2008 versus 2009?

I’m a cost conscious shopper. In this economy, shouldn’t we all be? To help make your dollar, or whatever currency you use, go farther we’ve talked about a few different things you can do. We’ve previously discussed purchasing gently used equipment and also mentioned buying parts through other countries if the dollar is stronger than the other country’s currency.

Another little secret that I’ve stumbled upon is for buying new parts. Sometimes you have no choice but to buy new parts for your bike. A philosophy I’ve adopted based on the wisdom of fellow mountain bikers is to buy new drivetrain parts because by doing so I can prevent weird wear patterns and premature wear on those parts, but there is no reason to buy those parts at full cost!

Many times bike parts don’t change too much from year to year. Because of this it is always a good practice to be on the lookout for bike shops or websites that will sell you the 2008 part at a discount. Most bike shops have inventory that has been languishing on their shelves for a few months but you can guess how many times I’ve been told that what I bought was a previous year’s model… the answer rhymes with “hero”.

2008 model at over 20% discount from their original price.

With regards to websites I like how easy Pricepoint makes it to see the 2008 model. When I went to pricepoint.com last week I typed in “Sram 991” which is a popular chain. Up popped 6 versions of the chain with three of them being 2008 models that were discounted from their previous prices. Since the chain hasn’t changed much, if at all, from 2008 to 2009, I had no qualms purchasing the 2008 model for over 20% discount.

Looking for discounted 2008 parts, click here.