- ONLINE RETAILERS who service the tri-specfic community.
- F.I.S.T.-CERTIFIED tri bike fitters.
- CONTACT INFORMATION for the dealers below.
- GUIDELINES for these pages.
- INDEX of all retailer profiles.
....:::: SHOPS ON THIS PAGE ::::....
A one-man pro shop, when you walk in the door you're walking into "Richard Cohen's All Bicycles," the way Richard Cohen presents it. He's a connoisseur, and if you come in to buy a $150 kid's bike you're going to get the pro treatment whether you want it or not. The shop is well-represented by tri bike companies, such as Felt, Litespeed, and custom bike makers like Seven. (Contact information for the above dealer).
Pros: You'll also find wetsuits here, specifically Ironman, and DeSoto, Pearl and SheBeast tri apparel.
Cons: It's a full-service shop, but not a large shop. No flagship companies here like Trek/C'dale/Specialized.
Bicycles and Fitness is a shop well-liked by Miamians. It sells bikes with headbadges that say Giant, Cervelo and Guru, and its clothing lines include DeSoto and Orca and Zoot. (Contact information for the above dealer).
Pros: Orca, Aquasphere, and they're apparently going to stock T1 for 2004 as wel. They sponsor the South Florida Hammerheads.
Cons: While they're a full service shop, they don't carry the flagship lines associated with such shops, like Trek, C'dale, or Specialized. That's a minus to some, not to others, as Giant is often considered the equal of these better-known brands. But there is no OCLV, and if that's what you want you'll have to go elsewhere.
Cycle Science is owned by Mike Illner, who bought the shop from founder and original owner Chip Martocchia, who married ex-pro triathlete Katie Webb, which is all neither here nor there. It was founded as a tri shop and while it's expanded into a more well-rounded store it still carries a reasonable selection of tri stuff. (Contact information for the above dealer).
Pros: Carries Cervelo, C'dale, and Trek. Also DeSoto and Sugoi tri apparel. Rides emanate from the shop five days each week.
Cons: No wetsuits, which is not a huge issue because so many of the swims in Florida races are no-wetsuit anyway.
Downtown Bicycles is owned by the husband of a pretty serious triathlete, so he kind of has to toe the line. The fact that Mario is a tri-widower does not mean that this is his only motivation to sell tri in his shop. His shelves are full of more than a token presence of tri lines, which include Giant, Litespeed, Cervelo and Guru tri bikes, as well as a lot of road bikes which also includes Specialized. He's not a wetsuit seller, but he does sell swim accessories, such as TYR goggles, Zoot and Pearl tri apparel, and a lot of nutritionals. (Contact information for the above dealer).
Pros: Good lines, and he's a good citizen as well by sponsoring races.
Cons: It would be nice of a triathlete worked in the shop, but as far as we can tell that's not the case. They've got a good base of being a strong tri shop, but are they ready for the next level—wetsuits, fancy one-piece bars, and the fit expertise to use them?
The thing I like about Top Cycle is that its owner, Patrick, is the shop's wrench. He likes to work on bikes, and he employs other people to be out front selling them. This is like a restauranteur doing the cooking and employing the maitre d', waiters, bartenders, to do all the boring jobs. What's not to like about a shop like that? (Contact information for the above dealer).
Pros: The service work is going to be superb at this store. Starting with the Reback family, locals trust Patrick with their bikes. You'll find some very good lines in this shop, like Softride, Seven, QR, Litespeed, Kestrel, and Guru. You'll also find QR wetsuits and Zoot, DeSoto and QR apparel.
Cons: It's not a big shop, so you won't find everything you'd expect out of a full service shop.
South Lake Bicycles is a real tri shop. Owner Mark Marshall expos at races, he's talks to the talk, and he's got good lines. His bikes are Guru, Felt, Trek, and Javelin. He sells QR wetsuits and tri apparel from Louis Garneau, DeSoto, Speedo and Sugoi. (Contact information for the above dealer).
Pros: See above. Not much missing from this shop.
Cons: But there are a few things missing. No Cervelo, and we've heard that they're sometimes thin on consumables and the sorts of everyday things that you'd see at a larger full-service shop.
Locomotion is owned by Jack Zimmer, himself a Kona Ironman veteran, and quite a good athlete. Jack's full-service store in Winter Park has been servicing the needs of triathletes year-in and year-out for a couple of decades, through thick and thin. (Contact information for the above dealer).
Pros: QR wetsuits, Cervelo, Felt and Giant bikes. Does a good aero wheel business, chiefly with Hed. Carries Louis Garneau and SheBeast tri apparel.
Cons: No Trek, C'dale or Specialized, they figure they can do better with Giant and Felt. Usually they can. But no OCLVs. They're not as well-stocked on the day-to-day stuff as Orange Cycle Works.
