teejaywhy

Guess I'm too new to know the backstory here.

Up until the beginning of this year, I was just a casual rider, with a 20-year-old mountain bike and blissfully ignorant of The Bike Forums.

We had a Performance store nearby and I used them for tubes and misc accessories. Prices and selection were good. On occasion, used their repair shop and in one case, they fixed something for me at no charge.

One day in January, I drove by and noticed the "STORE CLOSING" banner. Popped in and picked up a nicely discounted Giro helmet. Over the next month, my wife and I, like vultures hovering, visited weekly, picking up a number of additional accessory items and clothing. With each visit, I paused and looked longingly at the new bikes, thinking it could be a good time to upgrade my ride. Each visit revealed increasing discounts of 25%, then 35% and finally, a nicely equipped 29er hardtail with disc brakes and a mix of Deore and SLX components was marked down to $880 from a retail price of $1600, too good to pass up.

A negative effect on the other LBS? Likely. At least temporarily. But in fact, riding the new bike sparked a renewed interest in cycling, enough so that within a couple of months, I decided I wanted a road bike. By this time, too late for Performance, so I began to acquaint myself with the local bike shops, eventually spending a tidy sum all told with a CF road bike, pedals, shoes and added accessories.

In a way, I guess my LBS can thank Performance for that.