Metal flake in brake pad... - Page 7 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

01-13-2005, 08:08 PM

In article <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]>,
RonSonic <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].com> writes:

> I work in retail electronics repair and get to carefully
> shut my mouth at customer quirks.

I know what you mean. I used to work in a TV/electronics
repair shop, myself. Don'cha just luv it when customers
come back to pick up their newly repaired TV and ask:
"What was wrong with it?" When I was a tyro front-end guy
I'd end up boring them to death with descriptions of what
a flyback transformer is/does, and what happens when it
goes wonky. My all-time fave was when I got to tell them
we had to replace an IC. Then they'd say: "Oh. I see."

As per Andrew Muzi's policy, we taped replaced defective
parts to the customers' copies of the work orders and gave
them back to them. The customers appreciated that.

One time when I was skeleton-staffing the front end on a
Saturday, a couple came in to pick up their TV -- a wood
cabinet consolette that was heavier than it looked.
After I gruntingly, singlehandedly heaved the weighty SOB
up onto a cart to roll it out to their car, they asked:
"What was wrong with it?" Between heaving breaths I replied:
"Too <gasp, gasp> heavy." Gave 'em a chuckle.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

01-13-2005, 08:23 PM

> I can relate to this. At a local shop where I bought my
> "winter" bike in 2000, I was known as "the guy who rides in
> the winter", with that same tone of amazement and
> condescension you probably heard.
>
> It's never a good idea to laugh at your customers, but if
> you must do it, do it when they aren't there.

Well, what happens when you turn that on its head? In our shop, it's the
customers who laugh at me, because I'm the guy who rides every Tuesday &
Thursday morning, no matter what. Rain, cold, wind... I enjoy laughing at
the absurd (and my customer enjoy laughing at me).

More seriously though, don't expect to ride your bike in the rain and not
have to pay for it. We do have problems from time to time with customers who
believe they ought to be able to ride in a monsoon without worrying about
the effects on their bike. I mean gee, sealed bearings and all, why should
there be a problem? But sealed bearings are designed primarily to keep dust
& crud out, not water (and actually tend to trap water inside them if you
ride through enough). Chains? Yuck. All that grit you pick up from the road
guarantees speedy chain wear, which of course accelerates the wear of cogs &
chainrings. And rims? As long as you don't use your brakes, their fine! But
once you do, you might as well be using sandpaper on them, as the road grit
grinds away your sidewalls to the point that they sometimes actually explode
apart.

So, if possible, save your nicer bike for nicer weather and get something a
bit more pedestrian for use as your rain bike. Something where the parts are
really cheap to replace, and where things don't have to be maintained really
well in order to work.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

01-13-2005, 08:23 PM

> I can relate to this. At a local shop where I bought my
> "winter" bike in 2000, I was known as "the guy who rides in
> the winter", with that same tone of amazement and
> condescension you probably heard.
>
> It's never a good idea to laugh at your customers, but if
> you must do it, do it when they aren't there.

Well, what happens when you turn that on its head? In our shop, it's the
customers who laugh at me, because I'm the guy who rides every Tuesday &
Thursday morning, no matter what. Rain, cold, wind... I enjoy laughing at
the absurd (and my customer enjoy laughing at me).

More seriously though, don't expect to ride your bike in the rain and not
have to pay for it. We do have problems from time to time with customers who
believe they ought to be able to ride in a monsoon without worrying about
the effects on their bike. I mean gee, sealed bearings and all, why should
there be a problem? But sealed bearings are designed primarily to keep dust
& crud out, not water (and actually tend to trap water inside them if you
ride through enough). Chains? Yuck. All that grit you pick up from the road
guarantees speedy chain wear, which of course accelerates the wear of cogs &
chainrings. And rims? As long as you don't use your brakes, their fine! But
once you do, you might as well be using sandpaper on them, as the road grit
grinds away your sidewalls to the point that they sometimes actually explode
apart.

