buying a bike

My guess would be that the hold-up is on the manufacturer's end and thus out of their control. Nonetheless, the letter will make them aware of your frustration and the importance of good customer service. Maybe they'll try and make it right and you'll get a nice present.

Yeah, I don't think they're fucking me around intentionally, it's just a supply thing. But clearly I'm going to have to cancel this order (sob) and it's very much in their interests to offer me something else for my $3,500...

Any update, Rev?

-- Mark C, Tuesday, 3 June 2008 12:49 (5 hours ago) Link

I got the bike from my grandpa. It's an old 10-speed Schwinn Sportabout that needs new tires, but is otherwise solid as far as I can tell. Has tools and chain with it. Rides well. It'll work for now.

Mark, that's so frustrating... when I worked in a shop, Trek pulled that stuff all the time, and customers would go ballistic when we just kept telling them to wait and wait. The worst was when they'd schedule a small end-of-season run in mid-July, and then cancel it, making us call everyone with orders to tell them they wouldn't have bikes until November.

On the flipside, and speaking as a former shop employee, when the mfr F's the retailer, that's not your problem- it's the shop's problem, because they took your money. You deserve a comparable bike, and if they end up losing money, they can always hit the mfr up for a credit or better dating or whatever the next time they order bikes.

If they tell you there's nothing they can do, they're lying. There's always something a shop can do to keep customers happy.

Yeah, that's what I figure too - I just wish the guy I am speaking to was one with a bit more balls/imagination and was prepared to make me an attractive offer. I'm sure he could manage to do so without costing the shop a lot of money. Let's see if he does (though I strongly doubt it). If anyone has suggestions as to what I could ask for - my current thinking is a wheelset upgrade.

These motherfuckers refuse to come up with an alternative that gives me a similarly-specced bike for the same price. A discount of £135 on the £900-more-expensive next model up ain't going to cut it, to be honest.

I suggested they upgrade the wheelset of the next model down, which would give me an effective discount of £100 (not unfair I don't think, considering the delay and disappointment?

Thank you for your email.

Unfortunately - as advised previously - we do not do part swaps (unless you pay for alternative parts fully).
I am sorry for this.

Regards
Adrian

Wiggle Customer Services

Adrian has a manager...

Time to escalate I think, given that you have been paying since april for this and presumably your company has paid in full at that point under the cycle to work scheme and good have not been delivered they are on somewhat dodgy ground trading standards wise. standard mail order procedure is not to charge until goods are dispatched. You may wish to point this out.

well that blows
xpost to mark

awesome abt getting yr grandpa's bike, rev! that is sort of the dream way to get a sweet vintage bike b/c you know at least it's prob been sitting in a dry garage for a long time even tho it'll need some work

i realllly want another bike, tho i'm so comfortable with mine (old specialized rockhopper, with road slicks) maybe i should just get a more comfortable saddle and cut down the ridiculously wide handlebars or put dif ones on. but wld like a road bike, something light and fast but obv not $$ b/c a) i don't have much $$ and b) i wld commute on it and therefore be locking it up places and c) it wld be better for longer rides, put some panniers on it, yknow. but maybe not this year, sigh

was talking with a friend abt multi-day even multi-week treks and am surprised at how much the idea appeals to me

Okay, we've sorted it out. I am getting effectively the same bike but with Campagnolo Chorus gruppo rather than SRAM Force. I can live with that, I think. It also means I'll have a spare set of wheels (Fulcrum Racing 5), which I can either sell or keep as spares.

awesome abt getting yr grandpa's bike, rev! that is sort of the dream way to get a sweet vintage bike b/c you know at least it's prob been sitting in a dry garage for a long time even tho it'll need some work

Yeah, this is the case. I'm taking it to get new tires today.

Okay, new tires are go!

: |

Learned the hard way that one needs to take the curb at an angle. I'm alright, but there's a large bloodstain on the knee of my jeans.

What do you mean by "take the curb?" Are you jumping curbs? I wouldn't advise doing that on a 30-year-old road bike (or any road bike for that matter). You'll mess up your bike.

Or do you literally mean that to turn, you simply turned the handlebars? Yup, you need to lean into them - indeed you'll barely turn the bars at all except in the slowest and tightest of bends.

