New Hoops

Katie is getting these super- pimp wheels to race on this season as sort of a belated Valentines' present. How spoiled am I that I can get away with giving bike parts as gifts? I've pretty much got it made... but let's get back to the wheels.

Let me break them down for you:

Hubs: American Classic Road rear 32 Hole

American Classic MTB front 32 Hole (had to do MTB to get 32 hole, read on..)

Rims: Velocity Aerohead, Off- Center rear, *Custom hot pink color courtesy Velocitys' poor application of paint*

Spokes: Sapim Laser 14/17 gauge, black- 2X front, 3X rear

Nipples: Sapim brass, black

Weight: 710g (front)

820g (rear)

This project started because Matt ordered some red 32 hole Velocitys for himself, but when they came in they were this bitchin' hot pink color. Since that was not really what he was hoping for, Velocity sent him a new pair, and this time they were actually red. Which left us with a pair of not red, red rims. That's when I remembered; I have a fiance who, it just so happens, needs a set of wheels and likes the color pink! I refuse to let Katie have carbon race wheels (I'd have to switch her brake pads every time she decided to switch wheels) so I thought this might be the next best thing. Originally, I had ordered a set of Mavic R- Sys, but since the recall, I don't think we'll be getting them in time, and I kind of doubted that they would be the best thing for racing in this area anyway. There are almost no hills, and most races are crits, so a light and not very aero wheel was probably not going to be a great choice. These work out to be a little heavier than that wheelset, but quite a bit cheaper, especially when you factor in the nil cost of the rims.

I used to really dislike American Classic hubs, but they have improved the bearings and tweaked the design over the years to the point where I was willing to give them another try. The weight vs. cost issue is what made me consider them again, but it's nice to see that Bill Shook is apparently still improving his original design. They even have this steel- faced spline on the freehub that is supposed to prevent the cassette from becoming a permanent part of the freehub body like they all used to. These could easily become a favorite, if all goes as expected, and they are still super- easy to service if anything goes awry.

Velocitys' rims are not one of my favorite things, but the price was right, and I've used them many times before. Let's face it though, this project came about due to their poor quality finish. I don't care for the fact that these rims don't have any eyelets to carry stress from the spokes away from the spoke hole, even though they are lighter because of that. (I considered using nipple washers for this build, but decided not to) I also don't like rims without a welded seam- it makes for an uneven build in that area, and the brake pulse can be annoying, or even difficult to control the bike during heavy braking situations. Positives about these rims are relatively low cost and low weight- exactly the theme of this build. Bonus points for the off- center rear rim that evens out spoke tension and length, so I only had to order one size of spoke for the rear. They also seem to be quite durable, in spite of appearances: I can recall several Mavic rim failures, but not one from Velocity. They also have them in lots of colors, (some that they don't even make) if you're someone who can't live with silver or black.

This was my first time building with Sapim spokes, and I have to say I'll probably use them again. Sapims' C-X ray bladed spokes are the companies most well known product, and they are really great, but the Laser double- butted spokes that I used here were very nice as well. And less than half the cost. My only complaint was that the finish looked like it was coming off a little while I was lacing them up, but I think all spokes should be silver anyway. I only agreed to build with the black ones because Katie wanted them, although they probably do look better with black spokes. So that's the new wheelset: Did I mention that they are HOT PINK?

Double- You, Tea, Eff*

A few warm days in a row, plus an article in the local paper, has prompted people to dig their bikes out of the barn where they have comfortably resided for the past 5 years, (on average) and bring them to the shop for me to perform some sort of black magic/ voodoo ritual on them in which the bike magically changes from Wal- Mart POS into something that Lance Armstrong would be proud to ride around the neighborhood. Formerly weak, squealing brakes should be powerful and silent. Chains should run silently and gear shifts should be smooth and precise. The layer of dust and bird shit that formerly encrusted the entire machine, obscuring the name and model of the bike should be absent, and in their place, a showroom shine just like the bikes for sale on the shop floor.