Orange Cycle Works is included in this listing not because of their tri expertise, because they're frankly thin on that. If you live in Orlando, however, and you want a particular pair road pedals, or a specific helmet, or a long-valve 650c tube, this is more likely to be your shop than either Locomotion or South Lake. (Contact information for the above dealer).
Pros: Big, robust, full service shop. Lots of inventory in apparel, tubes, tires, helmets, floor pumps and all that sort of stuff.
Cons: Considering the size of this shop, stubbornly bereft most things tri-specific, and apparently determined to stay that way. A few C'dale tri bikes, one Litespeed Blade on the floor as of this writing, no wetsuits. They do have a good cycling apparel selection, but rather thin on tri apparel (though they do maintain some inventory of De Soto, Hind, Pearl).
Swim, Bike & Run is a brand spankin' new shop as of this writing, six weeks young. What a delightful surprise this little shop is. The owners are Wilbur Anderson and his partner Pedro. Notwithstanding his name, Wilbur is an immigrant from Costa Rica. Pedro is Venezuelan. They have a tri team that is comprised, best as I can tell, of ten Latin-surnamed triathletes, from juniors on up, most of whom will tear you a new A-hole. Bike racing and triathlon are largely Hispanic sports in South Florida. This is monumentally refreshing, as these sports are boringly WASPy in California and much of the rest of the U.S. (Contact information for the above dealer).
Pros: Their bikes lines are Felt and Elite, and they'll service anything. And they refurbish and sell used bikes. Good for them! Bikes are too expensive for younger athletes coming up, and this is a good way to keep triathlon from becoming prohibitively expensive for the next generation. They also sell Orca wetsuits, DeSoto and Orca apparel.
Cons: Where to start? They're new, they're small, they're thin, they're narrow. So what. If I lived in South Florida I'd go in and buy something once a week, just so I could hang out there.
About Tampa's Lou's Bike Center, here's what one Slowtwitch Forum participant wrote: "Lou's Bicycle Shop in Seminole is hands down the best shop in Florida. I live in Miami and I'd drive... just to buy a water bottle from Lou. Not that you'd have to, he's at all the races and he brings half the shop with him." That's the loyalty Lou's inspires. (Contact information for the above dealer).
Pros: This shop's tri bikes include Calfee, Kestrel, Softride, Cervelo, Cannondale, Felt, Litespeed, Elite. Wetsuit brands include Orca. Apparel includes orca, Pearl, C'dale, Irongirl.
Cons: Lou's is a fine shop, and it's better than Chainwheel at zeroing in on those bike lines that are specific to triathlon. But it's not going to have the breadth and depth of a Chainwheel throughout all products that make a full-service shop truly full-service.
Chainwheel Drive is a strong, full service shop that has been around quite awhile and is one of the models that other retailers around the country look at when it comes to the aspirations for their own shops. This is the official shop for the St. Anthony's triathlon, which means more than money—Chainwheel Drive sends a fleet of mechanics and technical people out to do bike check and tech support. They also do this at several triathlons throughout the year. (Contact information for the above dealer).
Pros: Their bikes lines are Trek, C'dale, Specialized, Serotta, and Quintana Roo. One way you know that a shop is large and strong is when it can support the hefty minimums required by the three biggest flagships in the industry. It also sells QR wetsuits, and has—along with Orlando's Orange Cycle Works—the biggest apparel inventory by far in middle Florida. In addition to that, its commitment to tri apparel may exceed Orange Cycle Works. You'll find De Soto and Zoot there, as well as the tri clothing from Sugoi, Cannondale, QR and TYR.
Cons: There are holes in their bike lines. No Felt, Softride, Cervelo, Litespeed, no Calfee, Kestrel, Aegis, Elite, Guru. If it's a tri-specific bike you want, it's QR or C'dale. We don't expect that to continue, however. This is the case as of this writing (11/03) and by Spring of '04 they may pick up a line or two.
The Bicycle Shop of Naples is the place you'll want to consider if you're domiciled out in Florida's southwest (Fort Myers to Naples). They are the shop most closely associated with Naples Area Triathletes, a club 300-strong, which includes among other Joe Bonness. This is a 30 year old family owned shop and Clint, who "grew up with a Campy Tool Kit in my crib," is the latest generation to run it. He himself owns and rides a QR Caliente. This shop is that much more of a full-service destination when you consider that a New Balance concept store is right next door. (Contact information for the above dealer).
Pros: Their bikes lines are Trek, C'dale, Specialized, Serotta, and Quintana Roo. Trek, Giant, QR and Aegis, and also have road bike lines like Merlin, De Rosa and Klein. They stock Louis Garneau's tri clothing, and they've got the NAT's tri team clothing (from Sugoi) in there as well. They sponsor or in one way or another promote just about every endurance event in the area.
Cons: They are by heritage a road shop, and triathlon's gravity has bent this stores trajectory toward multisport. This a good thing in one way, because a history as a full service shop means it knows the bike biz, and how to stay healthy and profitable. But it's not yet fully immersed in tri the way that, say, a Mission Bay or an Inside Out is (no Cervelo, Kestrel, Litespeed, Softride). But the trend and the desire is to lean more and more in the direction of multisport, and when you consider how far you'd have to travel to get yourself to an equal or better tri-related bike shop, this shop is a welcome oasis.
