SBR Sunninghill

[mikesbr]

Hi, my name is Mike and I am the owner of SBR Sport.

I want to thank all who have contributed to this forum over that last few days. I want to take this opportunity to clarify a few points:

1) We did try to open the shop further away from its current location, but had a difficult time with various landlords.

2) I fully respect all that Troisport do. They stock excellent products and are experts in their field.

3) On the Bike side, we at SBR have sold more mountain and road bikes than anything else.

4) On the Running side we have attracted far more road runners than Triathletes.

5) We at SBR do fulfil a need in the market. We have tended toward the medical side of sport and this shows in the way we fit running shoes, our bike fit area and the runners leg assessments that we do.

6) The real enemy to all athletes are the “Sport Supermarkets” that sell wrong sized bikes, do bike fits that cause injury and sell running shoes without proper consideration to the runner’s individual needs.

 

Wish you all the best with your training.

[davem]

Mike

 

Thank you for the time you spent with me this afternoon and your willingness to openly share information.

 

You clearly know your stuff and I will definitely be returning after 70.3 for my Comrades running shoes.

 

Your knowledge and scientic approach will definitely set you apart and attract a strong following.

 

I am very glad I made the trip to find you.

 

Regards

Davem

[TheMarc]

Hi Lads/Ladies,

 

I was hoping to keep my hands clean on this one, But I see Mike has jumped in and I couldn’t let him have all the fun.

 

My name is Marc Price and I am the owner of Troisport (one of the 3 partners actually). Everyone in this thread has a valid point (some more passionate about it than others "Nolipoli”) but one ore two of you have made some statements that need some inside info to clear up.

 

1) Right off the mark, SBR has not chosen a clever location to do business that blurs the line a little with ours - I have not made any secret about my concerns over that to my customers. In much the same way that we did not choose a clever place when we set up right on top of Fritz Pinaar - but it was not our intention to compete with him - we are not a bike shop, we are the most comprehensive triathlon specific store in SA (and a lot of the world – I have seen others in other countries). My point is that as long as Mike at SBR is swimming, biking, and running gear, he is not competing with us either! Triathlon race gear (and all that goes with it) is our game...not 3 separate sports!!!!

 

Our collective Triathlon experience includes over: 20 Ironman races (one world championship race), 30 half ironman races, over 100 Olympic distance races (7 world championship races), 20 Xterra races (3 world championship qualifications), and more general endurance races than we would ever be able to calculate. We also host the countries biggest Olympic distance race series, own a Triathlon club, manage 4 Triathlon distribution brands, while serving on the sports governing bodies committees, while being the official shop to many of the races across the country - Like I said, triathlon is our game.

 

2) I suppose my biggest gripe was with the hubber that said he/she didn’t like the fat in our margin. This offends me most because I constantly endeavour to keep my margin well bellow that of the other cycle/run/chain stores I frequent (Mike is spot on here – chain stores are the enemy, dispensing poor advice at ludicrously inflated prices). There is unwritten rule in retail that suggests you need to make 33%gp to make ends meet - I have yet to get anywhere near that gp (we are FAR too low).... I get home after 9pm every night after checking that every payment run can be met, that our overheads aren’t crippling us, that our books make sense, that our stock is appropriate, and that I am coming as close as humanly possible to offering our customers a fair price point in line with what you will pay anywhere in the world......(bikes are 1 exception here - bikes are far to expensive in SA and it is not the fault of the retailer, nor is it the fault of the supplier, it is almost exclusively the fault of the South African circumstance and scale of economies).

 

3) Then there is the matter of customer service. This is a mine field, so forgive me if I navigate it messily. The customer is king – no debate there at all – and all customers should be given the exact same time of day – again no question. BUT when a customer asks me “I’m doing 70.3, where do I start?” I prepare myself for a very in-depth explanation that combines all 3 disciplines in an attempt not to get even 1 single point wrong. EVERYTHING that customer needs is very specific to the sport and I need him to have the best day of his life at that race because I want him to love the sport that Troisport help resurrect from obscurity in this country. While I’m helping this customer, another one walks in and asks “Hi, I’m looking for a gym towel” – there is absolutely no way I can give towel guy the same level of attention as I do not even sell towels!!!!!!! The triathlete (and every potential triathlete) is our customer, not the towel shopper. This problem is exacerbated on a Saturday when there is a large volume of casual shopping as well as serious triathlon shopping – it’s a lot like triage, in that, those that need triathlon specific help must be considered before the casual shopper. An “easy fix” would be to employ more help on a Saturday, but I can’t afford it, MY MARGINS WOULD NEED TO BE HIGHER FOR THAT

 

No one in this thread is wrong, some of you just a little misguided. I hope that this finds you all well, and that it has not offended anyone – in the end Troisport is just 3 guys doing more than we are able to with less than we need, in an environment that can sometimes become very political and hostile (much like this Hub thread). We will always try to please everyone (provided we have pleased the Triathletes first) and welcome any POSITIVE criticism that might help strengthen our name and customer loyalty.

 

Train Hard, Keep Safe

[HowellingWulf]

Great posts Mike & Marc.

[Thumper74]

Hi Marc,

Since I started this discussion, I thought I would try and have the last say (although) I reckon there will be many more posts after mine.

My intention was never to start a war of words and to run anyone down. Based on what I have seen, there has been a couple of emotional responses, but thankfully it's remained mostly calm and composed. The posts from both Mike and yourself are also devoid of any extreme emotional outbursts or any sort of derogatory remarks to one another and I must applaud you for that.

As a shopper who has visited both stores I can only say that the experience I had at SBR was vastly different to the one I had at Troi...and that is why I wanted to share the experience with others. I will PM you with my gripes about Troisports and perhaps you can view this as constructive feedback.

I believe both stores serve a purpose and both stores will do well. Good luck to both of you.

[Terrencelowe]

Dear fellow athletes

 

My name is Terrence, I work at Troisport part time.

 

When I first started out in Triathlon I also felt as tho I was in the deep end for a while.

But once I learnt to tread water I found out what a great sport it really is. And one of the reasons for

this was the great people doing the sport. The guys at Troi really helped me out through my journey.

I am currently racing pro and made a few overseas trips to compete in World champs in the US and the European circuit.

I have learnt a lot over the last year and have never looked back.

 

What is my point. I love this sport.

I would never want any one to feel like they don't belong.

My intentions at working at Troi are to help everyone as best I can as they give Triathlon a go.

Unfortunately when there are ten customers and only one of me I cant give everyone my full attention, but I do my best.

I love the sport, I love the people and I welcome anyone and everyone to the sport.

If it has not seemed that way this is my personal apology to you.

 

I hope everyone has a blessed Christmas and Happy new year.

 

Train Smart and be safe.

[e_div]

So I guess this thread expired eons ago...but here's my fifty cents...

Swim Bike Run (Sunninghill) has never failed to impress me.

I'll never go back to Troisport. The final straw was the irritation that greeted me when I started asking all sorts of questions about tri bars, explaining that I had NO clue and needed help desperately. It was a telephonic conversation, but I think I could HEAR them rolling their eyes at me.

Mike (owner of SBR), on the other hand, understands what customer service is about. And he doesn't treat you like a retard if you don't happen to be an elite competitor. It's quite a drive to get there, but it's always worth the trip.

[kevin Walter]

If you have any problems whether its running or riding go get an assessment done at SBR.

 

They film you to make sure all your angles are correct (while running and riding). I went through 2 months of unsuccessful physio (lots of money too...) when all i needed was 1 visit to SBR where I bought the correct shoe for my legs. The SBR consultation was cheeper than 1 physio session.

 

Great service and price!