People: be realistic. If you bring me your twenty year old Huffy for a tune- up, you're getting back your twenty year old Huffy minus some dirt; cables that move, brake pads that aren't hard as granite and oh, yeah, a bill for about $120. That's dollars. Do I need to mention to you that thing didn't cost that much new?

Today started off with a phone call and a simple question. "How much for a tire and brakes for a bike? " There is not a simple answer to this question, and I am never quite sure how to explain to someone who cannot comprehend that there is more than one price for those items, let alone type of tire and brake system specific to each type of bike, what that costs. Plus tax.


So I asked them to find out what type of bike it was and call me back. Ten minutes later, I got that call. "Are you the one I talked to?" was the response to my greeting, as if I've talked to no one else today, or any day. I decided I must be, since I was the only one there. "Yes" I said to the anonymous voice on the phone. "Yeah that bike is a Pacific... What? (I can hear yelling in the background) ... She tells me the model, but I don't need to hear it. "Yes, but what TYPE of bike is it?" I ask, annoyed. I find out it is a mountain bike, and let her know that tires are about $18 and tubes are $4 for that type of bike. When she asks me if we can work on it while she waits, I let her know that that we don't usually do that, but if it just needs a tire, then we might. She tells me she will bring it in later today. I try to contain my enthusiasm.


*Note to future customers: I cannot see you, or identify you in any way over the phone. PLEASE, at least tell me what you called about last time or give me a name or SOMETHING. Or at least don't get pissed when I don't know who the hell you are or what you are calling about--- because we've NEVER MET!*


When she brings the bike in later on, Matt checks her in and I hear him informing her that it needs a full tune- up, due to the amount of non- functioning parts on the bike. I try not to laugh when she asks if we can do it right now, and Matt tells her absolutely not. I'm not surprised when, after she leaves, Matt wheels a dirty, department store special around the counter, complete with bar- ends pointing towards the rider, and a suspension fork installed backwards.


Next, I get a call from a guy who claims to have just gotten a bike stolen. I think for a second that he's going to tell me some info about the bike, in case we recover it, but he tells me he would like to purchase a new bike. The man on the phone is not very well spoken, but that's not out of the ordinary, and besides, he wants to buy a bike. "Not one of those Wal- mart bikes" he says. (Right on Brother! Now you're talking!) "So what type of bike would you like?" I ask, to get things moving. He tells me he had "One of them Giant bikes" and so I am left to assume his former conveyance was a hybrid. Or maybe a mountain bike. Or a cruiser. Or... He then tells me that he has a whopping $300 to spend. (OK! hybrid it is then!) I informed him that we currently have some models on sale for $299. (Yeah, that's over $300 with tax, but this guy's not thinking about that) He tells me that he may be by later to look at them.


Later in the day, Matt took a call from a man offering $50 if we would drive to a town located about 20 minutes south of us to pick him up so he could look at bikes. Also, he was 5' 11", so he would need an extra- large frame- did we have those in stock? Matt told him he probably only needed a large frame size, and that he couldn't give rides today: he was the only one in the shop at the time. Little did I know that the drunk I talked to on the phone was the same guy calling for the ride. About two hours later, he showed up, smelling like a brewery and leaving me to sell him something while Matt hid in the back. He apparently had talked someone into driving him to the shop.


Knowing that this man had a DUI, just had his bike stolen, needed the bike for transportation (to and from the bar?) and just payed someone $50 dollars for a 40 minute car ride, I thought there was no way this guy was leaving the shop without a bike, I just had to find the right one. His replacement bike turned out to be a 17" Cannondale (Large?) that he spotted in the used bike row in the front of the shop. He asked me the price, which was $320, and promptly stated he would give me $300. CASH. As if that made a difference. When I agreed, we made our way back to the sales counter, where he laid out three crisp hundred- dollar bills, in such a flourish that I had to remind myself that I have, in fact, seen hundred- dollar bills before in my life. A few times.


