Tri- ing Weekend

… So this was my weekend: Saturday I got up at 5:30 AM, left the house at about 6, got to the grocery store at about 6:20 and picked up some muffins, bananas and Gatorade for the time trial. Then I drove down to my Grandmas for breakfast. My family (dad’s side) goes on vacation every year about this time and they were leaving for Table Rock Lake this morning. I wanted to wish them a safe trip, since I would not be joining them for the first time in many years. I just feel like I’ve got too much going on here this year. So I had breakfast with them and then hurried out the door to get to New City a little early. I arrived about 7:40 and noticed 3 cars in the lot. Good, I thought, maybe more people will show up today. Only 3 people showed, though and one was my brother, Dru, who apparently is also not going on vacation. No matter, since I’m already there, but I wish more people would show up, since I had to get out of bed early and all. Started everyone at one minute intervals, since we had plenty of time. Listened to Neil Diamond while they were out on the course. After the TT, Dru and I headed to the shop to catch the end of the Tour, where they were riding their own TT. That was about 9:15. I don’t like getting to the shop early too often, because customers always show up and knock on the door before we open. As I was talking to the first guy that did this, another showed up, and I decided to go ahead and take out the used bikes, even though it was about 15 minutes before we officially had to open. I started taking the used bikes out the door, which pretty much block the entryway until I get them outside, but this guy had to force his way in anyway. He said something like “there’s not much room in this place” and before I could bite my tongue, I had already said “yeah, until I get these bikes out so we can open” oops…. I was a jerk again. In my defense, I had some of the lights in the shop still off, since we weren’t actually open yet. And I was still a little asleep from waking up so early. Work was busy all day, but only one triathlete dropped off a bike for same- day repairs. Turned out that they just got it out after storing it since- get this- last year’s tri. She said the chain came off last year, and jammed in the pedal. This is where the chain currently resided when I got it in the stand. Thankfully, all it needed was a front derailleur adjustment and a new bottom bracket to get it working again. I’m not really sure that not riding your bike for an entire year is good training for triathlon, but I’ve been wrong once or twice in my life.
Actually, I saw her on Sunday at the Triathlon. She was way behind after the swim and I never saw her again before I left. I had ridden out to the beach house on my city bike loaded down with about 40 pounds of stuff including; a boombox, a six bottles of 312, and a lawn chair. Unfortunately, I had no takers on the beer and couldn’t really bring myself to drink alone while I watched, so I rode back home later with all 6 bottles still in the cooler. Maybe 9 AM on a Sunday is not conducive to drinking, but I was a little bummed that I rode all the way out there with so much untouched alcohol. To cheer myself (and the volunteers and a few runners left on the course) up, I fired up the boombox, blaring Neil Diamond to everyone I passed on my way back home. I think I can even take credit for motivating at least one woman on the course who started singing along to “Sweet Caroline” as she was walking along and she started running again as I passed. Once I got home, I pretty much wasted the rest of the day, but it was good to have some down time after such a busy weekend.

