When it’s a friggin incredible deal!! Take this tri-suit pictured to the left here. I got an incredible deal on it. Now, I may seem to go a little overboard sometimes on my gear purchases, but that’s because I look around for bargains. Most of my gear was bought either used or on clearance of some sort. This tri suit is no exception. This one in particular is the Ti3 Elite Tri Suit by Orca, arguably the best tri-suit in the world. Last year, I wanted one of these, but there was no way I could afford it. They run $180+tax new! Enter great local shops and their great service. I bought this baby at one of the best local stores for triathletes, Cyclelogik. I can’t recommend them enough. Guess what I paid for this? Give up? $20!!!!! Yeah, that’s right, less than what I’d have to pay for a pair of shorts or a T-shirt. Heck, 10 minutes later I paid $17 for a pair of underwear!
Anyway, how did I get such a deal? Basically, by asking. It was on a clearance rack, and labelled as 50% off, which isn’t bad, but given that I’d just dropped several hundred bucks on cross-country ski gear at Fresh Air Experience (another great local shop), I didn’t feel too rich. Anyway, the rack also had a little sign that said “Clearance Items, $20”. I assumed it was just for some of the other things, which were labelled $20. I brought it to the counter, and talked to Ian, one of the owners, telling him I assumed that $20 was not for this, but hoped he might give me a better deal. Well, he laughs and says, “Yup, it’s $20”. Now, I’m pretty sure it wasn’t suposed to be, and that he just decided to give me a killer deal on his last one. I couldn’t believe it. He just won a loyal customer with that sale. He went on to tell me how he had the same one and loved it, and mentioned that he certainly didn’t get his for $20. Ha ha. I’ll leave it at that but do want to also encourage everyone to check into the little local shops for any gear they want to buy. MEC may be great, but they also hurt the local shops. There are plenty of alternatives in our area. If you’re looking for something, and want suggestions, drop me a line, it turns out I’ve bought A LOT of gear over the years, at a lot of different stores, and feel I owe it to them to send business their way. Karma feels good.
