Anyone have anything they'd like to rant about?

[beaterdit]

My takeaway is that timely delivery of mail order bicycle parts isn’t quite as essential as quality healthcare workers - especially during a global pandemic.

ie. I don’t hold the circulating cast of Lyft drivers moonlighting for delivery services to the same standards as I do my kids’ pediatrician. And that’s why those drivers probably make a lot less money than doctors and nurses, right?

It's a fair point for sure. Although even when I was making minimum wage as a teen, and not much better in my 20s, I took ownership of my job duties and had some pride in getting shit done, and done right. Seems like incompetence at every level is the rule these days. No one's accountable for shit.

[Telemahn]

This is part of my decision to try 165’s...
Attachment 373241

Wow, you look like a tele skier now. I have never gotten my big toe that bad from a pedal strike*. Usually it's the pinky that gets the worst of it.

*pedal strike is probably not the correct term if your flesh and bone take most of the hit.

[Bunion 2020]

Rant? Nope. LMFAO? Oh yes.

Buddy of mine has been building his dream bike, 29er Rocky Mountain Element carbon. Nice looking bike.

He has slowly assembled the group for it and its all blingy as hell, including the SRAM wireless shifter for his 1x. I kept asking him what happens when the battery dies in bum-fuck Egypt and was assured that won't be a problem.

Today we headed out to CC, beautiful, sunny, warm, dry and uncrowded. We leave the trailhead and get about 1/4 of a mile down the trail when I hear him start cursing. The battery didn't die, it was back home charging......

Another guy with us who is a mechanic at a local shop has an equally blingy Yeti with a SRAM wireless dropper as well as the wireless der. and took pity on him and loaned him the battery for the main climb. I asked what a spare battery costs, $ 100.00. I had to point out that a shifter cable is about 5 bucks and never needs charging.

Hilarity ensued.

[VTskibum]

Rant? Nope. LMFAO? Oh yes.

Buddy of mine has been building his dream bike, 29er Rocky Mountain Element carbon. Nice looking bike.

He has slowly assembled the group for it and its all blingy as hell, including the SRAM wireless shifter for his 1x. I kept asking him what happens when the battery dies in bum-fuck Egypt and was assured that won't be a problem.

Today we headed out to CC, beautiful, sunny, warm, dry and uncrowded. We leave the trailhead and get about 1/4 of a mile down the trail when I hear him start cursing. The battery didn't die, it was back home charging......

Another guy with us who is a mechanic at a local shop has an equally blingy Yeti with a SRAM wireless dropper as well as the wireless der. and took pity on him and loaned him the battery for the main climb. I asked what a spare battery costs, $ 100.00. I had to point out that a shifter cable is about 5 bucks and never needs charging.

Hilarity ensued.

Saw the end of that story as soon as wireless came in. Early adopter teammate of mine had to pull out of a race b/c of Shimano XTR battery died mid-race or maybe cable connection shook loose. Either way he was walking. Plenty of stories of people limping road bikes in 39x11 in the early days, although admittedly I've done the exact same when shifter cable snapped during a fast group ride.

[klauss]

finally installed a new thread together press fit bottom bracket to remedy what I thought was a heinous creak from the old bottom bracket from hard pedaling. Nope

[Falcon3]

Update to the FedEx story. I found my package I was sure they didn’t deliver. The delivery instructions say deliver to the back door. I was sitting at the back door on date of delivery. (It’s a side-entry driveway to the back of the house).

Yesterday I had to go dump some shit back behind my garage where I keep it until I can take it to the landfill (they charge a hefty minimum, and behind the garage is out of view of everyone).


The driver must have walked to the front of my house, then around the (mostly inaccessible) side of my house and chucked the package over my fence, where it landed behind a tree and my garage. The only way I would have seen it is by walking all the way around my house to the dead end of my fence/garage area and looking behind a trash pile (which is what I did, and I almost missed it anyway). At least I’ve got it now, but seriously it’s like the driver was trying to hide it in the most obscure place.

Also, brought my bike in to a shop for a basic Fox 34 service. Everywhere in town I’ve ever called it’s $75 (25 for the seal kit and 50 labor). Fair enough for me not to fuck around with and break something which I almost always do. Turns out it’s $100 at this shop. Fuck.

