Thursday, December 23, 2010

Bargain hunting

Wednesday: Bike 38 miles
Thursday: Run 6 miles, bike 11 miles

So I was talking to one of the fitness instructors at the gym about how expensive triathlon gear is, and she mentioned that she had bought two cycling jerseys for less than 5 bucks each at Goodwill-type stores. It makes sense. They can't take the time to agonize over what each donation is worth. It could be someone's old Little League T-shirt or a $150 cycling jersey—it all gets priced at $3.99. So I went to check the Montana Rescue Mission store, and lo and behold, THEY HAD ONE! It's a nice-looking blue thing with the front zipper and the pocket in the small of the back. It also has two long elastic loops in the pocket for some unknown purpose. (I've never owned a cycling jersey, so I have no idea what. Actually, I'm not 100 percent sure it is a cycling jersey. But it looks great, and it's a useful layer for whatever.)

Encouraged by my big score, I decided to start watching eBay like a hawk to see if I could find a used version of the $200 saddle I want. I found one of those, too, and put in a bid, which currently stands at 99 cents. I think it's too much to hope that that will pan out.

5 comments:

  1. Great job! Before IMAZ I found what looked like a brand new Zoot cycling vest at Goodwill for $5. I couldn't wait to get home to tell my wife how much money I saved! Keep an eye on Craigs list too. We have a lot of bike clubs here in SoCal and many of them have websites that post members ads to sell stuff. Just a thought. Good Luck!

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  2. Hi Greg, thanks for reading, and thanks for the advice! Maybe you can tell me what the loops in the pocket are for.

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  3. Check the DC Craigslist and we can get and mail you things, as-needed.

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  4. check out Skoreit.com too. The auction isn't as long and it sells for the last bid no matter the price. People pay when they place a bid, but you can get a $10 credit if you enter "Mike" as the password or whatever (that indicates you listen to Mike & Mike in the Morning).

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  5. I probably should tell you that Mike & Mike is an ESPN show - you would need to know that.

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