Character Is Important

Not just for people, but with any business.  Bike shops in particular should have character, according to my limited research anyway.  In this day and age when you can click your mouse, enter credit card information, and have new bike shit show up on your doorstep a few days later, having a bike shop that actually gives a damn about their customers means a lot.  It can mean the difference between staying in business and closing their doors forever, actually.

I’ve visited lots of bike shops.  I’ve been to everything here locally, and after eight years of shopping around I only frequent one here in Charlotte.  This post isn’t about them, so I won’t mention the name right now (take a gander over there to the right to see which one.)  Anyway, that means the rest of them will never get my money unless I desperately need something that I can’t get at “my” shop.  I also make a point to visit other shops when I go to different cities, and some of them are pretty cool.  Some however, could stand a lesson in customer service.

You ever go to a store and feel like an asshole because you didn’t buy something?  Went somewhere with your hard-earned cash just to be told that bike (or whatever) isn’t what you want? 

You know, “You really need to be on the super duper new XP2000 fatbike cross jumper crabon full suspension time trial Enduro™ machine.”

Bullshit.  Some customers might fall for that, but if you don’t listen to what a majority of them tell you, it’ll be a matter of time until you’re unemployed and homeless.  “My” shop isn’t like that, and that’s why I go there.  There are lots of others that are good, which brings me to a shop I finally made it to on our camping weekend up in the hills…

Brushy Mountain Bicycles

Recently relocated from downtown Wilkesboro to a spot right next to the awesome trails at the W Kerr Scott Reservoir, this place is pretty damn awesome.  While I was on the way to setup camp, it beckoned me to stop in.

So I did.

Shannon, the proprietor of this establishment, makes you feel right at home the second you stop in.  Although he just moved to this prime location (across from the trails), it’s a real, functioning bike shop.  He said it was a work in progress, but it looked pretty damn good to me.

Walk in, hang out, and don’t feel like you have to buy anything (but, you should.)  He’s happy to help with repairs, parts, new bikes, demos, and even routes for some awesome rides in the area (mountain, road, or even gravel if that’s your thing.)  It’s the kind of shop that you can hang out in, have a beer (it’s legal across the street from federal land), and listen to some music playing over the sound system.  They have inventory from a wide range of bike companies, but the ones that really stood out to me were the local ones.

Like Endless BikeCo. from nearby Asheville, NC:

And DeFeet, just down the road in Hildebran, NC:

To me, that says a lot about a shop here in North Carolina.  But maybe I’m a little biased.  Whatever.

It’s not a bike superchainstore or anything phony like that.  It’s a real shop run by a real bike rider and it shows.  You know that character I was talking about?  It’s right there.  Bike shops like this are few and far between, but this is one of the good ones.  People drive from all over the state (and beyond) to ride the trails in the area, and now there’s a cool shop right there to serve their needs.  It’s worth a stop if you’re in the area for sure.

Besides, you won’t want to miss Sad Eagle out front, leftover from the building’s previous life as a museum.

Sad Eagle is sad.  Stop by and cheer him up.

For realz though, this place is awesome.  If you stop in, tell them I sent you, and ask for the “special” tour. 

It might cost you a beer or something.

Or it could be something I made up.  I imagine things sometimes.

More Good

Back when I built up my new single speed I had a little issue.  I never mentioned it because it wasn’t really important at the time.  Plus, I knew it would be resolved quickly. 

I had to use (gasp) another brand of headset.

I won’t mention the inferior brand here, but it was included with my new frame.  I already had a Cane Creek 110 that was halfway compatible, but since the new head tube was tapered I knew I needed a new bottom bearing.  Plus, I would be temporarily running a non-tapered fork so I would need that fancy reducer crown race thingy.  Before my frame showed up, I ordered a new bottom bearing, crown race, and pieced together with my “old” top assembly I had what I thought was the proper headset.

The bottom bearing was brand new from Cane Creek, and the top cap and bearing was a leftover from a past bike.  When I tried to install it, I just couldn’t get the preload right.  I was frustrated, until I realized (after searching on the Internets) that my new frame had a 42mm inside diameter, and the bearing I was trying to use was 41mm.

See, size does matter.

In my haste, I put the (included with the frame) headset (top part only) on and figured I would get on the horn with Cane Creek to get the necessary part I needed.  I sorta forgot about it, until I looked down at the headset with disgust during a ride last week.  The next morning, I picked up the phone and asked for help.  It seems that the website only listed headsets in the 42mm variety for the Forty Series, and I just had to have a 110.  I told them that I wouldn’t dare use that “other” brand of headset any longer, and I was reassured that I didn’t need to.

They shipped it out moments after I got off the phone, and after a quick trip by the Pony Express down from the hills I can finally get with the program.

 It’s so purdy.

And wouldn’t you know, it went on without any issues.

I guess that’s what happens when you put the right shit on there.

Anyway, other than bragging about putting fancy new shit on my fancy new bike, today’s post is mostly about customer service.  I didn’t do my homework before I built my new bike, but a quick call to a real live person (in my home state even) got my issue resolved lickety split.  Cane Creek 110 headsets are made right here in NC (I swear, I’ve seen them do it), and once again I get to buy local from one of the best companies in the whole wide world of cycling.

