Outside article on Competitive Cyclist

[fiamme red]

https://www.outsideonline.com/2327136/competitive-cyclist-bike-online-retailer

Now Competitive is almost unrecognizable from those early days of scrambling for inventory. On the colossal warehouse floor, cycling merchandise is stacked among Backcountry’s own on three-story-tall shelves. Pickers with scan guns walk the aisles to collect and box orders, though there is also a pair of new Perfect Pick units, two-story, Death Star–looking machines the size of apartment blocks where robots package orders automatically. Then there’s an automated boxing station that scans and weighs small to midsize orders and builds custom boxes around them. The factory typically ships between 40,000 and 50,000 orders daily, with an all-time record of 64,174 packages on November 26, 2012. Competitive accounts for around 15 percent of Backcountry’s total business.I'll say this for them, they have a great website, even when product descriptions are over the top. :)

[fignon's barber]

Comp Cyclist is my favorite US on line shop. I think their customer service is excellent.

[jghall]

I'm a fan. Rarely have I ever had an issue with them. Even the minor bad experience, they turned into something positive. Their return policy for unused items is excellent

[Andy sti]

They are always one of my go to sites. Great prices, great inventory and fast shipping - Can’t go wrong. Just got something from them last week, actually.

[ptourkin]

They just laid off a bunch of people in Utah. I suspect they've either automated or outsourced some operations.

[fignon's barber]

They just laid off a bunch of people in Utah. I suspect they've either automated or outsourced some operations.

Progress, I guess. In the future, humans will only work between the ages of 30 and 40, because their will be no work to do. More time to ride your bike. We were all born too soon.

[Climb01742]

Thanks for the link. The line I might disagree with:

"The company’s big break came in 2011, when e-tailer Backcountry.com offered to purchase it. "

Ok. They had to grow or die. But I miss stuff about CC when Brendan and Andy were in Little Rock. CC is still my first stop and things have smoothed out since the hiccups of the purchase/move/assimilation, but...[sigh]

[oldpotatoe]

Thanks for the link. The line I might disagree with:

"The company’s big break came in 2011, when e-tailer Backcountry.com offered to purchase it. "

Ok. They had to grow or die. But I miss stuff about CC when Brendan and Andy were in Little Rock. CC is still my first stop and things have smoothed out since the hiccups of the purchase/move/assimilation, but...[sigh]

Is this Brendan or Andy??:)

[loxx0050]

They just laid off a bunch of people in Utah. I suspect they've either automated or outsourced some operations.


Also the push for the rise to the minimum wage is a contributor to this trend too for the less skilled manual labor/entry level type jobs. McDonald's is looking to get rid of cashier's and just move to online ordering and
self service kiosks. One or two less people to pay considering lots of states are pushing for eventually $15/hr minimum wage. Not worth it for fast food to not automate since their products are supposed to be low prices.

I consider skilled manual labor things like welders, machinists, auto mechanics, and such. A person packing or sorting boxes doesn't need a trade school or college education to perform is unskilled labor.

PS - sorry for all the edits...stupid phone autocorrect and fat fingera typing.

[Bob Ross]

Great prices

Really? I stopped even looking at their website in, I dunno, 2012 or so? simply because their prices were so much higher than Excel Sports, Colorado Cyclist, Bike Tires Direct, Performance, or (especially) ProBikeKit. Maybe I need to revisit them.

I'll admit, I did love their descriptions of bike frames. No other vendor -- not even the manufacturers! -- could go on for an entire multi-thousand word tome about the virtues of, say, a BMC Time Machine or a Ridley Noah like Competitive Cyclist could!

[fignon's barber]

Really? I stopped even looking at their website in, I dunno, 2012 or so? simply because their prices were so much higher than Excel Sports, Colorado Cyclist, Bike Tires Direct, Performance, or (especially) ProBikeKit. Maybe I need to revisit them.
!



The key is to buy something from them. Then they assign a "gearhead" to you, which is a personal customer service rep. They contact you every now and then, but the good thing is that when you need something at a certain price, you call your gearhead and tell him what price they need to be at. They've matched or beat any overseas price I've ran by them, plus no hassles about returning items.

[Climb01742]

The key is to buy something from them. Then they assign a "gearhead" to you, which is a personal customer service rep. They contact you every now and then, but the good thing is that when you need something at a certain price, you call your gearhead and tell him what price they need to be at. They've matched or beat any overseas price I've ran by them, plus no hassles about returning items.

^^
ding, ding, ding, we have a winner!;)

[weaponsgrade]

I was surprised to see my local Above Category show up on the radar. I always thought they ran a much smaller operation.

[fa63]

The key is to buy something from them. Then they assign a "gearhead" to you, which is a personal customer service rep. They contact you every now and then, but the good thing is that when you need something at a certain price, you call your gearhead and tell him what price they need to be at. They've matched or beat any overseas price I've ran by them, plus no hassles about returning items.


