Hello, Just looking for a sanity check here… Is it a normal and legit practice for sponsored athletes to re-sell equipment that they receive to generate cash to finance their travel to races, etc.? I have an opportunity to buy some cycling equipment for a pretty good price, but part of me thinks this is sketchy. Thoughts?
Kharma?
Not sketchy. Very typical. These guys don’t get paid a whole lot, and it’s not like they’re going to be riding last year’s bike.
Hello, Just looking for a sanity check here… Is it a normal and legit practice for sponsored athletes to re-sell equipment that they receive to generate cash to finance their travel to races, etc.? I have an opportunity to buy some cycling equipment for a pretty good price, but part of me thinks this is sketchy. Thoughts?
just depends on if their sponsors are cool with it. might be last years stuff which would be normal to sell.
then again, there was a famous case on here of an ‘agent’ illegally selling sponsorship goods meant for athletes.
so it could be sketchy too!
If they had it for a season or two, then it’s probably on the up and up. I’ve seen sponsored athletes do this, sell past years used equipment. Depending on the athlete and the contract, it probably varies.
Thanks. Makes sense there.
In this case its a brand new, never glued tubular disc wheel… The story is that the dude is choosing to run a deep section / non-disc rear because he’s a flyweight of sorts.
Sometimes it depends on their contract. For a lesser athlete they may pay a nominal cost for the equipment, say 10% under wholesale, and such, it is theirs to sell. They will sell above that price to finance next seasons equipment. For the bigger athletes who receive equipment for free, they may have to return it or could resell to finance their season, as you indicated.
As stated above, depends on the contract. I have purchased 2 bikes from pros. Beautiful bikes, well taken care of, etc, and a good deal. In one case, there were some issues that I wanted fixed with the bike, as there were some unusual quality issues. When I contacted the manufacturer of the product and they found out whose bike it was, they treated me as a criminal and the pro evidently caught a lot of grief. I was simply wanting my new bike to look great and even though he hadn’t checked the contract, I got dumped on by acquaintances at the company who made me feel the bad guy. I’d say check it out first in case you have an issue downstream.
Thanks… its your kind of situation that I’m trying to avoid!
Hello, Just looking for a sanity check here… Is it a normal and legit practice for sponsored athletes to re-sell equipment that they receive to generate cash to finance their travel to races, etc.? I have an opportunity to buy some cycling equipment for a pretty good price, but part of me thinks this is sketchy. Thoughts?
just depends on if their sponsors are cool with it. might be last years stuff which would be normal to sell.
then again, there was a famous case on here of an ‘agent’ illegally selling sponsorship goods meant for athletes.
so it could be sketchy too!
Well, given that “slight incident” in the classifieds here it might be a good idea to investigate a little further these days if someone is selling tons of brand new equipment… (; But it is still quite rare that there are any wrongdoings going on when it comes to the selling of used pro athlete equipment imo.
Some contracts might be for just borrowing the equipment in which case you just return it after the season/contract period. Otherwise you’re given the product, in which case it’s yours and you’re free to do whatever you want with it. So nothing sketchy about buying from someone in that scenario.
Good for you. I really got upset with it, and would make sure he is ok to do that, to protect both you AND the pro. Sponsors talk.
Thanks… its your kind of situation that I’m trying to avoid!
yes. Sometimes they are allowed to, sometimes they aren’t supposed to. There are some people who ride for teams like timex and zoot who get the option to purchase their bikes at cheap and then turn around and sell them for 2x what they pay for them. I know of a couple AG athletes who do this every year.
FWIW, we stipulate that anything we give our sponsored atheltes remains our property. We may relinquish the property but we would have to be asked before 
It all depends on the contract. Ask the seller if you are not sure. If they hem and haw and you are not comfortable, don’t buy it.
In general, If you buy your stuff from the sponsor at a discount, it is yours to sell if you wish, but most sponsors will only sell what you personally need and use. They would get wise if a guy was using his discount to buy stuff just to turn it over as a “pseudo-retailer”. When I was part of a sponsored road team, there was no formal rule, but they knew what we were riding and what we were buying so it was obvious if you tried pulling something like that. On the other hand, I was sponsored by pretty well known motocross apparel company during their foray into mountain biking and they sold me all my gear for considerably less than wholesale. They actually encouraged me to buy clothing, shoes and even bikes for all my friends and loved ones. They wanted their stuff out there, on the trail, on the feet and backs of mountain bikers and didn’t care how it happened. They did stipulate that I couldn’t sell the bikes at a profit or bill myself as a retailer. Strategy didn’t work. They got out of the bike business a few years later.
Such a crappy outcome for him. He had a lot going with you guys. Right before it all came crashing down on him he was “offering” to coach me at triple the amount most coaches charge.
I think some due diligence is called for when buying equipment on st or eBay, but ultimately it comes down to th e seller being on the up and up. I know Paul and Bryan were super pissed about their equipment being sold off and laid into some of the buyers of the equipment, but really, how is the buyer suppose to know what is cool and what isn’t? Besides asking straight out…
Lol, b70 helped me out for 2 seasons, I’m pretty sure they don’t want the trisuits or wetsuits back!!! I pee a lot during races!!
The contracts will make it clear what’s allowed. There should be no issue with you contacting the manufacturer to ask. In my own case, I’d certainly be willing to provide you with contact info for someone to double check that what I was selling you was in the clear. Hope that helps. Good luck.
Not sketchy poor kids need to eat. I mean hack they are skinny enough already :0) . Don’t pay them to much or they might eat to much and you will be doing them a disservice. Thats how I got my zipps. You have the Elite if I remember correctly. Not getting rid of it are you?
It’s apparently ok for Garmin Barracuda
http://www.shopslipstreamsports.com/
anyone want a used Cervelo?
Very common. My frame was from a RAAM rider; new year, new sponsor, sells his old frame.
As was mentioned, different sponsors have different policies/contracts with their athletes, but it is quite common for this to be legit.