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My eye! Sweet Jesus, Ouch!


Sledge

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  • 2 weeks later...

Ugh. Boring job today.

Sat in my car opposite one of the competition's shop scouting out which customers are shopping there. 

Frankly it's a detestable task, but it's just one of those things you do. At least I get paid to sit in my car and read a magazine.

 

Coffee cup is empty though.

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On 9/12/2019 at 9:56 AM, scorch said:

Ugh. Boring job today.

Sat in my car opposite one of the competition's shop scouting out which customers are shopping there. 

Frankly it's a detestable task, but it's just one of those things you do. At least I get paid to sit in my car and read a magazine.

 

Coffee cup is empty though.

Are you actually serious !  What shop do you work for ?

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It's pretty common stuff in the plumbing merchant world. We've had our place scoped out, and the last place I worked at was watched for a bit too.

Basically the idea is you won't know who else is a potential customer unless you know who's shopping with the competition. So you have a gander at their shop for a bit, write down some names and numbers, then ring them up and say you've seen their van about, where do you shop, are you happy with them, what do you fit, can we quote you on some stuff, etc etc.

It's just as effective as going through the yellow pages because you'll know where they're shopping so you'll have an idea what to offer them. For example, Competitor X is known to be very keen on their copper tube prices and will push customers towards Ideal Boilers, so maybe don't try to poach their customers by pitching them copper, but do offer them an alternative boiler manufacturer if they're open to it.

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  • 2 weeks later...

Time to pay the early adopter tax.

4 and a half years ago I was super into cycling, I was fit, fast and doing 9 phys sessions a week.  I decided I was deserving of an upgrade.

I decided I wanted a future proof bike.  I knew the industry was heading towards disc brake road bikes (and I agreed with them) and I knew that disc brakes without thru axles are dangerous as balls.

I decided I was going to get a thru axle equipped disc brake road bike, I knew that flat mount brakes were the future.
I bought a KTM Revelator Sky, a carbon fibre bike with flat mount brakes, 15x100mm front and 12x142mm rear thru axles and relaxed - long range - geometry.

The dealer said the frame would be 2 days

It took 4 months.  It arrived with damaged paint.

It had a press-fit bottom bracket.  They are hopeless, creaky pieces of *suitcase*.  It creaked.  I replaced it with a BBInfinite sleeved BB.  It involved cutting the carbon fibre due to a stupid piece of design.

I rode the thing around for a while, never really got on with it (other than it was beautiful).

Recently I decided to reduce down to one bike.  My plan was to sell my original green bike to by best bro for cheap - just enough to replace the forks on the KTM.
That way I can fit my dynamo equipped wheel, mudguards and light to the KTM and do overnight rides.

No problem, until I discover that the prats from KTM fitted the shee-niou high-tech Alliance with a headset design that was obsolete from day one.

There is literally no way for me to fit any upgraded forks to my KTM.  The 15mm front axle has been abandoned by the roadies and 12mm front is the way forward.  At least I was right about the flat mount discs.


I threw a fit and gave up on the go tsao de piece of .
I have ordered a new frame.

Titanium.  44mm (oversize straight) headset, the best, easiest to maintain, best supported headset standard.  BSA 68mm bottom bracket, the best, easiest to maintain, best supported bottom bracket standard.  31.6mm seat tube is a bit big but big can always be adapted to small.  Flat mount brakes.  12mm rear axle.  Bolt on 34.9mm "braze on" front mech mount.  Bolt on 34.9mm seat clamp.

No surprises, no stupid dead end technology, no fragile carbon fibre dry weather princess of a bike.

This is going to be an all weather, mudguard wearing, dynamo lighted ultra distance plugger.
It better be the last bike I ever buy.

I consider the cost to be the last instalment of early-adopter tax I have to pay for buying the KTM.

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That's it.

There are exactly 4 sizes of bearings in headsets.

1 inch, 1.125 inch, 1.25 inch and 1.5 inch.

And yet, somehow, there are actually a billion different headsets.

All the way outside the head tube, all the way inside the head tube, in a cup pressed into the frame, just pressed directly into the frame, loose and self centring in the frame.

*fruitcage* all that noise.

A straight tube with a 44mm ID supports bearings from Hope and other good manufacturers that can fit all other types of fork.

So I got that.

My forks are 1.125 inch at the top bearing and 1.5 inch at the bottom, it is a common setup for strength and lightness.

Easy to maintain, built like 5 tanks, last forever.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Talk about your first world problems:

Washing machine broke down after about 8 of my collar stiffeners joined forces and created a jam in my washing machines drain pump and somehow the drum as well. Was totally fubarred so decided now was a good time to get a machine that dries also (what with it being winter and nowhere to really hang stuff to dry out of the way)

So I decided instead of being incredibly tight with money, I’ll buy one brand new! It arrives, the 2 guys can’t install it because the stopcock under the sink is buggerred. Stopping the water introduced a leak out of the handle. So after several hours, and several trips outside and under the pavement to stop the mains water, I get that replaced. At this point I’ve done a harder job than fitting the machine, so I did that rather than have to blag another day working from home so someone can do it. Then the most horrific high pitched whining comes from it after about 3 uses!

Guy comes to repair it under warranty. Takes the motor out and it’s apparently normal, they usually bed in (?!) but he speeds the process up by wearing down the brushes a little manually. Good stuff. Puts it all back into place, and introduces electrical problems that blows 3 fuses in appliances, and trips the house each time! Changes the wiring on the machine, no luck. Takes the motor out and puts it back in again, working again, but high pitched still.

Tells me to wear it in, and I do so, but it now comes up with an error message to say the brushes are worn out now, and will no longer open the door. Thank god I tested it without clothes in!

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14 hours ago, Got Wood? said:

Talk about your first world problems:

Washing machine broke down after about 8 of my collar stiffeners joined forces and created a jam in my washing machines drain pump and somehow the drum as well. Was totally fubarred so decided now was a good time to get a machine that dries also (what with it being winter and nowhere to really hang stuff to dry out of the way)

So I decided instead of being incredibly j*wish with money, I’ll buy one brand new! It arrives, the 2 guys can’t install it because the stopcock under the sink is buggerred. Stopping the water introduced a leak out of the handle. So after several hours, and several trips outside and under the pavement to stop the mains water, I get that replaced. At this point I’ve done a harder job than fitting the machine, so I did that rather than have to blag another day working from home so someone can do it. Then the most horrific high pitched whining comes from it after about 3 uses!

Guy comes to repair it under warranty. Takes the motor out and it’s apparently normal, they usually bed in (?!) but he speeds the process up by wearing down the brushes a little manually. Good stuff. Puts it all back into place, and introduces electrical problems that blows 3 fuses in appliances, and trips the house each time! Changes the wiring on the machine, no luck. Takes the motor out and puts it back in again, working again, but high pitched still.

Tells me to wear it in, and I do so, but it now comes up with an error message to say the brushes are worn out now, and will no longer open the door. Thank god I tested it without clothes in!

Ring them up and get a replacement. Don't take any , it's knackered. 

50 minutes ago, amateurstuntman said:

I went to a wedding yesterday.  I don't like weddings.

I don't like the guy.

The food was crappy.

Now I have heartburn and diarrhoea.

I have a 5 hour drive to Devon later.


Bleh.

Immodium works. Not ideal, but it works. 

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