| Ride Stats |
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Distance:
22.00 miles
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Time: 01:43:00
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Avg Speed:
12.82 mph
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Max Speed:
22.00 mph
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Weight:
172
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Effort:
3 - Moderate 11-13 mph
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Route:
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Altitude Gain:
0 ft
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Terrain: Road: Flat
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Bike: Giant ONYA (Sold 04/09 sigh) XC Mtn
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Club: 'BentRider Recumbent Club |
| Weather Conditions: Cold morning....warming up nicely...with some clear winter skies. |
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I don't think this would happen in a bike shop in the USA. I know it wouldn't happen in Miami. Maybe Portland, but I dunno.
I've decided to re-do part of my recumbent drive train.
When last in the states I bought parts for most of a new drive train: New chain, rear cassette, cables, and a Sram X-9 derailer. I have some tools with me, including a casette removal tool, but it couldn't remove the rear cassette....cassette was on REALLLLY tight. Also didn't have cable cutters to change the rear derailer cable feed from a loop to straight line feed on the new Sram X-9 rear derailer.
From a local racing bike club yahoo group site I've seen a Shanghai bike store owner post when someone needed something along the lines of "...I can get that for you in my shop." Found out his shop was about a half hour from me and a few months ago stopped in to say hello.
High-end bike shop, especially for China. On the floor he has stenciled in the names of top Tdf winners, starting with Lance Armstrong.
Bianchi, Trek, Conaglo and other top line bike frames hang from the ceiling along with the technicolor array of top race team jerseys and other goodies.
Small shop, probably not much bigger than some American McMansion bathrooms.
The owner is a smallish, wiry and very young Chinese with a soft speaking voice. His English is far better than my Chinese. Then again anyone's English is far better than my Mandarin!!
Fast forward to yesterday when I needed help with the drive train. I call Chain (you guessed it..that's his English name and I can lay odds you know where he took it from.) Chain tells me to come in the afternoon.
I pack up my goodies and head over to the store to find Chain has not come in yet, but a young mechanic is there. I explain what I want to do with gestures and displaying the bike parts. In halting, broken english says: "I can fix."
The chinese mechanic worked on the bike for a good 45 minutes to an hour, adjusting everything,including my brakes.
The owner returns and I ask" What do I owe you?" The chinese mechanic says: "Nothing. It is my pleasure." An hours work of mechanical effort and he refuses to charge me anything.
I try to hand him some yuan and he says again: "No. No. My pleasure. Thank You."
I bought a cable chain lock and some other odds and ends I really don't need.
Payback.
It was my pleasure.
Left click to enlarge
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