Customer Service

We deal with a lot of different people and repair many different types of bikes at the shop where I work. Rarely do we turn someone away, although many repairs are not worth the time it takes to complete them. For instance, we change those silly electric scooter tubes, but now we charge $20 to do it, because they are extremely time consuming to do. I stopped working on the electronic portions of these things last year, when I found myself soldering the circuit board on one, only to find out that the speed controller was also shot and a replacement couldn’t be sourced. I couldn’t complete the repair and we couldn’t charge them. Several hours of work down the drain. My time is the shops' money. So I try to make sure that every repair that we take in is reasonably assured of not being a losing proposition for the shop.
Some repairs are simply just not worth the mental stress accompanying them. An old lady came in about a month ago with a 3 wheel pedal cart (adult sized) that had a flat front tire. We repaired the tire the same day for her and she came and picked it up. She returned to the shop (before opening hours) 2 days later complaining that the front was flat again. She gave me a story about how she had “barely ridden it” and I caved. After I got all the bikes outside so that I had a place to work on it, I replaced the tube and reinstalled the wheel at no charge for her, even though I pulled a large cinder that there was no way we missed the first time out of the tire. After I wheeled the cart outside, she complained that it “didn’t shift right” and pretty much demanded that I fix it on the spot. What I did had nothing to do with the shifting, but I obliged her, and adjusted the 3- speed hub hastily in the parking lot, (also at no charge) since the cart is very difficult to get in and out of the shop and I needed to get rid of her so I could assist all the other customers now waiting for me to help them.
So last week, when she again showed up (before opening hours again) and complained that the cart wouldn’t pedal forward, she wanted me to look at it while she waited. I explained to her that it would be impossible for me to look at it right now, but if she wanted to bring it back or drop it off, I would be happy to look at it for her. She muttered something in an angry tone about how she couldn’t ride it so she would just leave it. I had repairs all day, and looked at it for her at the end of the day, when I realized that it needed a part that had fallen off to make it work. I called her the next day to tell her I would need to order the part and that it would be a few days to get said part. She was very short with me and said something like “well I guess that’s all you can do” before the call was ended. I surmised that she wanted me to complete the repair, which I did as soon as we received the part.
Fast forward to yesterday. I had just gotten the bikes outside and already helped a few customers when she showed up again. She started telling me that the cart didn’t shift and she was trying to ride it on the road and was going to get hit by a car because I didn’t fix it. I calmly explained to her that I didn’t work on the shifting, because that was not her complaint. Her complaint was that the cart wouldn’t move, and I repaired the problem. I proceeded to tell her that the shifter was now broken and would need replacement. I could tell she was getting angry, and I tried to remain calm while explaining to her that I was once again covered up with repairs for the day and I wouldn’t be able to complete the repair until tomorrow. That was when she lost it. She started yelling at me about how we had just kept the cart for a week (actually 4 days) and now it didn’t work and we shouldn’t have returned it to her if it didn’t work (it did when we returned it to her). Soon, she was demanding to see the manager (ME) and then the owner. I explained to her that Matt was attending to family responsibilities and could not be reached, but I would have him contact her. She was irate about this also, and eventually she said she was going to take the cart to another shop. I told her that was fine, and that’s when it happened: this 5 foot nothing old lady loudly told me to “fuck off”. I had heard enough and told her that I would not tolerate that kind of language, especially after I had gone out of my way to help her in the past. Then I told her to take her business elsewhere: we did not need customers like her in our shop. I have dealt with POCs before and usually when it gets this bad, there’s no turning it around. I was actually pretty happy with the result and how I had conducted myself. But it wasn’t over yet. She came back and told me she’d apologized for her language and asked if I would still work on the cart for her. I felt uneasy about agreeing to do any work now, but I was tired of dealing with her and I agreed. After which she promptly returned to her old ways and asked me if I “talked to my mother that way”. I was dumbfounded and didn’t know what to say. I just walked away and she eventually left. She obviously thought that I had spoken to her in a way I shouldn’t have, which is not what happened. She was just a crazy old lady, but she really gave me a rough start to the day. It’s one thing to be unable to understand the repairs that were made, but when you’re stupid and angry, you can come to the bike shop and ruin my day. So next time she comes in (if ever) will I be inclined to give her a high level of customer service? Not likely. It’s just not worth it anymore.

Perfect Shave

Someone asked me the other night "so you shave your legs?" like I was some sort of wierdo. I thought it was funny, because I haven't been asked that question in quite a while. I guess it has been a combination of me not being around new people and not really having much time to get out. I used to get asked that question a lot, but I have been shaving my legs for about nine years now, so I guess most people that know me just accept it now, or are cyclists themselves. I would like to think I have even "converted" a few people. I was trying to think back to the first time I decided to shave. I think I started shaving because most of the really good riders that I knew did it, and I wanted to see what it was all about. After that, I really just realized all the benefits and sort of liked the look. There are some downsides to shaving, mostly the time involved in maintaining smooth legs. I've heard some guys use depillitory products, but I don't think I would ever try that, although I don't really know why. I think it is something about the process of shaving that I have grown to like. Because of this, I have tried several different combinations of products and settled on a few I like. I currently shave with a Gillette Mach 3 razor because nothing else has really ever worked for me. I also ran across an incredible product pretty much by accident: Shave oil is the best thing out there. Forget the shaving cream or gels- they are messy and time consuming. The stuff I am currently using is Tranquille black spruce shave oil. It is supposedly hand made by a lady in New Mexico and has an incredible scent. The best part about shave oil is that it doesn't wash off easily like the creams, so shaving in the shower is much simpler. In fact, the oil actually needs to be wet to function well. Also, you can really see what you're doing, since the oil layer is clear. I'm not getting paid or anything, but I really like the stuff and just had to pass along the info to the select few who would read this blog. Just go to the website tranquille.net or give Carol a call- she's really nice and she'll make you up a batch.

Team Ride

So I finally started the Team ride that I have been threatening. Tuesday nights at 6pm. Team only. Leaves from the shop. Anyway, only 3 people showed and one was my brother. I'm not sure how to approach this, but I'm looking for a little more committment from people on the team. Don't get me wrong- It's entirely my fault for the poor turnout. I'm thinking now about how I can turn it around. Tuesday night means that it will compete with the Team Mack ride, which is really more of an interval night. I'm looking to show new riders how to ride a paceline and position themselves correctly, and give the more experienced guys a chance to practice these same skills. It's not as flashy as doing sprints, but I still think those are usually better done on your own. That's just my view. Bike racing is done as much with your head as with your legs, I think. Nearly all these skills are covered in a great book "Racing Tactics for Cyclists" by Thomas Prehn. It's a great book to refer to, and although I don't think there is a large amount of information contained in it, what it does say is very important. I'm currently reading it again, just to refresh my memory from the last time I read it years ago.