No, no. I mean I went from the street onto the curb at a place where the curb was lowered to street level (not jumping) at pretty much a 180-degree angle, at which point my bike immediately fell over to the right and I found myself on my hands and knees.

Ah, fuck. The bike I wanted had 50/34 chainrings and a 12-27 cassette - nice and gentle and good for hills. The bike I have ended up buying, I have just discovered, is 53/39 and 11-25. I am fucked as soon as I come across a hill.

You could ask the shop to switch out the cassette or chainrings. If you give them the stock one that comes with the bike, hopefully they won't charge (or charge much) for the new cassette and labor. Seems like they owe you.

(xpost) rev, that can happen. I fell on my ass in a similar way just a couple of weeks ago (first time I'd fallen in a long-long time). The pavement was wet and I rode up on a lip between pavement and driveway and the front wheel kicked out. Bloop - one second I was on the bike the next second I was on the ground. Jumped up and got back on the bike and kept riding. Came away with a little bruise on my hip and a scuff mark on the handlebars. No biggie.

mark- how much do you care about keeping the group intact? i ask because campy stuff fetches a lot on ebay, so you could always sell the cranks and pick up a set of FSA or SRAM compact cranks for less $$$, and that would at least solve that problem. that'll make a way bigger difference than the cassette (although a cassette swap is so easy, i don't know why they wouldn't do it). switching out the chainrings won't work, since a 50/34 is a compact (and could possibly require a different front derailleur as well). also, campy may make compact cranks now... i've been out of the campy loop for a while.

your bike will get more looks with campy on it than SRAM, that's for sure.

I just scored a cheap Kona jake frame to build a new bike for my GF's birthday.

Anyone got any tips on respraying bike frames as this looks a little beat. Obviouly plugging any threads, guides and holes is a must as is a grease free and slightly sanded down surface, but anyone got any tips for getting a good finish, what type of paints I should be using etc.

I have ended up compromising AGAIN and settling for a Dura-ace groupset with compact chainrings. Less stylin', but £100 cheaper and I'm so hacked off with the entire process I don't care any more

Rev, will you post pictures of yr new bike? I'm not purely asking that to give me an excuse to post pics of mine :)

Mine's black. Not sure how I feel about that.

http://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m134/johnjusten/rcstcat.gif

Sorry sorry, I am very bored at work (you may have guessed)

Bike might arrive tomorrow! (but more likely early next week)

Next week it is, then.

Bugger, make shure you check it over carefully when it arrives.

I will, as carefully as I know how, in any case! Want to give me some pointers, assuming that I am one step up from absolute noob?

clean the grease off the chain and lube it up... shimano chains ship with this horrible grease on them- it gets everywhere, and after a few weeks, it's like tar on your chain. (otherwise, dura-ace is tits, and don't let any campy fanatics tell you it ain't.)

invest in a torque wrench, and check the torque on seat post and stem bolts if you're using carbon parts.

make sure the rim strip is covering all the holes.

make sure the two bolts holding the non-drive side crankarm onto the spindle are tightened evenly (and if you ever take the crankarm off, loosen them by alternating half turns for the first few turns).

ride it a few weeks, and then reindex the rear derailleur, and then give the cables a shot of lube after a couple months once everything has settled in.

sorry if you know this stuff already- some people call themselves noobs and end up having better wrenching chops than i do.

Jordan I could barely follow the above! But thanks, that's priceless info. Do I reindex the rear derailleur myself or do I need to get a non-noob to do it? Also, how does one lube a cable?

Thanks again!

Bike is HERE. Woohoo! It's pretty, though more carbon-looking than I anticipated (I thought the primary frame colour was black, but it's actually a thick carbon weave effect). Seems weird that I'm only 6 foot and yet it's classed as an XL (58cm) frame, but I think it's a wee bit more compact than my Trek. The tyres (Schwalbe Ultremos) look terrifyingly slick but apparently they do have excellent grip. Very excited about riding home now!

I was thinking more along the lines of a very close inspection of the frame for any damage, especially as it is carbon.

Are we talking visual damage, or are there other ways of checking?

