9/26/24 6:18 PM

I guess they're the latest victim of the issues that are plaguing the bike biz. It's a real shame, as they were a great source of quality used and closout equipment. Linda's previously-pro-owned cross/gravel bike came from them, as did the frameset of my primary bike, which was actually new.

They've been owned by Competitive Cyclist for a while, so I wonder if they're going belly-up, too.

9/27/24 10:49 AM

Not at all surprised, tbh, with their business model. The 'discounts' weren't very discounted and you ended up paying almost premium prices for bikes that would be challenging to claim any warranty on. Most brands, to the best of my knowledge, only extend warranty to the original owner.

You also have no way of knowing how they were used (as in abused) by the previous rider. Etc and so forth. Not really worth the ~15% percent off new price in my view. Many concurring opinions online about this as well, but you know how that goes.

They also sponsored some questionable folk, like a youtube channel that featured urban single speed riders basically being dicks in every video. I mean, that's kind of an integral part of that culture but even as a highly cycling-biased person I found the behavior of the riders over the top. There was a big stink on reddit about it around a year ago, turned a lot of people off to TPC.

I would doubt Competitive Cyclist is experiencing the same issues, they've been a solid business (to my eyes anyway) for a long time, unless there's some mismanagement behind the scenes.

9/27/24 1:23 PM

Agree with Rob. Only worth while buy from them for me was 2 NOS R7000 chainsets delivered for 109.00.

I sent up a sell request for my As new Lynskey Helix Pro Disc early 2023 and the $# was so zero sum, I stopped looking even at the site.

Considering what I saw their price for same bike was with noticeable wear previously, they should be so profitable as to never fail. ;)

I was really looking for the credit for a frameset. I soon after bought the frame off ebay, the green RSL/SLR. I expected the offer to be way lower cash VS trade offer, but wasn't the case.

I think the move to the 137,000 SF digs.. well had to raise overhead from the 24k sf previously.


I wonder what will become of all the users carrying credits from having sold to them now??

Last edited by Sparky on 9/28/24 8:33 AM; edited 1 time in total

9/28/24 4:27 AM

Linda and I both got great deals on her SuperX and my SuperSix Evo frameset. Her bike was almost spotless (probably a spare) and when one of the tubulars didn't hold air, they sent a replacement immediately and without question. Although my frame was sold as "used" and priced accordingly, it was apparently only because the box had been opened and someone removed the headset expander assembly. The frame was otherwise in its original packaging and had obviously never been built up.

I looked at MTBs on their site recently and I wasn't all that impressed with the pricing. It also appears that they had become an "outlet" store for CC, as they had a lot of new gear for sale. Competitors in the used/refurbished market have emerged as well, so I guess its just a convergence of factors that led to their demise. Still, it's a shame, as they tried to do things the right way.

9/28/24 2:23 PM

quote:

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Not at all surprised, tbh, with their business model.

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9/28/24 2:33 PM

People were “selling” their bikes to them lately on the promise that they would be paid in 60 days. So they have have been low on cash for a while.
Hard to believe they blew thru 40-50 million in venture capital

9/30/24 9:11 AM

quote:

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Hard to believe they blew thru 40-50 million in venture capital

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9/30/24 2:19 PM

Perhaps this has something to do with it:

https://www.bicycleretailer.com/retail-news/2024/09/10/csc-generation-enterprise-buys-backcountrycom

9/30/24 3:48 PM

Venture capital and cycling don't seem to get along too well, didn't for Ben Serotta and Chris Chance. It seems to be crunch time for some bicycle businesses. Among high end clothing companies, I've read that Rapha has been losing money for a couple years, and Velocio was acquired by SRAM. I have some products from each, and consider them excellent.

Let me offer a recent startup from the other end of the spectrum: https://pinebury.us.

The founder, Kyle Rancourt, is a local cyclist from Lewiston, ME. I just heard about it at the Dempsey Challenge, where Pinebury is a sponsor, and Kyle has ridden for years. I'm not trying to convince people to buy these pricey merino wool jerseys, though I have and after a short ride tend to believe the hype. They are made in New England, not in Maine as apparently no mills here currently can spin the highly specialized yarn used (my friend Cheryl, who has a side business making and selling mittens, could not believe the extremely fine fabric is wool).

Kyle's family business, Rancourt & Co., also in Lewiston, is one of the very few (possibly only?) company still making shoes in Maine. They are high end, many featuring hand stitching. For the past couple Olympics, Rancourt & Co. has made the shoes worn by the athletes marching in the opening ceremonies.

I bought the jersey partly out of curiosity and partly to support the effort. I don't think I'll be disappointed.

9/30/24 5:41 PM

Gorrammit, Dan....they look gorgeous. Just ordered a long sleeve for the impending cool weather..