abshipp 

A couple of days ago I got a Velo Orange front rack from a trade on here, and then a used set of Veloflex Master 25 tires from eBay.

I've never ridden tires like this before, so I'm really anxious to see how 320tpi feels.

Still waiting on my order from Planet X to arrive with handlebars, tape, and a couple chains. Tracking seemed to stop updating once it was on the plane from Heathrow...

noglider 

Those Veloflex tires didn't last long for me. Maybe I shouldn't have expected them to.

abshipp 

That's one of the common things I read about these. Honestly though, on a good year I ride maybe 1K miles between all my bikes, so tire life isn't a huge concern for me.

They were a pretty good deal for a highly regarded tire, so I figured why not? I was needing a set of gumwalls for my Tempo anyways.

noglider 

Yeah, they were good while they lasted. But I won't be getting more of them.

washer62

Still waiting for a box from Niagara cycles. Does shipping always take weeks? Or... did I lose my money? BTW... They do not respond to my emails.

abshipp 

Wecome to the forum!

Niagara can be slow, they do not carry everything on their site in a location that is immediately accessible.

Many of their items show a "Available to ship in 3-4 days" or something like that. Sometimes longer.

The last order I placed did not ship until about 1 week after I placed the order.

noglider 

From what I have gathered, Niagara keeps almost nothing in stock. When they receive your order, they order from their suppliers. That's why they're slow and why their prices are low.

In my world, we say, "Good, fast, cheap: pick two."

washer62

Seems a deceptive marketing technique is a poor long-term business strategy. Honesty usually works better.
Thanks for the info, Guys.

robertorolfo

I had the same experience with them. They held up my order for well over a week while waiting on one "3-4 days" item, and didn't communicate it very well.

I would still order from them again, though, because I like the idea of supporting Upstate NY with my business.

ThermionicScott 

Hmm, that could be. They do list the number of items "in stock" for anything I've viewed, and the "Add to Cart" button is removed if they say something is out of stock. Perhaps they have a really tight relationship with their suppliers, so they are able to count items that are available to them as part of their inventory? I've always supposed that they have multiple warehouses, but ship out of only one, so it may take a few extra days to route some items. But that's just speculation. Universal Cycles is cool in that they'll show you how many of an item they have at each of their warehouses.

But regardless of how it happens, I only order stuff from Niagara that I don't need urgently. Then any delays in shipping don't really affect me.

noglider 

I don't really know how they operate, but to me, it seems they don't own any warehouses and they're buying from wholesalers on demand. I don't believe them when they say something is in stock. The money I could save by buying from them isn't worth waiting an unknown period of time for me. I gave up on them years ago. It's not because I'm in a hurry. I just want to know when something will arrive, with reasonable certainty. When I'm open to uncertainty, I'll order from one of those China-based businesses.

malcala622 

Bottecchia Sprinter

verktyg 

Used Snap-On 12mm combo wrench from eBay. Great deal with free shipping. I've been using Snap-On tools for years. The feel and workmanship has always been worth the money.

I have some old French bikes with seatpost bolts that have 12mm nuts. Once in a while I take my 12mm wrench with me when I'm riding one of those bikes to adjust the seat height.

I can never remember were I put it so an extra 12mm wrench is great to have handy.

verktyg 

That's the way many online vendors operate including many items that Amazon sells. A lot of wholesalers, importers and manufacturers in the US are set up to work with those online "companies".

gomango

They really are a great tire.

Yes, they do wear quickly.

I only wish they made a slightly wider version, a 700x28 measured on a wider rim would be sweet.

Wileyone 

Sadly it's usually faster and cheaper to order from one of the sites in the UK.

washer62

Finally got my package from Niagara Cycles. Ordered a bunch of stuff. I ordered a 32T 1pc crank chainring. I received a 46T 1 pc crank chainring. I asked for an exchange...we will see what happens. But, it was under $5 so not a big deal. I can order form ebay for $7 if I need to. Don't think I will patronize Niagara again. On a positive note, Niagara is inexpensive.

eom 

This
[IMG]Untitled by lebagman, on Flickr[/IMG]

Now the GF wants some.

ThermionicScott 

I actually got these things a few days ago, but I wanted to be reasonably sure the operation(s) would be a success before posting:



An aluminum seatpost and a Sun CR18 rim for the front of my long-neglected Armstrong 3-speed. While these parts are much lighter than the stock ones, weight weenie-ism isn't playing much of a role here. I'm after more leg extension and better braking than I could get with the stock setup.



I'd read about taping a new rim to an old wheel and transferring the spokes, but I'd never done it before. Fun fact: the two rims are drilled different-handedly, so I needed to alter the lacing a bit along the way. Always fun to try new things.

hobbs1951

Another project, I must stop !!!

1973/74 Ken Bird TT frameset (#BBC7?), built by the legendary Bill Philbrook with shot in seatstays, lovely lugwork, Bill's signature non-invasive cage bosses and no chainstay bridge - a popular delete on TT bicycles in this period.

Slightly small for me, but I couldn't pass on this quality frameset.

Will be restored in Ken Bird's signature paint - porcelain white with black decals and built as a TT machine.

Hope you like it guys.

John.

jj1091

I just went through the same thing on a set of Rigida rims. I've always transferred the spokes like that, also, but this time I built a wheelset with new spokes and new hubs. The keyspoke that should be one-to-the-right of the valve hole was actually two-to-the-right. Plus, I'd never paid attention to the spoke-head orientation, where the trailing spokes on the driveside have the head to the inside of the hub to lessen a jumped chain getting pulled into the spokes. On my old wheelset the heads were placed 180-out from the new set. Building them one-spoke-off with reversed heads was a bit of a head-scratcher. I don't remember it being much fun.

ThermionicScott 

That's fair! I enjoy solving new problems, but I could see something like this becoming a drag after a while.

Sir_Name 

WiBoy 

Just got in Shimano Tricolor Crankset, and brakes. The rest of the group should be coming in shortly!

BritishV8

Tricolor hubs connected to Wolber T430 Alpine rims were last month's purchase. I finally commuted on them for the first time today. (Nice ride.) However, TODAY I received an almost good-as-new Cyclone M-II rear derailleur. I didn't know it would feel THIS light in my hand! It's gonna make my old bike look and feel so much faster.