It's all set up now - eggbeaters are attached, handlebars sorted, cleats fixed to shoes etc. I may have to adjust the height of the saddle a touch but that can wait till I get it downstairs I think. Am a bit nervous about using a new clipless system in rush-hour London traffic but I'll be ultra-careful.

Just visual damage, scratches, nicks etc. Carbon is much more sensitive than metal to these and your frame should be send back if it has the slightest hint of these.

HI DERE

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/biondino/focus1.jpg

I know that's not a great pic - I'll take some more soon and post some better angles.

sweeet

nice

http://img49.imageshack.us/img49/1382/bicicletasf6.jpg

i think i could bite through that lock

WITH SEXY RESULTS

Sorry. I only came here to post another picture of the machine, a better one. I'll stop after this.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v222/biondino/focus100608.jpg

Ledge, I know. That one came w/ the bike. It's not gonna stop anyone who really wants the to take it, but at least no one's gonna just walk away with it cause they can. I did get a better lock from the bike shop, but I haven't gotten around to depackaging it.

wow mark- i dig the fat carbon weave... kinda looks like a scott. how's the ride?

rev you have actually scored upon a pretty sweet frame I fink

what are those cranks?

I heard from a dude who knows stuff that nobody does the fork tube joists anymore like they did on those old schwinns

actually you can see it on the bottom bracket joists as well

i have never irl seen anyone use those eggbeater pedals on a roadbike. Is the cleat (or whatev) chunky??

xposts

I use them on my road bike and the cleat is wee.

Mark can you do a photo so we can see the gruppo?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx4ctRpjEjM

Read something once that said something like "I assume every door I ride past is going to be flung open by an opera singer about to belt out an aria" - the one time I got doored was turning a corner, those can be tricky.

Have fun!

i've done tons of city riding, but never with a bike that weighed 75lb (with a 30lb child on the back), and also never in los angeles, where the people/roads are bad.

luckily most of our daycare commute is going to be along a bike path by the river. just one insanely dicey intersection to start the day haha good times.

Ah okay. Yeah no special wisdom to share, I am just constantly paranoid and always expanding my library of threat models. I actually sort of enjoy that part of riding.

not dead yet. having a great time. we now go passed a park every day and my son has hidden a stick that we have to check on each afternoon. without that it would probably be a little faster than the car.

I bought a half decent bike! A late 90s Marin Pine Mountain rigid. Almost all my riding will be on streets & in alleys, with maybe a few city trails here & there, seems like a good all-rounder. It’s a damn sight lighter than anything I’ve owned before & is kind of a joy to ride.

It’ll replace the shitty shitty Schwinn I bought last year & have never enjoyed riding (& so, of course, I rarely rode it), which in turn replaced the $50 Peugeot I rode for years but which was stripped to the frame when my daughter borrowed it & left it at the train station inadequately secured.

I wasn’t looking for a bike but it was right there in an antiques/junk shop & it called to me. $300, which seems ok (esp as there’s a bike shortage cuz everyone & their new Covid dog wants one)

just put the 2000th mile on the GSD (used for an 8 mile round trip 3-4 times a week). been carrying two kids on it for maybe a year.

around about 6 months ago we reached the point here where people with kids on e-bikes stopped waving and nodding to each other because there are so many of them.

Bought my wife a bike for Mother’s Day last year and she did t ride it. My response was to buy myself a ride, second hand, so we could go out together. She still rarely rides but I’ve gotten hooked and now commute daily on mine with occasional pleasure rides.

It’s an orange Handsome XOXO, which I guess are no longer made. Had no clue about the cult of Bridgestone, Grant Peterson etc. and feel super lucky to have found this thing on Craigslist and got a great deal. Have learned to do some minor repairs; very gratifying. I’m hooked!

Nice bike, love that orange! I have an XO-2 (white) that I use for commuting.

Grant is an original. Not sure of the current Rivendell state of the art, but glad he's still going.

One of the things that amaze me is the continued state of change in the bike industry, in mostly positive ways.

I'm sympathetic to the steel bike frame position, as my 25 year old Trek 520 still works quite well.

