4111 Simon Road
Youngstown, OH 44512-1343
orders: 1-800-627-4227 (1-800-NASHBAR)
216-782-2244 Local and APO/FPO orders
info: 216-788-6464
fax: 800-456-1223
Nashbar has been around forever, used to have a catalog full of technical specs and line drawings, even frame building supplies and everything. Then lycra became fashionable and color printing got cheaper, and they became as much a fashion catalog as a parts supplier. Still, good prices and broad selection for a mail order catalog, and they often have good closeout deals. Now a part of Performance, but with a different selection, lots more closeouts, still a bit more of a bike-geek feel to it.
One Performance Way
P.O. Box 2741
Chapel Hill, NC 27514
orders: 1-800-727-2453 (1-800-PBS-BIKE)
919-933-9113 Foreign orders
info: 800-727-2433 Customer Support
Reasonable selection and prices, many mid- and lower-priced items the racer-oriented catalogs don't carry; fast service. Used to be the biggest mail order competitor to Nashbar, then bought Nashbar, and now also has several retail bike shops around the country.
West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-1040
FAX 617-244-1041
A real bike shop, not a mailorder house, but they will do mail order including special orders from Quality and other distributors. An excellent service to have if your local shop doesn't like strange special orders. Also an excellent information site on the web. And of course, Sheldon Brown works there. (If you don't know why that matters, do check out SheldonBrown.com.)
3970 Bijou Street
Colorado Springs, CO 80909-9946
orders: 1-800-688-8600
info: 719 591-4040
fax: 719 591-4041
Knowledgeable staff, good high-end road and mountain racing selection but not much for touring or commuting, has some items that aren't in the catalog. A very well-illustrated catalog.
Sumner, WA 98352
1-800-426-4840
Started as a co-op for mountaineering gear in Seattle, now a general outdoor gear supplier with stores around the country and a good web catalog.
Their cycling gear ranges from small parts to their own Novara line of bicycles -- the Randonne is an excellent choice for an off-the-shelf touring bike, though like most touring bikes with Shimano drivetrains, they'd be better for touring if Shimano made a real touring triple instead of their overgeared "road triple" with a too-big 30 tooth granny gear.
I've had good experiences with the in-store service from REI's Seattle store, but some of their branch stores have very spotty reputations for service and selection. Still, even the worst of their stores has REI's warranty service.
(Somehow, mentioning REI always brings up the chain vs. local retailer debate, so here's my out: for me, REI *is* local. Their corporate headquarters, distribution center, and a good retail store are all within cycling distance of my house, and I've been shopping with them since the '70s.)
Also check out REI-OUTLET.com
for deals on unfashionable colors, last year's style, etc.
Not a cycling catalog, a general clothing and outdoor gear overstocks catalog, often has good prices on last year's cycling clothes and some bike accessories.