Road Cycling - Nashbar or Performance Bike

I am always having issues with performance bike magazine. These suck when it comes to ship the items on time. I have been waiting 3 weeks for a wind breaker jersey. Should I switch to Nashbar better. What do you guys think?

as a bike shop employee, i'd be enthused if you'd forget the concept of mail order and supported one of the many fine bike shops in your area.

but that's just me...

Any particular reason you're not checking your LBS? The various brands I've dealt with have never taken longer than a week to get me a special order, and they might have had something for you in stock to begin with.

same **** different name. performance has an order status now atleast. i ordered a derailleur from performance in early december and it is forever backorderded. someone ordered me an ultegra front derailleur from supergo along with other stuff for a christams gift and it is still backorded. they are all the same. if you have a 20% coupon you cant beat them. if not ask your lbs to match the catolog price. when i go to one of my lbs they use the performance catolog as a price sheet. sad but true. they are not even discreet about it they look at it for the price in front of you. most lbs will match it, they are ****ing fools if they dont.

Ive had nothing but good luck with Nashbar. Ive ordered from them 3 or 4 times. They are very prompt. Last time they accidentally sent me two seat posts though. :) I had to ship one back. It was because they were trying to assist in getting it to me quickly, and the second person didnt know that the first had already shipped it. The error was made, because they were going the extra distance to help me. That's a good thing.

performance owns nashbar and supergo

excelsports.com I like them cause they dont bill you for stuff they dont stock.

I don't know about you guys, but what's all this gunho mumbojumbo of "supporting your LBS" It's Captialism, if Nashbar has a deal on Deore XT Derailleurs while the bike shop sells them for an arm and a leg, I'm going to go with the cheaper price.

I do go to the LBS for bottom bracket stuff, but for bicycle parts, the internet is where it's at.

4130phile

I order online...i learned my lesson some time ago that my local performance bike shop couldn't compete with its online h-q...the flyers used to lure me in, only to find out i'd have to purchase the item online.

It's either nashbar or performancebike.

nashbar rules right now!!

Recently I had a technical question for Nashbar concerning their bars, and emailed them.

Guess what?

My answer came from PerformanceBike. They didn't even attempt to disguise it.

But, then, who cares as long as Nashbar gives good service. I have never had a problem with them, and they recently replaced for free a wrist band on a HRM I bought 4 years ago. No questions asked, although I did have to call them on the 800 as the emails seemed to get lost.

I have ordered at least 10 times from them. I am a sale junkie.

But, I do also support my LBS - having bought 4 bikes, and other stuff, and they do all my repair, which I understand is their best profit center.

I don't know about you guys, but what's all this gunho mumbojumbo of "supporting your LBS" It's Captialism, if Nashbar has a deal on Deore XT Derailleurs while the bike shop sells them for an arm and a leg, I'm going to go with the cheaper price.

I do go to the LBS for bottom bracket stuff, but for bicycle parts, the internet is where it's at.

4130phile

last time i checked, the bottom bracket is a bicycle part.

put yourself in my shoes. someone comes into my shop with a nashbar or performance catalog and they say "i want you to pricematch this and this and this."

i take a look at what my cost is on those things, and somehow, nashbar is selling them for pennies above what my cost is. sometimes less than my cost.

what do you suggest i do? i have no interest in turning my shop into the next performance bike. it'll just be another faceless company. point at any of my regular customers and i can tell you anything about them. what they ride, how often they ride, what their riding style is like, how many kids they have. when they come in asking about getting some new part i can tell them without hesitation whether or not it's the best part for the job. the only thing nashbar knows about you is when the last time they sent you a catalog is and how many dollars you've spent with them in the past 12 months.

i put in a solid 4000 miles per year on the same streets as my customers, and that's just commuting. i dont track my off-road mileage or my race mileage, and there's a hell of a lot of that as well. i inadvertently wind up battle testing quite a few of the more popular items my shop carries, i can tell you from experience what works and what doesn't. what are the odds that the person on the other end of the line over at nashbar even rides a bicycle?

I meant I go to the LBS to get my bottom bracket adjusted.

