Sourcing bicycle tyres for a UK online retailer: branded and economy ranges
A UK online bike-parts retailer wanted a long-term tyre supply; we split the work into genuine branded stock from a verifiable source and a separate economy range with one tread family across sizes.
What the buyer asked
The buyer wanted a steady, repeat supply rather than a one-off order, starting with a trial of about 150–250 tyres.
Sizes: mountain and general-purpose tyres in 20, 24, 26, 27.5 and 29 inch, ideally in 1.95, 2.10 and 2.25 widths, and road and hybrid tyres from 700×23C to 700×38C.
Two ranges: genuine stock from established international tyre brands, and a lower-cost range that is reliable rather than the cheapest. Inner tubes and other parts could ship with the tyres.
What we checked
- For branded tyres, whether stock could come from a manufacturer, an authorised distributor or another verifiable source, with batch and original-packaging evidence.
- For the economy range, mature exporting factories with steady quality and one tread family covering several common sizes.
- Each candidate's minimum order, mixed-size rules, sample cost, packing data, quality-control and test documents, and traceability.
- Chinese retail prices against UK prices, as an early sense check only.
What we found
- Genuine branded tyres must come from a source we can verify. Bringing major brands into the UK through informal parallel channels carries trademark, authenticity and customs risk, so low-priced parallel stock is not the main route unless the supply chain and rights position can be checked.
- The most workable economy-range factory found so far already exports and sets a minimum of 500 tyres per size per tread pattern. Each extra size or tread is a separate minimum, well above a 150–250 tyre trial.
- One tread family across the main sizes gives the retailer a consistent range. One family we checked ran from 20 to 27.5 inch but showed no 29 inch or 700C sizes, so gaps have to be filled separately.
- The same buyer also asked about phone-repair parts. We paused lithium batteries and branded aftermarket screens: the carriers available to us would not take them, and the screens carry extra IP and customs risk. Cables, UK plugs and wireless chargers without batteries remain workable.
Status
Sourcing in progress. The next step is the buyer's choice of tread pattern and sizes for us to quote first.
What this means for other buyers
- For branded goods, the source matters more than the price: ask who supplies the stock and what shows it is genuine.
- Factory minimums are often per size and per pattern, so a mixed trial order can need several minimums.
- One tread family across sizes makes a steadier range and simpler reorders.
Related pages
- Sourcing bicycle parts and tyres from China
- Sourcing for brands
- Avoiding counterfeit products from China
- All project notes
Anonymised: we do not name the buyer, their business, the brands involved or the factories. Every fact comes from our own project file for this enquiry; nothing has been added.