Conference noted::bicycle

	This is Chris's reply:-

Re: track parts

	Specifically,

bottom bracket spindles - for what crank? Be VERY CAREFUL when interchangeing
	different spindles and crankarms, the tapers are different for almost
	every model. If they are not exact, you'll wreck the crankarm. Campy
	is interchangeable with Sugino Mighty.

cogs for the back - Do you use 1/8" or 3/32" chainwheels/chain/cogs? The 1/8"
	is a track sprint setup, whereas 3/32" is for pursuit and kilo. 

	I usualyy get my track parts at a bike shop, like I get almost all the
hard-to-find-and-easy-to-get-the-wrong-one parts. I have had such bad luck with
mail order outfits when it comes to these things that I only use them for the
"commodity parts", like tires, rims, spokes, component sets etc. I also like to
see the part in question right in front of my face, so I KNOW it is the right
one.
	The Bicycle Exchange in Cambridge usually has everything I have needed
in the past. Talk to Paul Segal, the parts manager, he'll let you know if they
have it right over the phone. If they don't, Laughing Alley in Allston has had
them. Ask for Jim DiSilva, he'll set you up. As a last resort, Barney's in 
Worcester has had the cogs.
	If you must mail order, try:

	Crazy Dave's                     He sells track bikes and parts, club
	363 Lincoln Ave E.               discount. Turnaround time is slow.   
	Cranford, NJ 07016
	201-272-3282 after 5:30 pm.
	

	658 Easton Road                  proximity to Trexlertown should be a
	Horsham, PA 19044                reason to carry track bike parts.
	800-523-7576

Glad to help,

CdH


	Here's a coupla comments of my own:-

	I have found Bike Nashbar to be pretty good on four out 
of the five orders that I have placed with them.  The one BIG screw-up 
was with a big order in June where they misfilled a lot of the items, 
twisted up the tires and kinked the beads, sent it to a non-existant 
address and generally loused it up.  My guess is that it was high 
season and their temporary help was to blame.  Anyway, I sent 
everything back that I didn't like or that the packing process had 
spoiled and I got a full refund, including all the shipping, so I 
still feel pretty good about them.

	Bicycle Exchange in Cambridge is very good, especially if you
are looking for very old stuff.  They seem to have been there since
the year dot, what is truly amazing is that they can still find the
old stuff.  Biggest problem is parking, in the summer it gets very 
crowded.


	Gamache's in Fitchburg is good for consumables, clothes, etc.  
He usually has an early spring ride and open house (St Patrick's day 
last year) with 20% discounts and demos from suppliers, their sales 
bozos come on the ride and "infiltrate", one or two of 'em are pretty 
quick too.

	I have bought two bikes in the last year (my daughter just
bought one too) from International in Alston (Brighton Ave).  They
seem to have almost everything, knowledgeable staff that will suggest
where you might get it if you need it before they can get it in,
usually Laughing Alley. 

	I am about to place an order with Performance Bicycle Shop 
(another PBS ?), I'll try to remember to report on the experience 
here.

	Reg.

Re: Nashbar

	I've been ordering through them since they were Bicycle Warehouse.
They are pretty good for most everything, but they will automatically back
order you for stuff not in stock. So make sure to ask for stocking information
before you give them your charge card number. By the way, my roommate bought,
on my reccommendation, a Nashbar Sport bicycle. The thing is quick! I was
very impressed with the small amount of assembly and the care they took with
the packing.

Re: Boston shops

	Try parking in the alley to the left of the BiEx on Bow Street. The
small lot is for their customers.
	Harold, who owns International in Allston, is a great guy who will
go to great lengths to sell you a bike. He sells some exclusive models which
can be hard to find elsewhere. 

Re: Other mail order houses

	The other places I've dealt with are:

Performance - The best service, better than Nashbar. Turnaround is a bit
slower, and they don't have the warehouse space that Nashbar has. When I
was in Chapel Hill on business I visited the place. The people are just the
best. All the folks you see in the catalogs are workers.

Branford Bike - Tom and Timmy Brockett run this shop out of their basement.
The big drawback is they don't take charge cards. Tim goes to Europe several
times a year and buys direct, thus the low prices. He has most pro stuff
in stock.

