I was talking with a friend of mine last week who works at a LBS. He was telling me about some riders from a local team coming in and looking for sponsorship. The first thing they asked for was FREE service. These guys race for a very large team, and last time I saw these guys race it seemed they weren't racing on garbage. If they can afford high end bikes and equipment why would they need something for nothing?
So how much return on investment will that shop receive? Probably not as much business as they will give away to this local team.
Don't get me wrong I'm all for a sponsor helping out a team with discounts when they can. As you know it cost alot for this sport we are all so passionate about, travel, entry fees, supplements, bike repairs, tires....... With that said shops need to make money also, rent, overhead, inventory, salaries........ I feel some people really don't take that into consideration when asking for sponsorships.
So my point is unless your a U23 or young PRO trying to move up living on a shoe string budget hoping to win a little coin so you can enter your next race or buy gas money (trust me I know how hard that life is) then support your LBS with your business and in return I'm sure they will support you.
I know my opinion isn't worth much but atleast it's FREE!!
CM
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I agree, those rich bastards jk.
ReplyDelete-poor u23
Most good mechanics work for beer or whiskey -so catch them when there not doing something at their shop and make a deal! I'm just kidding (kinda).
ReplyDeleteYeah, I dont know. The return on investment they get is exposure for their shop when the athletes are racing or training in their kits. They also get increased revenue when the athletes choose to buy their equipment and soft goods at the LBS. Ive spent about $25,000 at my LBS in the past year or so. (hopefully not a continuing trend). Besides the friendly service, my business goes there because of the shops support of my racing team, and their willingness to do small repairs or diagnostics on the spot without hitting me up for change each time. Id be willing to pay, but its still a nice gesture and I take that into consideration when electing to pay a little more at my LBS than I would online or elsewhere.
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