Fifty Plus (50+) - Nashbar & Performance Bike

Are Nashbar & Performance Bike the same company? The reason I ask is when I receive an e-mail from Nashbar with their sales, within 10 minutes I receive an e-mail from Performance. It has to be more than a coincidence because it has been happening for months now. Any comments?

Nashbar and Performance have the same parent company (which also gobbled up Supergo). Sometimes their prices and coupons vary. Some suggest that Nashbar is slightly more downscale, but they do seem to carry a lot of the same--or similar--merchandise.

Are Nashbar & Performance Bike the same company? The reason I ask is when I receive an e-mail from Nashbar with their sales, within 10 minutes I receive an e-mail from Performance. It has to be more than a coincidence because it has been happening for months now. Any comments?

They are the same but Nashbar is web/phone only.I use the Performance store by me and special orders to the store(not your home)are freight free.
Wish Nashbar had a store by me,larger selection of older parts.This is strange because they both appear to share the same warehouse in Canfield,Ohio.
Why two similar stores?Most likely another stupid corporate decision so management would not be down-sized with one banner name.

Why two similar stores?Most likely another stupid corporate decision so management would not be down-sized with one banner name.
Same reason a lot of the big check cashing outfits have 2 or 3 different brand names, sometimes with stores close to each other that seem to be competing for customers. So whoever you choose, they win !

They have only been the same company for a short time, maybe 2 years iirc. Bike Nashbar was a large and independent mail order turned online outfit for many years before being absorbed into the Performance fold.

Performance bought Nashbar around April 2000. If you read the item descriptions in the Nashbar carefully you may sometimes detect a dry wit and a few inside jokes that are not present in Performance catalogues.

2 years, 7 years, something like that. :o

Performance bought Nashbar around April 2000. If you read the item descriptions in the Nashbar carefully you may sometimes detect a dry wit and a few inside jokes that are not present in Performance catalogues.

Anyone remember the old Nashbar (maiden name Bike Warehouse, I believe) catalogs that were printed on newsprint? They had a 60s-ish quality that was fun to read.

I ordered once from both companies and now I get bombarded 2-3 times a day with mailings of their clearance sale. I just wish they could clear my name off their list.

Same parent company from what I've read.

Peformance has been getting more restrictive (less selection) and more costly during the last year. They have the 10% team performance kickback but Nashbar often has better prices. Performance 2nd day shipping and tracking is better if you are time constrained. I've had expedited shipping from Nashbar take an entire week!

I ordered once from both companies and now I get bombarded 2-3 times a day with mailings of their clearance sale. I just wish they could clear my name off their list.

You can, just read the bottom and unsubscribe. Also if you do order something from either and there is a store anywhere in the state, you have to pay taxes and shipping. I start using Spicer cycle or Jenson or Alfred E. Bike.

Back in prehistoric times, you would fill out the order page in the middle of the Nashbar catalog, then fold it up just right, tape it together, and mail it in with your check to Arni Nashbar. No envelope. They offered a pedal-powered lawnmower at one time.

Anyone remember the old Nashbar (maiden name Bike Warehouse, I believe) catalogs that were printed on newsprint? They had a 60s-ish quality that was fun to read.

Yeah- I had their catalog from around 1981 or 1982... It was newsprint, and the itms were drawings, not photos. I liked it better than any other. Performance came out soon there after, and they had the glossy color catalog, but I always liked the newsprint (like Campmor is now) type catalog-- their prices were better. Arne Nashbar would actually answer questions personally... At some point in the 90's, before they were gobbled up, their son had a spin-off called "Spike Nashbar", which sold voleyball stuff.

I remember their retail stores--there was on in Northern Virginia, relatively close to home--was only here for about a year, as I recall.

I remember how I found out Nashbar had been bought--I was ordering something from them, and they charged me sales tax. I asked why, and was told because they had a retail outlet in the state I lived in. I was pleasantly surprised, as I expected them to tell me Nashbar had opened another retail store--that they were goihng back to retail. I was very disappointed when the sales clerk told me it was the Performance stores in the area... he also told me Supergo had been bought by Performance.

My biggest disappointment was that we had lost another outlet for bike stuff. Sort of when the mom and pop hardware stores disappear and HomeDepot or Lowes appears... yes they have almost anything you could want, but there is no variety. You get what they offer, and nothing else. You get a good price, but the individuality is gone...the attention is gone...

I have the distinct advantage that the closest bike shop to me is a Performance store. That's great... however, I support two other bike shops because I don't want them to disappear. One of them --PedalShop in AShburn is where I got my fixie. Mike is the area guru on fixies and single speed mountain bikes. He is also a great guy, who takes care of his customers. I don't know how he stays in business, but I do know that he needs me and everyone that goes in there.

train safe-

Anyone remember the old Nashbar (maiden name Bike Warehouse, I believe) catalogs that were printed on newsprint? They had a 60s-ish quality that was fun to read.
Wasn't Bike Warehouse the same company as Bikecology or did Bikecology become Supergo? I believe I am thinking of the Bikecology catalogs of the mid-to-late 70's. In one of those, on a page of seatposts, they had a photo of an attractive young lady in a swimsuit holding a seatpost with the caption "Grease well before inserting."

