A Fresh Local Bike Shop Experience
Finding a good local bike shop can be challenging. You hear too many stories where customer service isn’t good, prices are outrageous, or they have a poor selection of cycling gear. I see it here too and that lead me to look around when shopping for tires last weekend.
Read MoreStarting The Morning Out Right
The Bike Is Fixed
My crank problems were finally resolved on Friday and I picked up my bike that afternoon. The shop never heard back from Sugino (the maker’s of my cranks). Instead of flat-out telling me I needed a new crankset (which is what I was prepared for), one of the mechanics did some experimenting and found that a Cannondale external crank nut fit my crankset perfectly. Crisis solved. I escaped with my bike for only $33 which included the crank nut and a service of the bottom bracket. Thanks @bicyclesetc.
Saturday’s Ride and the Headache
I rode on Saturday morning and the cranks performed perfectly. It wasn’t a hard ride but it was hard on me after having been off for so long. I was basically limping along putting in the miles. I rode 10 miles in 46 minutes along a new route that I created. I started off at 7 AM which meant traffic wasn’t bad going underneath the interstate. What’s really nice is that about 9 miles of that 10 is on bike lanes. I didn’t see any other riders out on Saturday.
I was back home by 8:30 and then the family headed to the beach for a couple of hours for some sun and fun. The waves were rolling in pretty good with quite a few folks out surfing. If we’re going to be going to the beach more I’ll need to invest in a boogie board again. Maybe sometime I’ll try and take up surfing. It looks like fun. My chest/stomach got a little too much sun though. I paid for it on Sunday.
What really did me in though was the serious headache I got on Saturday afternoon. It started before we left the beach and only got worse. By the time we got home my head was pounding and I had to lay down. That was at about 1 PM Saturday afternoon. I didn’t wake up until 11 PM Saturday night for about an hour and then slept until 7 AM on Sunday morning. I think I became dehydrated from the ride and laying out in the sun. I’m sure getting beat to death by the waves and current didn’t help either. By Sunday morning I was feeling pretty good but didn’t push it by riding. The rest of Sunday we enjoyed a another nice family day up in Fernindina Beach checking out the historic downtown area. It was a great day.
This Morning’s Ride – Starting The Day Off Right
So, Monday morning rolls around and the alarm goes off at 5:51 AM and I promptly hit the snooze. After it goes off again I roll out of bed and out the garage about 15 minutes later for a quick 10 miles before work. This mornings ride was awesome. The humidity wasn’t as bad as it has been and there was even some foggy patches around the local ponds. I didn’t see any other riders and not near as many runners this morning. I guess they had too tough a weekend to brave the Monday morning workout. Like I said, it was only 10.52 miles in 47 minutes. Not fast, or long, by any stretch of the imagination but it was time in the saddle. Multiply that by 5 days a week and it’s 53 miles of riding before going to work. Oh yeah baby!
Read MorePHOTOC: samwebster
Cranks, Nuts, and a Tshirt
This mornings ride was very low key because I can’t ride my road bike right now (see below) and because I’m taking it easy until my body readjusts to riding again. I took the hybrid out for a short three mile loop. I’ll ride the hybrid for a few more days until I get the Allez back from the shop.
Why I Have A Crank Problem
Yesterday you may remember that I had a problem with left crank arm again where it wants to come off during my rides. I’ve replaced both bolts that hold it on to no avail. Yesterday, while heading to Lowes (a local home improvement store) to get some Blue Loctite, I stopped into a local bike shop to talk to a mechanic about my crank problems (no jokes please). It turns out that I’m missing the compression nut that screws into the left-side of the crank arm. The mechanic says that without that nut I’ll never be able to keep the crank arm on. Here’s a diagram of what I’m talking about. The compression nut is part #5.
Dura Ace Crank Diagram
This particular shop would have had to order me a nut (no, my nickname isn’t Juan Pelota) because they don’t sale Specialized bikes. I left there and headed over to the shop that carries Specialized bikes to pick up the nut which was only $5. Today I’m going to take my bike back to shop #1 to have them overhaul my bottom bracket and put the nut on. Just so you know, that nut requires a special tool (TL-FC16 in the figure above). It looks like a large allen bolt but it isn’t. I went to Home Depot to see if I could make a tool using the nut and bolt trick but nothing fit (standard or metric). So, because I have to take it in to get the nut put on I’m going to have the bottom bracket overhauled at the same time. I’m taking it back to first shop I talked to because they are my favorite shop in the area. Even though I didn’t buy the part from them, I’d rather pay them to install it and do the maintenance. You can follow that shop on Twitter @bicyclesetc.
The Shut Up Everything T-shirt
If you follow professional cycling I’m sure you’ve heard of Jens Voigt. If not, he’s one of the most respected riders in the peleton and is known for his gutsy riding style and giving 100% effort all day every day. He’s also known for the quote “SHUT UP LEGS”. See the video below.
While typing up yesterday’s post, and thinking about how sore I was all over from my first ride in a couple of months, I thought of Jens and his ‘SHUT UP LEGS’ comment and mentality. If I applied that to myself at the time it would have to have been ‘SHUT UP LEGS, NECK, SHOULDER, HANDS, FINGERS, WRISTS, TOES, BUTT, ETC.’. I thought that might look kinda funny on a t-shirt.
