Specialized’s components and apparel can now be purchased directly from Backcountry.com and its sister site, CompetitiveCyclist.com.
According to Bicycle Retailer, an email was sent to Specialized dealers that stated, “To be where riders want to interact and transact, Specialized has to always partner with the most premium retailers. It has been proven that by partnering with the best Ecommerce retailers, the demand for products increases in the market. With that said, Specialized will be partnering with Backcountry.com and Competitivecyclist.com with equipment only.”
The news also marks a slight shift in Specialized’s online offerings – complete bikes will still only be available from brick and mortar shops, but those same shops will now be able to sell frames and equipment online.
Whether Backcountry.com or any other online-only retailers will eventually be able to sell frames or complete bikes in the future remains to be seen. For now, the offerings are limited to items such as helmets, wheels, tires, and apparel. It will also be interesting to see if they extended their discounts to these products. Right now if you sign up to be a part of their email list you can get 15% or 20% off an order.
It also remains to be seen what the effect of this news will be on smaller retailers, especially those without a significant internet presence. More consumers than ever are accustomed to online shopping, which means that brick and mortar shops need to offer a compelling reason for them to walk through their doors.
Backcountry and Competitivecyclist.com are part of Carbon+Grit’s affiliate programs.