I run as fast as I can to the water and start swimming to catch the pack that started on time. I swim, and swim, and swim in my dreamy nightmare of missing the swim start. I actually make it back up into the last group of swimmers before making an exit to transition. I get to my bike convinced that I can make somewhat of a "go" out of this race. Something is wrong...where is my helmet? My helmet is gone, I can't finish the race... My eyes slowly open as I regain consciousness, wondering where I am I glance at the clock that reads 2 hours before my wake up time. I have had "the dream" again.
I have had this exact dream before every race big race, which means I have had this same dream about 30 times since I started in 2005. The scenario is always the same, I miss the swim start, work my way past adversity only to be totally shut down with a missing helmet, shoe, wheel, or bike.
Some things keep me awake at night, things like being late to a race, having my bike fly off a bike rack, and especially having my bikes (or car) in the control of someone else. The idea of having strange hands tweaking things on my bike, having my bike tossed around in the back of a shop, or the sick feeling of dread knowing that when I pick up my bike something will either be messed up or damaged is extremely disturbing to me.
My position is justified, I could go on and on about the ridiculous things that bike shops have done to my bikes in the past, but I will take the high road here. I won't mention names but let me just say the lack of respect for the customer, other's belongings (expensive belongings), and pride in their work has kept my rides out of bike shops since 2006. Not every bike shop is bad however, but the bad ones are what make me hesitant to hire them.
If you have every seen me before a race you know how calculated I am with my bikes, if my saddle slips a millimeter I am running around asking, "who the heck messed with my bike?!" I am so dialed in that I notice the slightest shift in my saddle, handlebars, or even cable tension. It is for this reason that I work on all my own bikes. When my road bike developed a super annoying "creak" I was determined to fix the problem myself. I figured anyone with a masters degree should be able to handle anything bike related. I was set on fixing this creak, I would tweak this, turn that, grease this part, dry off that part, swap the wheels out, pull off the bottle cages, put the cages back on, all in attempt to silence the creak. I tried different pedals, I bought tools and parts, I pulled the crankset off, and even overhauled the bottom bracket. In fact I took out the bottom bracket cartridge, cleaned the frame, chiseled off every rough spot inside the bracket, and reassembled it.
Every little fix required a test ride, hoping for a fix I would mount my bike, hold my breath and listen for the creak. Every above mentioned item brought nothing, the creak would sound, my hopes would dash as my ideas for a fix wained. I actually lost sleep because my bike was hurt and I was out of ideas. 95 percent of riders would simply ride on and ignore the creak, or turn up their music. Not me, my bikes are perfect, and until they are a smooth running machine I can't enjoy a ride.
After two days of repairs I was down to my last idea, after all at this point I had a super clean drivetrain, a new bottom bracket, a spotless bike, and every part from the rear dropout to the front skewer was lubricated and cleaned spotlessly. With the attitude of "no way in haiti will this work" I pulled off the pedals, for the 3rd time, and greased the pedal washers. I tested the bike again waiting for the creak...nothing. I turned the crank harder, still silence. I had fixed it!! It was the pedal washer, a 50 cent piece of metal. I have never slept better than I did that night.
After all the things I did to my bike it rides like a dream, the time and work I put in would easily have eclipsed $300.00 at a bike shop. Not to mention I highly doubt the bike shop would have found the creak. I would have been left with a huge bill of repairs and still had the creak. After all that hard work I can strip off cranks and bottom brackets in about 5 minutes, and my bike is completely overhauled to "brand new" bike clean. Not only did I fix the problem, but I kept my bike out of the bike shop, and all the greasing and cleaning has taken my road bike to a Tour De France level clean. The gears pop instantly, the carbon cranks turn butter smooth, and the thing climbs like a billy goat.
I was climbing earlier today and it reminded me of when I use to ride horses (many years ago). When the horse went up the hill I would grab the saddle horn and hold on for dear life, scared of the sheer power underneath me. This bike reminds me of this every time I power the cranks and the bike jumps underneath me with every ounce of power being transferred forward, soooo sweeeet.