Shut Up Legs Tshirt
Bicycle Comparison Chart
Most of you know I’m searching for a new bike. My price point is right in the neighborhood of $800 which doesn’t let me get to the 105 component level I want unless I can find me a good deal used (which I’m open to) or buy online (I’m skeptical of doing). I do know that I want at least a 9 speed rear cog set and would like STI. I’m open for compromises such as considering a triple chainwheel set instead of a double. After finally concluding that I won’t be challenging Lance or Levi in the Tour De France I’ve decided that I can probably forgo my 105 requirement. At most I’ll be doing the organized ride which would be more for distance riding rather than placing. The number one priority of my new bike is, as it always has been, to help me lose weight.
I decided to make myself a handy-dandy chart to help me along and to show you what I’m looking at (the real reason for the chart is because I’m an Excel geek that can’t help myself). I did get an email from a guy who has a 2007 Specialized Allez Elite Triple that sounds promising. He’s sending me pics tonight to look at.
Those bikes in the chart below labeled as ‘local’ are available at a Local Bike Shop while the ‘online’ bikes are available at Bikes Direct. There are advantages and disadvantages to buying at either place. I wish there was a Bikes Direct store here in Dallas that I could go look at some of their bikes. We have one back home in Florida but, alas, I’m not there right now. I didn’t include any bikes from Performance Bikes but those are options too. In fact, I’m thinking of hitting their store tonight just to see what they have since it’s been so long since I’ve been in there.
Bicycle Comparison Chart (click to enlarge)
Update:
I mentioned earlier about a guy with a 2007 Allez Elite. It’s actually a double not a triple. Pics of it are below. My initial thoughts are that it looks to have been ridden hard which isn’t necessarily bad. The cogs do look pretty grimy to me and the entire bike needs a cleaning. I’m not sure about the cranks. On the plus size, he wants $500 for it which seems like a great deal. I’d value my readers opinions.
I downsize the pics he sent me since they were around 2mb each.
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Another Bike Store Trip
I’ve gone to several shops now just looking at what they have while paying specific attention to price-points and what you get at those points. Like I said, I’ve been concentrating on getting something with at least 105 components all the way around and that’s relatively easy to do at an affordable price (approx $1200 with the Specialized Allez). On my trip yesterday I was looking to see how much it would cost me to up the ante on the group to Ultegra.
The price jump from 105 to Ultegra is pretty significant on the mainstream brands of Trek and Specialized at anywhere from $600 to $1500+. Besides the jump to Ultegra the frame type (Aluminum to Carbon), wheel set, and crank material (aluminum to carbon) are also driving up the price. It was hard to find an Ultegra equipped bike below $2200. That’s too steep for me. I did see a few bikes in the used section that came with Ultegra, were in my old frame size, and were nice bikes. A couple were actually decently priced and will be something I keep my eye on as this unfolds. I will get re-sized when I do this though because, 1) it needs to be done, 2) I always felt my old bike was a little big at 52 cm, and 3) the stand over height on my old bike was too high.
In my last post about my trip to the bike shop, I bashed Bianchi pretty hard because of the colors and name of their bike. Yesterday I was very surprised to find a Bianchi I liked, was equipped with Ultegra components, and didn’t come in celeste green. It was the Via Nirone 7 Alu/Carbon and I believe was the 2008 version. The frame is hydro-formed aluminum with carbon seat stays and fork. The ones I saw in the store were either red or blue and looked really good. I may have to give it a test ride when I get to that stage.
Read MoreLocal Bike Shops and Social Media
The age old question of supporting your local bike shop or ordering online has raged for a while and is still a very hot topic. I don’t want to banter the pros and cons of doing so but would rather discuss why local bike shops aren’t taking advantage of social media and trying to draw local riders into their shops.
As most of you know, I’m in the hunt for a new bike. As I sat here at the kitchen table this morning drinking a cup of coffee, wishing I was riding instead, I wrote a tweet saying that I was considering going to a local bike shop to look at what they had to offer. Then I tacked a question onto the end of it: Why aren’t they (the local bike shops) on here (Twitter) trying to get me into their shop?
Social Media Bandwagon - Photo Courtesy of Matt Hamm
After posting this tweet I had one follower (thanks for the feedback @lowcandence) say that,
“They may not know where you are. If you are in CA, it wouldn’t do much good for a NY shop to try to get you in.”
I couldn’t agree more. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t people in NY looking for bikes, parts, or repairs. If that’s holding the local bike shops back then that means they don’t know how to use the tools that will connect them to local cyclists. Tools like Twitter Search, TwellowHood, Facebook Search, etc. The tools are there, they just need to use them. Or hire somebody who knows how to use them.
Local bike shops are always complaining that they lose business to online retailers. Fine. But what are they doing to pull the local cyclists in? If they aren’t using social media tools to connect to the cyclist down the street, around the corner, or across town then they are missing out.
Tell me what you think. Am I wrong? Is Social Media not what it’s cracked up to be? Do you know a local bike shop that is using Social Media?
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