Topic: I want to ride my bicycle

[Cobra951]

There still isn't much you need to do: wash the bike every so often, lube the chain and you are good to go for months.

My frame had a minor defect (either right from the start and I just didn't notice or through riding) so had to go back.

Yeah, I get that.  But isn't it your second time with structural problems?

[Cools!]

I thought I did the first time and so did the mechanics at the store. After contacting the manufacturer it turned out that it was by design (to accomodate a different type of chainset and crank).

[ren]

I've taken my bike out a couple of times on the random warm days we've gotten over the last few weeks.

As soon as it starts to be daylight around 6:30am I'll get to ditch the car and start biking to work again.

[Cools!]

Sweet!

I started riding again last weekend. I managed to do another 5 short rides since then. The cold wind has been a bitch, but still a good exercise.

Besides putting in a lot of miles my goal this year is to be more consistent: ride at least 3 times a week for 30 minutes or more and also have more training (like hill-repeats, sprints, etc.). Long term goal is to be able to do a ~120km trip at the end of August.

[Cools!]

For anyone interested in how to build up a bike, Park Tool (they make bike tools, repair stands, etc.) has a series of 12 videos up on YouTube on the subject. The bike built is a dual suspension mountain bike but there are useful parts for road riders as well, like the derailleur adjustments.

Park Tool also has a how-to section on their website that is really helpful.

[W7RE]

I've thought about getting a bike recently, but the last time I did it broke almost right away and was stolen before I could see if it was fixable/returnable.

Also I don't understand why everything seems to be a mountain bike with tons of extra gears these days. When I was a kid I had a bike with Y shaped handle bars, no extra gears, and you would brake by pedaling backwards. Do they not make simple bikes like that anymore?

Also, I don't think I can afford a bike anyway. I really just want it for short range transportation, but I guess because it's considered a hobby it can become pricey.

[Cools!]

Yes, it's actually hard to find a "simple" or affordable bike these days. "Simple" is now a trend of it's own, like single-speed or fixed-gear bikes. Steel frames used to be the cheapest, but now it has become a retro thing so they tend to be more expensive than aluminum bikes. The whole market has just been pushed into the high end.

The most annoying thing is that most entry level bikes aren't really worth upgrading down the line. Say you buy a decent hybrid bike now but after a year of riding decide that you want a better drive-train. Well, it'll probably be cheaper just to get a new bike then.

There are some really good affordable brands (like for example Masi or All-City), but you really have to go out of your way to find them and most often will have to order them blindly because many local stores don't carry them. At the same time you are constantly being bombarded that if you want to be a "cyclist" you need a fancy carbon frame, ride clipless and wear spandex. Or you do the exact opposite and fall into the "hipster" group that does the opposite but pays the same price.

I mention this because over the last couple of weeks I've had a few friends ask me for recommendations, thus far none of them got bikes because they found them to be too expensive (yet also assumed that they needed the fancy high end stuff).

[W7RE]

Well if I got a bike, I wouldn't want anything fancy. I'd just want something with 2 wheels, a seat and handlebars, that won't break on me. I don't want to wear extra equipment or anything, I just want to make the trip to the store faster.

EDIT: I guess the bike I used to have wasn't a street bike, but a BMX bike. I actually didn't know that BMX stood for Bicycle Motocross until today. I thought it was a brand or something. I was so confused about why all the bikes I see these days have a high seat and low handlebars compared to what I used to ride. That just doesn't seem comfortable.

[Cools!]

High seat: optimize your pedal stroke for efficiency and strength. Low handlebars: more aero position and to move your weight away from your bottom and more towards your feet and arms. If the bike is fitted properly and you have the fitness for it you will see a benefit. The real reason why people do it: because the pros do it.

[W7RE]

Well, I don't have the fitness for it, haha. Not strength/endurance-wise, or aerodynamically lol.