Back in prehistoric times, you would fill out the order page in the middle of the Nashbar catalog, then fold it up just right, tape it together, and mail it in with your check to Arni Nashbar. No envelope. They offered a pedal-powered lawnmower at one time.

Lol...boy that brings back a strange memory. Back when Performance opened their stores, there was actually a conveyor system that they used. Components had a fixed display, you would write down the item number and then put it in a little basket that ran up along the ceiling, then into a back room. The person in the back would retrieve your item then put it another basket and out it would come. The system died out very quickly...thankfully. For all of you who remember shopping at Service Merchandise stores, it was similar to that set-up.

2 years, 7 years, something like that. :o

Time flys when you're having fun:D

Same parent company from what I've read.

Performance 2nd day shipping and tracking is better if you are time constrained. I've had expedited shipping from Nashbar take an entire week!

That's interesting; I've always had the opposite experience. Nashbar orders show up in a few days; but, it takes a week or two to get anything from Performance. I've always used regular shipping.

Wasn't Bike Warehouse the same company as Bikecology or did Bikecology become Supergo? I believe I am thinking of the Bikecology catalogs of the mid-to-late 70's. In one of those, on a page of seatposts, they had a photo of an attractive young lady in a swimsuit holding a seatpost with the caption "Grease well before inserting."

Bikecology became Supergo. Pretty sure Bike Warehouse wasn't related. Bikecology was older -- it was around in the 70s. There are old Bike Warehouse and Bikecology catalogs here:

http://bulgier.net/pics/bike/Catalogs/

I remember when Performance started up. ISTR they had a big booth at the expo at GEAR in Charlotte. Anyone else remember that? I think Georgina Terry was there too.

Interesting catalog scans. Bike Warehouse= Bike Nashbar.

I remember when Performance started up. ISTR they had a big booth at the expo at GEAR in Charlotte. Anyone else remember that? I think Georgina Terry was there too.
In 1981 I purchased a nice frame from the Performance mail order catalog that was a re-badged Ciocc Mockba 80 (Italian Columbus SL tubing) for about $220 that included a Campy headset. I still ride that bike that I put together back then, with many of the original parts. It still rides fantastic, and many people I ride with are somewhat stunned that I'm pedaling along on a bike that has so many tens of thousands of miles and years of use.

They both use the same webserver and both sites are down now.

I sent them an email and they seem to have woken up. Both sites are back online.

I'm trying to figure how why someone resurrected a thread that had been dead for 5.5 months, just to say that the web pages were down.

Ha! I just noticed that.:o:rolleyes:

New guy just trying to mess with the old folks minds.

Try to get back to sleep, thread.........................

New guy just trying to mess with the old folks minds.
Like shooting fish in a barrel.:cry:

They're the same company since 2000ish.

They bought Supergo around 2005 for the retail stores out west. Performance still sells Supergo branded frames/bikes.

Customer Service for both P & N is handled by a single call center in Beckley WV. Also Tech Service for both is handled by a single dude in the back of the Beckley call center.

Nashbar started charging state sales tax a few years ago, but AFAIK they have no retail stores anywhere. In fact, I think the the only physical building left of Nashbar is their warehouse in OH (must have been some deal between Arni and the buddies he left behind). I think this is probably inappropriate or illegal, but I'm sure the parent company will reap millions till somebody stops it.

Wow, it does bring back memories. I worked for Bikecology Mail Order, March of '77 - March of '80. Alan Goldsmith owned it then. In addition to mail order there were stores in Santa Monica (the big store), Beverly Hills, Culver City and Marina Del Rey.

Nashbar (Arni) was our biggest competition, back in the day (pre-Performance). Alan first used the "Super-Go" name when selling to bike shops (i.e. wholesale), and used Bikecology for retail. After I left, Alan sold three of the stores, . . . and the story gets far too long, I guess, from there on out.

But yeah, Gary Snook (Performance) bought Super-Go, and Bike Nashbar (used to be Bike Warehouse). I still see Alan at Interbike every two or three years. I heard that Arni retired after he sold out to Performance, moved to FL and had a very serious stroke. Not sure what's become of him lately.

I remember once, Arni had the blatant audacity to walk into Bikecology Mail Order (on Nebraska Street in Santa Monica) and offer me a job at his place! Alan threw him out as soon as he found out Arni was there! Those were the days . . .

Rick / OCRR

I started riding in '82 and lived for those Bike Warehouse catalogs. A few other mailorder places besides those already mentioned were Pedal Pushers in Jacksonville, FL, Chainwheel Drive in Tampa or St. Petersburg, and Palo Alto. Soon thereafter came Colorado Cyclist and Excel.

Palo Alto used to carry a lot of Avocet and Ofmega components.

I remember a Bikecology catalog from the 70's that sold East Rochester pedals for an unreal price of somewhere around $70 (possibly more). I kept thinking, "Who in their right mind would pay that much for a pair of pedals?" :lol:

I was not sure what the relationship was between these 2 companies but always thought it was kind of strange. That was confirmed the week before last when during a period of about 30 minutes everytime I tried to link to the performance website I was directed to Nashbar's website. At first I thought the Performance website was hi-jacked but I guess it was a corporate mistake. After 30 minutes the Performance site just stated it was under maintenance and to try again later.