| Re: Metal flake in brake pad...
On Wed, 12 Jan 2005 15:22:53 -0800, Benjamin Lewis <bclewis@cs.sfu.ca>
wrote:
>jet@jetstream.net wrote:
>
>>
>> I took my bike into the LBS where I purchased it to have them look at a
>> brake pad that was scraping, metal on metal. I thought it was worn down
>> to the metal. Turned out to be a little metal flake in the pad.
>>
>> Guy wanted to write up a ticket and have me leave it over night. They
>> weren't busy - one of the Wrenches was out in the parking lot putting a
>> Yakima rack on the top of his car. And this was two to three hours before
>> closing time.
>>
>> Doesn't that seem excessive? I don't mind paying, but leave it overnight?
>
>Very excessive, unless at the very least they were planning on swapping
>your brake pads for KoolStops, which don't pick up bits of metal.
>
>> I took it across the street and they dug the flake out for free, and even
>> did a once over, checked the brakes, etc. Very nice considering I bought
>> the bike elsewhere. The guy said 'oh no big deal it will only take me 30
>> seconds.
>
>Exactly.
>
>> Also come to find out why my LBS where I got my Trek offers 'free life of
>> the bike tuneups'. They didn't even -do- the tune up on mine last time (I
>> told them to be thorough, I was riding out of town, and I'd even pay for
>> a more thorought check up). The guy apparently just hung the bike up and
>> gave it back to me the next day touching nothing on it. All the same
>> little adjustment problems were still there. The LBS across the street
>> spent 10 minutes checking everything after digging the flake out - didn't
>> want me to leave without a safe ride.
>>
>> Guess I won't be going back there.
>
>Sounds like a wise choice, especially with a much better store right across
>the street!
I just hate having to leave the place where I bought the bike. Everyone
says they're snobs, even my wife volunteered that and she went there a year
ago by herself to get me a gift. <sigh>
Truth is, if their only perk 'the free tuneups for life' consist of hanging
the bike on a hook, then I've lost nothing. I'd like to buy a Trek, but I'm
now changing my mind. In fact I was going to look seriously at a Trek 1000
or 1200 while he worked on it - I've been putting it off for a month - I
have the money, but they just don't want to sell me a bike.
They have been 'nice' enough to me on rare occasions, but they're also
randomly pissy. This guy even apologized to me for the last time he was
pissy. Seems like he likes his job OK, but never calls me by name, though I
went the extra mile and learned his name. They're definitely the poster
children for how NOT to run a LBS. They made me leave the bike for several
hours to over night for minor, minor things - adjust brakes, true a spoke,
adjust deraileurs - and charged me for all those things 'shop time'.
The thing is should I tell the owner? Heck he's the worst of all...when he
assembled my bike, I asked him to show me how to adjust the hand brakes. He
just pointed at them and said turn that. I had to say 'turn what?' and he
points again, and I said 'can you come over here and demonstrate, I'm not
following you, there's lots of 'stuff' on the handlebars...and I've not
owned a bike for 20 years'. He still wouldn't do it. I kept holding on for
the 'free tune ups', but when I finally realized they don't actually -do-
anything...it's weird, because I kep having the feeling of insecurity and
doubt when I took the bike home, but couldn't put my finger on it. The
wrench said he rode it around the parking lot after fixing a problem, but I
just couldn't believe him. He's like too lazy to even walk to the front of
the store to show me a bike, or get it down from the upper rack for me the
one time I asked. "Oh, I don't have a step stool, I can't reach it".
<shaking head>
The owner stopped me in the middle of a question while I was writing my
check for the bike and walked up to the front of the store to look at a guy
who came in to look at the water bottles. I mean I understand going to
welcome the customers, but to cut me off in the middle of a sentence?
I should have walked out right then and would have if I had known what PiBs
they turned out to be.
jj
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