I promise they will give you the same level of customer service.  The best headset you can buy (with a 110 year warranty) that’s made right here in the good ol’ U.S. of A. and they actually give a damn about the people that use their products.  Hell, I even got a follow up e-mail to tell me that they hope I enjoy my new bike.

That’s some damn fine service right there.

I Should Be Happy

Remember when I broke my geared frame a while back?

Well, I ended up getting a warranty replacement.  Normally I would’ve mentioned that by now, but I really didn’t feel like talking about it.  I’m not really that excited, and I’ll tell you why.

The company (I won’t mention any names because you can figure out who I’m talking about) has a lifetime warranty on their frames, and since I’ve gone through the warranty process before I knew they would take care of me.  Well, they sorta did, and I got a new bike out of it.

The frame is the same size, make, model, and color, but it is from 2008 (the first year they produced that model.)  Normally it wouldn’t be a big deal, but something was missing when they made the frame that year.

Notice anything?

Or should I say lack of anything?

Although it is an extra large (22”) frame, there isn’t a place to mount a water bottle cage on the seat tube.  Every model from 2009 to the present has two bottle cage mounts, including the 2011 model I was riding.  Normally it wouldn’t be a big deal, but I kinda need two water bottles when I ride.  Plus, since the frame I broke had two, I wanted at least an equal replacement.  So yeah, I think it kinda sucks.

That 2008 must be all they had in stock in my size, and normally I should be happy to have received a replacement at all.  However, the new model years are already showing up on the scene (with two bottle cage mounts like any other bike in that size.)  Also, it looks like they’ve finally addressed the issue of cracking frames at the seat tube/top tube junction.

I’ve broken three of their frames in the same place, and I’m guessing I’m not the only one.  So, I’m thinking that maybe they should’ve sent me the newer model, you know, with its reinforced frame and two bottle cage mounts.  That would’ve made me happy, but it’s too little too late.

I didn’t plan on keeping it anyway.

I’m switching my geared ride to another brand soon, so the plan was to get the cracked frame warrantied and give it to Lunchbox.  He’s a growing boy, and at 6’3” and 220 pounds he needs to move up from a large frame.  He’s pretty happy to be getting a new bike, even if it only has one bottle cage mount.  We can take care of that with a little aftermarket fix anyway.

This post wasn’t supposed to be a bash-fest, because I did have something good to say about the shop I went through for the warranty replacement.  They were helpful, had a quick turnaround time, and charged me a great price for labor.  It wasn’t all good though, because I noticed something when I started to take apart the bike to build it up for my kid.  I had trouble getting one of the bottom bracket cups off, and I couldn’t figure out why. 

When I looked inside, I found the problem.

Somehow, the “shop” bent the cup and it wouldn’t turn.  I’m really not even sure how the hell they got it in there.  So, since I couldn’t get the cup off, it looks like Lunchbox will inherit my crankset too.  I’ll have to get a new one.  Bastards.

So, this whole breaking my frame thing has been shitty.  Couple that with other things I’ve experienced over the last few years and it’s easy to see why I’m jumping ship.

At least my kid is happy, and that’s all that counts.

Maybe tomorrow I'll get some build pics up of his "new" bike.

Unpleasant Surprise

Yep, that’s my truck getting towed. Normally I mostly talk about cycling stuff on here, but today I have to mention my latest adventure.


After running a few errands at lunch time, I started making my way back to work. Suddenly, my truck shut off. It sorta acted like it ran out of gas, but I knew I still had plenty. After several unsuccessful attempts at trying to start it back up, I had no choice but to coast down the hill and find spot to pull over. I didn’t get far enough off the road though (there was no place to pull off), so I sat there in the lane like a goon. I put on my flashers and hopped out to get out of harm’s way.


I whipped out my phone to call AAA (don’t use it very often but I’m glad I have it), but before I could dial some nice citizen stopped to see if he could help. He offered to tow me to a neighborhood, or even give me some gas. I thanked him for his help, but I suspected that my fuel pump had gone out. After making arrangements to have my truck towed to a shop near my house, another guy stopped to help. He was wearing a mechanic’s uniform from a local Chevrolet dealer.


He suspected the same thing as I did (the fuel pump), and crawled under my truck to bang on the fuel tank to try to get it going while I cranked it. He told me where he worked, and that they had the part in stock and could get it done right away. That sounded much better than possibly waiting for days at the other shop (like I have before with our other vehicles), so when the tow truck driver got there I made him change my destination.


I don’t normally promote non-cycling things here, but in this case I will. I ended up at Parks Chevrolet in Huntersville, which coincidentally was less than a mile away. Once upon a time I worked at a GM dealer, so I’ve always been “in the know” about shops and how they do business (and also how to avoid getting ripped off.) They were very friendly there, and really eager to help me get my truck fixed right away.


After checking me in and running a diagnostic, the faulty fuel pump theory was confirmed. They had the part in stock, and they put three of their best mechanics on it to get me back on the road in a hurry.




