"Backcountry" Sold in a Near-Bankruptcy Exit...

[Latestart]

Yeah I can't argue that either, but 'we' decided that money=speech and payment for voting is not a crime and decided to enable "regulatory capture"

I'm happy to vote for more people-centric laws but we've convinced 50%+ of voters to vote against self-interest...

Originally Posted by echappist

Difficult to untangle the two, because as noted above, the rules of the game are written by the players.

[kytyree]

Backcountry has a lot of stuff in stock over the years that I have been looking for but rarely beat the rest of the web on price unless it was something on closeout.

[EB]

Originally Posted by Latestart

Yeah I can't argue that either, but 'we' decided that money=speech and payment for voting is not a crime and decided to enable "regulatory capture"

I'm happy to vote for more people-centric laws but we've convinced 50%+ of voters to vote against self-interest...

At the risk of violating the politics ban here, the government policies supporting private equity have broad “bipartisan” support and the associated lobby gives generously to representatives and PACs from both parties - not all of them, but enough. Most voters are completely disengaged from policy issues like this.

Campaign finance is as you say important but the Supreme Court has built an insurmountable edifice of case law over decades going back to Buckley v Valeo in 1976 that has outlawed effectively all limits to money in politics, unless there is an explicit quid pro quo bribe (which is extremely difficult to prove).

[slosh415]

From the OP it sounds like Backcountry was doing ok before the previous owners screwed things up. Maybe the new owners will go back to what was working originally.

I always order from Excel Sports whenever they have what I'm looking for at a decent price. Back in the day, they were the big bad mail order catalog undercutting your LBS. Now they're the plucky underdog, managing to survive in Amazon's world.

[Latestart]

Agree; wasn't making a partisan comment. Money buys votes in both parties. Not a lawyer, but the interpretation of 'speech' is certainly been broadly expanded in the last 10-15 years in ways that encourage/reward corporate 'investment' in the political process. Similarly, last year the court expanded the common understanding of what constitutes legal purchasing of political political favors. Net net, carried interest loophole is likely NOT going nowhere anytime soon...

Originally Posted by EB

At the risk of violating the politics ban here, the government policies supporting private equity have broad “bipartisan” support and the associated lobby gives generously to representatives and PACs from both parties - not all of them, but enough. Most voters are completely disengaged from policy issues like this.

Campaign finance is as you say important but the Supreme Court has built an insurmountable edifice of case law over decades going back to Buckley v Valeo in 1976 that has outlawed effectively all limits to money in politics, unless there is an explicit quid pro quo bribe (which is extremely difficult to prove).

[ridethecliche]

Originally Posted by echappist

Upthread, I mentioned the CC-branded merino wool socks.

They are still available and are on discount. I'm thinking of buying a few pairs to stock up.

Possibly the best merino socks I've ever bought.

Oh snap. Thanks for the tip. Might be giving this a go!

[AngryScientist]

Lot of re-shuffling recently of former pillars in the bike biz.

I still can’t believe when I forget a critical piece of gear when traveling I can’t just pop into a local Performance Bike shop and grab what I need for a fair price. That shift was ages ago now too.

For me this is all just something to talk about and a bit of inconvenience. I feel for anyone trying to make a living in the bike business, especially at the mid to low level. This kind of consolidation usually hurts the people most vulnerable hardest.

Comp Cyclist has quite a storied legacy. I hope they stick around in a meaningful way. BC always just seemed like an afterthought clearing house for CC.

[Heisenberg]

Originally Posted by slosh415

From the OP it sounds like Backcountry was doing ok before the previous owners screwed things up. Maybe the new owners will go back to what was working originally.

I always order from Excel Sports whenever they have what I'm looking for at a decent price. Back in the day, they were the big bad mail order catalog undercutting your LBS. Now they're the plucky underdog, managing to survive in Amazon's world.

I worked at BC for 5ish years, started a couple years after the founders sold when most of the "oldtimers" were still around, until they all eventually got filtered out. TLDR, it wasn't, even when it was. The culture bubbling out of the executive team was quite toxic, and with Liberty running the show, it was always a margin-chasing game from an overlord who didn't understand what made the business they bought successful in the first place. A lot of smart folks have come out of the trenches at BC, but the culture of fear there was very pervasive, and comp was abysmal. Middle managers did well to do best by their teams, frequently at the cost of their own jobs. I would never go back to work there.

[thwart]

Originally Posted by ridethecliche

Oh snap. Thanks for the tip. Might be giving this a go!

I’ve got a couple pair of these Giordana merino ones as well; very good socks.

Son-in-law works in PE (I hope one of the ‘good ones’). Reading through this thread has given me some useful information about his industry… I appreciate it.

[slowpoke]

Originally Posted by AngryScientist

Comp Cyclist has quite a storied legacy. I hope they stick around in a meaningful way. BC always just seemed like an afterthought clearing house for CC.

I only knew of Competitive Cyclist in the 2010s when it was already associated with BackCountry and SteepAndCheap

Aaron Gulley, Competitive Cyclist Will Be Everyone’s Local Bike Shop (2018): https://www.outsideonline.com/outdoo...line-retailer/

https://archive.is/37Kf9

[.RJ]

Originally Posted by slowpoke

I only knew of Competitive Cyclist in the 2010s when it was already associated with BackCountry and SteepAndCheap

It was very much a different operation prior to that.

I hope the founders cashed out well.

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by echappist

Upthread, I mentioned the CC-branded merino wool socks.

They are still available and are on discount. I'm thinking of buying a few pairs to stock up.

Possibly the best merino socks I've ever bought.

Would you only wear them for cycling, or would they work for hiking, running, etc.?

Thanks!

[echappist]

Originally Posted by C40_guy

Would you only wear them for cycling, or would they work for hiking, running, etc.?

Thanks!

I'd think they would work for a lot purposes, both sporting and otherwise. They are quite warm in the winter, but still breath well enough for me to wear in the summer (up to ~90 F for cycling).

I personally think that they are styled subtly enough to be worn in anything less formal than a navy/ grey suit. I certainly wore them when wearing a sport coat.

Only downside is that some of the fibers shed, and it was a surprise the first time I took them off and proceeded to the shower. It first, it appeared as if I tracked dirt home on my feet, but then I remembered that the socks.

[old fat man]

Originally Posted by .RJ

It was very much a different operation prior to that.

I hope the founders cashed out well.

Wasn't it Brendan Quirk who now runs USAC and has a tight connection to the Waltons?

[Mikej]

BC/CC was awesome- shipped that day if ordered by 2-3pm, 2nd day was cheap, easiest returns, gear head to ask for discount or price matching. Also, they have military/ first responder discounts- but not on everything. I was a Summit Club member and got money and a 20% birthday coupon. RIP all of that if PE VC takes over? Hope not. Even my blankets are from BC!