Best deals for gear

[Nanci]

Keep checking the clearance sections of online shops such as TE and Terry for clothes. You can get great deals on last year's and last season's stuff. Sierra Trading Post will often have super deals on bike clothes and sunglasses. All the bike-specific stores have periodic sales, which if you wait long enough, will usually include the item you are looking for. Performance Bike and Nashbar are two that have very frequent sales. All these places have fast shipping, TE especially, and I have never had problems with a return at any one of them.

Nanci

[Jones]

TE is great and always my first choice but I also like REI and the REI outlet often has great deals on lots of bike stuff and sunglasses.

[KnottedYet]

What Nanci said. TE, Terry, and Sierra Trading Post. Ibex has woolies on sale all the time, but they're still expensive. (but worth it if you are a woolie fan)

[KSH]

TE of course.

Also check out www.performancebike.com.

And, if you go to www.primalwear.com, and go to the Factory Outlet store, you can sometimes find some really cool jerseys for around $30-$40.

[Fuji Girl]

You can use this website, which compares the prices of bike gear among several websites:

http://www.qbike.com

It's quite handy if you know what you're looking for. And of course, the sites mentioned above. Do a google search for coupon codes before ordering - helps with shipping costs!

As for chamois cream, I like to use Vaseline Deep Moisture Creamy Petroleum Jelly that comes in a blue and white tube. It's a lot cheaper than chamois cream, works well, lasts a long time, and can be used on your hands/feet in the wintertime. I think it's about $5 or less for a tube at Walgreens.

[Trek420]

don't forget swap meets like Veloswap.

I've got great deals there. It's a mix of e-bayers & Craigs folk, LBS with their spare & used or trade in items, manufacturers/builders with last years models, even race teams sell the things they won-but don't want to keep.

None of the bad karma that can come from buying a hot bike and very fun.

Locally here Trips for Kids has a swap a few times a year, great deals and a great cause, helping kids.

[Squirrel 2]

Hopefully you can build relationship with your LBS, first choice would probably be where you bought your bike. You need that for componentry & any fit or performance issues that might come up where you need to take your bike in & do so with confidence. They should also have basics like butt cream, chain lube, spare tubes, tire pump, etc, etc.

For apparel, you will not find anyone to match the huge selection of women's gear available at Team Estrogen. And as everyone else has already said, their customer service & return policy is first-rate. If you are looking to get quality for your purchases, you will find that you really don't need that much in quantity. You can get by with just a few items, such as a good jersey and a good pair of shorts, and just wash them frequently. Good gear holds up very well, and you will be happy with the performance for a long time.

[Bluetree]

don't forget swap meets like Veloswap.

+1.

Spend some time visiting your regional online Forums (you don't have to participate, because some can get raunchy). But occasionally you can pick up news on local sales or Bike Swap Meets. If you hear of a LBS that's closing, they'll often have clearance sales... not that I wish that on any LBS!

I just went to a local swap meet at the Velodrome and scored a $10 l/s Shebeest jersey, $10 Sugoi shorts, $5 Specialized gloves and $1 bar tape. All were brand new. Just keep your eyes and ears open!