Mike's Cyclery - these people used to be great, but when they moved to bigger
quarters the prices went way up. They used to run daily specials, not anymore.
Like Continental 200 gram tubulars for $21! Sad situation.

Bike Basics - The only thing I've ordered through them is DT spokes. They
used to be $9.95/box.

Pedal Pushers - Terrible service. I ordered Vittoria Mondiale training tubulars
(a dozen) and they were out, so they substituted Hutchinson Supersprints
without notifying me. Hutch SS's are junk. It took a half hour on the phone
until I got to the manager to get them to ship Clement Super Condors instead.
I charged them for the call. Also, the Cinelli 1/R black handlebar stem I
ordered was scratched pretty bad. They said it came from a bike off the floor.
Truly bush league operation.

There were two other places I had done business with that I can't remember
the names of. They're now out of business.

Hope this helps your decisions,

CdH

Paul Randazzo got me a track crank for the DiFilice.  I assume he can get
whatever else is needed.  Category One Cyclegoods, Tyngsborough, MA
 (617) 649-7599     Since he deals a lot with the NEBC and GS Chrono 
crowd, I assume he's got access to whatever your heart desires.  You
should see some of the stuff going on the streamliner!   Chris

	A few more comments on shops for the record:

	Performance:  Another positive comment.  I've had several orders
	from them including "emergency" requests and they are good.
	Also, if you need help they will port you to the shop on the
	phone.  This can be very useful.

	PS & S: In Horsham PA.  Bought a couple of sets of wheels and
	tubes from them.  Good service, and again, you can talk to the
	shop. Prices competitive with Performance and anybody.

	International Pro Bike Shop, Centerville OH:  Ordered some
	TTT parts and freewheels.  Their prices are higher but service
	seemed fine.  The Catalog is $3.00 refundable on an order,
	and not terrifically accurate but large.  They seem to stock
	everything...stuff not even in the catalog, so you need to call.
	Titanium exotica, Galli Gruppo, Campy Hi-Lo hubs, Hi-E etc.
                                                              
	/Charlie

A few comments on the comments here:

Branford Bike has moved to a new bigger shop, you should call them for the
address but it's up the street a ways.  They do take plastic now.

Bike Nashbar has improved dramatically.  They will now tell you if
something is out of stock and ask you if you want it back-ordered
-- or tell you that they won't backorder it because they don't know
when they are getting it.  Shipping is fast.

Performance.  Shipping is not so fast as Nashbar, 8 days is normal.
If you want something quick, you can ask them to "ship it Air" and
pay more, too.

    
    This info might be in here somewhere, but *I* can't find it!
    I just moved here and somehow lost all my back issues of
    Bike Nashbar/Warehouse.  Could some kind soul post/mail me
    their phone number, so I can ask them to start sending me 
    the catalogs again?
    
    thanks in advance,
    Charlie

    

    
    1-800-345-BIKE
    
    Stew

    
    Re 14.6, Bike Nasbar has a local store just of Rt 128 (Neeham?).
    They have the same items & prices as whats in their catalog.  But,
    if you plan to pick up anything specific, call first!  Last time
    I went over there,  they were out of almost everything I was interested
    in.  

    Boycott Nashbar!!  They are not *out* of most things.  They just
    don't stock them there.  I tried complaining the first few times
    I went there but they don't care - simply put.  They use *way*
    too much space for bikes and they use their limited space pretty
    poorly.  Now, I've heard that if you go there on the magic days
    after they have recieved truckloads of stock that its worth going.
    Maybe.
    
    Anyway, I still use Performance.  They match prices so that isn't
    an issue.  They have shown a recent trend toward clothes and away
    from bike parts.  Unfortunate.
    

    The Nashbar store in Needham is an OUTLET.  That means that it's
    primarily a place to dump things that aren't moving in the catalog
    -- the last few bikes of each model, unpopular components, etc.
    Sure, they carry some standard items, and seem to be interested
    in pushing the bikes (it's hard to buy one out of a catalog), 
    but they're still an outlet.
    
    Once you know this, you can take advantage of it.  Sometimes you
    can find $4 derailleurs, $50 sets of wheels, and who knows what
    else -- but you can't DEPEND upon them being there.   I'm somewhat
    of a scrounger, so it works for me....
    