4130phile

If my LBS is within 15% of Performance Bike, I'll buy from my LBS. I think we should help support those guys. However, I've had great service from Performance Bike. They're always prompt with shipments and easy to deal with if there's a problem.

last time i checked, the bottom bracket is a bicycle part.

put yourself in my shoes. someone comes into my shop with a nashbar or performance catalog and they say "i want you to pricematch this and this and this."

i take a look at what my cost is on those things, and somehow, nashbar is selling them for pennies above what my cost is. sometimes less than my cost.

what do you suggest i do? i have no interest in turning my shop into the next performance bike. it'll just be another faceless company. point at any of my regular customers and i can tell you anything about them. what they ride, how often they ride, what their riding style is like, how many kids they have. when they come in asking about getting some new part i can tell them without hesitation whether or not it's the best part for the job. the only thing nashbar knows about you is when the last time they sent you a catalog is and how many dollars you've spent with them in the past 12 months.

i put in a solid 4000 miles per year on the same streets as my customers, and that's just commuting. i dont track my off-road mileage or my race mileage, and there's a hell of a lot of that as well. i inadvertently wind up battle testing quite a few of the more popular items my shop carries, i can tell you from experience what works and what doesn't. what are the odds that the person on the other end of the line over at nashbar even rides a bicycle?

So why don't LBS's try to find the same suppliers that places like Performance or Nashbar use and get there inventory there instead of some distributer? Or is it that Performance or nashbar buy in greater quantities that they get a price cut on their purchase?

as a bike shop employee, i'd be enthused if you'd forget the concept of mail order and supported one of the many fine bike shops in your area.

but that's just me...


I agree. The service, respect, and knowledge you'll gain by shopping at a bikeshop is more than you'll find at any online/catalog shop. Everyonce in awhile I do find a good deal on some blow out jersey or something... Not that I want to, but because they can't be found anywhere else.

I prefer to give my hard-earned dollars to locals/smallies. The last thing I want is some 17 yr old kid at an "On-line Bike Shop" (the pure concept is laughable) with my personal info. I will buy from eBay and there are a few shops online (BusinessCycle, NYCBikes, et al) that I will buy from, but they are NOT chain stores. I am choosy in my online dealings, and maybe I am a purest, but Performance, Nashbar, Supergo, etc can burn. I like walking into my fav shop and chilling out with a cat on a ratty sofa, having a smoke, and waiting my turn.

So why don't LBS's try to find the same suppliers that places like Performance or Nashbar use and get there inventory there instead of some distributer? Or is it that Performance or nashbar buy in greater quantities that they get a price cut on their purchase?

it's quantity. they can buy 500 xt deraillers while my shop has trouble getting rid of more than a few per season. (we don't have trouble because of our prices, but because the majority of our customers have no need for something that high in the line.)

I order online...i learned my lesson some time ago that my local performance bike shop couldn't compete with its online h-q...the flyers used to lure me in, only to find out i'd have to purchase the item online.

It's either nashbar or performancebike.

nashbar rules right now!!

Something is wrong here. If a local store (5 of them here) doesn't have what's in the catalog, I do a "Red Phone" order in the store. I call straight to the same place the online orders go, and they get my order, giving me an order number. I use that number to pay at the local Performance, and it's shipped there with no shipping charge. The local store calls when it's in, and I take my receipt and pick it up. The local store will also match sale prices online, provided I print the page out. When my printer was broken, they went online at the store and looked it up.

last time i checked, the bottom bracket is a bicycle part.

put yourself in my shoes. someone comes into my shop with a nashbar or performance catalog and they say "i want you to pricematch this and this and this."

i take a look at what my cost is on those things, and somehow, nashbar is selling them for pennies above what my cost is. sometimes less than my cost.



In 2003 I spent a minimum of 2 grand with my Lbs. I've already spent about $600 with them this year. I will still order some stuff on-line. Usually it's the stuff I find at crazy low prices that I do not think my LBS can match. I'm not going to feel bad because I save some money.

djbowen1-"most lbs will match it, they are ****ing fools if they dont."

Well then my boss has done well for a ****ing fool. In business for 25 years, three stores, shops voted best in the Triangle nine of the last ten years (hon. mention that one year)

and if someone comes in and asks for a price match he says no.

and what is best in triangle.

The triangle that he is talking about is the research triangle of NC; Durham, Raleigh, and Chapel Hill.

if you have a 20% coupon you cant beat them. if not ask your lbs to match the catolog price. when i go to one of my lbs they use the performance catolog as a price sheet. sad but true. they are not even discreet about it they look at it for the price in front of you. most lbs will match it, they are ****ing fools if they dont.


Maybe ur shop is huge, or they/you have no clue about business. Performance/Nashbar/Joe smoe.com buy crap in bulk and sell it usually right above cost. If we sold everything right above cost we would be out of business in less than 2 months. Hell, employees usually get cost +10-20%, for shipping fees.

