I received my TriSports.com catalog in the mail the other day. After the intial excitement of 140 pages of Tri products I noticed how expensive everything is. For instance the Cycle-ops Riser block used with your bike trainer is $19.95!! I bought one the other day on Performance Bike’s website and it was $12.99. That’s a huge difference for such a small dollar item. Are we being taken advantage of by “Tri friendly” companies?
86 people viewed this thread and no responses? Doesn’t bother you that you COULD be taken advantage of just because some companies are “Created by Triathletes for Triathletes”?
It’s probably due to the size of the company - Performance/Nashbar/Supergo can move a lot of merch and so their stuff is cheaper.
Also, in every industry the brand name stuff costs more than the “generic” and there will always be people who will pay for it. I’m not sure the CycleOps trainer is much better than my Performance fluid trainer, but I know the Performance price was right for me.
86 people viewed this thread and no responses? Doesn’t bother you that you COULD be taken advantage of just because some companies are “Created by Triathletes for Triathletes”?
No - It doesn’t bother me; that’s why I compare prices before I purchase things. When I am shopping by catalog or online, the only thing I care about is price and prices are easy to check. So, I can only be taken advantage of if I permit myself to be taken advantage of by not comparing prices.
“Created by Triathletes for Triathletes” is marketing nonsense like any other slogan. It wouldn’t influence my decision to buy there.
I’ve found that Performance will win most price comparisons, if they carry an item. The volume that Performance buys of some stuff is so huge that they must get great deals. As an example, look at the price of Endurox there and elsewhere; it’s usually $5-$10 dollars cheaper. However, if you are looking for specialty tri equipment, it’s not likely that you are going to find much of a selection at Performance.
I’ve bought stuff at All Three Sports and Tri Sports and had good luck, but I expected to pay more for specialty items.
litherland
I went shopping for hockey gear for my 11 year old son. Makes triathlon prices seem more reasonable. At least I won’t outgrow my stuff.
I’m with Burgerdp
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All of the sites have good prices on certain things. If you want the big savings, you have to be willing to shop around much more on the internet than you ever would in actual stores. Supergo might have the best prices on bike components, but Performance might have them beat on nutrition stuff, but TriZone might be the only guys who carry those brake levers you’re looking for. You can save a ton of money online, but it takes a little work.
Hard to be ripped off when you know the prices beforehand. There’s no reason you can’t get the block from tri-zone, nashbar, nytro, or any other mail orde rhouse.
Ripped off would be more akin to advertising one thing and delivering something else.
FWIW I also noticed high prices at tri-sports but with the TNO coupon it came out better than the other place I was looking at.
Try and call Performance and ask a triathlon related question or ask for their opinion on a product.
Now call TriSports.com and ask the same questions. Low price isn’t everything.
In Tucson we have a Performance store, a Supergo and TriSports.com. Performance is about 15 minutes from my house and TriSports.com is about 30 minutes away and Supergo in between. I can’t remember the last time I bought anything at Performance or Supergo. The customer service from TriSports.com is excellent. They are great people to work with.
Tucker
In my experience, Trisports prices are competative for the specialty items that you just don’t find at the high volume discount dealers, eg: performance/nashbar. The reason (i guess) the discount dealers dont sell tri gear is because the market is too small to support the inventory and margins.
Part of what i pay for is service. I use the internet for most of my shopping and have found trisports has exhibited some of the best customer service out there.
I deal with Debbie at Trisports–one of the owners. If I find something cheaper, I give her the link and she matches it. All done by E-mail. Very helpful, and I have found her knowledgeable (“Do XYZ bike shorts run large in their sizing?”)and honest (E.g. “Be ready for the Kaiman goggles to break at the nosepiece”). Also, they have specials, promotions, “20% off everything”, free shipping deals, etc. Ask her “are there any specials or promotions going on?”
I understand that Tri sports has a greater knowledge of the sport and therefore can answer some questions but is it worth a 65% difference in price? Are they advertising their expertise with a free hotline?
I’ve had this issue with my local runners store and the big box sports store down the street as well. Sometimes there’s a $25 difference for a pair of shoes? Since I know what type of runner I am and how much support I need should I spend the extra $25 to support my LRS even though I don’t use their expertise?
