Best pure tri shops in the U.S

Triathlon Forum
1

what are my criteria?

  1. carry the best independent brands (cervelo, felt, QR, hoka, BMC, etc.).
  2. have some decent bike fitting thing going on.
  3. have great relationships with robust stakeholder groups (tri clubs, coaches).
  4. intangibles. whatever they may be.

who are your nominees?

2

No first hand knowledge but many friends have used FitWerx and been very happy with their service. http://fitwerx.com/

3

I used to love tri360 in Arlington, VA, but they have closed recently. I have been to Multisport in Boulder and it’s pretty sweet, the folks over there are super nice too. I love tri shops that have the goods, but lack the pretentiousness.

4

Colorado Multisport in Boulder.

  1. Cervelo, Felt and Specialized dealer. Roka & Blue Seventy for wetsuits. No shoes - probably because there are so many good running shops around.
    2)You can get a fit from CMS’s Ryan Ignatz or from Matt Steinmetz. How many world class options can one location have?
    3)They sponsor local teams, give awesome discounts to local clubs and athletes of sponsored coaches. They host great tuesday night time trial races throughout the season that are fun and casual, but also attract great talent and is very well run. BTC runs in the winter start and end there.
  2. They often have amazing panels with some of the best pro’s in the business to learn the finer points. I went to a how-to-train/race the bike portion of a triathlon with Tyler Butterfield, Cam Dye, Neal Henderson (Apex Coaching, coaches some team BMC riders) Eric Kenney and Ryan Ignatz. They host launch parties for new teams, and other great events.
5

Tri Lab in LA should be on the list too.

http://www.triathlonlab.com

6

Speedy Reedy, RIP.

Scott

7

http://www.fraserbicycle.com/

Fraser Cycle and Fitness. Originally in Fraser, Michigan, but their empire is expanding.

  1. Yes, pretty much all that you mention. Not sure about Hoka.
  2. Yes, excellent fit service.
  3. Yes. Team Fraser is huge and if you look closely you can see their jerseys at races all over the country. Coaching. Tweak swim training going on at their Canton location. Cycle labs for power based training. Group rides available at most (all?) locations.
  4. Just a great shop. Probably doesn’t hurt them that Dan Stubleski is a team Fraser athlete.

Of course I haven’t been to enough to know if Fraser is among the best but it certainly seems like a great tri-shop to me.

8

Speedy Reedy, RIP.

Scott

Agreed…

9

As far as I know there are no tri shops in West Michigan . Several shoe stores that sell some tri aparel but thats it. We had a tri store here in GR back in the mid 80’s though. They sold some things called “tri shorts” etc…

10

I would put Pulse Endurance Sports in San Diego/Chula Vista. They are very patient, friendly, and do not push you into purchases. They also do not ignore you when you walk in the door when it is obvious you are not dropping $5K on a bike that day. They also support the local tri/endurance community and are present at the local races. I switched shops after my first visit there to have my wife’s 16 yo Yaqui Tri-bike (that we purchased off of Dan) tuned and refit. They did not talk down to her or try and get her to purchase unnecessary parts during the tune-up. I would recommend them to anyone that asked.

http://pulseendurance.com/

Mike

11

Tribella / Denver Fit Loft in Denver has been a great resource for me. Colorado Multisport is great as well.

12

Second Tribella/Denver Fit Loft/Colorado Triathlon Company. James puts up with all my projects and questions.

13

TriShop in Plano, Tx

top Retul fitting - get fit first then get your matching bike, not the other way around in most places
Endless pool to try out wetsuits
wide selection of shoes

http://www.trishop.com/
.

14

Amphibian Multisport, Libertyville, IL

In addition to a retail shop, it is a complete training facility on site…16 Computrainers, 4 treadmills and a 2 lane, 25 yd pool.

Very active in local tri scene…Marty & Kristin know EVERYONE locally, from racers to race directors. There is a robust group of active racers, from Worlds’ qualifiers to beginning triathletes.

IMO, this is the future for LBS / tri shops. they have a business model which has a constant income flow (membership to the training facility) that is not dependent on selling retail, while creating a constant flow of customers on a daily basis. This helps creates a sense of community and loyalty.

15

E3 Endurance in Greensboro, NC is great; more of a coaching/training/fitter/bike maintenance that also sells/orders several top brands.
http://e3attheclub.com

For a more traditional shop inside-out sports in Cary, NC.
http://www.insideoutsports.com

16

Tri Bike Run in Juno Beach FL

  1. They carry Cervelo, Felt, Trek… and maybe a couple of others. They’re missing the Big S. They carry New Balance, Hoka, On Running, Asics, and Brooks for running. Blue Seventy wetsuits iirc. Decent selection of aero helmets.
  2. They have a Trek fit bike and at least one really good bike fitter (Rudy) that I know of (I worked with him)
  3. They run several regular group rides, a couple of group runs, and one group swim a week.
  4. The staff is super knowledgeable and friendly. The owners… I can’t recall their names… are a husband/wife duo that are triathlon veterans. On average I’d say they have 1-2 triathletes a year on staff that are competitive within the state.
17

what are my criteria?

  1. carry the best independent brands (cervelo, felt, QR, hoka, BMC, etc.).
  2. have some decent bike fitting thing going on.
  3. have great relationships with robust stakeholder groups (tri clubs, coaches).
  4. intangibles. whatever they may be.

who are your nominees?

Amazon
Most likely the largest triathlon retailer in the USA.

18

I’ll third Tribella/Denver Fit Loft/Colorado Triathlon Company. Great shop and even better people

19

I second Tri Shop in Plano…

In SD Moment Cycle is the best shop in town in my opinion.

jake

20

Austin Tri-cyclist was awesome, great shop when my wife and I visited Austin and rented bikes, we have e-house in Madison but it feels so sterile and corporate by comparison. I can’t speak to community roots, etc because we were just there for a long weekend.