENTALY WAS THE CHEAPEST PRICE I FOUND) with the most expensive competitor online being nearly £60 more expensive.

If you have the time to look, and can either get the tyres fitted yourself or by someone for a minimal (or reasonable) sum, then there are savings to be had.

Just remember that tubeless tyres must be fitted by a suitably trained fitter for obvious safety reasons. Cutting costs is one thing, cutting corners can be fatal, so be warned.

Sticky Stuff's website can be found on www.sticky-stuff.co.uk, and Mick the proprietor can be phoned on: 01952 502 703, if you are unnecessarily wary of buying on-line from the site. As for the tyres, there will be a longtermers report coming up soon, and also in the very distant future too, ( if they are as durable as hoped!) to see how they have faired.

In the meantime, happy shopping......


How good is Sticky Stuff?

Site navigation and general ease of use: 9/10

Factual access (carriage details/refunds etc) 9/10

Stock availability: 10/10

Site Security (Taking Payments etc) 10/10

Customer service/order queries: 100/10

Delivery service: 10/10 (24 hour courier service)

Conclusion: Trustworthy, friendly service, extensive selection of competitively priced goods, and exceeded initial expectations for a first time internet buying experience. Thoroughly recommended!