What annoys you about cycling.

[Mr Gearchange]

Cycling - it's fantastic isn't it?
However invariably there are going to be things that wind people up so use this as an cathartic thread to air your grievances.

Here are mine;

Wheel sizes - a fairly recent division line in MTB - 262/27.5"/29". The rule seems to be 'pick a wheel size then be a complete dick about it'. Pointless as the industry will no doubt settle on 27.5 in the end.

"I'd ride that on a Hardtail". Oh do fk off. Anytime anyone asks a question on any forum about buying a full susser there is always someone who turns up to tell them that they don't need a FS bike and that they could ride <insert trail> on a hardtail. It doesn't matter whether the trail in question is Bike Park Wales, Fort Bill or Rampage - some hero will always suggest they could slay it on their 1998 Claude Butler.
I've seen these HT riders on DH tracks. They creep down like nancies and slow everyone up. Yes you can ride it - but you ride it really, really badly and it would be so much more fun on a FS bike. I could lap Silverstone in a Reliant Robin - but it wouldn't be any fun and I'd annoy all other users of the track.

Local Bike Shops: 'Yeah we will have that done in a couple of days'. No. No you won't.


Over to you..

[Mr Gearchange]

2volvos said:

Strava

I forgot about Strava.
My local woods used to have some nice trails - nothing gnarly but a couple of nice little tight techy sections that were a challenge to ride cleanly.

Then the Strava mob descent and either start taking out the trail feature - or create a straight line through it so that they can improve their time.

When you start removing the challenges and therefore the fun to improve Strava times something is wrong.

[Mr Gearchange]

^^^

I don't get people who buy those horrendous 'full suspension' bikes from ASDA or wherever the hell they get them.

They weigh about 50lbs yet people use them as commuter/ride to the shops bikes for some unknown reason.
If you took them to a trail there would be a massive and catastrophic failure of the frame/fork/stem/bars as soon as you showed it anything remotely difficult.

Awful, horrible, stty things..

[Mr Gearchange]

I know I bhed about my LBS but this takes this piss.

Dropped my bike in to have the Shock and Fork serviced along with my dropper post.

I was told it was going to take a week and cost about £160 - but they would get back to me with the actual price.

Numerous phone calls chasing them - a litany of excuses around suppliers/SRAM/Fishers/tuners.

Anyway I get a phone call this morning - my bike will be ready tomorrow a mere 5 weeks after I dropped it in and the price for servicing 3 items a bargain at £375.



There will be an 'interesting' discussion with them tomorrow about this.

[Mr Gearchange]

yonex said:

LBS can be good but I always seek out a recommendation for suspension....

http://www.plushsuspensiontuning.co.uk/

Bit late now but that guy is very good.

To be fair having looked at that it's not too bad as I believe they subbied the work out to a 3rd party
Basic servicing with those guys would be £290 odd quid - plus my shock needed a load of new internals as I'd given it a fair beasting.
Add in the postage and the labour costs and it's not that far away. I feel better about paying what I am having seen that.

But still - to quote one week and £160 and have it take 5 weeks and cost £375 is pretty poor in terms of managing my expectations.

Bike should be fking awesome once I pick it up but damn, riding MTB is expensive.

[Mr Gearchange]

Watchman said:

Mr Gearchange said:

I know I bhed about my LBS but this takes this piss.

Dropped my bike in to have the Shock and Fork serviced along with my dropper post.

I was told it was going to take a week and cost about £160 - but they would get back to me with the actual price.

Numerous phone calls chasing them - a litany of excuses around suppliers/SRAM/Fishers/tuners.

Anyway I get a phone call this morning - my bike will be ready tomorrow a mere 5 weeks after I dropped it in and the price for servicing 3 items a bargain at £375.



There will be an 'interesting' discussion with them tomorrow about this.

That would make me sick. It's why I do my own maintenance. Not because I can't pay - I just don't like to think I've been bent over.

Gets better. Having picked the bike up on Friday and handed over a heap of cash I was very much looking forward to heading out and smashing the trails on Saturday.

That was until I noticed that the reverb seatpost (just serviced at £££) was pissing Dot 5.1 fluid from out of the remote and the post didn't work.

Then having hit a set of big doubles and realised that the bike didn't feel 'quite right' I noticed that during service they had arbitrarily decided to reduce the travel from 170mm to 160mm.

Oh, and the rebound adjuster was also missing.

Quality service right there...

[Mr Gearchange]

SkinnyBoy said:

Dot 5 in a reverb??? Hope not fella, uses fork oil. If they have put dot 5 in it its a write off.

Yes, you are correct of course. I don't think even they are that inept.

yonex said:

Mr Gearchange said:

Quality service right there...

That's terrible. This is why I take care of my own kit and only work off of recommendations. Hope everything can be rescued.

The LBS is just the middle man in this - the fork, shock and seatpost went to TF Tuned who are supposed to have a good reputation and far easier than dealing with SRAM/Fishers. Given that I have a £350 quid bill and 2/3 items they dealt with are going back - and it took 5 fking weeks I'm included to think that they actually aren't that good at all....