Road Cycling Essentials

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Here's my letter to the powers that be. Is this reasonable or a bit rude?

My issues with this shelter are thus:

First, the shelter does not actually shelter the bikes in it. A piece of corrugated plastic that barely covers the full length of a bicycle will not shelter the bike from rain, snow, etc, nor will the few bushes around it. Seriously.

Bicycle components rust and rot. I spend a reasonable amount of time per week maintaning the moving parts on my bicycle, including a clean down of all mechanical parts in the drive train and brakes, and two-tone lubricating of the drive train (that is to say a thin light oil to seal the chain and cassette and then a heavier grease to keep dirt out). Leaving a bicycle out to wintery conditions is also not good for the saddle. I hate to mention prices but looking at the most recent service of my bicycle, the new chain was £40, and two new chainrings amounted to £32. The saddle incidentally cost £120. I realise that these are running costs I incurr myself, but the company are not going to reimburse/replace parts that have been damaged because the bicycle has to be left outside are they?

Secondly, the shelter is not secure. By which I mean there are nothing
resembling anchor bolts in the floor. For me to use a bicycle shelter it
REQUIRES anchor bolts - this is both something I would prefer, and it is
also sadly something my bicycle insurance stipulates. The wooden bars
are all well and good with a reasonable d-lock/chain, but lets face it,
they could be kicked off in a matter of seconds, or taken too with a
hacksaw/saw in no time at all, rendering the most expensive lock rather
moot. My bicycle is not insured in that shelter which means I cannot leave it there.

The bike shelter is very close to the road, and is not covered by CCTV cameras, nor is it anywhere that gets regular 'surveillance' from within the office. Plus there are no lights (I'm not sure if these are going to be installed at a later time or not), so actually using in the dark could be quite dangerous, (if not lethal for Will!), given the head height of the corrugated plastic roof.

Thirdly, the ground is not even, and especially as we are heading into winter it is going to be pretty lethal with bicycle shoes on it, I realise this is a bit picky but health and safety and all that.

Fourthly, there are two of us that cycle here. Is it really too much to ask that both of us be consulted on what we might require from a bike shelter?

I'm not trying to be difficult - I realise it probably seems otherwise - but these are pretty fundamental issues to me that could have been sorted before spending any money on a bike shelter that isn't really quite fit for purpose.
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Sorry for the odd looking paragraphs, copy and pasted from thunderbird..
 
I wouldn't mention the cost of bits, might give them the impression they pay you too much....

Also, where do you get two chain rings for £32? My ultegra ones cost more than that each.

Other than that, seems reasonable, if a bit informal but that's a cultural thing and depends on the organisation.
 
I was just pulling the figures out of the air as I couldn't remember how much it cost.

I tried keeping it informal because it's to the bosses daughter - which probably means I'm on a hiding to nothing.
 
Hey all, does anyone know if Halfords offer a service that change bearings? Also I want them to upgrade my rear wheel gears from 6 to 7 speed (I've got the cassette and new shifter). About how much will they charge?

EDIT:Also whats the procedure for taking something to them? Do I need an appointment or just take my bike straight to them
 
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Temi_D said:
Hey all, does anyone know if Halfords offer a service that change bearings? Also I want them to upgrade my rear wheel gears from 6 to 7 speed (I've got the cassette and new shifter). About how much will they charge?

EDIT:Also whats the procedure for taking something to them? Do I need an appointment or just take my bike straight to them
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They should do it, but not sure what the quality will be like; they aren't known for their highly trained mechanics although it does differ from store to store. As far as I know you usually need to book.
 
Well it was flipping cold last night. Even with full length tights, shorts on top, gloves and a fleece I only warmed up near the end of my ride home.

I've been riding around with the fixed gear a bit more, recently. I'm really liking it and I think I'm going to invest in some nice alloy 700c wheels with a flip flop hub, so I can use 700c size tyres. I was considering lacing up some rims to my existing hubs, but the hub I've got is 40 holes, which has seriously restricted my choice.
 
Saundie said:
I was going to see if I can get some brackets from another set of mudguards to mount onto the frame, in order to give the Roadracers something to attach to. You may well receive an email when this inevitably fails :)
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I'm going to be really cheeky and ask if you managed to get them on the bike in the end? :D

If you did, how are you finding them anyway?
 
One More Solo said:
I'm going to be really cheeky and ask if you managed to get them on the bike in the end? :D

If you did, how are you finding them anyway?
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I've not been able to figure out a way of lashing them to the bike yet, though I haven't touched the bike in over three weeks so I've not had any real motivation to try. Realistically they're not going to work though, and they're too narrow for my other bikes... still want them?
 
Saundie said:
I've not been able to figure out a way of lashing them to the bike yet, though I haven't touched the bike in over three weeks so I've not had any real motivation to try. Realistically they're not going to work though, and they're too narrow for my other bikes... still want them?
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Yeah, I'd definitely take them. :D I'll drop you an email tomorrow about them- desperate for bed at the moment. :)
 
oddjob62 said:
Man i'm lucky i don't have the space or i would have about 8 bikes by now... another two being sold on lfgss that i waaaaant :mad:
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im up to 3 bikes now, well 2 and 1/2.
Need to loose the MTB for a hybrid and rebuild the recumbent once i get my garage back.
The 1/2 is slowly becoming nothing as it donates bits to other bikes.

Sure the correct number of bikes you need is N+1 ;)
 
Started wearing a buff recently and it works a treat keeping your face a little a bit warmer. Only problem I have is that whenever I stop at lights, the heat from my breath fogs over my sunglasses :(. Any ideas to combat this problem?
 
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