Not very happy

For some reason, people look down on you if you are not happy all the time. I often feel misunderstood for this reason. Why must everyone be so happy all the time? Personally, I don’t trust them. I have been on this planet for a short time, but I don’t think that constant happiness has been the norm throughout history. What about the Depression? Medieval times? The Dark Ages? Suffering and sorrow were rampant then. Not every country is like the US in this respect either, and it’s only recently that WE started to demand happiness from others in this country. I think that this expectation of happiness causes unforeseen problems with everyday interactions between people. For instance, say you ask me “what’s wrong with you?”, because you see me as unhappy. If I reply truthfully, you will be put off. I should just lie, so you’ll like me better. Even though your liking me is not really paramount to my existence. Not that I don’t care, but I don’t feel that I need to relearn how to conduct myself at this stage of my life.
So let’s bring back pain and suffering and unhappiness…. The world will be a better place for it.

refrigerate after opening

My Ex- girlfriend used to have a pantry full of food consisting mostly of expired or redundant items. After we started dating, I suggested she organize and throw away some items to make more room in the pantry so I could leave some cereal there. I was helping her with this and noticed many items which could have been in the refrigerator in there. I asked her why she couldn’t just put them in the fridge. She told me that she could, and proceeded to open a jar of salsa, and then put the cap back on and put it in the fridge. I asked her why she did this, and she told me that the jar said “refrigerate AFTER opening”.
Sometimes I wonder how people can get through their lives carrying on with this sort of misinformation. I’ve tried to think of something that I believe is true that may not be, but I can’t think of anything. Another ex once told me that I shouldn’t not believe in something just because it doesn’t make sense. I say screw that- if it doesn’t make sense, you shouldn’t believe in it. I am an analytical person. And I deal in reality. Get used to it.

Day off

Got 45 in today in the heat and wind. I noticed the roads are starting to bubble up with tar in places. I really don't like riding down melted roads, since I made this mistake many times before, and it usually results in my having to clean up the bike afterwards. Road tar is really difficult to clean off. Once, I rode through a chip and seal job that caused my tires to pack up with rocks and tar so much that the wheels wouldn't turn anymore. That time, I had to replace tires, spend hours cleaning the bike, and replace my cleats, since I had to walk that section of road back to the point where I could ride home again. That sort of thing can damage metal frames and ruin carbon ones, so my advice would be not to ride through that stuff if you can help it.

Comedian?

I said something to a friend about how much Dane Cook sucks. “You don’t like Dane Cook?” he said. “No” I said. “He’s pretty funny” he said in an awkwardly informative tone, sort of like he was telling me my view on comedy was incorrect. Only problem is, Dane Cook is not funny. Should we still be friends?

Value

So, the other day a guy comes into the shop. He looks like he rode in, and still has a (slightly askew) helmet on when he comes in. I’m in the back working on a bike, so Matt comes out to help him. I can hear the whole conversation from where I’m at, and it goes something like this:
M: can I help you with something?
Guy: Yeah my bike makes this clacking noise
M: Do you know where the noise is coming from?
Guy: I think it’s from this back part. From the gears.
M: Okay…
Guy: (interrupts Matt) Can you do that now for me?
M: Um.. we have a few we’re working on right now, but we can do it for you in about a half hour.
(We actually have a morning full of repairs. And judging from the looks of the bike, it probably needs more than just a quick adjustment. Like a new cable or chain and cassette. Some parts are definitely going to be involved.)
Guy: (annoyed) Can you just look at it now?
M: We have several people who have brought in repairs before you, and it wouldn’t be fair to them to put them off now. I offered to do it as soon as we can- maybe if you have something to do in town or since it’s lunchtime, maybe you could go across the street and get some lunch and come back.
Guy: (incredulous) Well, I can’t do that, I don’t have any money!
(cue laughter from me in the back- just loud enough to not get caught)

Just so you know, we run a business, not a charity. It never fails to amaze me how many people come in thinking we will do repairs for free. We actually do many services for people and do not charge for them. People come in all the time and have me adjust handlebar positions or saddle height and I don’t charge them. Or they come in with the trunk rack they bought at Wal- Mart and can’t figure out how to put it on their car. Even though I’ve taken my time to do a service for them and that has kept me from finishing a repair or delayed me from helping an actual customer when they come in. These are the same people who rarely even give a “Thank You” to me after we’re done. I’d like to know what actually goes through these peoples minds. Do they think they are owed this level of service for free? The worst are the people with department store bikes. I would like to make a rule that if you are dumb enough to actually purchase your bike from a department store, you are on your own. Unfortunately, we make a lot of money from repairing these type of bikes, since they have substandard components and are rarely put together safely, let alone correctly. So we will continue to fix these type of bikes, even though they often aren’t worth the money it takes to repair them.