What's wrong with bike shops?

Autumn leaves, in hordes, tumbled along the road towards me; it was as if I was up high looking down on crowds of people fleeing some kind of disaster or tidal wave. They were being pushed along by a gusty wind and followed on from a night of persistent rain that left huge, black puddles, including one especially large one in my local railway station's car park. I was on my way to work and as I walked along the road towards a much later train than normal, I found myself fretting about my lack of cycling. Things had tailed off considerably. Last Sunday was my one and only ride this week. The week before it was a similar story, just one ride and now, looking ahead at the coming week, it's looking pretty shaky. Today I ride to Sutton. It's around six miles and will give me a weekly total of something like 28 miles. Even when I was putting in decent mileage (around 71 miles) it was a step down from the 80+ miles I had been covering, and of late that had dropped to 60+ plus miles as I juggled work with riding. Up until recently, a routine of sorts had fallen into place: Monday to Wednesday at work, a Washpond Weeble on Thursday and Friday and a longer ride on Saturday culminating in a pleasant half hour people watching from the warmth of a Costa Coffee in Westerham. However, over the past fortnight that routine has flown out of the window, thanks in large part to the hassles associated with not having a central heating boiler. That little problem has since been fixed.

Cycle King Croydon: I smell a rat

You may ask why I am visiting Sutton on my bike on a Friday morning. Well, for a start, I have the day off. In fact, I have every Friday off until virtually the end of the year, and also Mondays. I'll be on three-day weeks from next week, which, I suppose, is all good news for cycling. But I digress, why am I riding to Sutton? I am riding to Evans Cycles where my bike is booked in for a £60 service. They say I'll have it back within 48 hours. I've warned them that the rear braking system needs some attention, there's a nasty scraping noise whenever I pull up the brake and I'm told that the shoes are worn down and I might have damaged the disc. "You might even need a new brake!" exclaimed the manager of Cycle King in Croydon, immediately arousing my suspicion last Sunday when I rode down there to ask them to fit new brake shoes, thinking that was the sole cause of my problems. But of course I wasn't going to get away with it that easily. He even said I'd have to go online and buy the discs myself as they were having supply issues with Shimano. I smelt a rat and initially considered Ross Cycles in Caterham, but then found there was an Evans Cycles store in Sutton. Ross had done a brilliant job servicing my bike last year so I thought I'd repeat the process, but my bike is now dangerous to ride (as I discovered when I rode down Slines Oak Road last Sunday morning). In essence it doesn't stop. Sutton is a flatter journey, no huge hills, like the one heading down towards Whyteleafe from Warlingham School otherwise known as Tithepit Shaw Lane. So I booked an appointment for 1030hrs this morning. I'm told they'll take up to 48 hours to return the bike to me (depending on parts) and I'm betting they're going to say they haven't got this or that - probably those Shimano discs, who knows? In other words, I'll be another week without much in the way of riding and I'm going to have to grin and bear it.

Evans Cycles, Sutton: no qualified mechanics?

I rode around 12 miles to Sutton and back, unrecorded by Strava as my phone was out of power. It was cold out, I wasn't wearing any gloves, but I did have thick cords over my cycling shorts and a fairly heavy fleece over a tee-shirt. Once I'd got going I warmed up. There were a few hills, notably Hayling Park Road, but nothing I couldn't deal with, and I had to endure fairly busy, heavy traffic there and back. I arrived at Evans Cycles around 10 minutes later than scheduled, but they hadn't noticed and business seemed fairly slow, making me wonder how long the shop would exist as there were plenty of bikes of all shapes and sizes and I was the only customer. I explained my problem to somebody I assumed was the manager, a nice chap who was willing to be of assistance and offer helpful information. The bike had been booked in for a £60 bronze service and I'd made remarks online that the brakes needed sorting out, probably new pads and also a new disc, but it all depended on what they suggested. The first problem was a lack of properly trained bike mechanics, which meant that all I could have was a bronze service, which was what I had asked for, but the guy checked the brakes and suggested that with the potential problems that lurked with my rear brake I'd be better off having a silver service in another store (either Wimbledon or Clapham where they have trained mechanics) as they would do all that was needed in terms of fixing other stuff (he said I'd definitely need a new chain and block) and then sorting the brakes out on top. I still don't quite understand this. I wanted the brakes fixed and a bronze service, but, he suggested a silver service by qualified mechanics but in another store. Why? Because for the £60 I'd get all the work done (gears etc) and then the brakes would be extra on top, whereas a bronze service only really skims the surface and I'd end up paying more because with the silver service the chain and block would be done as part of the deal and then any issues with the brakes would be extra. He estimated over £100 in total. My brain was now working overtime. Surely, if they gave me a new chain and block as part of a silver service I would still have to pay for the parts? So why couldn't the same thing be done with the bronze service? It probably could, I'm guessing, but the Sutton store didn't have 'proper' mechanics, whereas Clapham and Wimbledon outlets do and they'd be capable of carrying out the silver service, fixing the block and the brakes... I still don't get it, but he wasn't trying to rip me off, he was, in fact, turning business away and telling me to take it to another store, get the whole lot seen to by trained mechanics and not messed around with by enthusiastic amateurs. But what if I'd just come in off the street and asked for new brake pads? What then? Surely his rank amateurs could fit new brake shoes, something I would have done at home had I known how to. So I cycled all the way home again, a 12-mile round trip, braving the intense traffic and getting home a few minutes before noon. Now what?