This was too easy. I had to push it a little further. "How about a lock for that new bike so it doesn't disappear like the last one?" I told him. For some reason the quote "a fool and his money are easily parted" kept rattling around in my head, but this actually was a mutually positive suggestion. He agreed, and I grabbed a cable lock off the wall. The total purchase came to just over $320, but he handed me another hundred. I wasn't sure that the drawer contained enough for change, and a quick look confirmed this. I informed him that I didn't have change, and did he have anything smaller? A couple of minutes of hunting in his pockets produced the necessary $22 dollars and the deal was done! I handed him a shiny quarter back in change, to which he queried " Could you break this hundred?; Just give me two fifties" I daydreamed for a second how blissful it would be if I, too, were an ignorant drunk, but quickly snapped back to reality. "I... don't... have... change for a hundred" I explained to him slowly, partially due to staggering disbelief and partially so he would understand me.


In the future, I may tell you about the woman that came in late today who we ordered a single- speed beach cruiser for, so she could race triathlons, and then decided that it was too heavy for her to lift onto a car rack, but I'm afraid that only bike- shop personnel are equipped to handle such large amounts of idiocy in a single day. And I don't want to endanger my readers mental health. Like mine is. On a daily basis.

*WTF

I'm no Lennard Zinn, but..

I am on the net in an instructional video. Check out Matt and I discussing the finer points of changing a flat. Not bad for one take and nearly no edits! It was a little like a porn shoot with Dan on the video and Jason shooting stills the whole time. Not that I know what a porn shoot looks like.

Winter

Winter at the shop is an exercise in patience. At times, entire days go by with no one stopping in. The floor is now completely stocked with new bikes just waiting for the first warm day of spring, when someone might stop in and take one home. Accessories hang from the slat wall and collect dust, and tires slowly lose air. Lunches are eaten without interruption. The day ends and I go home on time. Everything seems strange and backwards: With consumer spending going the way it has been, I hope spring brings as much traffic as we have had in the past. Not that it matters to me, since I don't have to pay the bills and keep the shop going; but it still matters that the shop does well, so I keep my job. As much as I don't want to worry, I still do. It seems that the layoffs and misfortunes with the economy have caused most people to take a look at their spending habits and make changes, and that's bound to affect the amount of product we sell this year. But for now, it's the waiting game that happens every year. Spring can't get here soon enough.

Although it's not all cold and boredom. I've actually had quite a few repairs come through, which combined with new bike assemblies, has kept me busy so far this month. And just the other day, a guy stopped in to have a look around and eventually asked me for the most ridiculous thing you can ask for at the bike shop: A tandem recumbent. (You might have thought this item would be the adjustable kickstand, but you would be wrong; that is only number two on the list.) I could hardly contain myself, this was the first request I have gotten for one, but I managed to take his number down so that I could call him back with a price (!) on the contraption. (No way I knew that off the top of my head) I'm not sure why they even make a monstrosity like this, but now I'm dying to know just how many of these things get sold every year. It's probably worth the phone call to the distributor just to ask that question. I would guess that Florida gets most of them (they also are the largest buyer of adult trikes) and they probably sit in a garage for most of their life while the strange old men who buy them try to talk their strange old wives into taking a spin on what they probably perceive as a dual-seat death trap. No worries here, they are too expensive for someone to buy on a whim, and we don't stock recumbents anyway, although we'd be happy to order one for you, as long as you pay for the extra shipping costs. Wierdo. Truth is, the guy probably wasn't interested in buying one, and probably just was one of those people that wants to know what everything costs- especially something like that. Oh, well- I'll humor him- it's not as though I don't have the time to quote him a price.

It's unlikely that warm weather will arrive anytime soon, but I'll wait it out, because I have had many jobs so far in my life, but none can compare to the crazy extremes of the bike shop. It's always interesting, and patience is just one of many skills you can hone in the shop environment.