…in which I talk about my bike being fixed and how awesome it is now.
I’m going to start with the short version of what happened to my bike to get where I am today.
Two weeks ago, on August 9th I believe, I took my bike to The Bicycle Path to get it tuned up. It was going to get a simple adjustment of brakes and shifters, a lube, and a wipe down. I also wanted to get my grips replaced, and was willing to pay extra for that. I was supposed to pick it up on the 11th, all ready to ride. Instead, I get a call on the 11th, saying that my brakes are broken and they need to be replaced. A thirteen year old part had broken and they wouldn’t be safe to use anymore. I asked them how much and they said they could put effectively identical brakes on for $30 or the brakes they recommend to all their customers were $40. Being poor and not a hard core rider, I chose $30. The brakes had to be ordered, and would not arrive until the 13th. On the 13th, I get a call saying that the $30 brakes were back ordered, and they would not be in until the 20th at the earliest – if even then. So I decided to suck it up and get the $40 brakes. They had to be ordered, and would not arrive until the 15th. On the 15th, I go to pick up my bike and not only have they not replaced the grips, but when they ring me up, the brakes that were quoted as $40 are priced at $60. I bitch about being quoted $40, twice, and the owner actually marks them down. They take 30 minutes to replace the grips and I can finally take my bike home.
Last week, it either rained or I needed to haul heavy equipment to and from work, so I didn’t get to ride my bike at all.
Finally, on Monday, the 25th, I got to ride my bike to work. The gears were shifting beautifully and the brakes were nice and tight. However, after about two miles, my rear shifter locks up in third, it won’t shift up but it will still shift down. Finally after about two blocks, the shifter frees up, but the “click” that indicates one gear from the next on the shifter is gone, but at least I can shift through all the gears. After another block, the shifter locks up again before releasing and restoring the “click.” This time, however, the shifting is all un-callibrated and I can’t even shift into 7th. I call The Bicycle Path from work and they say “oh, sometimes the cables slip after a tune-up, bring it in and we’ll adjust it.”
When I take it in, they start working on it immediately, but shortly afterwards, they return to admit that the shifter is broken and needs to be replaced. I ask them how much, but then, in a surprise twist, they explain that there’s no way of knowing if it broke before, during, or after the tune-up, so they claimed responsibility and paid for the shifter. However, it had to be ordered, and would not arrive until the 27th. So yesterday, I went and picked up my bike, again, and its all fixed and working great. I’ve got entirely new grip-shifts which means the last of the thirteen year old rubber is gone from my bike.
Today – with the new brakes and shifters, the tuned gears, and a new bike lock – it was like riding a whole new bike. It was a great ride in with nice weather, low traffic, and a sweet newly tuned bike. I’m, once again, looking forward to riding as often as possible. It’ll save me gas, reduce stress, and its a great way to stay in shape. When my rear-view mirror comes in, its going to be awesome.
The Bicycle Path has tried very hard to make up for the trouble that they have inadvertently put me through. To be honest, I’m not even sure they realize how frustrated I’ve been through this entire process, but either way, I’m inclined to not patronize them again. There are certain things, in my opinion, that you should keep in stock at all times. Brakes and shifters are kind of requirements and seeing as how the brakes they wanted to install were their “recommended” brakes, you’d think they’d have some on-hand. The shifters they put on my bike looked like the “standard” shifter for today’s bikes, too, so that should be an on-hand item as well.
People make the same complaint about my friend Derek, over at Talon Comics, and I respect their complaints. I agree that Derek’s consistent response to customer inquiry is “I can order it,” but the main difference here is that comic books are a speculative market. Something that you may think is going to be a big seller may end up sitting on your shelf collecting dust, and you paid for it out of your own pocket to stock it in the first place. At a bike shop, however, there are certain inalienable necessities: brakes, shifters, tires; the things that make the bike go. You’re going to need them, people are going to buy them. None of them are limited edition, none of them are released and replaced weekly. I can’t say if any other bike shops in Denton will be any better about this than The Bicycle Path, but I’ll probably be giving them a chance before I return. Fortunately, for the time being, my bike is in such good condition, I shouldn’t need anything that I can’t buy online, or from a general sporting goods store (I’m still contemplating the whole helmet issue).
Originally posted at K. Close III
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