Bike America's bikes lines are Cannondale, Cervelo, and custom tri and road bikes from Serotta. They have Pearl Izumi's tri apparel. (Contact information for the above dealer).
Pros: Their resident pro is Drew Kallio, twice to Serotta's fit school, FIST-certified, and if you're in and around St. Augustine, or even from larger metropolitan areas like Jacksonville and Orlando, you might be one of the many who drive to this smallish shop for its fit expertise.
Cons: Not going to have the tri bikes in stock as would the larger Jacksonville shops, no wetsuits, thin on apparel. You go here for personal service, not because you want to browse the shelves.
BikeRoute has taken over the top spot at the go-to store in Gainesville for tri-specific bike needs. It sells Cannondale, QR, Litespeed and Felt, and they are a strong in all those lines. They have QR's tri apparel, as well as De Soto and Sugoi. This shop handles the Sugoi sublimated uniforms for the Tri Gators—a 100-strong local tri team—and they sell Sugoi's tri wear in the store. (Contact information for the above dealer).
Pros: They've got a career pro mechanic in the store, they're road bike fit experts, and the owner, Mike Gann, was hiimself a pro racer for 8 years. There is usually a triathlete employed at the store, and they're good citizens of sport by virtue of their sponsorship and tech support at local triathlons and road races.
Cons: They don't sell wetsuits, they don't take their show in the road at the races like Lou's and some of the bigger tri-specific shops. But they understand that triathlon is growth industry and they're busily tooling up for it.
The Bike Shop (
Feb, 05) is in Ormond Beach, a suburb of Daytona Beach. This is a bit out of the way if you're a triathlete. This shop is a haven for triathletes who find themselves between Orlando, Gainesville, Jacksonville, and Miami, but close to none of them. (Contact information for the above dealer).
Pros: Here is a place you'll find several of the brands you'd expect out of a bike shop that caters to triathletes. The bikes represented are Trek, Litespeed, Quintana Roo and Felt, tri clothing includes De Soto and Pearl Izumi. Owner Dan McGrane is a former triathlete, and is one no longer because of injuries that do not allow him to run. So he vicariously competes through taking care of customers like you.
Cons: The shop is not in a metro area, and so can only afford to carry so much inventory. Certain things slip through the cracks, like wetsuits.
Champion Cyclery is a four-store chain, and it's this Champion Cyclery (on North 3rd Street) that is more tri-specific than the other three. Brian, one of the store's managers, is a veteran if IM Florida. This is sort of the shop for the Hammerhead tri club. That club is apparently still in the process of deciding whether it is, or isn't, going to be affiliated with a particular shop. But to the degree that it is, this is the shop. (Contact information for the above dealer).
Pros: His store sells Trek, QR, and Giant bikes. You'll also find QR wetsuits and apparel, and SheBeast clothing as well.
Cons: No single store in Jacksonville will give you the entire scope of bike lines, this shop included. Open Road has Cervelo and Kestrel. American Bicycle Company has C'dale and Litespeed. Likewise this shop has only a segment of the lines that form the full spectrum.
Open Road is one of three Jacksonville-based shops that do an admirable job of catering to triathletes. It has a selection of tri-specific products that the other two don't have, in Cervelo and Kestrel, but then it doesn't have QR, Cannondale or Trek. It's other lines include Litespeed, Specialized, INdependent Fabrications, Seven, Colnago, Guru, and Calfee. It also carries Zoot apparel. (Contact information for the above dealer).
Pros: They, along with the other two shops, vie for the Hammerhead tri team business, plying them with discounts. This shop takes its show on the road via having an expo booth at local races. Rides emanate from teh shop 6 days/wk during the summer, weekends only during winter.
Cons: No wetsuits here, not especially heavy on tri clothing brands, lacks a few important tri bike lines.
American Bicycle Company is one of three shops we'd recommend in the city of Jacksonville. A half-dozen years ago we'd have said that there's not much multisport going on in this town, but nowadays Jacksonville is a triathlon hotbed, no doubt partly due to the Florida Ironman, a half-day's drive to the west. (Contact information for the above dealer).
Pros: This is a big Cannondale store, and their tri bikes lines are principally C'dale's Ironman line and Litespeed's Sabers and Blades. They also sell Specialized, which has nice lower-end road bikes for the beginner triathlete. During 2003 they sold over a dozen of Litespeed's high-end titanium tri bikes and that's a lot for one shop in one season. They are experienced bike fitters, and they sell tri apparel from Cannondale, DeSoto and Hind.
Cons: No wetsuits, though with the growth of triathlon in Jacksonville this shop is considering restocking this category that they've let lie fallow over the past several years. No Cervelo, Felt or QR.
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