Well, Clapham would be easy in terms of getting the bike to the store, it's a train ride from Sanderstead and then a short ride on the bike, past Arding & Hobbs and through Clapham High Street. I'd find it. Or, I could ride it to Caterham and Ross Cycles where I know for a fact that my bike's needs would be understood. Oddly, I'm tempted to go for Evans Cycles in Clapham, in fact, I'm about to check both options out again online. Had my bike been accepted by Evans in Sutton today, of course, I would have kissed goodbye to riding the bike this weekend.

Book an assessment, not a service

I have revisited the Evans website with a view to booking a silver service in the Clapham store, but I'm worried. The site says I can book an appointment and the store will tell me what sort of service they recommend for the bike. That's not the same as requesting a silver service and then accepting that the brakes will be fixed and all will be well. What if they suggest I have a Gold service and I don't want to spend the money? I would have to walk away.

Bike shops are beginning to annoy me as I believe, for example, that a Gold service will likely set me back the best part of £200, which is not far off half the price I paid for the bike new, which, no doubt, will prompt the suggestion, "you might as well buy a new bike!" which I fell for the last time when I tried to get my old Kona Scrap serviced. "You might as well buy a new bike!" I still have my Kona in the garage, unserviced from over four years ago when I was told that a new bike would be the best option. I made a point of not buying a new bike from the two shops who suggested it (Cycle King and the now defunct Cycle Republic).

Walking away with an unfixed bike

Why is it that I can no longer walk into a bike shop and say that my rear brake needs fixing without a load of cryptic clap trap that leaves me confused and not knowing what to do? These days I tend to walk away from bike shops with an unfixed bike rather than a fixed one. So far, over the past week, I have done just that: I walked away from Cycle King in Croydon and today from Evans in Sutton.

To me it is crystal clear that my rear brake isn't working (it's hard to stop!) and needs to be fixed. It certainly needs new brake pads so why can't they simply fix it?

Sticking with an independent bike shop

I have decided to stick with the bike shop that did such a good job on my bike last year, Ross Cycles of Caterham. Why I thought I'd try Evans Cycles and Cycle King, I don't know. The very thought of another cryptic conversation with Evans Cycles, this time in Clapham, and walking away (for a third time in under a week) with an unfixed bike was just too much to bear. I'm dropping the bike off tomorrow morning and we'll see what takes place.

Tomorrow has arrived and the ride to Caterham was fine, just under six miles and no major hills to contend with. I arrived around 1030hrs and handed over my bike to Ross Cycles. He took it in and told me it would be ready by Tuesday. Fine. That's what I want to hear. None of the rubbish spouted by the likes of Cycle King, Evans Cycles and the others. Yes, Ross will call me to say it's going to cost X or Y, I'm expecting that, but at least I've not walked away with an unfit bike, it's been taken in for repair, I have metaphorically 'handed over the keys' and I know roughly when it's going to be ready for collection. Thank you, Ross Cycles of Caterham.

Lockdown, Part 29: Getting the bike back from the shop...

I've had a week without the bike. A whole week of not cycling. And while I said in a previous post that a bike equals freedom, there's something free about not having one too. Everytime I started to feel guilty about not getting exercise, I remembered that I didn't have a bike and, therefore, it didn't matter. I substituted cycling with walking, but I never kept it up and eventually any kind of fitness regimen I might have thought I had, crumbled around me and I simply got on with being a slob. It's amazing how quickly you forget 'being fit', although I'm guessing that a week out of the saddle is meaningless in terms of 'losing fitness'. That said, I think it's the case that when you stop exercising you very quickly find yourself out of condition. The downwards spiral develops quicker than the upwards one, I'm told, which is, of course, the essence of Sod's Law, like when you drop a slice of toast it always lands butter side down. The only thing I did notice about not exercising, having cycled almost daily since lockdown, is that I get depressed quicker than when I was keeping fit. It's easier to despair and to think the worst and to fall off the happiness stall when you're not generating endorphins or whatever is that exercise generates. I feel like I haven't been writing as much either, certainly not this blog and, to be fair, not anything else.

