observations...

during the week at the shop:

so i've noticed some things during this week at the shop that are driving me nuts, and these are some things that people 'ought' to take notice of (notice the word 'ought'; not that they do).  two things in particular:

one:  quick release levers.  these have come around to get us away from the fifteen mm wrench.  an 'easy' way to get our wheels off, or even adjust our seatpost.  we just pull a lever, release tension, remove wheel; or even the reverse to put the wheel back on.  to help the general public with this difficult task the industry has put two little words on the quick release lever...open and close.  meaning if you are able to see any of these words that means that the quick release lever is 'preforming' that function.  so if you look down at your wheel, and you see the word 'open' on your quick release skewer that means that your lever is still open.  meaning that your wheel could loosen up, and fall out of your fork, and you could hurt yourself in a very bad way.  so if you are confused about the quick release system...please talk to somebody; come into the shop, and we are able to help you.

two:  headsets.  i have noticed a lot of loose headsets coming into the shop over the last week.  and not just a little loose where a little tightening is in order, but rocking back and forth.  this is a very bad thing.  your headset is a very important functioning part of your bike.  it holds the fork, cockpit system altogether.  now, the question may come up 'how do i know if i have a loose headset?'  valid.  answer; apply your front brake only, and rock your bike back and forth.  if you feel something loose, or moving around...it maybe your headset.  if this is the case...get it tightened.  a loose headset could result in harm to yourself.

speaking of harm to yourself...i've also noticed a lot of crashes coming into the shop, mostly road bikes.  what are you people doing?  now if you're a roadie, and come in with a great crit story of a race, i am able to understand.  however; if you're j.r.a. (just riding along), and crash; i've got to ask...what the hell were you doing?  i've been riding road bikes for over ten years now...and i've never had an accident on one (knocking on wood, or whatever my desk is made of).  now if you're hit by a car...that's one thing, but to be j.r.a. in a park/on the road and crash...what's going through your head?  the bike is not a toy.  it's not a game.  if you want a game stay home and play your three sixty.  know your limits.  know your bikes limits.  if you can't take corners well...don't take them at thirty to forty miles per hour.  i am under the belief that there is a relationship with your bike.  that you 'ought' to know (there's that ought word again) your bike just like you know the love of your life (assuming that is a person, and not some material object...if that's the case i do do philosophical counseling sessions on the side if you'd like to talk).  what is your bike able to do and not do.  more importantly (because i believe that it should never be the bike holding you back, meaning your bike should exceed my next notion) what are you able to do?  what is your skill level?  should you push your limits?  yes.  should you push your limits on a curvaceous forty mile an hour downhill?  maybe not.  unless you've been on that downhill many times and know it.

just be smart out there, and pay attention.

amitabha...

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