Like I said, I would be more interested in one just for going short distances where I don't feel like walking. When I was a kid, I would go off jumps and stuff, so I guess a BMX bike was more suited to that, and because of that it's what I imagine when I say I want a bike, heh.

[Cools!]

Yeah, I know what you mean.

[ren]

How far would you end up going on an average ride? Are there any hills (or even slight inclines) where you live?

If you're not sure if it's something you want to commit to, just get a used bike of craigslist and see how you like it.

[W7RE]

Mostly level areas, a few small hills. The longest trips would be just under 5 miles each direction, so ~10 miles total.

Basically I may be on my own soon in a new place, no car, no license, and don't know anyone here.

[ren]

5 miles is decently long. That's roughly my bike ride to work and my speed/enjoyment went noticeably up when I got a decent bike.

[Cools!]

Like ren suggested check out craigslist. Also go to garage sales and ask friends if they have anything in the attic that you could use. You'd be surprised how many people have amazing bikes from the 70s and 80s collecting dust. At most you'd need to get new tires or true the wheels.

5 miles isn't particular long and you'll get used to it really quickly. If it has few hills you can get away with a single speed (less to maintain and you can convert almost any bike to it).

[Cools!]

Repair Update 2:

I got a message last week (over Facebook of all things) that the bike would be back at the store on Monday. On Tuesday I went to check it out. There were 3 possible results:

1) It was a new frame,
2) It was repaired and you couldn't tell there was any problems or,
3) It was repaired but didn't look good.

Well, it was number 3...

They [whoever did the repair] covered the area with carbon but didn't bother to paint it so it was very obvious that there was a problem (a large black spot on an otherwise white frame). I don't know how the store thought I would buy this solution. The mechanic that handed the bike over to me even said "oh it came out very good". Huh? When I asked why it wasn't painted I was given the generic "the guy apparently doesn't do finishes". I wasn't amused and clearly I'm not going to pay to get it painted.

I asked why they simply didn't send the bike out to the manufacturer like I was told on numerous occasions and the mechanic was confused as well. Anyway, I didn't take the bike and told the guy that his manager/boss should call me ASAP so we can figure this out. I called the store again yesterday (Wednesday) and left a message. It's Thursday now and I'm still waiting for a call back. I'm going to call again later today.

In the mean time I've also gotten the contact information ready for the bike manufacturer's local sales representative in case the store doesn't contact me by the end of the week. Why? Because I don't think I've ever gotten a call back on any matter from them and I don't want to play the waiting game again (it usually takes them 2-3 weeks to get back, usually over FB after I press them since no other contact form seems to work).

At this point I'm demanding either a new frame, a new bike or my money back. Yes I was "ok" with a local repair if it came out properly because I assumed the store would "know what is right to do" and because I still assumed that the bike would be sent to the manufacturer after I talked to the boss last time and that I would otherwise be notified before a local repair would be preformed.

Anyway, we'll see how this ends...

[ren]

I went to the bike store to drop mine off for a tune-up. I started browsing the road bikes (how can you not) and asked the guy if they have any kind of rental service where I can try one out for the day.

Apparently they have one bike that you can take for the day and it's some 4 grand monstrosity.

I'm going to take it out for a day and hope I hate it. Otherwise it's road bike time.

[ren]

Also what bike store are you going to? I want to make sure I stay away.

[Cools!]

Repair Update 3:

I ended up talking to the owner on the Friday of that week (he did end up calling me back on Thursday). His story was that they sent out the frame to the manufacturer and they returned it. At that point I should've been contacted but somehow that didn't happen and it was also assumed that I had agreed to do a local repair so that's what happened. He apologized for the confusion, said that he wasn't aware that this had been arranged since August, etc. and seemed genuinely interested in making things right. So he offered to paint the frame or I could upgrade to a better one (at a large discount).