+1. Doesn’t even need to be your personal gearhead; just open up an online chat and ask them to price match. If they can’t, they usually come very close.

[fiamme red]

Summer apparel sale is going on right now. Lots of items are significantly discounted.

https://www.competitivecyclist.com/rc/summer-apparel-sale-shop-all?INT_ID=IB24210

[marciero]

CC was the first place I knew of that sold Rapha, and in fact was where I first heard of the brand. I still have the first pieces of Rapha kit I bought there, in 2006 I think. Other cool stuff included a pair of Rocket 7 shoes, also on sale.

I also did not buy anything for about seven or eight years until I bought some shoes that came up on sale. The gearhead service sounds gimmicky, but is really nice. You have a direct line via email for returns or anything else. I've had two (first one "left to pursue a career path outside the company") and they seem to be pretty knowledgeable about product details.

[marciero]

...so between 40,00 and 50,000 orders daily total at Backcountry...

[tbike4]

+1. Doesn’t even need to be your personal gearhead; just open up an online chat and ask them to price match. If they can’t, they usually come very close.

I am glad I found this thread. I saw something a month ago on sale from $80 to $60 and waited too long. I started an online chat and said I would like the previous sale price. No problem. Easy peezy.

[sonicCows]

Haven't ordered from Competitive Cyclist yet but I order from Backcountry quite a bit...long shipping times from REI when their physical shop didn't have what I wanted made me tired and order from a specialized web-shop. I have to say there is something about being able to physically try/handle a product, but when the shop has physical hours, and my weekday commute is 1hr each way, plus the occasional lack of inventory, and wait times for the cashier, Backcountry (with its nice return policy) has won out for me over REI. I'd still go to REI if I have a trip coming up or need something soon, but Backcountry has discounts often enough that getting the REI dividend (when prices are often MSRP) makes them still a better deal. It's sad because I still like having REI around, but Backcountry has a winning proposition (unless REI also speeds up their shipping).

I suppose this is luxury retail--if you're buying random bike parts like chainrings, tubes, or chains, CC won't make sense, but for a frame (or $$ bibs, or anytime when an order is $150+), fast shipping and a good return policy means a lot.

[Chris]

Also the push for the rise to the minimum wage is a contributor to this trend too for the less skilled manual labor/entry level type jobs. McDonald's is looking to get rid of cashier's and just move to online ordering and
self service kiosks. One or two less people to pay considering lots of states are pushing for eventually $15/hr minimum wage. Not worth it for fast food to not automate since their products are supposed to be low prices.

I consider skilled manual labor things like welders, machinists, auto mechanics, and such. A person packing or sorting boxes doesn't need a trade school or college education to perform is unskilled labor.

PS - sorry for all the edits...stupid phone autocorrect and fat fingera typing.

This is why I refuse to use automated tellers. Every time you do, you are helping put a person out of a job.

[Heisenberg]

This is why I refuse to use automated tellers. Every time you do, you are helping put a person out of a job.

...only on the paceline.

[415km]

This is why I refuse to use automated tellers. Every time you do, you are helping put a person out of a job.

I won't use automated tellers for the same reason

[Clean39T]

This is why I refuse to use automated tellers. Every time you do, you are helping put a person out of a job.+1

And missing an opportunity to connect with another human.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[KonaSS]

Where have you guys been? I have some NOS buggy whips I have been trying to move. I will give you a great deal.

[marciero]

+1

And missing an opportunity to connect with another human.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

That's not why I go to the bank, not that I actually go to the bank any more, or use ATM's for that matter.

[johnniecakes]

This is why I refuse to use automated tellers. Every time you do, you are helping put a person out of a job.
I use both tellers and ATM depending on my needs and location. I had never considered this line of thought. But if I do, by extension email takes jobs away from postal service workers, paper manufacturers, pen manufacturers, which in turn reduces truck traffic and all the services that depend on them. In high school I was a service station attendant who pumped gas, cleaned windows and checked oil and tires. I cannot think of a service station that has attendants to do any of these things. Tasks that can be replicated by automation will continue to fade away as AI gets more developed and society accepts it.

[Hellgate]

This is why I refuse to use automated tellers. Every time you do, you are helping put a person out of a job.I go in for the free candy. My local CU branch has these awesome chocolate mint discs.

[drewskey]

I was lucky enough to be able to go into their warehouse in Little Rock and see all the frames I was looking to buy in person. It was surreal the salesman grabbing a box and pulling out a frame for me to look at.

[ColonelJLloyd]

...only on the paceline.

Heard

[jruhlen1980]

I only use bespoke, small-batch dollar bills and pennies made by an artisans collective in Williamsburg.