Your Anti-Rants here

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  • ariba
    ariba Posts: 48
    Big thanks to Evans, Fenchurch St

    I took my bike in for a service (£55 one) & got a voice message at lunchtime to call back regarding parts (it's a new bike - wtf!!!) - but they were calling to say everything was good & if I wanted they'd do a safety check (£35) only as that was all that was required. :) Muchos appreciated, since now I've got an additional 20 notes to spend there.

    & then when picking up the bike, overheard 1/2 phone conversation with someone looking to buy a wheel - assistant was giving all the details, but after some conversation (couldn't hear the other side obviously), he strongly recommended the cheaper of the two options as better suited to what the caller actually did on their bike, as opposed to the number of notes they were going to pony up.

    In both cases they could have charged full & neither of us would have been the wiser - but both assistants actually spent the extra time making sure they sold what we needed.

    I know (from reading these forums etc) that Evans sometimes gets a bad rap, so I think it is important to also recognise them when they go out of their way to ensure their customers are getting a good service.

    This was at the Fenchurch St "metro" branch.

    BTW - i do not work for Evans (or even in the bike trade - though my better half would argue that i'm single handedly trying to keep the industry solvent)
    --

    Battaglin C13 (white)
    Cube Analog (green/white)
    Decathlon 7.3 (yellow)
    Pinnacle Arkose 3 (grey)
    Looking for bike n+1
  • Kieran_Burns
    Kieran_Burns Posts: 9,757
    Holy Cow - that was amazing this morning! :D

    Left home in blazing sunshine - cycled out in to the countryside... morning mist making everything look like it was coated in white candyfloss

    Cycled out of Gotham and UP into low lying cloud! :shock:

    I had to stop to take my shades off as they completely misted up, turned on my rear lights (multi-flash) and cycled on

    1/2 mile further on of steady climbing and cleared the cloud. Looked back, and it was just bloody great 8) This blanket of white cloud sitting in the valley with the road rising out of it, clear blue sky as far as the eye could see.

    God I love these country commutes.
    Chunky Cyclists need your love too! :-)
    2009 Specialized Tricross Sport
    2011 Trek Madone 4.5
    2012 Felt F65X
    Proud CX Pervert and quiet roadie. 12 mile commuter
  • Cafewanda
    Cafewanda Posts: 2,788
    edited May 2010
    St Thomas Street peds - not bad today :)

    Oh, and KB should be banned from making one gratuitously great country cycling commute post per week :wink:

    Envious? Me? Course not! :shock:
  • kurako
    kurako Posts: 1,098
    Lovely morning. 15C or therabout when I left the house. First morning of the year in short sleeves for me :-)

    :roll: :roll: :roll: .... Waiting for the first "What? I've been riding in short sleeves for months. Some days I don't even wear clothes" style comment :wink:
  • Oddjob62
    Oddjob62 Posts: 1,056
    Sun is shining
    The weather is sweet yeah
    Makes you wanna move your dancing feet

    :D
    As yet unnamed (Dolan Seta)
    Joelle (Focus Expert SRAM)
  • Oddjob62
    Oddjob62 Posts: 1,056
    TBH i don't really like hot weather as i'm sweaty enough in the depths of winter... but the ladies wear skimpy outfits so it's worth it :D
    As yet unnamed (Dolan Seta)
    Joelle (Focus Expert SRAM)
  • Cafewanda
    Cafewanda Posts: 2,788
    Kurako wrote:
    Lovely morning. 15C or therabout when I left the house. First morning of the year in short sleeves for me :-)

    :roll: :roll: :roll: .... Waiting for the first "What? I've been riding in short sleeves for months. Some days I don't even wear clothes" style comment :wink:

    Someone has already made that comment. Can't remember who though :)
  • Kieran_Burns
    Kieran_Burns Posts: 9,757
    Cafewanda wrote:
    St Thomas Street peds - not bad today :)

    Oh, and KB should be banned from making one gratuitously great country cycling commute post per week :wink:

    Envious? Me? Course not! :shock:

    I can't help it :D I moved house specifically to have a good commute in to the new office.

