A litany of disasters!
plonk
Posts: 37
Hi guys, this is my first post after a long time lurking in the shadows. I apologise for it being a long one, but I need to vent some frustration!
After spending a year doing my 20 mile round trip commute on a horrible old nameless mountain bike, and then a very heavy old steel raleigh racer I decided to take the plunge and by myself a proper steed. I went for the best I could afford at the time (Trek 1000 SL) and even though it's near the bottom of the pile as far as road bikes go, the difference it made to my commute was amazing, and I very quickly became 'bit by the bug'.
Fast forward 3 months and several large credit card transactions to buy various bits of kit, and my blissful affair with the road was suddenly cut short by a dozy cow at a roundabout who didn’t look before pulling out of a junction and drove straight into my back wheel. I flew across the road and was miraculously unhurt. I took the bike to my LBS, and she said she would foot the bill for any damage to the bike.
However, she soon changed her tune when I told her how much the replacement wheel and other bits would cost, and became very reluctant to fork out, claiming that 'I could buy a new bike for that amount'. Anyway, it got a bit nasty and tedious, but she eventually paid up after about 7 weeks, and I was finally reunited with my bike. I then began to ride in earnest, adding a few long weekend trips to my 100 miles a week, and upping my average to something I was quite proud of.
After a couple of months of this I was tinkering with the front mech when the thread holding the clamp onto the tube gave out, and this is when things started to get complicated. I presumed this was a fairly easy thing to replace, so rather than take it to my LBS in town I took it down to the local chap in the village to sort out. 1 month later he still hadnt found the part, claiming that my tube was oversized (something my wife is always moaning about too).
I was a bit miffed by this point as he'd said various times on the phone that he'd 'have it done by the end of the week', so I told him not to bother and took my bike off in a huff to my really helpful LBS in town. However, turns out the local village chap was right, and they too had a tough time finding a braze for a 40mm seat tube. Another month later (yesterday in fact) and I finally go to pick up my bike with a brand new shiny front deraillieur and all is well.
Or so I thought.
When I'd taken the bike off in a huff from local village chap I didn’t give him a chance to relink the chain. I tried to do it myself but made a bit of a pigs ear of it as I didn’t know what I was doing. I mentioned this to helpful LBS and they said no worries, we'll sort that out when we fit the front mech. I reckon with all the fuss in finding an oversized clamp they forgot, as this morning when I was enjoying my first ride in two months the chain came apart and became snagged in the rear mech which completely shattered.
Thank goodness I was mashing up a hill at the time, otherwise it would have been a completely different story. I managed to get off the road and had a bit of a wobbly lip moment when I realised that I'm going to be off the road AGAIN for the forseeable. My wallet just aint going to stretch to a whole new rear mech after a whole new front mech, and I'm very close to accepting I'm cursed and jacking this whole lark in!
Someone stop me before I do something rash, like putting my whole bike kit on ebay!
After spending a year doing my 20 mile round trip commute on a horrible old nameless mountain bike, and then a very heavy old steel raleigh racer I decided to take the plunge and by myself a proper steed. I went for the best I could afford at the time (Trek 1000 SL) and even though it's near the bottom of the pile as far as road bikes go, the difference it made to my commute was amazing, and I very quickly became 'bit by the bug'.
Fast forward 3 months and several large credit card transactions to buy various bits of kit, and my blissful affair with the road was suddenly cut short by a dozy cow at a roundabout who didn’t look before pulling out of a junction and drove straight into my back wheel. I flew across the road and was miraculously unhurt. I took the bike to my LBS, and she said she would foot the bill for any damage to the bike.
However, she soon changed her tune when I told her how much the replacement wheel and other bits would cost, and became very reluctant to fork out, claiming that 'I could buy a new bike for that amount'. Anyway, it got a bit nasty and tedious, but she eventually paid up after about 7 weeks, and I was finally reunited with my bike. I then began to ride in earnest, adding a few long weekend trips to my 100 miles a week, and upping my average to something I was quite proud of.
After a couple of months of this I was tinkering with the front mech when the thread holding the clamp onto the tube gave out, and this is when things started to get complicated. I presumed this was a fairly easy thing to replace, so rather than take it to my LBS in town I took it down to the local chap in the village to sort out. 1 month later he still hadnt found the part, claiming that my tube was oversized (something my wife is always moaning about too).
I was a bit miffed by this point as he'd said various times on the phone that he'd 'have it done by the end of the week', so I told him not to bother and took my bike off in a huff to my really helpful LBS in town. However, turns out the local village chap was right, and they too had a tough time finding a braze for a 40mm seat tube. Another month later (yesterday in fact) and I finally go to pick up my bike with a brand new shiny front deraillieur and all is well.
Or so I thought.
When I'd taken the bike off in a huff from local village chap I didn’t give him a chance to relink the chain. I tried to do it myself but made a bit of a pigs ear of it as I didn’t know what I was doing. I mentioned this to helpful LBS and they said no worries, we'll sort that out when we fit the front mech. I reckon with all the fuss in finding an oversized clamp they forgot, as this morning when I was enjoying my first ride in two months the chain came apart and became snagged in the rear mech which completely shattered.
Thank goodness I was mashing up a hill at the time, otherwise it would have been a completely different story. I managed to get off the road and had a bit of a wobbly lip moment when I realised that I'm going to be off the road AGAIN for the forseeable. My wallet just aint going to stretch to a whole new rear mech after a whole new front mech, and I'm very close to accepting I'm cursed and jacking this whole lark in!
Someone stop me before I do something rash, like putting my whole bike kit on ebay!
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Mind you I find that my cycling missaps come in three's, usually within the space of a couple of days :roll:
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With the chain issue, I would consider going to your LBS and pointing out that due to them not doing what you asked for you now have a broken rear mech.
It is their fault and if they are half decent they will replace it at no or a reduced cost.
"...claiming that my tube was oversized (something my wife is always moaning about too). "
Commuting / Winter rides - Jamis Renegade Expert
Pootling / Offroad - All-City Macho Man Disc
Fast rides Cannondale SuperSix Ultegra
1. If involved in an accident with a motorist and your bike is damaged, go through the insurance companies. Chances are they would have gave you a new bike to settle the claim, especially if there was a whiff of bodily injury to you.
2. Don't mess with your bike unless you know what you are doing.
3. Don't take your bike to the village idiot for repair. They are most likely unqualified and untrained.
4. Get two bikes. If you had pursued point 1. you may had already been there if the insce company had let you keep the salvage. Breakages and essential maintenance often coincides with wanting to ride.
Seriously though, you're lucky - you could have been killed or badly injured in either incident. Get the bike repaired (new chain obviously) and get back on the road asap, there's not much of summer left.
Cannondale Synapse
Enigma Etape
Genesis Flyer Single Speed
Turn the corner, rub my eyes and hope the world will last...
Lesson 3 may be a bit harsh though! He's not an idiot, just a bit chaotic.
Thanks for the support though, i'll let you know what the LBS says.
And i promise not to post any biblical epics anymore!
Cannondale Synapse
Enigma Etape
Genesis Flyer Single Speed
Turn the corner, rub my eyes and hope the world will last...