Postscript to April 2

Of course, when I went into my bike shop to pick up my bike today, they asked me for a ticket or receipt. I told the guy that I was told that I didn't need one. Much huffing and puffing. Rolling of the eyes.

I told them what kind of bike I had, and the work done. They eventually found it. The whole process took about three times as long as it needed to.

Ah, Prague.

And in the end, they installed my new handlebars, but put my odometer on backwards, and also installed my front wheel the wrong way around, so the odometer didn't work. (I fixed it myself.) I also didn't get credit for the bad tube they sold me last week, and a reflector that was attached to my original handlebars didn't make the transfer.

My usual friend Mate wasn't there today. I hope he can work all this out for me when I see him next. But in the end, not a very impressive performance from my local shop for routine repairs.

I did find out it's possible to order these Schwalbe reinforced tires, though. I think he said they were around 700 kc each. That's about $33 each. I guess it's worth it if it means I don't get stranded out on the trail.

For now, I just bought two new tubes and hope that does the trick.

Comments

Anonymous said…
I think it's time to come to the conclusion that that bike store is just awful ... They are a bunch of friendly incompetents (in my opinion), though not sure if Prague really has a very good (or even just good) bike store (and I've been to many ... )
Anonymous said…
Sounds like your bike shop sux.

Try Sterba:

http://www.sterba-kola.cz

and as for the tires/tubes, what you really want is a tire with the Specialized Armadillo casing. They have a kevlar/steel mesh and are available here.

Try Sterba or the big three-story shop on Palackeho nam. (name escapes me...) for components.
Grant Podelco said…
Dear Anonymous,

Thanks for the tips. I will definitely check out those stores. The only thing my local shop seems to have going for it is that it's very close to where I live, which is a big plus, when you've got some serious repairs. But maybe it's time to face reality.

Thanks for reading.

Grant

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