At first this story didn't sit right with me so I ended up contacting the manufacturer via email. I got a quick reply saying they'll look into it. A week passed so I sent another message on Monday (yesterday). Later that day I got a response saying that the owner of the store will contact me and he did (actually he did before I got the response). I was planning on going for a ride anyway so I decided to drop by the store so I could talk to the owner in person. Anyway, same story: the frame was sent to the manufacturer, they checked it and turned it down blaming the user or the rider. He tried to get it warrantied again, but the manufacturer wasn't going to bulge. The dealer blamed the manufacturer for a faulty design while the manufacturer blamed the dealer or user for not following instructions and properly tightening the seat collar (which would allow the seat post to slip and damage the frame). Either way, no new frame for me.

I'm still upset at the dealer for all this confusion. They should've let me know right away that the damage wasn't covered by the warranty (both from apparently having other cases of this and after it was returned by the manufacturer). Also, if the frame would've come back painted I would've been happy just as well. It's one of those cases where if you don't talk to the owner, nobody knows what is going on...

Now for the sort of good news: the dealer can paint the frame (either just the area damaged or the whole frame) at their expense or I can get a new (better) frame at a discount. Earlier today [Tuesday] I found out the price of getting a higher model frame and the cost is basically the difference between the two frames, so it's as if I had bought the more expensive bike last year (I even test rode it before deciding on the more affordable model I ended up getting). So yeah, I would end up paying extra if I go this route, though at least not all is lost as it's more of a "reset" (though of course if I had bought the bike last year or during the Spring bike show I could've gotten a discount). Also, I get a warranty and the bike decals aren't altered (like what would happen if I paint the old frame) so it wouldn't hurt the resale value.

Anyway, I haven't made up my mind, but I don't think I have much of a choice.

[Cools!]

Update 4:

I ended up upgrading to another frame. The frame already came in a few weeks back, but turns out it needs a different stem than the one I had on the old bike. The stem is the part that attaches to the steerer tube and holds the handle bars. Anyway, figured it'd take about the same amount of time to get the stem in as it did with the frame (a week and a half or so), but it's already been more than that.

Of course, if the store did their homework in the first place they would've just ordered it together. What is even funnier is that they could've just taken a stem from any of the complete bikes they have on display at the store. So instead of having me wait for 4 weeks now, I could've been riding the bike after a week. They even told me they might do that "if it seems like it's going to take a long time", well, guess once again nobody gives a fuck.

Last week was my birthday and we've been having some amazing weather the last couple of weeks so I got really excited to get the bike back. Blah blah blah.

[Cools!]

Update 5:

I ended up getting the bike a few days after the last update. I'm very happy with the frame and have been trying to ride as much as possible. At least this is finally over.

I've done close to 500 km (310 miles) on the road bike already and 600 km (372 miles) on the mountain bike. Just recently passed 2,000 km (1243 miles) since getting the cycling tracker last year. Very happy about that.

[Cools!]

Had my first 2 rides of the season this week. Still cold, but conditions are slowly improving: temperature is above 6 degrees C (42F), there is less wind and the roads are almost clear of snow (and salt). Trails won't be dry for at least another couple of weeks for mountain biking.

Even though I got a trainer so I could ride indoors I can't say I'm in that great of a shape right now. It's going to take a long time before I'm back to doing the distances I was riding at the end of last summer. Next 2 months or so is going to be a lot of short, boring rides to build up strength and stamina.

My goal for this year is to get to a point where I can do 100km (62 miles) rides. That's roughly a back and forth trip from my place to the large lake (Lake Simcoe) north of Toronto.

[ren]

Nice! I'm chickening out and waiting for it to be at least 10 degrees in the morning. As soon as that happens the car is going (almost) away for the summer.

[Cools!]

Nice. It's been really windy last week so I didn't get a lot of biking done. Also, looks like it's time for me to change the road bike chain (I've done around 2,500 km on it). Mountain bike needs sealant and a new rim strip (to cover the holes on the inside of the rim so you can go tubeless) so need to make a run to the nearby shop.