You can see my bike resting against the window

I was beginning to wonder whether or not I'd get the bike back. The guy in the store said he'd email me, but he didn't so eventually I called and there appears to have been some kind of confusion based on somebody else having an identical bike, it wasn't clear, but yes, my bike was ready and I could pick it up tomorrow (Saturday). "But wait until I send you an email," he said, although I didn't. I called again and he said come round now, so I did. He was shutting up shop at 1300hrs and when I looked at the clock that's exactly what time it was. "Are you sure?" He said yes, he'd be there faffing around for a while so I drove over there, it's just under six miles, with all the family in the car so that somebody could get the car back as I rode home.

What had been done? Well, the brakes for a start, they were main reason it went in, but I asked for a bronze service and a clean too, might as well keep the bike looking neat and tidy, I thought. The brakes were fixed but there had been some scoring of the disc, which he said we ought to keep a watch on. I was expecting him to replace the disc, but he didn't. There was also a new chain and block and that was it. The bike is four this year (I bought it in October 2016, it's a long story) so a service was on the cards. I paid up an additional £54, added to the £61 I'd already paid for the bronze service and clean and off I went. It was good to be back on the bike and I must say that it rode well. I'd go further and say it was like riding a new bike. While the ride over was 5.7 miles, the ride back was 7.1 miles and this was largely due to me getting lost. I followed the road left from the bike shop and then took a left and thought I'd pass the Esso garage that I use as a landmark, but no, I didn't. In fact I'm not sure where I ended up. I stopped, turned around and cycled past the bike shop again, past the big Tesco on my left and then hung a right at the lights and rode towards Auckland Road (where my pal Dave used to live) and headed towards Whyteleafe Hill, from where all was fine. The ride back involves a killer hill, Tithepit Shaw Lane, but like everything in life it's not that bad when you're doing it. I managed to escape the rain, which was good, as it was raining when we left in the car. It took me 40 minutes, whereas the outward ride had taken me 38 minutes. It's little facts like these that make having the Strava app on the phone so worthwhile.

The outward ride to the bike shop

And now it's Sunday morning and the sun is shining out there. I've thought about going early, like in the olden days pre-lockdown, and I still might go early, but the plan is to ride out later, at around 1000hrs and meet Andy at the Churchyard for 11am. Going back to my rides with silly names (see previous post) this means the Churchyard Chuffer, a straight ride along the 269 and then Clarks Lane that covers 15.5 miles. I'd thought about going earlier, riding to the lakes, but no, not today, possibly next week and possibly earlier, get the riding out of the way early.

Next week I'll hopefully get back into the stride of things with a few Ledgers Double Loops, the odd Washpond Womble and possibly even a Beech Farm Bastard, we'll see. I've just eaten breakfast (no-sugar Alpen with black grapes and sliced strawberries thrown in plus a cup of decaff tea. All is quiet at 0710hrs, I haven't put the radio on. The sun is filtering through the curtains, it's around 12 degrees out there and the weather has cooled down since the heat of last week. I took Thursday off and drove to the beach where I swam in the sea, the first time since Copacabana Beach in 2015. The sea was warm and I stayed in for around 30 minutes, it was wonderful. As always I wish I'd been staying down there for the night so I could repeat the process the following morning, but no, I had to drive home, which is always a bit of a pain.

The lockdown is being eased some more. By July 4th the pubs will re-open, there are already more cars on the road and things are (sadly in so many ways) returning to normal. It was great having hardly any cars on the road, but now they're back and I'm hoping all this talk about more cycle lanes is not just hot air. People have started to talk about going back to working in an office and to be honest it doesn't bother me. The worst thing about the current set-up is that I'm stuck in the house ALL day, that's why I'm exercising daily on the bike, to keep fit and active. I won't say I'm not getting bored with it. 

Mowing the lawn was one substitute for riding the bike

I meant to take two days off last week, but only took one, so I might take my second day next week. The weather's not as good next week, but I'm going to keep an eye out for the sun and if it materialises I'll quickly arrange some annual leave and possibly head for the beach again.

This week and last week

Last week, possibly Sunday, I can't recall, we rode to the Tatsfield Bus Stop, mainly because the bus stop is covered and this means the seats are dry when the weather is been cold and wet. However, not having mudguards meant that I was wet so from my perspective it was pointless; we could have gone to Westerham and stood up to drink our tea. Either way I would have been wet. I need mudguards or a sensible bike, let's face it.