Also with shops we don't order things in bulk, so that derailleur you were talking about would be in by now. Performance/Nashbar/Etc, has to wait till they have the key number to reorder the bulk of them. They aren't going to special order 1 part from shimano and make probably less than 5 bucks. They will wait till they have 50 on backorder and then go ahead to place the order.

Btw I'm not bull****ting you, my dad for about 6 months as regional manager for Performance Bike shops, he quit because I hated what he did so much. Even 99% of the people at the bike shops that Performance slapped their name on didn't know jack crap.

last time i checked, the bottom bracket is a bicycle part.

put yourself in my shoes. someone comes into my shop with a nashbar or performance catalog and they say "i want you to pricematch this and this and this."

i take a look at what my cost is on those things, and somehow, nashbar is selling them for pennies above what my cost is. sometimes less than my cost.

what do you suggest i do? i have no interest in turning my shop into the next performance bike. it'll just be another faceless company. point at any of my regular customers and i can tell you anything about them. what they ride, how often they ride, what their riding style is like, how many kids they have. when they come in asking about getting some new part i can tell them without hesitation whether or not it's the best part for the job. the only thing nashbar knows about you is when the last time they sent you a catalog is and how many dollars you've spent with them in the past 12 months.

i put in a solid 4000 miles per year on the same streets as my customers, and that's just commuting. i dont track my off-road mileage or my race mileage, and there's a hell of a lot of that as well. i inadvertently wind up battle testing quite a few of the more popular items my shop carries, i can tell you from experience what works and what doesn't. what are the odds that the person on the other end of the line over at nashbar even rides a bicycle?

I am also in the LBS business...and we sponsor four local road teams and also sponsor the MTB racing series, statewide. In addition, we sponsor the cycling club (touring and leisure riding) as well as pay taxes and employ people in our local area. We also contribute to several charities, and support and sponsor an underprivledged family at Christmas.

oh...we also fix the problems amateur mechanics get themselves into... :D After they try to install their "on sale" items purchased off the internet.

I love when the internet buyer tries to come in and return an item claiming they bought it from us but "lost the receipt"...or the guy who bought a $3,500 Litespeed over the internet that did not fit and wanted us to help...

LMAO :D :p

oh...we sell about 12,000 bikes a year, so one Deore is not going to break us. We find that most people still want the "face to face" approach...especially the ones who are buying really good stuff. They want expert advice on the purchase.

some folks go to Nordstroms...some go to Walmart. :eek:

Maybe ur shop is huge, or they/you have no clue about business. Performance/Nashbar/Joe smoe.com buy crap in bulk and sell it usually right above cost. If we sold everything right above cost we would be out of business in less than 2 months. Hell, employees usually get cost +10-20%, for shipping fees.

Also with shops we don't order things in bulk, so that derailleur you were talking about would be in by now. Performance/Nashbar/Etc, has to wait till they have the key number to reorder the bulk of them. They aren't going to special order 1 part from shimano and make probably less than 5 bucks. They will wait till they have 50 on backorder and then go ahead to place the order.

Btw I'm not bull****ting you, my dad for about 6 months as regional manager for Performance Bike shops, he quit because I hated what he did so much. Even 99% of the people at the bike shops that Performance slapped their name on didn't know jack crap.


yep...exactly.

I love Performance...and as a Team Performance member I get free upgrades to 2nd day shipping. Since I live 30 miles from their warehouse the order usually arrives next-day anyway. I do buy from Nashbar on occasion, when they have an item Performance doesn't have.

last time i checked, the bottom bracket is a bicycle part.

put yourself in my shoes. someone comes into my shop with a nashbar or performance catalog and they say "i want you to pricematch this and this and this."

i take a look at what my cost is on those things, and somehow, nashbar is selling them for pennies above what my cost is. sometimes less than my cost.

what do you suggest i do? i have no interest in turning my shop into the next performance bike. it'll just be another faceless company. point at any of my regular customers and i can tell you anything about them. what they ride, how often they ride, what their riding style is like, how many kids they have. when they come in asking about getting some new part i can tell them without hesitation whether or not it's the best part for the job. the only thing nashbar knows about you is when the last time they sent you a catalog is and how many dollars you've spent with them in the past 12 months.

i put in a solid 4000 miles per year on the same streets as my customers, and that's just commuting. i dont track my off-road mileage or my race mileage, and there's a hell of a lot of that as well. i inadvertently wind up battle testing quite a few of the more popular items my shop carries, i can tell you from experience what works and what doesn't. what are the odds that the person on the other end of the line over at nashbar even rides a bicycle?


