What's with Performance Bicycle?
 

They seem to be on the downturn these days. Lately, I've found their product selection on the web to be meager at best. Used to be able to do one-stop shopping there but now have to go to numerous different websites to get all of the gear I need to keep my commuter going. I also tried to place orders for other "odd" commuter parts at the store. They lost my order, ordered the wrong thing (I ordered 5 things, none of which they ordered correctly) and then they just gave up.

Yes, I too would like to get all of my gear at a locally-owned store. However, the shops here are set up for rich people who come in and buy brand new bikes for thousands of dollars. They don't cater to riders who actually wear out parts and ride a bike that is 20 years old.

Anyone else having trouble with Performance? Is there a website with a better selection?

This seems to be an unpopular choice for whatever reason, but I buy almost everything through Amazon. They have the best selection, and you can shop different participating vendors for price, all on the one site. Some of the vendors that participate are names like Nashbar, Niagara, Planet Bike, etc - all dependable and, so far, responsive.

Amazon lost one order on me in many years of using them - they were trying a new carrier for their free super-saver shipping last year, and that carrier didn't work out. But they made good on it instantly, no questions asked, and they've fixed their problem - I've had no issues with orders since.

Perhaps the boat from China is a little slow.

So you pay just one shipping charge, correct?
 

I believe I've ordered from multiple vendors on Amazon before and only paid one shipping cost but I couldn't remember.

The shipping cost varies with the vendor. If you buy from Amazon or if your order is fulfilled by Amazon it's one shipping charge. A Vendor will either have their own shipping charge or have Amazon ship (fulfill) it

And, on many items, there's more than one vendor that comes up. The items sold or fulfilled by Amazon are usually eligible for free super saver shipping on orders over $25, but sometimes the sum of the price and shipping from another vendor even beats that. In any cae, it's all right in front of you to help you choose.

My complaint with them is having to check the online price before going to the store so I can ask for the lower price. Why don't they just make it easier and have one price instead of making me feel like they're penalizing me for shopping at the local store?

I used to buy a little from Performance and a bunch from Nashbar. Most of what they have I can buy locally for not much more, so, that's what I do. I used to love Nashbar when they would get closeouts for ridiculously low prices, but those days are gone.

I bought one part off of Amazon. It was incorrect and the vendor told me I was stupid when I questioned them. I will never buy from Amazon again.

If something like that happens through Amazon, it's worth tracking down one of their customer service numbers. They would have fixed any problem. I'm surprised a vendor wouldn't know this and just sucked it up.

Dollars to donuts the bad economy has more to do with it. Less people have consumable income for bike parts, etc.

Like so many others, Performance has descended into SUCK. I used to deal with them, and Nashbar, a decade ago; but they have basically nothing I can't do better on elsewhere.

For hard-to-find stuff, Chain Reaction out of the UK ROCKS! JensonUSA has narrowed their market a little, but you can still catch a deal now and then. Price Point is starting to narrow a little, too, not pleased (but, yeah, Sirrus, the economy), but what can ya do....

Cambria Bike Outfitters is another one that has a lot to choose from -- I got my "new old" Kona frame there, at 1/3 price!

Me too.

Performance was bought out 4-5 years ago, and then they bought out Nashbar and some other chain. New owners are trying to maximize profits, so minimize SKUs. Nashbar used to deal with gray market parts, but Shimano but the kibosh on that (sell gray market OEM parts on Nashbar, you don't get new high end stuff for Performance).

I still like Performance for big clothes, but my business goes to other on-line sources and even an LBS now.

I haven't bought much from Performance or Nashbar lately (since I have almost everything I need now :D), but they were both OK with me in the past. I always include Amazon when searching online for bike items. They're a pretty formidable competitor for the specialty websites.
Regarding customer service, so far I've never had an Amazon deal that went bad, in the long run.

