Never, ever say "I was just riding along". Everybody that I ever wrenched with calls them JRA Stories (Just Riding Along). You, however innocently, include yourself with guys such as the one who bought himself a Specialized Rockhopper on Tuesday and came back to the shop first thing Saturday morning with a completely taco-ed front wheel and a bent fork blade. True Story.

He was Just Riding Along, too, and not jumping curbs and catching air in Central Park. No sirree, on his Mom's Honor, just riding along.

As for the guys with the 15 vs 16 tooth cog: go back there and tell 'em you need a chain for each cog size, 13-22. Anyone that stupidly ignorant of basic bicycle stuff deserves to be f*cked with. Tell them that cogs over 20 teeth need a 3/16" pitch chain. And that silver links are only for the fixed side of the hub, and black sideplates are for the free side. And gold sideplates can be used in months with an 'R' in them, but only during leap year. Work in steel vs alloy cogs, too. After that, you can ask them to adjust the parking brake....they might even fall for that one.