    MATT

Try REI in Reading Mass.  Its on rt 129 just north of 128 (near Wakefield).  
Brian Bennett runs their bike dept (I think).  He's very helpful, 
knowledgeable, and he's trying to make the dept more of a 'pro shop'.  They 
carry Shimano and Campy parts, a good selection of clothes and the usual other 
accessories.  Their bikes look nice...I test rode their company team issue 
racing bike and it was pretty nice. 

On parts they will match Performance or Nashbar prices.  I just bought a 
mixture of Shimano Ultegra and 105 components and every price was as good as 
either catalog.  Of course you pay tax, but no shipping, and if you're a 
member (its a coop) you get dividends (10% recently) at the end of the year.  
They also have a catalog, and if you can wait, you save the tax (but pay the 
shipping).  They don't currently carry much in the way of wheels, but they're 
looking into it.

BTW, REI = Recreational Equipment, Inc.  Its a GREAT toy store!

Kevin

	Can someone post the number for Performance. I'm trying to 
	get a copy of their catalogue but can't for the life of
	me find there number in any note.

	
thanx
mano

    
    And the number is .....
    
    	for orders 1-800-PBS-BIKE
    			(727-2453)
    
    	customer service 1-800-PBS-BIKE
    			      (727-2433)
    
    TimB	

    Performance has two numbers for orders its 800-727-2453
    		for customer service its 800-727-2433
    
    I've had alot of problems with this company, but not enough to keep
    me away from their prices.
    
    Tom

I was a real fan of Performance until this spring and summer.  But after I
received my THIRD item that was either cancelled weeks before, or never 
ordered at ALL, I told 'em they wouldn't get any more of my money.

Has anyone else noticed problems with the ordering department lately?

.jim

    
    	As I said in the note before I've had problems with Performance.
    They did the same thing to me that they did to you. I ordered a
    team jersey they had them on sale for $25, around here they go for
    $50. I ordered one and got a reply that they where discontinued.
    When I called them they told me that they where not going to stock
    them again. Well I know that was B.S., because they always have
    these in every catalog. They just didn't what to back order their
    sale price! I called their C.S. # and was told alot of crap about
    not carring this stock. I told them to put this item on back order
    until the next catalog and if there are no team jerseys I'll take
    a refund. Well about two weeks later I got the jersey!!! The wrong
    style... I called back and they said keep this jersey and they would
    send me the correct one also. We'll see....
    
    the moto; be a pain in the neck and you'll get the oil.
    
    You'll get the pain in the neck when your on hold for 10 minutes.
    
    Tom 

    I place that request for a friend:
    
    He looks for a special mountain bike. This make is not distributed in
    Switzerland.
    Has somebody in US the address of a dealer/distributor which sells
    
         "Cannondale SM 2000" mountain bikes?
    
    Thank you for your help
    
    Peter

    Here's the price list for Speedy Recovery, based in Minnesota.  I've
    gotten 3 pairs of shorts, some bra tops, repairs, and new pads sewn in
    from Dottie and Preston.  
    
    They do a quality job.  I've had them do special stuff for
    me in cotton lycra.  Best of all, even the custom stuff is a LOT
    cheaper than store bought.  Enjoy! 
    
    Sherry
    --------------------------------------------------------------------
    
	SPEEDY RECOVERY PRICE LIST

Cycling clothing and cross country ski suits
Prices for 10 or more items are negotiable.
Prices good through December 1992.

- cycling shorts $22
- bib shorts $30
- tights without pad $24
- tights with pad $30
- bib tights without pad $30
- bib tights with pad $36
- cycling jersey - short sleeve (2 or 3 pocket back) $28
- cycling jersey - long sleeve (2 or 3 pocket back) $32
- skin suit $65
- aero skin suit (rubberized lycra/std lycra mix) $95
- aero skin suit (all rubberized top) $110
- leg warmers (lycra black) $12
- arms warmers (lycra black) $6
- helmet covers $6
- cross country ski suits $65
- cross country ski tights $26
- cross country ski jersey top $36

Quick service, delivery by insured first class mail.  Anything else
just give us a call.  Special or custom orders can be negotiated.
Shipping and Handling $3 first item, $1 additional item.

Send check or money order to:
   Dorothy Morell
   15201 95th Ave. North
   Maple Grove, MN 55369
   (612) 420-8046