Performance Bike (ASE) Files Chapter 11
 

Another one bites the dust...….

will have to keep my eyes on the local store for when/if they start closing down.

I missed the opportunity to strengthen my workshop when the local REI moved by about 20 minutes (group in front of me bought out their workshop setup).

Could use the spares and tools :D

interesting, and sad but probably inevitable.

nashbar used to be THE go-to place to get bike stuff mail order. in the last few years, i dont even bother going to that website, it seems there was a real decline in their inventory of available stuff, and the prices are all over the board.

there arent any around me home, but the few brick and mortar performance stores i've been in when travelling have never impressed me. most seem pretty run down and "worn out".

hopefully they'll be able to learn something, re-organize a bit and re emerge as a leaner, better run organization.

That’s too bad. I know one of our fellow Paceliners works for Performance, though I don’t know in what capacity.

The store nearest me is one of the ones they're already doing a pseudo-clearance on. I stopped in the other day and got some Clif bars and socks. The manager said they were "trying to see if this would help sales." Clearly, it's going to be one of the ones closing.

The clearance signs were those from that third party vendor that does liquidation.

I wonder if they'll (the whole company) be able to emerge from this. I doubt it.

A couple of lifetimes ago, my Bike Warehouse and Palo Alto Cycles catalogues became dog-eared because they were exercised daily, if only to dream. Computer screens don't become dog-eared.

The Berkeley store had a clearance sale last weekend. Didn’t stop but was wondering what was up

Wow. I'm surprised they did not announce this on December 26.

A (very) long time ago, I sent a letter to Arni Nashbar suggesting he open a store in my area. I was shocked when he phoned me, and took the time to explain his perspective of the bike business to me. Ironically he knew the area well and was planning to move nearby. To this day I think he still lives here.

If they could have held out a little longer, maybe the rapha trend would have faded and Primal Wear make a comeback.

alas.

My only experience with Performance brick and mortar was when I was temporarily living in Seattle and had them box up two bikes for shipment back to the east coast. They did a nice job, turned it around quickly, and it was reasonable price.

bicycle retail is a tough nut to crack. it seems that the successful shop is the outlier more than the norm.

My guess is the British discount shops played a role here.

I rarely bought from Performance because their pricing (on the same item) fluctuated more than the stock market. Drives me crazy.

I do find the Kohls, JC Penny, etc. pricing style frustrating - not that I ever shop there, but who wants to go into a store and know that if they pay full retail price, they are getting gouged just so the company can run constant and confusing sales at "30%" off.

That said, I need to get a return done sharpish it seems...

They have a store in Jacksonville. I went in with a friend who was looking for a low end bike. The saleperson tried to sell her a bike with Shimano 105, and kept telling her that "its what the pros use."