Also, before picked it up I get a call from them saying the bottom bracket is seized up (it wasn’t when I dropped it off) and I need a new dropper (also working fine, I had just asked them for a $.05 ferrule on the cable end). They charged me $10 labor on a “dropper service” for having them crimp on a nickels worth of parts that took maybe 15 seconds.

Are bike shops upselling like car dealers now? I paid and didn’t complain but I’m going back to my old shop even though it’s way across town from my new place.

[chicken feathers]

^One of my go to bike shops has gone downhill fast in service since covid started. Last time I took the bikes in for service the mech was putting out the corer than thou vibe...wouldn't order a replacement shifter pod for the wife's bike, told me I just need new cables etc. Since I had good exp w/ the shop in the past I was like, well Ok, you're the expert. Paid up like a bitch. At least they gave me a break on some of the other service items on the bill. Ended up replacing & upgrading the pods myself about a week later. Some other people I've talked to mentioned the same experiences. Noticed too that I didn't recognize any of the staff there...I've got no reason to go back now. Too bad b/c they used to be great. Luckily I have a few great shops to choose from. They hold onto their mechanics who recognize me when I stop in (only 1-2x a year) and help me out.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Taking a bike to a shop for simple repairs and maintenance is something I’d like to rant about. DIY you Sallies


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[Bunion 2020]

Taking a bike to a shop for simple repairs and maintenance is something I’d like to rant about. DIY you Sallies


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x2.

Most folks cannot manage a fork or shock rebuild so send them in. The rest is really pretty easy especially with the U-Tubes.

[chicken feathers]

I can wrench and almost always do it myself cause its fun. But sometimes I've got enough going on that I'd rather pay someone to do it.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

I can wrench and almost always do it myself cause its fun. But sometimes I've got enough going on that I'd rather pay someone to do it.

Then don’t complain about the cost. If you need a shock or fork rebuild send it to one of the services, that’s what most shops do now.


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[chicken feathers]

Then don’t complain about the cost. If you need a shock or fork rebuild send it to one of the services, that’s what most shops do now.


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Think you're confusing my post w/ the guys before me. I was talking about bad service from a shop.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Think you're confusing my post w/ the guys before me. I was talking about bad service from a shop.

Both of you. You didn’t get bad service. You probably didn’t need new pods and they gave you a break on the bill


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[chicken feathers]

Both of you. You didn’t get bad service. You probably didn’t need new pods and they gave you a break on the bill


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Except I did. I dealt with an ass like you when I dropped off the bike, and the shifting problem wasn't remedied by new cables. New pods fixed it...they can wear out with use you know. The break on the bill was cause the bikes are well kept and easy to work on, that's what the guy who checked me out said. I didn't follow up w/ the shop cause well, they gave me a break on the other stuff, and had never let me down. The shop in question has developed a reputation of late for doing exactly this...any thing they can to not order parts, taking short cuts at the expense of the customer and ultimately their local reputation. Not like I doxxed the shop or anything, just ranting about it in a thread just for that.
In addition to poor reading comprehension are you also a bitter shop mechanic? Or just a troll?

[grrrmountainman]

People who let their fucking dogs off the fucking leash in an urban setting. Fuck that noise. Cycling on road bikes or Mountain bikes shouldn’t include me having to lock up the brakes to avoid Fido. Fuck. 4 times already this month. I know it’s nice outside but jesus fucking Christ.

I think that’s a sufficient “rant”.

[Huskier]

Can we again talk about f*cking accountability? I'm trying to get my s*** together to sell my house and I've had four trades people bail on me in the last week, just ghosting. Either don't respond to calls, or like one guy just don't show up. At all. Like how much do I have to pay you for you to do your job?? I can't tell if they're actually drowning in work don't have time, or if they're just not about it. And I'll never know...

[bagtagley]

They’re drowning in work. I hate it and it’s the opposite of how I like to operate, but lately my experience has been that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. Make them commit or tell you to bug off, and follow up if they commit.

[jhyatt]

Rant: little kids decked out in matching roadie spandex and Oakley glasses for the kids ride.
Kids should ride. But kids should be kids.
What's even worse is when the kid isn't fast.

[smmokan]

They might be drowning in work currently, but contractors as a whole are the most irresponsible, disrespectful “professionals” on earth. Way worse than delivery drivers. Almost every one I’ve ever dealt with, even those I knew personally, have had some fatal flaw when it comes to anything related to accountability or responsibility. Most of them just don’t give a fuck, or have no concept of what it takes to run a legit business.