It's not the job of the customer to keep you in business, that's your job!! If the cycling public places enough value on whatever it is that differentiates your offerings from that of Nashbar, Performance, or some other LBS, you have a chance at getting your share of the cycling dollar pie; else not. But, isn't it your job to establish those points that differentiate your business and to do it in a way that makes people want to do business with you?

If retaliating against a customer for not buying parts from you, by refusing to install them or installing them at a higher price, is in your marketing plan, what business school taught you that one?

I believe there is a place for both type companies. Certainly the LBS come in handy the day before a race when you break a crank or spoke. I own a Nashbar bike. A 'real' Nashbar. I bought this bike in 1985 when the NSF still owned the Internet. This bike was purchased through a catalog. Why? Because my local bike store was all high end Yuppie rides or stuff below what I wanted. Through Nashbar in those days I could buy the frame and all the parts I wanted. Also it's fun to put a bike together. I recently just purchased another bike off the Internet and I was able to consult with the company on frame size ECT... My LBS sells Lemond and Treck. If you don’t fit on it that’s too bad. They will swap some parts out here and there to try to make the fit but other than dishing out the cash for a custom Lemond or Treck frame you are stuck. Plus the stock prices on those bikes are High! Nice bikes though :) The Internet allows the smart shopper the closest thing to a custom bike. But at the same time if a derailleur is $40 on Nashbar or $52 at my LBS then I will buy it at the LBS and walk away with it in my hand that day or usually a few days later. And maybe I am fortunate but the folks at this store are eager to help and very knowledgeable and that is worth a lot of money. I believe that cheap is more expensive. A part here and there I get from the LBS. A whole Group Set I get on line. And by the way some of these on line places are small shops as well.

"Btw I'm not bull****ting you, my dad for about 6 months as regional manager for Performance Bike shops, he quit because I hated what he did so much. Even 99% of the people at the bike shops that Performance slapped their name on didn't know jack crap."


he quit because you didnt like what he did. I find that hard to believe.

Actually yes he did. You work for someone that knows jack crap about what they are selling.. see how you feel when you go home at night.

Sorry if I have parents that value my opinon, guess you didn't grow up with that.

You sound like a freaking idiot. Are you about 14? oh my father is a bookie and my mother sells used cars.

I'm backing off, because you seem not to have a clue what you are speaking of.

Do yourself a favor and realize that you are writing in a forum and insulting people makes you look like a baby.

Actually you are the one that just accused me of being 14, and telling me that my parents don't listen to me. I was simply backing up what I had stated in a previous post.

My LBS shops buy from distributors that buy in the same bulk as performance and nashbar etc. So that theory is incorrect.

read your post

"Sorry if I have parents that value my opinon, guess you didn't grow up with that"

I edited my post to not sound so argumentitive.

Yes, because you "he quit because you didnt like what he did. okay. sure." said this about my father not wanting to work at Performance Bike shop.

I've worked in bike shops for almost 9 years now, I'm not some bone head shop rat that only knows how to change a flat tire. My parents value my opinon in things I know, and you didn't want to accept that which to me seems like you didn't grow up with that.

My LBS shops buy from distributors that buy in the same bulk as performance and nashbar etc. So that theory is incorrect.



From distributors is the key words, every middle man it goes thru it's marked up, so if Performance buys direct in bulk, there is no middle man.. meaning they are probably paying what our distributors pay for it.

and you didn't want to except that which to me seems like you didn't grow up with that.


it's "accept" not "except".... :rolleyes:

lets play nice here folks's.

Marty

lets play nice here fella's.

Marty
Good call...I thought I saw blood for minute.
Hey Marty-
You may want to know your members' gender before calling everyone fella. Sorry to nitpick, just a heads up.

Chicago, you moron
LOL LOL

Why is everyone always so damn serious here.

lets play nice here fella's.

Marty


I'm not a fella.

Why is everyone always so damn serious here.


because i'm trying to make a living by working in a bike shop. it's not easy...

because i'm trying to make a living by working in a bike shop. it's not easy...


Very correct :)

Most of the LBS shops i have been into are 1.Filled with employees who think they are too good to help you. 2. Prices marked up so high you feel like you just got raped when you go online and see it for that much less. 3. 50% of the time you end up getting helped by some 15 year old kid who has been working there for 2 weeks telling you you are wrong about everything.

Well, I don't think you've been in my shop, or probably anyone else's that has posted on here.

It would be like me telling you that all people that work with computers are stuck up, over-priced, young kids.

Every shop is different