    I'm thinking about looping out this evening just so I can gratuiously bomb down this hill at silly speeds.

    The fact that it also takes me past a University campus right at kicking out time on a hot summers evening has NOTHING to do with it 8)
    Chunky Cyclists need your love too! :-)
    2009 Specialized Tricross Sport
    2011 Trek Madone 4.5
    2012 Felt F65X
    Proud CX Pervert and quiet roadie. 12 mile commuter
  • bomberesque
    bomberesque Posts: 1,701
    thanks CRC, that was quick, cheap and good
    Everything in moderation ... except beer
    Beer in moderation ... is a waste of beer

    If riding an XC race bike is like touching the trail,
    then riding a rigid singlespeed is like licking it
    ... or being punched by it, depending on the day
  • coopster_the_1st
    coopster_the_1st Posts: 5,158
    edited May 2010
    Glorious morning 8)

    Best so far of the year

    If it was not for work, I could have kept on cycling

    Did do an extra 3.5 miles as I was running early :D
  • Cafewanda
    Cafewanda Posts: 2,788
    :lol: KB, bombing down hills is to be encouraged as I've only recently discovered that joy :)


    I want eye candy tooo!!!!! :(
  • marchant
    marchant Posts: 362
    Empty cycle path today (hey, it's more direct and so quicker than the road), so I tried riding no hands and managed the length of one straight :D Why? Because i've never done it before.
  • Gussio
    Gussio Posts: 2,452
    Sunshine. It is wonderful. That is all.
  • Cafewanda
    Cafewanda Posts: 2,788
    marchant wrote:
    Empty cycle path today (hey, it's more direct and so quicker than the road), so I tried riding no hands and managed the length of one straight :D Why? Because i've never done it before.

    Good for you! I'm too scared to try at the moment. One day.............
  • Salsamander
    Salsamander Posts: 53
    Cafewanda wrote:
    marchant wrote:
    Empty cycle path today (hey, it's more direct and so quicker than the road), so I tried riding no hands and managed the length of one straight :D Why? Because i've never done it before.

    Good for you! I'm too scared to try at the moment. One day.............

    Whenever I get the chance I do the "pretend running" when i'm on my bike, always cheers me up :lol:
  • kurako
    kurako Posts: 1,098
    It's warm and sunny and no-one tried to run me over this morning :D
  • rjsterry
    rjsterry Posts: 29,695
    Cafewanda wrote:
    marchant wrote:
    Empty cycle path today (hey, it's more direct and so quicker than the road), so I tried riding no hands and managed the length of one straight :D Why? Because i've never done it before.

    Good for you! I'm too scared to try at the moment. One day.............

    Whenever I get the chance I do the "pretend running" when i'm on my bike, always cheers me up :lol:

    I once got told off by a police motorcyclist for that. I was riding down the cycle path towards the Welsh side of the Severn Bridge, and he was riding parallel to me on the road. Ironically, he had to take his hand off the handle bars to attract my attention, to tell me to put my hands on the bars. :lol:
    1985 Mercian King of Mercia - work in progress (Hah! Who am I kidding?)
    Pinnacle Monzonite

    Part of the anti-growth coalition
  • Clever Pun
    Clever Pun Posts: 6,778
    At some traffic lights this morning a lorry pulled up next to me and the driver shouted at me "You should slow down mate so I can keep up"
    had a massive shiteating grin on my face the rest of the ride.

    Later on I got stuck behind a bus for a bit but it had a massive advert on it from fantasie ladies lingerie "amazing beauty up to size K".. or something like that was just trying my best not to ride into her giant crotch

    oh yeah the sunshine

    Awesome morning
    Purveyor of sonic doom

    Very Hairy Roadie - FCN 4
    Fixed Pista- FCN 5
    Beared Bromptonite - FCN 14
  • Cafewanda
    Cafewanda Posts: 2,788
    Kurako wrote:
    It's warm and sunny and no-one tried to run me over this morning :D

    +1 :lol:
  • MonkeyMonster
    MonkeyMonster Posts: 4,629
    Clever Pun wrote:
    something like that was just trying my best not to ride into her giant crotch

