Monday, July 26, 2010
Money and Relationships
Just a quick thought to get something in the blog today.
There's a dichotomy between saving money by buying things online or at a mega store or maintaining the local sports community by buying things at your local running store or bike shop. Discussions of this often come up.
No one is right or wrong, it's all just opinions and values. I have a hard time spending money to maintain relationships with local store owners.
I'm cheap.
I buy my Perpetuem and incidental items at Landis Cyclery, two miles from my house. They sponsor a local tri-club, a bike club, and local races. They contribute a lot to the local cycling and triathlon community.
But a bike is a big ticket item.
I got a good deal on a bike at TriSports, 90 miles away. I'm not going to spend hundreds more on an equivalent bike, or get a lesser bike, to maintain my relationship with Landis.
What do you think?
.
There's a dichotomy between saving money by buying things online or at a mega store or maintaining the local sports community by buying things at your local running store or bike shop. Discussions of this often come up.
No one is right or wrong, it's all just opinions and values. I have a hard time spending money to maintain relationships with local store owners.
I'm cheap.
I buy my Perpetuem and incidental items at Landis Cyclery, two miles from my house. They sponsor a local tri-club, a bike club, and local races. They contribute a lot to the local cycling and triathlon community.
But a bike is a big ticket item.
I got a good deal on a bike at TriSports, 90 miles away. I'm not going to spend hundreds more on an equivalent bike, or get a lesser bike, to maintain my relationship with Landis.
What do you think?
.
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4 comments:
I prefer to buy a bike from a local seller because they often will give some sort of discount for maintenance that I know I will need, or will be helpful in accommodating me when I need last-minute repairs before a race etc. It is important to me to have someone who knows my bike and how to keep it in good mechanical condition.
Local bike shops usually have the best service, which is more important to me than getting the "best deal". They are also much more accomadating with last minute repairs. Shops that have the best deals seem to be chain stores with a lot of cash flow. But I find them to be kind of arrogant when I ask them for recommendations.
With the amount I crash my bike, buying local is way better for me. And for nutrition I like to build a relationship with someone who is really knowledgable so when I'm testing out new stuff I have a resource for it.
Hi Jerry! Your blog is GREAT! I recently started running and am hooked. I've been a T1 for 22 years. Any tips would be deeply appreciated that pertain to the diabetes front! Particularly products that are effective in dealing with lows on longer training runs! Thanks! WindyCobourne (at) gmail.com
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