I'm a fan of Forte Metro-K tires. Went to the local Performance store to pick up a pair on sale and found that they had switched the price tags on the Kevlar and non-Kevlar versions. Pointed this out to the sales guy and he sold me the Metro-K tires at the Metro price. Very nice price.
Sometimes can find something that I need at the local store --> no shipping charge.

+1 on the Fore tires
 

Use them on my daily commute. They wear out quickly but stick to the road like no other. I hesitate to switch from them despite their quick wear because they are so sticky and stable. Can't beat the price either.

My local Performance is currently my main LBS. I'd give them about a B- overall if I were to grade them. I think they offer good value; especially for someone relatively new to cycling like myself (< 2 years). I like my Scattante X-330 CX bike (very responsive and stable bike/frame for the price) but I had them clean everything recently and the shifting seems off. They did a very good job bringing my '88 Fuji up to snuff. Like some of the posts above allude to, it totally ticks me off that they sell items in their store more expensive than the same thing online. If you call them on it they'll give it to you for the lower price but that is bush league. I think their clothing is a good deal. I also have the Forte tires on my Fuji (strada K's) and have not had a flat in over 1600 miles.

Overall a mixed bag with very competitive pricing. They certainly are not a polished first class outfit, however.

I stopped shopping at performance a long time ago. They're very priced, not very single speed friendly, sales people hover around you (not literally) and seem to cater to more upper class cyclists. My new LBS is Universal Cycles, they are not only just down the street from me, but seem to have as good if not better prices than amazon.
Their store front has shop cats too, I think 9 of them, all rescued from shelters and a couple were strays

Those have been great tires for me. I've had some good experiences like that at the local Performance store, but enough not so good experiences to switch to a smaller closer shop (close enough to ride to) that went out of business shortly after I made that decision.

Alfred E Bike & modern bike have lots of parts , modern has $6.99 shipping
Alfred is fair / fast in my encounters

I usually check online before going to the store but, if I haven't, I'll just ask them to look up everything I'm buying to see if it is cheaper online. They've never had an issue with it and the online price is often less.

I usually go with ship-to-store as it is free with $50 minimum order. I like their house-brand tires, tools and clothes especially when they are heavily discounted. And their bicycle pricing can be exceptional when combining sales with coupons and Team points. I agree their selection has shrunk over the past few years but they still have enough to keep me coming back.

Nobody has everything I am looking for. I'll shop Performance, Nashbar, Pricepoint, sevral LBS's, Niagara, Amazon.

Oh, and if you are buying from Niagara Cycleworks, it pays to check both their own site and their Amazon price. I bought a BB recently and shipping was about $4 from Niagara through the Amazon marketplace, but more than twice that from their own site. More recently bought some tires that were on sale from thier site, but still regular price on Amazon. Had the same experience with a Camera bag from Adorama. Great price on Amazon and even with more expensive shipping, it was less than buying it on their own site.

I didn't know Nashbar and Performance were owned by the same company. That would explain why their catalogs seem to show up on the same day.

I've been buying from both. I find myself buying some Nashbar branded parts but I still get name-brand from Performance. Both seem to be getting slower at shipping, though.

I used to be a Team Performance member and bought a lot of clothing and gear from them. Over the years, their prices have gone up and selection has gone down. I still patronized them because they had great return-exchange policies, and prices weren't too bad with the team discount. However, they increased team memberships so much that it was no longer much of a discount. Then one of their employees refused to honor the warranty on an Open Pro wheel that wore out prematurely. I quit shopping there for a while until a new stored opened near my house. Their customer service is actually pretty good, so I stop there every so often and sometimes buy stuff on sale. They actually fixed a bicycle repair stand that I bought from another Performance store about 10 years ago, and didn't charge me a cent. The clamp had broken and it took several hours to fix. So I feel like I own them a shot at my business again.

I am really impressed with universalcycles.com. They seem to have a very extensive inventory, with competitive prices. The customer service is great. I placed an online order, then immediately changed my mind. I called the phone chat line, and the rep was very helpful helping me decide. The parts they sent were exactly right. I have used Nashbar a lot, but it seems their selection is shrinking, too.