General Cycling Discussion - I got my bike back!

Finally!

I brought it in for an overhaul. When the guy said it would be at least a week, I felt this chill running down my back.... well, it took a week and a day, but I just got my bike back this evening. It looks like a totally new bike! Here's what I had done:

1 new tire, 1 set of cranks, 1 set of grips, 2 bottle cages (plus installation), replaced bottom bracket, replace cable housing (front brakes), 1 new set of brake pads and installation for the rear tire, replace brake pads for front brakes (brake pads provided already), install bike computer (provided computer myself also), plus complete overhaul, where they took the bike totally apart and rebuilt as much as they could (ie- almost destroyed cheap headset), plus they did something with both of the derailleurs (can't remember exactly) which will require a little check up after 500 miles. Then they also cleaned the bike too- it looks almost brand new! I am going for my first full ride in over a week, and they guaranteed me that the bike will feel 200% better, and if it doesn't, I get to bring it back in for further work (which I don't think will happen).

I am on cloud 9 right now- can't wait to get out there and ride in this great weather we're having!

Whoooooooo! I got my bike back! :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Glad you're mobile once again. Boy, that was a lot of work!

As much work as an overhaul is, I really love giving it back to the customer all shiny and brand new.

Oh, it was like a breath of fresh air! I loved it!

I also got new headlights. I got so tired of those silly cateye lights with only 4 watts. I got a new one with 12 watts, and that pushed the price up, but they came in underbudget (I gave them a budget to work within), and when that happened, I made sure to spend the last of it on some products in the shop (lights). So they earned some good money off me, and it was well deserved too!

I'm soooooooo happy to get my bike back!

Koffee

Whooo hooo!

I forgot to mention I also got the rear wheel hub replaced and the cones on the front hub replaced. To my joy, the eyelets for my rear rack were also cleared out- if some remember, I had to saw off my rear rack because the screws were completely stripped, so I could never get the bottom part of the rack off the bike. I've been riding with pieces of the rack still attached to the bike, but they completely got it out AND the eyelets look brand new!

I rode today, and I was riding so much faster I was mad- I thought they'd installed the bike computer wrong until I got to the halfway point and found myself about 5 minutes ahead of schedule from my fastest time! Overall, my time was about 7 minutes faster for my 31 mile trip, and I was alternating between the heavy gears and light gears, using the low gears for the ride back and the top gears for the ride out. I definitely saw that I'd slowed down on the return trip, so I will need to develop my cadence a bit more and work on power.

I also got to use my new lights, and let me tell you, it was like the difference between night and day- I could see everything in front of me- no surprises or sudden stops for the critters that like to suddenly bound in front of you. I also saw all the potholes and imperfections way ahead of time, so I could anticipate a lot better.

I walked back in from my ride with a smile on my face so wide the maintenance guys stopped me and asked if I had a good ride.

The only down side, if you could call it that, is that I rode so quickly that I wasn't outside to see the sun rise as I normally do- lately, before the overhaul, I'd been as much as 20 minutes slower to do my 31 mile ride, and although I was kind of not happy that I'd slowed so much, I did like seeing that sun slide up over the horizon. The trade off is worth it, though! :)

Koffee

Koffee,

So glad to hear you and your trusty steed are back in the same stable again!! ;-0 Was curious to know what kind of lights you mentioned. I thought I was following all your antics but I must have missed the lights.

Are you still thinking about the new bike, or afraid to mention it while old faithful is being so well behaved now that it's been overhauled? Sounds like you have found a reaaly great LBS, I am a little disappointed in mine at the moment but with any luck it shall pass! At least I have a few to choose from.

Gotta tell you, your enthusiasm is jumping right out of your posts, and it's great to hear!!

Koffee,
Do you mind giving the name of the shop that did the overhaul? It sounds quality, I am trying to evaluate shops in the Chicago area.

Thanks
Brass

Wow, cranks, headset, BB, and hubs, all replaced. How many miles did you put on these parts before they needed to be replaced ? Is this the Trek 1000 ? Did you ride this bike much last winter ?

I'm glad to hear you are pleased with the LBS and the work. You got the bike back just in time to really enjoy the last of the nice fall weather.

Dan

Ohio Trekker- I got the Cygo Lite Night-Rover Rechargeable Headlight System. It comes with the water bottle batttery and the adapter for recharging. It's a dream. After my ride, I plugged it into the wall, and it's just recharging until I take it out in the morning for my next ride. Sure enough, the one light was good enough for about an hour and a half, just like the box said, then I turned that one off and turned on the other light (it's two lights and it looks almost like binoculars and each light can be turned on independently or both can be turned on together for more illumination), and that second light got me back home. It doesn't blink like my old light, but that blinking is friggin' irritating, and I had the blinky on because I thought people could see me better if it blinked. With the new light, people see me just fine.

TJBrass- The shop is Yojimbo's Garage. It's located at 1310 N. Clybourn (out in Cabrini Green), and the phone number is 312-587-0878. They always answer the phone "bike shop", so that's a little disconcerting at first, but no biggie. Things there are slightly more sometimes than the big shops, but it's a higher quality shop, they are better than the big guns with a lot of stuff, and they are more trustworthy than the other shops. They'll never steer you wrong or tell you to get something to turn some extra bucks. I was told that all the bike messengers go there for repairs and don't trust anyone else for their repairs. They are well known with the Chicagoland Bike Federation and the Park Tool folks too.

For the record, I'm not considering a new bike anymore-not the low end road bike to tide me over until I can afford the new one, at least. They told me at Yojimbo's that I shouldn't worry about getting that Fuji unless the bike came back and was still a mess, but it performed excellently today, so no need for that new bike after all!


TJ, for what it's worth, I went to every major shop in town, and then some smaller ones- Village, Performance, Kozy's, Cycle Smithy, and I even went to a bike shop in the south suburbs too, but they all let me down at some point or another. I could stay with Yojimbo's for a long time and not feel disappointed.


Koffee

Hey Dan-

I know I put at least 3000 miles on it, but I could easily have put up to 7000 miles. I wasn't counting my mileage at all until about July, and by then, I had the bike for a year and four months. Between July and now, I think I did about 2500 miles or so alone.

I went a looooooooong time without doing any tune ups or overhauls, seeing as though this was my first.

My bike is a Specialized Sirrus A1 hybrid from 2002. Oh yes, and I did ride the bike all last winter too- almost every day, and if it was at least 30 degrees, I would go for at least two hours per training session, but on real cold days, I was only out an hour or less.

Koffee

Koffee,
you confirm everything I've ever heard of Yojimbo's.
They were written up in Bicycling (2 years ago?)
So, are you gonna buy that high zoot Italian steel
when you go over to italy?

Marty

Sounds like your LBS did a excellent job with your bike, even went that extra step to make everything perfect.

I'm getting that bike in Italy! Just the frame, though. I'll buy the components here and build it from scratch.

Yeah, my LBS went that extra mile and then some. I'm sticking with them as long as I live in Chicago!

Koffee

Koffee,
If you're buying an Italian frame, in Italy, get Campagnolo components. Cheaper in EU than US
and it will maintain cozmic harmony by not having
Shimano on say a Pegoretti, or Colnago or De Rosa.
I really like Dario Pegoretti's designs, one of the most
underrated frame builders worldwide. He gets some buzz
but very little by non racing types. He will do fittings
etc.
Marty

Is it cheaper in the EU even though the exchange rate is higher (I lose when I go to EU and exchange money)? If so, I'll get the bulk of the components there.

I may end up with a different bike. I have a friend who went to the concept cycling show in Milan, and he's looking through the bikes there. So we'll see what I end up with.

Koffee