Frames aside, the following things look like they make modern bikes more comfortable and easier to maintain:

- Disc brakes (which are easier to maintain until they aren't in my view)
- In-hub and one-by shifters (My 11 speed Alfine is great!)
- Trend in low pressure/wider tires (I think lower rate of punctures, and certainly more comfortable)
- If you're really bold, belt drives (less efficient but lower maintenance)

Related to my bike, I recently dove into this guys YouTube channel and am inspired. I’m sure he’d have thoughts on those advances you mentioned.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zkwxQNenamQ

Again, all for steel frames.

But I'm all done with "crepe" tires and caliper brakes myself and I wouldn't gear someone who was less demanding than I am with stuff that's harder to maintain.

I also do think it's neat how, after years of mountain biking increasingly becoming like downhill skiing but with really expensive gear, the last few years has shown an interest in off-road biking that isn't entirely about adrenaline (people call it "gravel biking") which personally is what I've been doing for a long time.

Dude I just bought a bike for the first time in 20 years. The frame is a “Muddy Fox” from the 90s. The handlebars are swept back and high so I can actually sit up straight riding around town. Only 7 gears on the back and that’s it. Reader I fucking FLY in this thing I love it so much.

^^ I love that. Pics please?

https://i.postimg.cc/SsdtK3nq/IMG-4282.jpg

The guy on the left rebuilt it and the guy on the right is his buddy

is having the back brakes under the frame a new thing? i haven't ridden a bike in 30 years.

i guess it means the cable doesn't have to go along the top tube where your legs are

U-brakes (mounted under the chainstays like these) were briefly a thing in the late 80’s, but tended to get clogged in muddy conditions (great looking bike, congrats!)

lugs. i feel like i have to look that frameset now. there has to be a dawn of the 80s responsible for chainstay u brakes, and now i wanna know that, too.

happy trails or whatever you find

look up that frameset i mean. i remember the brand tho.

and well, i didn't buy a bike per thread theme, but i got another bike. i had a 90s team race bike from a sponsor that was a prototype test frame. it was made of lol ~special material~. which pricier material the company ended up using for its race mtbs, but it was deemed too pricey, or not worth it, for road bikes. my proto was one of three made. my frame did not even have a serial no., which does not happen much. anyhow it was a great very stiff sprint crit machine (massive 7/8" chainstays!), and a rather light one.

i sold it after great year with it in 1996. recently i saw the buyer for first time in years. i forgot he had it, but during coffee he asked me "want it back? i'll give it to ya."

it has some small dots of subpaint surface corrosion, i need to confirm it is only surface level. it will then be stripped of current ancient parts (some of which were raced by me ha!) or its later replacement junkier parts. then if sound it will be stripped of its powdercoat paint, repainted and decalled. reborn. i worked with and still ride with a guy who worked for the sponsor/builder then, and he claims he may have some ancient decals. (he's now a frame painter for a semi custom builder, and a collector, and he has just... the GOOD SHIT. and a workfloor you could eat off of. that guy).

eh wish us luck.

wow hakuna matata. good luck!

Got myself a used hybrid today. Really need to get in shape and cycling was always fun for me as a young person. Now I finally live in a place that has amazing biking infrastructure and an emphasis on safety so it’s time to get back in the saddle.

awesome. all y’all, severe tbi survivor here sez wear a helmet. it’s not a guarantee. but you are worth it.

Sorry to hear that, Hunt3r. I made sure to wear a helmet on my test ride.

I always wear one. Had a scary moment a couple of days ago, and I was the driver! Biker dude was perfectly in my blind spot and boy did he let me have it. Can’t be too careful.

I flipped myself over the handlebars of my cargo bike in the stupidest possible way the other week - ran the steerer rod of my cargo bike onto the outside curb of a protected bike lane. In my defence ist was rainy, my glasses were fogged and some kind soul had removed the warning bollard thing from the entrance to it.

And my wife got doored this year, although she was ordering a new helmet from the ER, I have created a cycling fiend.

So yes helmets all round.

Tracer, I love how that photo on your LBS could also have been taken in my LBS or any LBS in the world. Unfinished ply walls is such a bike store trope (cheap and durable though)

Ed and tobo i’m truly sorry sorry for your travails, and boring (and everyone) stay well. and ride lots.

also i feel like dooring is my final frontier. the fear. but i do not ride in street parking zones so often anymore.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WeM984dk220