Bellatisport - anybody use them

Thanks guys, but I haven't really seen much on the net that is negative about Bellatisport. I read the thread posted by [email protected] before I even started this thread, and the OP never states that it was Bellatisport. However, he does mention it in another thread, but there he seems to like Bellatisport and he doesn't even mention the issue with the $400 at that point. Here is the quote from the other thread:

"I found the Mortirolo I wanted at www.bellatisport.com, I purchased it and it's said to be shipped next week. Hope everything goes well.

I paid far less then the suppliers in the US, they were trying to mark the price up astronomical, it's was ridiculous, as if I wasnt going to research and see what I could get it for elsewhere.

They really piss me off, Wilier USA sucks as far as I'm concerned, full of lies about what the main factory has in stock, to get you to buy something else thats already here, bunch of crap they fed me

We'll see if the Euro company comes through, at least they seemed pretty honest and wanting to help me find what I wanted unlike Wilier USA."

[email protected], my next choice would be either your company (i.e., Wrench Science) or Competitive Cyclist. Problem with Wrench Science is that it has the size all jacked up on the sloping frame (i.e., they do not match the sizes given on Colnago's website and frame geometry spreadsheet) so I have no actual idea what to order. Oh yeah, and it is almost $900 more than Bellatisport on the Dream HP and $1,200 more on the C50.

With the prices they have, I find it hard to believe that nobody on here has actually tried them, other than HBPUNK. I think I read something on here about another guy that bought something from them, and he didn't have anything bad to say about the experience. Nothing phenomanally good either though.

Handsomerob,

My previous post on here wasn't here for very long and you had your response in. Why not bite my head off next time, and thanks for your advice. Rock solid and very helpful. LOL

Before I even started this post, I did a search on this board for all posts about Bellatisport, and I read all of them. Just didn't make the connection in two different threads that HBPUNK was praising Bellatisport one minute and then damning them the next.

As far as advice is concerned, I'll take all I can get, but I still haven't heard from anybody that has had a direct experience with Bellatisport. I'm an attorney by profession, and skeptical about things. That is why I would like to hear from people that have actual experience with Bellatisport, or that know people that have had experience with Bellatisport, and I would like to know what the issues were. If it wasn't anything serious (e.g., frame took a while to be delivered, customer service took over a day to e-mail back), I think I'll save my money and order from them, and put the saved money toward a time trial bike. If the negative responses are for serious stuff, then I'll pay the extra money and order from WS or Competitive, or maybe even by LBS who hasn't gotten back to me with a price yet.

Just like Mr. Herald in the Litespeed forum has a vested interest in Litespeed (i.e., he is the director of marketing I believe), so does [email protected] because he works at Wrench Science which is one of the premier online sellers of frames. I commend both of them for putting their affiliation right up front, because some people wouldn't. If I decide to go with WS, you can bet I will be asking [email protected] some more questions.

What is really sad is that I spent less time looking online for my dream truck and even less time negotiating the price at the dealer than I have spent on this frame purchase. What is even sadder is that I have probably lost enough billable hours to have paid for the frame already. Once I figure this thing out with Bellatisport, I'll be done with the quest (e.g., which frame Bianchi, Orbea, Colnago, DeRosa, Pinarello and which vendor WS, Bellatisport, the one million English vendors, Competitive Cyclist, the Old Bike Shop, etc.).

Okay, here is the e-mail I sent them around 8:30 pm:

"I am interested in a couple of your Colnago frames (e.g., C50 and Dream HP), and was wondering about the procedure for buying one from you. I live in the US and you are a Swiss company. Do you ship to the US? How long would it be before I received my frame? Do you charge my credit card before you ship the frame?

Thanks for your time with this.

Sincerely,

Fabrizio Roman"

and here is their reply at 1:30 a.m., which is 5 hours after I sent my e-mail:

"Good morning Mr. Roman,

Thank you very much for your interest in Colnago frames.