    :lol:

    That cannot be a bad thing

    Sunny, awesome, sunny, warm, sunny and day off :D
    Le Cannon [98 Cannondale M400] [FCN: 8]
    The Mad Monkey [2013 Hoy 003] [FCN: 4]
  • MadammeMarie
    MadammeMarie Posts: 621
    edited May 2010
    To whoever is planting those lovely flowers on Lansdowne Gardens. Thank you! :)
  • Porgy
    Porgy Posts: 4,525
    This thread is not for me. Not today anyway.
  • Mickey Eye
    Mickey Eye Posts: 590
    Absolutely wonderful ride this morning. Decided to follow Roasties suggestion of freshening my commute by leaving slightly earlier and investigating a slightly longer route that bypasses about 6-7 sets of traffic lights and the one really scary junction.

    RESULT. I am now down to a single set of traffic lights on my entire commute and nearly no heavy traffic, I also get to enjoy views across the harbour and cycle round the old fortress. Absolute bliss. Coupled with the fact that I'm getting a bit more "in tune" with the cyclocross bike (to the point that I totally blitzed past the quite quick MTB pack, led by one roadie) I arrived at work much earlier than expected.

    Job is, as they say, a good 'un.
  • d.n.f
    d.n.f Posts: 61
    Tailwinds and clipping in the first time of asking... everytime!

    8)
  • Mickey Eye
    Mickey Eye Posts: 590
    Ooh yeah, I didn't unclip my entire 7 mile ride either. Was strange realising that when I finished.
  • Kieran_Burns
    Kieran_Burns Posts: 9,757
    Mickey Eye wrote:
    Ooh yeah, I didn't unclip my entire 7 mile ride either. Was strange realising that when I finished and fell over.

    Fixed that for you :wink:
    Chunky Cyclists need your love too! :-)
    2009 Specialized Tricross Sport
    2011 Trek Madone 4.5
    2012 Felt F65X
    Proud CX Pervert and quiet roadie. 12 mile commuter
  • posh_pedaller
    posh_pedaller Posts: 124
    Did a 30-miler yesterday, second time on this route, I've become a bit more confident - 14% hill, 50.5 mph yessiree! Unfortunately some vehicles just insist on sticking to the 30mph speed limit. And I have to corner a bit more bravely at the bottom next time unless I want to mix with the traffic coming the other way.
    FCN 7
    Porridge and coffee - the breakfast of champions
  • Mickey Eye
    Mickey Eye Posts: 590
    Mickey Eye wrote:
    Ooh yeah, I didn't unclip my entire 7 mile ride either. Was strange realising that when I finished and fell over.

    Fixed that for you :wink:

    Haha, yes. Well okay. Maybe once then.
  • DevUK
    DevUK Posts: 299
    My journey home deviates from my journey to work to avoid a nasty hill climb. It adds about a mile on to the home journey but it's a nice route. If I go for the hill I tend to walk it as it's a very busy B road. On the way to work I've noticed that just before the hill there is a gate and a foot path with a sign saying "village 1/2 mile" wondering off into some fields. I'd been thinking about maybe exploring and seeing where it went.

    Yesterday on the way home I noticed another gate and footpath marker on the other side of the hill (and river) just before I'd normally deviate from the "to work" route. I figured "what the hell" and dismounted and went through the gate.

    I spent 30 mins walking my bike (retro fixed totally not suited to off-road) through some stunning meadows along the river bank, chatting to a chap walking his dog about where the path goes and exploring some more. It was so beautiful and relaxing :)
    FCN Daily commute = 11
    FCN Fixie commute = 5
  • Big Wib
    Big Wib Posts: 363
    just realised my new route is 1.5 miles longer than I thought @ 21.5 miles so I've gone from being depressed about my average speed (which I had to work out manually as the computer on my tricross is v.v. basic) was either 16.2 if you include all the stops & taking my bike up the stairs to my office before remembering to stop the clock or c. 18 depending on how much time I take off for stopping at every single traffic en route etc

    :D

    oh and its stopped raining for a while