They gave me a ride back to my office to get my laptop (so I could do a little work while I waited), and told me it would be about two hours. Two hours was not even close. In a little over an hour, I had a new fuel pump installed and I was ready to go. The price wasn’t nearly as high as I expected, and it actually was a little cheaper than what I would have paid at the “other” shop. These guys were all about service, and went above and beyond.


Customer service seems to be a lost art these days. Most businesses (especially auto repair), seem to know that they have you by the balls and can do whatever they want. Not true in this case. I guess that’s why I felt like devoting a whole post to my experience, instead of the usual bike stuff. If you ever have a service need, then don’t hesitate to head on over to Parks. I’m a stickler for customer service, so the fact that I’m recommending any type of business should really mean something.


A new fuel pump wasn’t exactly what I wanted for Christmas, but it was something I definitely needed. I kinda need a vehicle to get back and forth to work, and of course to and from the trail. My truck is a pretty nice vehicle, and this is actually the only issue I’ve had with it. I guess since I spent so much money on my truck though, I may have to hold off on getting those new singlespeed wheels I've had my eye on. Damn it.


Tomorrow I’ll be back with my regularly scheduled cycling junk.

Do I Need A New Wingman?

I didn’t mean to leave y’all hanging yesterday, but I had to cut it short. If your attention span is anything like mine, a big wordy blog post can cause you to lose interest. Okay, I did mean to leave you hanging, but that was only so you would keep coming back here to read my nonsense. I write, you read. It’s simple. When I left off yesterday, I had taken my bike to a local shop, which was suggested to me by the Dirty Party Cycle and the fine folks at Diamondback. The Dirty Party Cycle is a stickler for good customer service, so how could I go wrong?


I headed over to the quaint little town of Lincolnton, North Carolina with my broken bicycle, and hoped for the best. I was prepared for the worst though, when I arrived at Ride-A-Bike Bicycle Shoppe. I had never been there before, so I didn’t expect them to jump all over the chance to help me with my warranty issue. Even though the shop was highly recommended by the DPC, I still thought that there was a chance that I would never ride another full squishy Diamondback again. I reminisced for a moment about my poor little Goose (in it's non-broken form of course.)




The shop was actually pretty cool, and it had that nice home town feeling to it. I was greeted immediately by the owner, Chafin, and he asked what he could do for me. I told him about my bike issue, and that my former shop had closed down. He said to bring my broken bike around to the service entrance, and he would take a look.


I was still pretty nervous at this point, but Chafin made me feel better with his assessment of the broken frame. He said the seatpost height looked fine, and this it was most likely a manufacturer defect. Whew, I thought. He parked the bike in the back and headed over to the phone to call Diamondback. Since they are located in the Seattle area (think about the time difference), the warranty guy wasn’t in the office yet. Chafin left a message, and now I would play the waiting game.


He took down all of my information, the serial number of the bike, and told me not to worry. These things take a little time, so I had to wait. I told him I was heading to Florida for vacation, and that I would call in a few days to see what they would do about my frame. I left the next morning for The Sunshine State, still with the wounded Goose on my mind. Would he be okay in his temporary home?




A few days later, I called up Ride-A-Bike to find out the verdict. Chafin told me that they would indeed do a warranty replacement on the frame, and that it will take a few days for the new one to get there. I told him to proceed, and I would await the next call.


The day after I got back from Florida (last Tuesday), I got a message on my phone that my new bike was ready. I called them back and said I would be right there to pick it up. After a short drive, I arrived at the shop to see my new ride. The fine folks at Diamondback Bicycles had sent me a shiny new 2009 Sortie 3 to replace my 2008 model.



I was so happy to have a new frame, especially since it was nearly identical to my last one. Even though it’s not even close to my favorite color, I really like it. The color is called Metallic Deep Dark Sea Cave Green (WTF?), but it looks really dark so I don’t mind. Since I have an affinity for red, I had to do something about the whole color scheme for this new and improved version of Goose. All of my red accessories had to go, and I replaced everything with black (what I had in the shop.) Lizard Skins chainstay protectors and grips are on every bike here at B-43, so I was happy to have some black components readily available. The red Crank Brothers Candy pedals are still on there though, but the Big Brown Truck should be delivering some new ones any day now.



Everything else was easily replaced, although my headset spacers are not ideal. I had some of the black composite Cane Creek Interlok spacers to put on, but I have requested some shiny black anodized ones from my friends over there in Fletcher, NC. I hope they have heard my pleas for fashion conformity. Luckily, my Awesome Strap has a hint of green, so it compliments the whole “green bike” thing. That color must be a favorite of people in Seattle, or at least one could assume.


So, even though Diamondback Bicycles took care of my warranty issue, I have to give a huge thanks to my new shop, Ride-A-Bike in Lincolnton, NC. The customer service was great, and I was pleased with my new bike build. I’m throwing my support at them from now on, since I was really impressed with the service. I hope you, my legions of followers, will do the same. They’ve been in business since 1981, so I don’t think that they will be closing their doors anytime soon. I’m not easily impressed (unless it involves shiny new bike parts), so it means a lot to me that I found such a great shop. Now it’s time to plan a ride with the new and improved Goose, my Wingman in the Woods.