PowerCycle

I’m really hoping this decision doesn’t come back to haunt me. I can’t wait weeks/months to find out if Amex is going to be able to convince the bike shop in Chicago to do the right thing and send me the panniers that I actually ordered. So I ordered the Ortlieb Bike Packer Plus and Ortlieb Back Roller Plus panniers from biketrailershop.com. They even confirmed the color (black), that the items were in stock and when they would ship. They even emailed me a receipt. See how that works Chicago? It’s really not that difficult. The red panniers will be going on eBay.

Today was my first time back to Quiet Waters Park since Hurricane Wilma came though in October 2005 and knocked down virtually every tree in the park.  Local volunteers and the guys/girls at IMBA started working on rebuilding the trails and they were finally opened to the public for the first time back in April of this year.  Sadly I missed that announcement so it wasn’t until last week that I’d even heard of the trails reopening.  So this morning I packed up the Stumpjumper and headed up to Deerfield.

Finding the start of the trail was a minor problem.  Once you enter the park there’s a sign indicating which way to go but that was the last one I could find.  So I drove along until I saw 2 cars with bike racks on them and figured that was close enough.  My fault for not paying more attention to the map I found online.  I also neglected to watch the safety video or sign the waver now required in a couple parks.  My thoughts on the waiver are that if you don’t know what could happen when you fall off a mountain bike you shouldn’t be riding one in the first place.  I’ve fallen my fair share of times and it never even crossed my mind to blame anyone but myself.

I’d already prepared myself for what was sure to be a treeless ride so being in the sun about 95% of the time wasn’t a suprise.  As for the trail itself it’s definitely more suited to beginner/intermediate riders.  It’s mostly hard packed so no pedal grinding sugar sand like the QW of old (yet).  No drops or climbs to speak of either so expect a pretty smooth, well-flowing 5 mile ride.  All in all everyone did a great job designing what’s sure to be a great local alternative to Oleta or Amelia.

I should have known better.  It’s been almost a month since the bike was delivered and it’s been an endless series of emails/calls to the bike shop in Chicago where I purchased it.   The problems all boil down to horrible customer service.  Here’s the short list:

• Parts substituted without confirmation from customer (sent red panniers/handlebar bag instead of black).
• Invoice/receipt not sent until 4 weeks after order placed.
• Parts charged and not delivered (spare tire, map case, bar ends all of which I ended up getting 2 weeks later).
• Promises made and not kept (credit not given for handlebar bag).
• Arrogance– I was actually told tonight that sure I was dissatisfied but they have a very happy customer base in Chicago.  Well James, a rating of 2.3 / 5 from a web site that rates bike shops in Chicago kind of contradicts that.

So now I’m not sure what to do.  The last thing I want to do is ride around a place like South America with flashy red gear on my bike.

Update #1  Figured out what to do.  Opened case with American Express.

Update #2 Received full credit from American Express.

So this morning I drove down to Shark Valley in Everglades National Park for the first break-in ride. The panniers were left behind but the handlebar bag tagged along so I’d have a place to keep the DSLR. The first thing I noticed was that riding with no hands with something heavy in the handlebar bag was not a good idea. No falls but lesson learned. The Nashbar Trekking Handlebars are perfect. No numbing of the hands thanks to the 3 different grip locations. The trekking bars sit you up a little taller so there was some risk in being too close. It wasn’t actually that bad though. If need be, or if the wind picked up, I could always stretch out and use the bars farthest away. The Ergon GP1 Grips probably helped a little too.

The only thing sore for the entire 30 mile ride was my rear (did 2 loops) and that brings me to the Brooks saddle. There’s not a lot of built-in padding where the bike seat and I meet. Well, a new Brooks saddle is not comfortable. The hard plastic seat on my mountain bike seems more forgiving. Waiting for the break-in period to be over is not going to be easy. No other issues other than it was really hot (95 F and humid with a solid breeze). Someone mentioned on a web site that wool (specifically Merino wool) keeps the moisture against your skin but that the wind hitting you would have a cooling effect. One of the shirts I picked up is Merino and the thought of wearing it on the ride seemed like a heat stroke waiting to happen. All in all things went extremely well for the first small ride.