So, if possible, save your nicer bike for nicer weather and get something a
bit more pedestrian for use as your rain bike. Something where the parts are
really cheap to replace, and where things don't have to be maintained really
well in order to work.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

01-13-2005, 08:23 PM

> I can relate to this. At a local shop where I bought my
> "winter" bike in 2000, I was known as "the guy who rides in
> the winter", with that same tone of amazement and
> condescension you probably heard.
>
> It's never a good idea to laugh at your customers, but if
> you must do it, do it when they aren't there.

Well, what happens when you turn that on its head? In our shop, it's the
customers who laugh at me, because I'm the guy who rides every Tuesday &
Thursday morning, no matter what. Rain, cold, wind... I enjoy laughing at
the absurd (and my customer enjoy laughing at me).

More seriously though, don't expect to ride your bike in the rain and not
have to pay for it. We do have problems from time to time with customers who
believe they ought to be able to ride in a monsoon without worrying about
the effects on their bike. I mean gee, sealed bearings and all, why should
there be a problem? But sealed bearings are designed primarily to keep dust
& crud out, not water (and actually tend to trap water inside them if you
ride through enough). Chains? Yuck. All that grit you pick up from the road
guarantees speedy chain wear, which of course accelerates the wear of cogs &
chainrings. And rims? As long as you don't use your brakes, their fine! But
once you do, you might as well be using sandpaper on them, as the road grit
grinds away your sidewalls to the point that they sometimes actually explode
apart.

So, if possible, save your nicer bike for nicer weather and get something a
bit more pedestrian for use as your rain bike. Something where the parts are
really cheap to replace, and where things don't have to be maintained really
well in order to work.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

01-13-2005, 09:11 PM

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:UOHFd.11136
>
> More seriously though, don't expect to ride your bike in
the rain and not
> have to pay for it. We do have problems from time to time
with customers who
> believe they ought to be able to ride in a monsoon without
worrying about
> the effects on their bike. ...
>
> So, if possible, save your nicer bike for nicer weather
and get something a
> bit more pedestrian for use as your rain bike. Something
where the parts are
> really cheap to replace, and where things don't have to be
maintained really
> well in order to work.
>
This advice applies in spades to a winter bike ridden where
there is road salt.
That's why I bought the "winter bike". I wanted sealed
bearings, fenders, the ability to put on wide studded tires
if necessary, etc., and a bike I wouldn't mourn if it was
stolen or worn out after a few years. A used bike would
have been ideal, but my old winter bike had deteriorated
after 7 winters and I'd run out of patience finding a used
bike in my size.

You are certainly right that sealed bearings are no panacea.
I purposely bought this winter bike with a sealed bottom
bracket, but the BB needed replacement one year later,
probably due to salt. The cost was an "ouch" relative to the
cost of older, more primitive systems that I could maintain
myself.

01-13-2005, 09:11 PM

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:UOHFd.11136
>
> More seriously though, don't expect to ride your bike in
the rain and not
> have to pay for it. We do have problems from time to time
with customers who
> believe they ought to be able to ride in a monsoon without
worrying about
> the effects on their bike. ...
>
> So, if possible, save your nicer bike for nicer weather
and get something a
> bit more pedestrian for use as your rain bike. Something
where the parts are
> really cheap to replace, and where things don't have to be
maintained really
> well in order to work.
>
This advice applies in spades to a winter bike ridden where
there is road salt.
That's why I bought the "winter bike". I wanted sealed
bearings, fenders, the ability to put on wide studded tires
if necessary, etc., and a bike I wouldn't mourn if it was
stolen or worn out after a few years. A used bike would
have been ideal, but my old winter bike had deteriorated
after 7 winters and I'd run out of patience finding a used
bike in my size.

You are certainly right that sealed bearings are no panacea.
I purposely bought this winter bike with a sealed bottom
bracket, but the BB needed replacement one year later,
probably due to salt. The cost was an "ouch" relative to the
cost of older, more primitive systems that I could maintain
myself.

