ANAHEIM, Calif. (BRAIN) — Triathlon Business International and Slowtwitch.com have announced the Top 50 Multisport Retailers in the U.S.
Slowtwitch.com publisher Dan Empfield compiled the list based on a voting process that is weighted 50 percent on suppliers' votes (run, bike, component/accessory, wetsuit and apparel manufacturers and/or distributors) and 50 percent on consumer votes, specifically the Slowtwitch.com readers.
To be considered, the retailer must have a brick and mortar presence.
Ballots with approximately 300 retailer names divided among nine geographic areas —West; Rockies; Prairie; Northwest; Northeast; Mid-south; Mid-Atlantic; Great Lakes; and the Deep South — were distributed to 75 suppliers. Selected suppliers were allowed to select 3 to 6 retailers per region depending on the size of the region, up to 47 retailers total.
Supplier voters were asked to consider the following: technical and brand knowledge; significant triathlon-related in-store inventory, service to the local community, knowledge of the sport of triathlon, ability to work with and satisfy their customers when it comes to product match, size, fit and equipment set-up, and others.
Slowtwitch's readers voted for retailers based on nine parameters, from inventory breadth and depth, to staff product knowledge, to parking and hours.
"Triathlon Business International has been honored to partner with Slowtwitch.com the past six years to present the Top 10 and Top 50 Triathlon Retailers." said TBI board secretary Peter Hurley.
"We think it's important to recognize the best shops throughout the United States, ones who have done a great job offering the top products, technical expertise and professional services to their triathlete customers."
From the list of 50, the Top 10 multisport retailers will be announced and honored at the TBI awards celebration and banquet on January 25 along with the best-published triathlon article, best triathlon photograph, best events and videos, and the Ron Smith and Steve Hed Award winners.
These are the Top 50 Multisport Retailers for 2015 (alphabetical order):
All3Sports, Atlanta, GA
Athletes Lounge Portland, OR
Austin Tri Cyclist, Austin, TX
Belmont Wheelworks, Belmont, MA
Bicycle World and Fitness, Houston, TX
Big Shark Bicycle Company, St. Louis, MO
Bikeworks, Kailua Kona, HI
Bonzai Sports, Falls Church, VA
Colorado Multisport, Boulder, CO
Element Cyclesport, Chicago, IL
Elite Cycling, Leawood, KS
Endurance House, Middleton, WI
Endurance House, Zionsville, IN
Endurance House, Oceanside, CA
Endurance House, Westminster, CO
Fast Splits, Newton, MA
Final Kick Sports, Virginia Beach, VA
Fit Werx, Waitsfield, VT
Fit Werx 2, Peabody, MA
Fitness Fanatics, Spokane, WA
Fraser Bicycle, Fraser, MI
Fusion Pro Bike Shop, Miami, FL
Gear West Bike and Triathlon, Long Lake, MN
Get a Grip Cycles, Chicago, IL
HP Bike Works, Kona, HI
Inside Out Sports, Cary, NC
Inside Out Sports, Charlotte, NC
Island Triathlon and Bike, Honolulu, HI
Landry's Bicycles, Boston, MA
Moment Cycle Sport, San Diego, CA
Northwest Tri and Bike, Kent, WA
Now Bicycle, Arden Hills, MN
Nytro Multisport, Encinitas, CA
Outspokin Bicycles, Clearwater, FL
Play Tri, Dallas, TX
Podium Multisport, Atlanta, GA
R&A Cycles, Brooklyn, NY
Richardson Bike Mart, Richardson, TX
Runners High 'n Tri, Arlington Heights, IL
Running Away Multisport, Deerfield, IL
Speedy Reedy, Kenmore, WA
Sunrise Tri, West Babylon, NY
Swim Bike Run, Town and Country, MO
The Tri Shop, Canton, MI
Tri Town, Boise, ID
Triathlon Lab, Redondo Beach, CA
Tribe Multisport, Scottsdale, AZ
TriBella, Boulder, CO
TriSports.com, Tucson, AZ
V3Multisport, Arlington, MA
