jonjarrold.co.uk

Ok, so maybe I’m the rubbish one for buying a single-speed bike in the first place, but once you’ve accepted this fact, you then have one rubbish person with one single-speed bike.  You see, single-speed bikes are not rubbish themselves.  You have to understand the context they’re in.
Let’s imagine you’re about to die…like litterally.  Now, your final resting place is to be a lake at the bottom of the mountain you live on.  You’re going to be going downhill.  At the bottom, you’re going to die.  You are never going to return to the top of the mountain.  Your bike will be buried with you at the edge of the lake.  In this context, a single-speed bike is a brilliant idea, and I’d recommend you buy yourself one to ride to your death.

Now, let us imagine that you’re not about to die.  You live at the top of a hill.  You work somewhere further down the hill.  Due to the  nature of working during the day and sleeping at home at night, there is a good chance you’ll be travelling both down and up the hill.  This the context in which I live and own a single-speed bike.  It may have been a mistake for me to buy this bike.

Anyway, I’ve got it now and I more or less like the darn thing.  The major downfall of this bike is the fact that it’s broken and the people who sold it to me haven’t fixed it, despite telling me they would do.  They’re not actually going to get their hands dirty by fixing the bike.  They’ve admitted that the fault (broken bottom bracket within three months of owning it) is a warranty covered fault.  They’ve said they can send me the part.  They asked for the part number.  I gave it to them.  They said they’d send it.  Then nothing!

Days pass as I await the part in the post.  I also await the return packet for me to send the broken part back to them in.  So I’m waiting for two things; one that I’m really interested in, as it’ll get me back on the road; the second that I’m less interested in, but which they are more interested in possibly.

Fast forward three weeks (?), several emails, numerous non-returned phone calls, and no post.  I am an ANGRY man.  People who know me know that I don’t really do ANGRY.  I’m the kind of guy that you can take home to meet your parents.  That’s how I’m frequently described.  This is generally a good thing, except for girls who want a bad boy!

I JUST WANT MY BIKE FIXED!  AND IF YOU CAN’T SEND ME THE PART, WHICH YOU TOLD ME YOU’D ALREADY SENT, JUST TELL ME SO I CAN BE A BIT LESS ANGRY!

If you’d like to buy my Commencal Absolut CroMo once it’s fixed, give me lots of money!