I kid you not, after the work I did cleaning, adjusting and greasing, the bike is the most well tuned machine I have ever ridden, or seen. When the tailwind hits just right and cancels out the wind I am riding into, I can literally hear the ticking of the cycle computer because the drive train is silent. And you know what, it feels amazing because I did it all myself, for myself, to my exact standards of perfection. I could not be more pleased with the outcome.
PS this is a new addition to my family, the nice pup helped me while I was working on my bike today.
My position is justified, I could go on and on about the ridiculous things that bike shops have done to my bikes in the past, but I will take the high road here. I won't mention names but let me just say the lack of respect for the customer, other's belongings (expensive belongings), and pride in their work has kept my rides out of bike shops since 2006. Not every bike shop is bad however, but the bad ones are what make me hesitant to hire them.
If you have every seen me before a race you know how calculated I am with my bikes, if my saddle slips a millimeter I am running around asking, "who the heck messed with my bike?!" I am so dialed in that I notice the slightest shift in my saddle, handlebars, or even cable tension. It is for this reason that I work on all my own bikes. When my road bike developed a super annoying "creak" I was determined to fix the problem myself. I figured anyone with a masters degree should be able to handle anything bike related. I was set on fixing this creak, I would tweak this, turn that, grease this part, dry off that part, swap the wheels out, pull off the bottle cages, put the cages back on, all in attempt to silence the creak. I tried different pedals, I bought tools and parts, I pulled the crankset off, and even overhauled the bottom bracket. In fact I took out the bottom bracket cartridge, cleaned the frame, chiseled off every rough spot inside the bracket, and reassembled it.
Every little fix required a test ride, hoping for a fix I would mount my bike, hold my breath and listen for the creak. Every above mentioned item brought nothing, the creak would sound, my hopes would dash as my ideas for a fix wained. I actually lost sleep because my bike was hurt and I was out of ideas. 95 percent of riders would simply ride on and ignore the creak, or turn up their music. Not me, my bikes are perfect, and until they are a smooth running machine I can't enjoy a ride.
After two days of repairs I was down to my last idea, after all at this point I had a super clean drivetrain, a new bottom bracket, a spotless bike, and every part from the rear dropout to the front skewer was lubricated and cleaned spotlessly. With the attitude of "no way in haiti will this work" I pulled off the pedals, for the 3rd time, and greased the pedal washers. I tested the bike again waiting for the creak...nothing. I turned the crank harder, still silence. I had fixed it!! It was the pedal washer, a 50 cent piece of metal. I have never slept better than I did that night.
After all the things I did to my bike it rides like a dream, the time and work I put in would easily have eclipsed $300.00 at a bike shop. Not to mention I highly doubt the bike shop would have found the creak. I would have been left with a huge bill of repairs and still had the creak. After all that hard work I can strip off cranks and bottom brackets in about 5 minutes, and my bike is completely overhauled to "brand new" bike clean. Not only did I fix the problem, but I kept my bike out of the bike shop, and all the greasing and cleaning has taken my road bike to a Tour De France level clean. The gears pop instantly, the carbon cranks turn butter smooth, and the thing climbs like a billy goat.
I was climbing earlier today and it reminded me of when I use to ride horses (many years ago). When the horse went up the hill I would grab the saddle horn and hold on for dear life, scared of the sheer power underneath me. This bike reminds me of this every time I power the cranks and the bike jumps underneath me with every ounce of power being transferred forward, soooo sweeeet.
I kid you not, after the work I did cleaning, adjusting and greasing, the bike is the most well tuned machine I have ever ridden, or seen. When the tailwind hits just right and cancels out the wind I am riding into, I can literally hear the ticking of the cycle computer because the drive train is silent. And you know what, it feels amazing because I did it all myself, for myself, to my exact standards of perfection. I could not be more pleased with the outcome.
PS this is a new addition to my family, the nice pup helped me while I was working on my bike today.
![Hammer Nutrition](http://www.hammernutrition.com/affiliates/66515" target="_new"><img src="http://www.hammernutrition.com/images/common/affiliate.jpg" width="170" height="183" border="0"></a>)