So, we rode to the bus stop on, I think, Sunday 9 November. We haven't spent a great deal of time at the old Tatsfield Bus Stop of late. We've been riding to Westerham or taking suburban rides or, as the week before last, to the Tatsfield Churchyard where the seats were dry but then it started to rain and, as avid readers will be only too aware, there's no cover at the churchyard.

This week we planned to ride to the Tatsfield Bus Stop, mainly because of the aforementioned dry seat argument, which, as I've said, means nothing if you're wet anyway, thanks to no mudguards. But I won't labour the point.

Last Sunday at Tatsfield Bus Stop

Yesterday, as we rode along the Limpsfield Road, past the new cycle shop opposite Sainsbury's, we decided to take the slow route, until we remembered the state of my gears. Whenever I ride up any hill they slip and clunk and then the chain falls off or slips on to the smaller front crank. The bike needs a service, but, as always, money is short so, like everything else in my life at present, I leave it until it gets so bad I have to fix it. Like now. However, today I had to make do with dismounting every time a hill approached. Yesterday morning, as I reached the top of Church Way, I had to dismount and then, as we weaved our way around the country lanes adjacent to the B269, I found myself dismounting again and again.

Instead of riding the slow way to the bus stop – Andy figured I'd be walking the length of Beddlestead Lane (a long and winding hill) – we decided to investigate Scotshall Lane, one of the very few roads in the area we haven't explored. It was pleasant for a while, but when we reached the end we found ourselves in the Farleigh area (turn left for the Harrow pub and then?). Opposite the pub we found a covered bus stop but it was so depressing and cramped with its fold-up, heavy duty plastic seats and its ugly green paintwork that we decided to ride back into Warlingham and part ways at Warlingham Green – without drinking tea or munching biscuits. Not a brilliant ride but at least we know what to expect at the other end of Scotshall Lane – nothing!

To make matters worse (what with the faulty gears, the rubbish bus stop and the short ride) it started to rain and we both got soaked.

Last night I had sent Andy and Phil an 'abort' text. I was tired and feeling a little despondent, but I texted Andy and said that I might change my mind in the morning. Clearly, if you have read this far, you already know that I did change my mind. I texted Andy again and said I'd meet him at the usual time on the green. Perhaps I should have stayed in bed.

Sunday 16th November – to Tatsfield Village!
Another place we haven't been to for a while is good old Tatsfield Village. After yesterday's miserable ride, we decided to pay it a visit. The weather was much better: no rain for a start and it brightened up as we headed along the 269. Perfect cycling weather and, once I'd got underway there were no problems with the gears. I found that the bike rode well if the chain was on the smaller crank at the front and mid-way through the rear gears.

Tatsfield Village hasn't changed a bit since our last visit – why would it, I hear you ask.  It's the same old, same old, so we sat there for a while discussing our bikes and my gears and other bicycle-related chat as we sipped tea and munched our biscuits.

Tatsfield Village, Sunday 16 November 2014 – 

manic expression due to almost missing the self-timer

The journey home proved very troublesome for yours truly. Those gears decided to play up big time. In fact, there was no way the chain was going to slip on to the larger front crank, making the ride home extremely slow. Andy must have been relieved to say goodbye half way along the 269. As for me, I limped home at a snail's pace. Despite the fact that we only went to Tatsfield Village, I reached home just before 1000hrs – half an hour later than I would have returned had we gone to Westerham (and my gears had been working properly).

So the bike needs to visit the repair shop and I'm thinking of Ross Cycles in Caterham. I can't abide the thought of Halford's. Every time I've taken my bike to Halford's it comes out worse than when it went in or there's something wrong with it. For instance, the last time I had it serviced in Halford's they did something to the forks – making them more springy than necessary and, it has to be said, for their own ends, not mine! I'd told them to tighten up the front forks; they loosened them – probably so they could mess around doing jumps in the car park. Either way, I wasn't happy and resolved there and then never to get the bike serviced in Halford's again. I'm also a little reticient about Evans Cycles (where they're bound to come up with some spurious reason why they have to charge me a fortune. Equally off the list is the bike shop in Redhill as I believe he's miles too expensive and probably suggests things that need doing when they don't. I wouldn't mind, but I'm at rock bottom financially. I've even considered buying a secondhand bike for £75 rather than shell out more on getting my existing bike serviced. Andy says it would be a big mistake – a false economy – as a cheaper ride means cheaper parts and cheaper parts mean more frequent servicing. It's looking like Ross Cycles, but that means no riding next Saturday or Sunday, although I can live with that. The only problem will be getting over there as the ride is hilly and the bike ain't up to it.