I’ve had this issue with my local runners store and the big box sports store down the street as well. Sometimes there’s a $25 difference for a pair of shoes? Since I know what type of runner I am and how much support I need should I spend the extra $25 to support my LRS even though I don’t use their expertise?
That all depends on you. You might not require their expertise for buying shoes, but you might rely on them for other things. If you don’t, and it would not affect you at all if the store closed tomorrow, then don’t feel bad about not shopping there. If however, you do rely on them for some of your purchases, you may want to weigh the cost of supporting them against the benefits you receive from having them around. As I said initially however, it’s 100% your choice. You earn your money, so only your wife gets to tell you how to spend it! 
Price Policies
TriSports.com Price Protection Plan: If there is a nationally advertised price that is currently available on the same item you want from our catalog, this becomes your new TriSports.com price. Note that we will gladly match prices on our competitors’ close-outs and sale items as long as the products are the same model year and are still available, and they are still honoring the prices. When purchasing online, simply give us the price match information in the Comments section when you are checking out. Please include the item, the price and where you saw the price, including URL if it is a web site, or the edition of magazines or catalogs. Each price is subject to verification (Please note: price matching is not valid with other offers/discounts). Email: sales3@trisports.com Toll Free: (888) 293-3934
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Spend your money how you want. In my opinion, TriSports.com is a class act with great service and prices.
Tucker
I’ve done business with trisports.com a couple of times. On the stuff I’ve bought, I researched their prices and those of their competitors, and their prices have been equal or better. They also price match. If you find something that’s cheaper, go ahead and buy it, but outside of the big volume items that Performance might carry, I don’t think you’ll do much better.
some of the trisports offerings are very well priced, and they often have specials (i saw arione tri saddle special for $115, retail $140 at other places, as well as coupon codes (usually 15% off total orders) which results in great savings.
i don’t think you should base your opinions on one isolated product offering. these guys know that there is a lot of price comparison among the internet sites and are aware that they have to price competitively. they might miss the boat on an item here or there, but don’t totally write them off as you might miss out on some good deals.
First off…let me make it clear that I am a TriSports.com sponsored athlete, so I will admit to being less than impartial…
I have no doubt that you can search and find lower prices on some items…if cost is your only consideration, go for it. Me, I choose to support companies that give something back to the sport I love.
Sure, Debbie and Seton are trying to make a living…aren’t you?..but they also care deeply about triathlon and the athletes that are their customers. They are knowledgable about their products and very committed to providing the absolute best customer service…call 'em, ask 'em a question, they will take the time to talk to you. How often does that happen with other companies?
TriSports also put on the Deuce’s Wild Triathlon Festival in Show Low, AZ this past June. They spent a ton of time and their own money to bring quality races to my hometown. Months of preparation, many meetings and a week of hands-on, practically no sleep work all so they could donate all proceeds to CAF and local youth sports. Performance or SuperGo done that lately?
Again, you can choose to spend your money any place you want…for me a good value is determined by far more than the price I pay for a single item.
Gail Leveque
It may not be that straight forward, my dedicated tri shop is tri-zone in southern cal, but they are a forty minute drive on a Saturday. Their gear was priced differently in the store and on the web items were one price, the mail catalog was more. They said it had to do with the increased costs involved for things like the picture processing and catalog setting, mailing and such. The increases were not all that significant, and I have seen similar cases in other industries. A small catalog on a limited run can cost easily two months store rent. Everyone has different overhead to deal with, you support your local shop to a point, but then you have to do what is best for your finances.
I was going to post my own rant from the other direction… if you have an expert source of information and specialty parts and equipment it may eliminate some of the following hassles!!!
Pretty much know what I want and why I want it… it’s interesting (frustrating, too!) to go to the different bike shops and be told “no you don’t want the extended forks (inspite confronting them with the info from Dan Empfield’s research project) they don’t do you any good”. Why the hell do companies like Reynolds make them, then? Ahhh I know, it’s just another way to separate me from my $350.00. Oh, and we think you should buy the Cannondale R800, or R1000, or R2000 and not a Cervelo Dual or P2K. Didn’t even try to sell me a Cannondale Tri 800, 1000, or 2000 as an alternative. Or go beyond the suggested retail price by a significant amount for a Trek Equinox 7,8, or 9. That hassle free shop that is offering the Fuji Aloha is starting to look pretty damn good at $1198.00 and at that price I can buy some serious upgrades.
Jay… the comparative power shopper.