The delivery time for a Colnago frame is about 4-6 week after the order, but now you must consider that the Colnago Factory is close for holiday and will open only end of August.
The frame will be ship to US with Swiss Post International (TNT), the box is insured and with priority post you will receive the frame in about 4-9 days.

You can choose and order the frame that you wish and pay with one of the most important credit card.
Your credit card will billed only when we are ready to send you the frame and not before.

Your sincerely.

Andrea Bellati

Andrea Bellati Sport
Via G. Lanz 1
CH-6850 Mendrisio
+41-91-646 11 83
+41-91-646 45 84 fax"

Yep, sent two PM's to people that bought from them.

I'm not as dumb as you guys think I thinks I am. LOL

Based upon the posts I read, I sent PM's yesterday to the two guys that I think bought stuff from Bellatisport. I received a reply from one of them so far, and it follows:

"Hey Fabrizio

Yes, prices at Bellatisport are pretty awesome and you are right to be cautious. I waited for a friend to get his Ksyrium ES's from the store before I ordered my Ksyrium SL3's. Both came promptly about a week and a bit after ordering.

I'd have no hesitation buying from them. I had an email query and they also answered back really quick.

Just remember to sign up for their free membership to get the best prices!

Good luck!
PedalSpinner"

I think I am going to order the Colnago Dream HP and some Campy Euros wheels from them. However, I will check out those other sites you mentioned. Already checked out Maestro and their prices are decent, but they do not offer the frame in the paint scheme I want.

As far as advice is concerned, I wouldn't be wasting my time posting on here and reading replies if I didn't think the advice was any good. However, I do take almost everything with a grain of salt.

fabsroman said:

[email protected], my next choice would be either your company (i.e., Wrench Science) or Competitive Cyclist. Problem with Wrench Science is that it has the size all jacked up on the sloping frame (i.e., they do not match the sizes given on Colnago's website and frame geometry spreadsheet) so I have no actual idea what to order. Oh yeah, and it is almost $900 more than Bellatisport on the Dream HP and $1,200 more on the C50.

Click to expand...

We've found that using virtual sizes cuts down on confusion with the sloping frames. In other works if a sloping frame says "56cm" that means it's going to fit like a 56cm. You can click "more info" and then "frame geometry"... You'll see that the Ps (actual) size is 52cm and the P (virtual) is 56cm... confusing, ain't it?

You could always just call toll free with any questions.

As far as the lower European prices.... they don't have to pay import duties on the frames (only part of it.) I can't speak for what makes up the rest of the difference. It certainly is not the profit margin being made at the bike shops or the distributor.

Folks who buy bikes from us are more concerned with great service and superbe bike builds than the lowest price.

BTW... the OP of the thread that I linked to did mention Bellatisport. He must've edited it out. I have not heard much more than a couple of complaints. I don't know anything about them. You originally asked about them, so i posted the link. I find myself here (on the forums) when I'm not busy so i wind up posting on whatever seems interesting... even if it has nothing to do with the competition. :thumbsup:

[email protected],

I hear ya. I alternate between this site and a hunting/shooting chat board for breaks from work. I'm actually a mod on the hunting chat board and have met several guys from the board. Just started coming to this board as I started looking for reviews on bikes before buying one. Kind of tough after I have been out of the market for close to 20 years.

I appreciate all the help you have provided, and I too have no idea why there is such a difference in cost between the Colnago frames in Europe and here. Even Maestro carries the frames for a decent amount less than places here. All I can think of is that more middle men are involved in getting the frames to the US. I think Trialtir is the exclusive supplier in the US, so that might have something to do with it.

As far as a quality bike build is concerned, I am going to build it myself, with the exception of installing the headset and the bottom bracket. For two summers, I worked at the bike shop that sponsored my USCF team so that I could buy wheels and bike parts and have done all the repairs on my own bike, so I feel pretty comfortable about building my own bike. Plus, it is part of the hobby of bike riding for me, and I love to tinker with things.