Online vs local dilemma
- Thread starter CanucksTraveller
- Start date
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Drago
Legendary Member
- Location
- Suburban Poshshire
Ive no reason to believe that many of his brothers working for the same brand are trained any differently.
OP
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CanucksTraveller
Macho Business Donkey Wrestler
- Location
- Hertfordshire
Sorry to cause some heat here, I actually wasn't referring to that kind of setup, hopefully I can get myself comfy and efficient enough with my own dubious Allen key tweaking skills... I was more getting at the proper alignment of brakes and derailleurs and the like "out of the box" as my bike mechanic days are a couple of decades in my past and the most modern machine I've worked on recently has been a Trek hybrid of about 6 years vintage now. I just don't want to screw up the drive train with a well meaning turn of a screw I don't recognize. As I say, for nigh on a grand I just want it to be rideable pretty much straight away. The steerer, saddle and front wheel I can manage, but derailleurs give me the sweats.
As a post script: I've just ordered from Paul's Bikes. £210 off the Giant dealer price, which allowed me to buy Look Keo max 2 pedals, some half decent Northwave shoes and a couple of pairs of NW socks from Wiggle, and I still have a hundred pounds change. Paul's promise that the bike is built and ready to ride except for the obvious big bits. Thank you to Vickster for the link and thank you to everyone for your contributions, I appreciate it.
As a post script: I've just ordered from Paul's Bikes. £210 off the Giant dealer price, which allowed me to buy Look Keo max 2 pedals, some half decent Northwave shoes and a couple of pairs of NW socks from Wiggle, and I still have a hundred pounds change. Paul's promise that the bike is built and ready to ride except for the obvious big bits. Thank you to Vickster for the link and thank you to everyone for your contributions, I appreciate it.
iancity
Veteran
- Location
- Ashington, Northumberland
Keep us posted please. Interesting discussion.
FWIW I have 2 local Giant shops, one is horrendous in every aspect, the other is tremendous in every aspect - guess which one I bought my bike from before I realised :-(
Anyway, I had a bike fit as well, very impressed with it, and I do think it goes into things that the internet cannot do, for instance (although it was a couple of years ago so memory may be failing) he had me lean forward onto his hand to measure the correct positioning of the handlebars where I would feel most comfortable and it was probably the biggest difference from setup to bike fit setup that there was, but its soo good. I sit on my bike, lean forward and I just naturally rest my hands on the handlebars and it is extremely comfortable - how do you replicate that on the Internet? *not saying it cant be done, just curious...
FWIW I have 2 local Giant shops, one is horrendous in every aspect, the other is tremendous in every aspect - guess which one I bought my bike from before I realised :-(
Anyway, I had a bike fit as well, very impressed with it, and I do think it goes into things that the internet cannot do, for instance (although it was a couple of years ago so memory may be failing) he had me lean forward onto his hand to measure the correct positioning of the handlebars where I would feel most comfortable and it was probably the biggest difference from setup to bike fit setup that there was, but its soo good. I sit on my bike, lean forward and I just naturally rest my hands on the handlebars and it is extremely comfortable - how do you replicate that on the Internet? *not saying it cant be done, just curious...
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CanucksTraveller
Macho Business Donkey Wrestler
- Location
- Hertfordshire
Thanks Ian. I ordered Wednesday night from Paul's, and it was here for Friday morning. Well packed and pretty easy to put the big bits together. The manuals were useless generic things, but thankfully with a rough understanding of basic road bike anatomy there wasn't too much to surprise me. The worst bit was the carbon post and the little carbon adjustment insert that sits inside the seat tube in leiu of a normal seat post Allen bolt, I've not seen one of those before although I worked it out eventually. The other gotcha was the front brake, the clearance was massive and I spent a little while looking until I saw that little lever that's there for a wheel change. Again I'd not seen one before and once closed it was perfect.
A good half hour of fettling, a few rides round the block, and I feel like I'm reasonably well set up for the first proper go tomorrow. So far it's been a very positive experience. A proper set up is still an option, but I'll play that by ear, it feels good enough so far.
vickster
Legendary Member
simon.r
Person
- Location
- Nottingham
If it's any consolation I took about 3 hours to set up a mail order bike earlier this week. In my defence that 3 hours included several cups of tea and a good deal of "giving it a good looking at" before doing anything. The most time consuming job was repositioning the shifters and re-taping the bars - a job I struggle with.
OP
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CanucksTraveller
Macho Business Donkey Wrestler
- Location
- Hertfordshire
I think my whole assembly was actually around 3 hours too, when I say half an hour fettling that was the fine tuning and getting it ready to ride, the other 2.5 hours was unpacking, basic assembly, and that time consuming "looking" and "thinking" thing we do.
Interesting you mention the bar tape, for a grand worth of bike the tape on mine is poor, thinnish and seemingly applied by a blind Albanian with a hand missing. It'll do for now but it'll be an early upgrade.
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CanucksTraveller
Macho Business Donkey Wrestler
- Location
- Hertfordshire
I like them fine. It's just that if I was employing one to do handlebar tape, and with them being non-EU residents and therefore not necessarily used to working to tight regulation, I'd probably insist that they at least had two hands. Or the power of sight. Preferably both. Giant are clearly not quite so choosy.
bonsaibilly
Guest
Very lovely!
One note, you say above you had trouble with the FRONT brake until you found that little release lever... you do know it's the same for the rear brake?
BB
One note, you say above you had trouble with the FRONT brake until you found that little release lever... you do know it's the same for the rear brake?
BB
OP
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CanucksTraveller
Macho Business Donkey Wrestler
- Location
- Hertfordshire
Yes, the rear brake had a closed lever though so I didn't notice it initially. It was just the front brake that was open which took me down the path of investigating why it was so massively spongy. I'm kind of glad, if I didn't get a chance to properly fettle the brakes I'd have not noticed the existence of these release levers... troglodyte that I am.
bonsaibilly
Guest
Glad it got sorted anyway... might just signpost that it might be wise to get it checked over a la shop, just in case any other surprises went undiscovered!
BB
e-rider
Banned member
- Location
- South West
after suffering at the hands of the LBS for years, when online shopping hit the mainstream in about 2004 I jumped at it and never bought a single thing from any LBS again and never even went looking either. That was until recently. I'd had a few bad experiences with couriers etc and the hassle of sending stuff back that was wrong or damaged so I thought I'd give the local LBS a try. What a very sad experience that has been so far - I have been told a string of porkie pies, they didn't order what I'd asked for, they are now making me wait before placing the order as apparently they only place orders once per week and they said no refunds! Once this sorry episode is over I will never go back to the LBS again!