rkt | Entries tagged with bicycle!

so bicycle roots...TADA~

i'd given bicycle roots money for a deposit to reserve a bike for me while i made up my mind. if i changed my mind, i could always put those funds toward a helmet and lock.... i ended up after some store visiting and bike riding to settle on the first bike. but, because i hadn't ridden it outside and only in the store, i needed to give it a live test cruise around the neighborhood.

again, i got there the first follow up time after checking out the jumble and another store whose name doesn't deserve to be repeated. the store manager brought out a bike and it was ridculously awkward. i had no idea why or how i had liked it so much the last time. the height was awkward. it was less smooth. and just looked off. i'd ridden the bike around the store the last time i was there. this didn't feel right.

it turned out, it was different.(THANK YOU CAMERA PHONE!) we figured out that somehow, when the deposit was being applied, it was applied to the wrong bike. so the note to hold my bike was ignored and it was taken to the jumble. this meant having to come back another day. it also meant, my bike was still safe and sound somewhere.

annoying, but this is where customer service makes or breaks the experience.

had the staff even approached the level of arrogance of other stores, it would have been a wrap. but they were apologetic and owned their responsibility. yes, i could have micro-responded to make sure the codes on my receipt meant what they were supposed to mean, but why? i don't always want to be That Customer.

the next day, i had a migraine. between balanceyness and dislike for the world i opted agaisnt heading over and wasting everyone's time. I moseyed over the following day instead. they sorted out the mix up. i took it out for a street ride. and it was great.

so, yes. i was annoyed at the mix-up. but the atmosphere lacked the hipster-arrogance. at every other point of my visits, i was treated with respect and given helpful assistance. the same store manager guided me through the steps of figuring out which helmet to buy. she easily could have guided me to the 80$ one, but let me know the $40 one was probably actually better for my needs and desires. I wanted something to help me carry groceries or what not. the front basket or the rear rack? i ended up with the rack for several reasons including greater permanence.

and OMG, when the mechanic cut the seat down to satisfy my neuroses, he included the extra marking to alert me not to try to wedge the seat in further (the markings are standard on seats.)

so the pretty little silver machine was ready to go and i rode it home.

i don't know. i'm happy. i still need to lightify it so i can legaly and safely ride at night. the rack needs to be attached so i can bring home books from the library. (biking there is sooooo much easier than subwaying it.)

the bike again

pictures of helmet, etc. will just take longer for this to get posted....

step 1
step 2
step 3
step 4

Current Location: brooklyn!

about a week and a half ago (Sept. 8) I went to the Fall Brooklyn Bike Jumble, think flea market, but all for bike stuff. While it was a lot of bike parts for folks who want to build their own frankenbike, there were new bikes and accessories. I picked up a kryptonite multi lock (my words, it's a u-lock with cord) on sale from zen bikes. John, the owner, tossed in a reflective slap bracelet for my pants leg.

I am all about cheap thrills and the bracelet definitely meets that criteria. there was more unfortunately, my would-be bike was there. something i didn't find out until i went back to bicycle roots. but that's a different story.

the experience was definitely worth the trek. the day turned out to be nice, after the tornado had touched down on the other side of brooklyn.

i think my yelp review encapsulates my feelings about R&A Cycles, so I'm just going to plagiarize myself. it was on the way from the jumble to bicycle roots so i figured i'd stop in and check them out:

They didn't completely ignore me. Having experienced ruder, I can't in all honesty say they are *the* rudest. But in a city, even a borough, with so much competition, why give [my] money to a place that clearly doesn't care about its customers?

They didnt really seem to care if I shopped or didnt. Plus, when I asked for a test ride, they agreed, but, when i requested one, said they don't offer helmets for that. (Hello, you are already holding onto my credit card, it's not like you can't charge me for anything if something happens.) All I want to do is bike in safety. Is taht really too much to ask? Considering the way my request was denied, R&A seems to think so.

so i left. there had been a pretty brown 3 speed schwinn for a little less than the globe, but i took into considerationi the physical effort of getting there + the expected annoyance (especially based on fellow yelpers' reviews) it just din't seem wort it.

and then back at bicycle roots....(to be continued)

previously 1
previously 2

I met up with Mike again and we grabbed a snack bark. then, went next door to ride brooklyn

They greeted me and were able to point out this

, no personal pic. i forgot :/ ); They lent me a helmet to cruise around the neighborhood and on the busy-busy street in the bike lane, down hill,,,,,
side noteL Schwinn is the bike of my youth memories. Getting bikes from police auctions*. (Recovered but not claimed, i guess. Maybe confiscated from drug dealers.. lol... ) so this one is around 350 and a single speed. I felt the lack of gear going up the slope back to the store.

Oh- I did capture a helmet to consider helmet

. (See?

the price of safety!) Not the helmet i borrowed, btw. That one was bulky and left my over-sensitive head heated.

