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[ornoth_cycling]

Lots to report.

I started commuting again. However, because I’m at a client site (located halfway between the two Sapient offices I used to work at), it’s only two miles. When I worked at SAPE, I would bike down to the Arboretum and back each way, just to get about 15 miles in each way, but I haven’t had time to do that yet because of all the other stuff going on in my life.

But I have been riding down to the Arboretum almost daily to visit Inna in the hospital, although that’s about to end when she is discharged next week.

In fact, the only other riding I’ve been able to do for the past month has been weekend Quad Cycles rides. My mileage for those four weeks has come almost exclusively from weekend rides, but it's added up to 160, 195, 82 (we’ll revisit this in the next paragraph), and 176 so far this week. So I’m getting back-to-back 75-mile rides in on the weekends, which makes me feel better about my readiness for the upcoming PMC.

Except today I was riding through Belmont and *wham* I had all kinds of shooting pains in my chest. Like sharp, severe pains. Turns out that I was stung four times by something: wasp, hornet, who knows? First time I’ve been stung since I was about eight years old. Fortunately, I don’t seem to be allergic.

Now, back to that 82-mile week, which was because I only rode one of the three days over Fourth of July weekend. Why, you ask? It’s a long story…

Five weeks earlier I had my bike tuned up and the headset replaced at Back Bay Bikes. When I got it back, the headset was loose, the brakes weren’t properly adjusted, nor were they the brand of brakes I’d requested. But none of that really was worth the hassle of going back to the shop.

Until I broke a spoke on Saturday July 2nd. Great. So I skipped Sunday July 3rd’s QC ride in order to bring the bike into the shop at noon, and while they were at it I asked them to check out the headset.

Later that day I received a call that went something like this:

• Bike shop: The bearings fell out. You need a new headset.
• Orny: Uh, that’s bullshit. You replaced the headset four weeks ago. I have no intention of paying parts or labor on this job.
• Bike shop: You’ll have to talk to the service manager. He won’t be in for the next two days. But you’ve got time. It’s going to take ten days for us to order a new headset.
• Orny: Ten days? Can’t you at least put my bike back together so that I’m not out a bike for a week and a half?
• Bike shop: Nope. The bearings fell on the floor and I can’t be arsed to find them.
• Orny: Okay. Are you going to give me a loaner?
• Bike shop: Well, we could probably cut you a deal on a rental…
• Orny: There’s no fucking way I’m paying you baboons more money because you destroyed my bike. Fuck you very much.

Tuesday I was too busy to call the shop, but on Wednesday I called and gave the briefest of explanations to the “service manager”, who said, “Hold on. I want to look at the bike. Lemme call you back in ten minutes.”

Twenty minutes later, he called to say, “Okay, your bike’s ready to pick up, no charge.” Excuse me??? So I was without any form of transportation for four days, missing two days of QC training rides, and having to find my way down to the hospital to visit Inna via MBTA and walking, all for no reason at all!

So needless to say, I am more than disenchanted with their service department. It’s doubly sad because I had an even more horrific experience at International Bike. Now come on: the *only* way a bike shop can differentiate itself from its competitors is their service department, and I’m really amazed at the pathetic service I’ve gotten from Back Bay and International. WTF?

Finally, PMC fundraising seems to be moving. I can’t say I’m knocking the ball out of the park, but good progress is being made. I need to continue to push, but I’m pleased to have made a good start on it.

Please help me out if you can: donate here.