Originally Posted by
grumpus
It can be harder and less pleasant to ride, possibly less safe. You may not notice because it has happened slowly, but you might be pleasantly surprised by how much better it can be
All that could all be true. But it still don't change the fact that I don't much care!
The truth is, I do notice the difference, not "surprised", pleasantly or not. It's just I don't care if the bike works perfectly or not. Kind of like our cars, it gets me from point A to point B. But does it ride nice or not? Couldn't care less! A bike gets me outside, riding. But how well the bike rides? Could care less.
As a mostly utility cyclist I'm a lot less fussy about the bikes I use than when I used to ride many miles and time trials, and I "fix it when it's bad enough" rather than keeping everything finely tuned all the time. But anything making the wrong sort of noise, or not doing what I tell it to do when I tell it to do it, does detract from the riding experience.
Exactly!
As any "used to be" racer (or even just serious cyclist) knows, there're race bike or event bike. Then, there're "training" bikes!
Which gets the best care and best components? You guessed it. NOT the "training bike"!
I have several bikes. Each and every one of them were once "top of line" and in perfect working condition. But the majority of them aren't in such condition any more. (nor are they "top of line" obviously). They become commute bike, guest bike, beater bikes, you name it!
Do I care if they're in working condition? Yes, but only to the point for safety of myself and my guests. (and I do use them for their intended purposes)
But do I care they're in "perfect" working condition? Not exactly. They got taken out in winter, in rainy days. So who cares if components are a bit worn??? Frankly, I'm NOT replacing components that are only part way through their intend life cycle, or even a bit past it some of the time!
The shop wasn't so much trying to "up sell" on services. They just had the wrong assumption that my bike is the one and only that I ride all the time. And that I give a passing thought on how well they ride! But on the other hand, if it's my one and only bike, how could they expect me to leave it for 3 weeks??? So the two assumptions they made about my bike simply contradicts one another. They simply lose my business. (come to think of it, they probably assumed I haven't started the riding season yet. Hence the 3 weeks without my primary training bike was of no concern to their line of thinking)