01-13-2005, 09:11 PM

"Mike Jacoubowsky" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:UOHFd.11136
>
> More seriously though, don't expect to ride your bike in
the rain and not
> have to pay for it. We do have problems from time to time
with customers who
> believe they ought to be able to ride in a monsoon without
worrying about
> the effects on their bike. ...
>
> So, if possible, save your nicer bike for nicer weather
and get something a
> bit more pedestrian for use as your rain bike. Something
where the parts are
> really cheap to replace, and where things don't have to be
maintained really
> well in order to work.
>
This advice applies in spades to a winter bike ridden where
there is road salt.
That's why I bought the "winter bike". I wanted sealed
bearings, fenders, the ability to put on wide studded tires
if necessary, etc., and a bike I wouldn't mourn if it was
stolen or worn out after a few years. A used bike would
have been ideal, but my old winter bike had deteriorated
after 7 winters and I'd run out of patience finding a used
bike in my size.

You are certainly right that sealed bearings are no panacea.
I purposely bought this winter bike with a sealed bottom
bracket, but the BB needed replacement one year later,
probably due to salt. The cost was an "ouch" relative to the
cost of older, more primitive systems that I could maintain
myself.

01-13-2005, 09:21 PM

On Fri, 14 Jan 2005 04:23:16 +0000, Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:

> So, if possible, save your nicer bike for nicer weather and get something a
> bit more pedestrian for use as your rain bike. Something where the parts are
> really cheap to replace, and where things don't have to be maintained really
> well in order to work.

Oh you mean a single speed with fenders? :P

I rode a derailleured bike for the first time in a few years most of the
last summer, having ridden either singles or internal gears for many
years, and while I was impressed by the modern cassettes and chains
marvelous shifting--one rain ride was all it took to necessitate a
thorough cleaning.

With my fendered single I've done 10 sloppy rides in
the last two weeks and the chain still looks just fine. It does help to
get the fender as close to the tire as possible in the BB area though, or
spray will indeed grot up the moving bits, most fenders need a little help
tightening up this clearance, but that's why we have zip ties and other
such doohickys.

01-13-2005, 09:21 PM

On Fri, 14 Jan 2005 04:23:16 +0000, Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:

> So, if possible, save your nicer bike for nicer weather and get something a
> bit more pedestrian for use as your rain bike. Something where the parts are
> really cheap to replace, and where things don't have to be maintained really
> well in order to work.

Oh you mean a single speed with fenders? :P

I rode a derailleured bike for the first time in a few years most of the
last summer, having ridden either singles or internal gears for many
years, and while I was impressed by the modern cassettes and chains
marvelous shifting--one rain ride was all it took to necessitate a
thorough cleaning.

With my fendered single I've done 10 sloppy rides in
the last two weeks and the chain still looks just fine. It does help to
get the fender as close to the tire as possible in the BB area though, or
spray will indeed grot up the moving bits, most fenders need a little help
tightening up this clearance, but that's why we have zip ties and other
such doohickys.

01-13-2005, 09:21 PM

On Fri, 14 Jan 2005 04:23:16 +0000, Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:

> So, if possible, save your nicer bike for nicer weather and get something a
> bit more pedestrian for use as your rain bike. Something where the parts are
> really cheap to replace, and where things don't have to be maintained really
> well in order to work.

Oh you mean a single speed with fenders? :P

I rode a derailleured bike for the first time in a few years most of the
last summer, having ridden either singles or internal gears for many
years, and while I was impressed by the modern cassettes and chains
marvelous shifting--one rain ride was all it took to necessitate a
thorough cleaning.

With my fendered single I've done 10 sloppy rides in
the last two weeks and the chain still looks just fine. It does help to
get the fender as close to the tire as possible in the BB area though, or
spray will indeed grot up the moving bits, most fenders need a little help
tightening up this clearance, but that's why we have zip ties and other
such doohickys.