[Dee Hubbs]

Also, brought my bike in to a shop for a basic Fox 34 service. Everywhere in town I’ve ever called it’s $75 (25 for the seal kit and 50 labor). Fair enough for me not to fuck around with and break something which I almost always do. Turns out it’s $100 at this shop. Fuck.
Are bike shops upselling like car dealers now? I paid and didn’t complain but I’m going back to my old shop even though it’s way across town from my new place.

Parts Hard Costs: $35
Fox 34 dust wiper kit $30
Fox 20W Gold Oil $1
Fox 5W PTFE Oil $2
Slick Honey Lube $2
Consumables hard costs:
Iso Alcohol, paper towels, rubber gloves.
Labour covers:
Mechanic wages, service writer wages, partial Manager wages, FICA, FUTA, SUTA, Workers’ Comp and benefits.
Training time for mechanics to stay on top of changing service procedures.
Specialized tools, shop fixtures.
Rent, utilities, insurance.
Marketing, Advertising.

How clean was the bike when it was dropped off? Does the tech need to spend more labour time cleaning your bike before the fork can be serviced?
Does the $75 quote include servicing the air spring, or just dropping and refreshing the lowers. While the lowers are dropped I'd pay another 25% in labour to ensure they pull the air spring out, and clean it well and ensure it's lubed and reinstalled properly and equalizing.

I think $100 is not an overly expensive charge.

[MagnificentUnicorn]

Except I did. I dealt with an ass like you when I dropped off the bike, and the shifting problem wasn't remedied by new cables. New pods fixed it...they can wear out with use you know. The break on the bill was cause the bikes are well kept and easy to work on, that's what the guy who checked me out said. I didn't follow up w/ the shop cause well, they gave me a break on the other stuff, and had never let me down. The shop in question has developed a reputation of late for doing exactly this...any thing they can to not order parts, taking short cuts at the expense of the customer and ultimately their local reputation. Not like I doxxed the shop or anything, just ranting about it in a thread just for that.
In addition to poor reading comprehension are you also a bitter shop mechanic? Or just a troll?

Is this how you interacted with them? There’s your answer.


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[toast2266]

I think $100 is not an overly expensive charge.

This. I was surprised that anyone would install a seal kit for $75 (including parts) these days.

[climberevan]

Agreed. Having done enough shock and fork services (including dampers) myself to have considered doing it as a business, $100 for a lowers service with seal change sounds right. Try getting a motorcycle fork serviced one of these days. Parts cost the same (more oil) but the suspension shops have everyone convinced that it's rocket surgery, so they charge up to $1000 for a shim stack change that takes an hour and costs $50 in parts. 😂

[scrublover]

Parts Hard Costs: $35
Fox 34 dust wiper kit $30
Fox 20W Gold Oil $1
Fox 5W PTFE Oil $2
Slick Honey Lube $2
Consumables hard costs:
Iso Alcohol, paper towels, rubber gloves.
Labour covers:
Mechanic wages, service writer wages, partial Manager wages, FICA, FUTA, SUTA, Workers’ Comp and benefits.
Training time for mechanics to stay on top of changing service procedures.
Specialized tools, shop fixtures.
Rent, utilities, insurance.
Marketing, Advertising.

How clean was the bike when it was dropped off? Does the tech need to spend more labour time cleaning your bike before the fork can be serviced?
Does the $75 quote include servicing the air spring, or just dropping and refreshing the lowers. While the lowers are dropped I'd pay another 25% in labour to ensure they pull the air spring out, and clean it well and ensure it's lubed and reinstalled properly and equalizing.

I think $100 is not an overly expensive charge.

Absolutely agree!

I do my own, and have no idea what any of the local shops would charge. But, if I needed to have it done and didn't have the time or ability, doing that as part of a once a year or so tune up would be worth the money.

[snoqpass]

They might be drowning in work currently, but contractors as a whole are the most irresponsible, disrespectful “professionals” on earth. Way worse than delivery drivers. Almost every one I’ve ever dealt with, even those I knew personally, have had some fatal flaw when it comes to anything related to accountability or responsibility. Most of them just don’t give a fuck, or have no concept of what it takes to run a legit business.

It goes both ways, it’s difficult for contractors to vett homeowners especially when It comes to money, or people who want to go back and forth because they don’t understand what is involved in a project