General Cycling Discussion - How many of us support the sponsors?

I was thinking that a real hardcore cycling fan would have the following:

Saeco coffee maker
T-Moble phone
Only use USPS (no UPS or FedEx)
Allessio wheels on their Saturn
NetZero internet service
Drink 7-Up
An account at Once
some Prime Alliance thermoplasics (?)

Anyone pay attention to cycling team sponsorships when buying goods and services?

I drink Peet's Coffee, they support MY racing club!!

You drink Minute Maid too?:D

Nope. When I decide to buy something, I decide on the basis of what it can do for me, not what someone else would like me to use.

If there are two products that are similar in value and the maker of one supports cycling - I'll buy their product.

Unfortunately, there is one sponsor of USPS Team that I will not buy their product. Nothing to do with the Posties...

Which sponsor cyclezealot?

Price first.Dont care about sponsors or racing.

Whew, I thought you meant the sponsors of this forum, and I was all ready for a major guilt trip....

Um, I use the Post Office for all my mailing needs. :D

I drive a VW, So You could Say I support Roland Green. :D

USPS!

USPS for small package delivery. Sierra Mist (Pepsi/7-UP product). Each by default... (Didn't know they were sponsors).

Tim Horton's, they support cycling in Canada and their coffee is the best anyway!:D

No one has a Festina watch?

Fubar. I will not name names, but I will say their product has to do with shoes.. My reason has nothing to do with the quality of their product but related to worker treatment and off-shoreing. I buy New Balance..

Originally posted by Scooby Snax
I drive a VW, So You could Say I support Roland Green. :D

Good choice :D

Trek and Giro have to be making a killing off The Boys In Blue! I wish I had bought stock in Trek before the first Tour Lance won:D

Originally posted by cyclezealot
Fubar. I will not name names, but I will say their product has to do with shoes.. My reason has nothing to do with the quality of their product but related to worker treatment and off-shoreing. I buy New Balance..

Lol, thats like saying, " Someone here does a real good job at moderating, I won't say his name, buy his initials are fubar5."

I like that the said company stuck with a certain postie through a tough time in said posties life. But I agree with your points for not supporting said sponsor.

Fubar. I live next door to Mexico. I have a thing against slave labor. That is all. There have been factories not meeting minimum safety standards where people have unnecessarily died in fires. Of course that happened not too many years ago at some plant in your part of the country..... When you can't find a textile job in North Carolina, remember they are in Indonesia with some worker making .20 cents an hour.. Plus working conditions need be investigated..
Such companies stick with some of our favorite Posties, maybe not from loyality, but for Public relations puposes.. You buy New Balance shoes, they include a sticker stating, made in the U.S. with Union made labor.. Buying American shows real patriotism, when and where possible. Thing is the product costs no more than products made with slave labor.. Plus I find they have better support than alternative B. If only I could still run due to a bad knee.

I will generally at least consider a sponsors product, and favor it when making a purchase if price or quality don't rule it out.

I support my sponsors, my Avatar is one of them.

I drive a Subaru. They support cycling and MTB in many ways , plus their cars rock! Subies rule!

I use USPS. :D
I support the Back Yard Burgers Cycling Team (http://www.bybcycling.com/) by eating the burgers. Very tasty. :)

Support the bikeforums so we can continue to chat!

Imagine if we all sent just 15 bucks each per year. Thats less than we will spend on one dinner out at a bad resturaunt.

Originally posted by LA Law
No one has a Festina watch?

No one can afford a Festina watch. Buy me one and I'll wear it.

I'd use a Saeco espresso machine too, if I had the bucks to buy one. My little Krups machine does just fine and I picked it up for $5.00 at an estate sale.

Support sponsors? What sponsors? I cycle on my own and don't need anyone to sponsor my rides. And when I buy products, I prefer cheaper products, local products, quality products and products that have little advertising behind them. I figure that if I hear a lot about them on TV, many of my buying dollars are going to a TV station rather than product development.

Regards,

I come at it from this angle: I compete in a sport. I also ride for fun. It is a passtime that gets little attention in this country. If we want it to grow, we need more people with much money to support us (grassroots movements aside - yes I know they're great).

Big corporate sponsorships mean bigger and better races in the States and better riders from America. It also means more kids will dream of being bike racers. In order to gain more sponsorships, the companies who shell out the dollars need to see returns.

So the basic question is, if you're shopping for a product, does that company's commitment to our sport equate into your buying it over a competitor?

Originally posted by LA Law
So the basic question is, if you're shopping for a product, does that company's commitment to our sport equate into your buying it over a competitor?

It might make a difference. However, as I said before, there are other things I consider to be more important, such as whether I really need/want it, whether it will do the job I want of it, the price, etc etc.