Being that i was within walking distance of home, I walked back, making an independent stop at brooklyn bike and board; (it seems like someone forgot to pay their webpage bill!);Again, I was ignored, despite staff not being preoccupied with other customers. And, Again, nothing out that was particularly tempting to try out. I did grab the free bicycle routes of nyc map though.

which leaves me still meh. Spend a lot for a great bike? or spend a little on an ok bike

i know i'm behind, this one has been sitting needing a clean up.

next stop(s): #Timee's Up's Bike Recycling Program with a not-so-special guest appearance by #landmark bicycles (ignore the address at the website.)

I'd gone to brunch with (the aforementioned) Mike and, since dining at http://www.clementinebakery.com/ I was mostly half way there, decided to continue my journey on to Time's Up and their deep-discount used bikes.

So many bikes! All used and under $200. Bikes like this no-namer

.

pros/cons. let met tell you them.
On the one hand, it's a bit utilitarian. On the other, it's a bit tricked out. It has a kinetic-powered headlight (you pedal- it lights up. the inner elementary-gradeschool-science-geek/Homer Simpson is thrilled by this: "light goes on. light goes off"). an extra lock to the bike to keep the gears from moving if the key is removed. full chain guard (great for snowy-rainy days!). but single gear. which is meh when it comes to longer rides and hills. then again, check out that kickstand!

the seat leaves a bit to be desired. the guy wasn't able to tell me if it was replaceable or not. (i have a spare seat at my house.)

The ride up and down the block was smooth enough, through potholes and all. the location doesn't get the greatest amount of traffic. it's not super heavy. but not ultra-light, either. the kickstand/backrack make it a little lopsided in weight, but not terribly so.

in case it wasn't clear: the guy running it didn't seem interested in answering questions. he's "not a sales guy, just a volunteer". what makes this better than a new bike? i asked. his response, essentially, was that it avoided planned obsolescence and promptly started explaining what that meant. (lol - like apple stuff, you mean?, i asked but didn't get an answer) ... not quite douchey. but not exactly the listening sort. tried to convince me i didn't have to worry about the bike being at risk of being stolen.

but under $200... so tempting! and they have tons more like this. but the colour is kinda' cute.

I wanted to see more, and Landmark was only a few blocks away, so I said I wanted to ponder and would be back.
I made my way to the other store. And here, I received no attention, not even a greeting. Not dressed to bike or lugging a helmet/chain with me, I didn't seem to matter. I tried making eye contact, but had my attempts avoided. (It was quiet enough, staff could be seen talking amongst themselves.) While I could have asked for help, I didn't see anything out in the open that I found particularly tempting in my price range to knock either the globes or the no-name out of contention. Yes, they had used, but it was "vitage", i.e. hipstery prices. So i left.

Back at Times Up, the guy appeared to have taken a break. I couldn't find him. So I hopped the bus to go home.

August 26th

Current Location: brooklyn

for folks who missed the fb post, i'm looking to get myself a bike. it's the most convenient way to get around some parts of brooklyn. biking makes me happier than the idea of running. and chicks dig folks with bikes. So.

but it's hard work, yo! my friend Mike is helping me out with inspiration and while i started out thinking I'd yelp the process, he's convinced me to blog the ordeal. (My original plan was to yelp away the results. I'm sure I'll still do that. I've been neglectful of sharing my opinions there.)

only i'm too lazy to get a Real Blog just yet.

so el-jay. for now, it stays you and me and those making their way here.

First Stop: bicycle roots

It was sort-of on the way home from work because i took the long route and had to get off the subway, anyway, and it;s 2 blocks up from that stop. I'd been told by (other, mutual) friends that it was women owned and very friendly. And, indeed, it was friendly. Staff was able to make sense of what it was I was looking for. With a budget of around $500 (hello, credit card!) he suggested a globe

and was able to show me this

and this one

. All the while not making me feel like an idiot and listening to me without pandering or over-selling. Despite the previously-given accolades, I was still braced for stuck-up gear-heads. If any were there, I didn't interact with them. The gears needed a little adjusting on the silver one, which they did easy-peasy.

Most days I lean toward the Silver One. The Blue One is nice, and more visually pleasing in some respects, and the handlebars offer more stability. (This may not be important to most, but the sidewalk/street and I have a rather special relationship of extra-curricular gravitational pulling.) But the Silver One, apparently, will be gentler on my body as i tackle hills and carry weight. Yet, the Blue One, comes with the rack already installed, but that also affects the weight. I need something that i can carry up a (steep) flight of steps after a ride.....so..... I rode them both around the store and they are smooth. I wasn't up for taking an out-side ride with traffic (sidwalking riding is illegal for 13+). So i definitely need to do that before making a final decision.

I put a deposit on the Silver One. Because even if I don't take it home, I still need a Good Lock and a Great Helmet, which, together, will be the cost of my deposit.

P.S. I am only screening comments from non-LJ friends to keep out the spambots. sorry in advance for the fake-in-text-links which are ads. globe and bicycle roots are the only ones that are real link-throughs.