Snappy Trek Hybrid

[ebubar]

So I must have the snappiest hybrid out there!
Last week I snapped a spoke. Replaced it no problem (thanks in large part to advice on here…THANKS!).

Today, riding home to beat the rain, I snapped the bolt that holds my seat on. Of course, the torrential downpour began
minutes after this and I was still 2 miles from home. I chose to ride home standing up, through the downpour (like a boss…or like an idiot?).

Seriously, though, should a 165 pound guy be able to break a seat like that? My 7.2 FX isn’t top of the line, of course, but for $550 I would expect
it to hold up a bit better than this. Is my uptick in mileage more than this 2011 hybrid can handle? Will a new commuter (say a Bianchi Volpe ) be more rugged and bulletproof than this Trek is proving to be? Of course a new bike is always a good answer, but I’m really wondering if I can expect a cyclocross to be much more bomb-proof than this hybrid.

Cheers and hope everyone had safe travels home!

Topic

[Rod Smith]

@ebubar 54952 wrote:

You folks are soooo nice! I need to figure out my seat post size. I actually don’t remember what it is…
I’ll call the shop and let you know. I’m close enough to Metro that I can get around to anywhere to meetup and do a covert seatpost exchange.

Of course, I may be able to use this excuse to get my new bike ordered…N+1 looks pretty justifiable now…

“Hey honey, i’m riding this bike too much. It can’t handle me and my superfit glutes, so I NEED to get another one to spread the wealth of my hardcore biking prowess.”

Nice? If I was nice, I’d let you enjoy a week off. I think you’re the third highest placed Bike Arlington All Star in our local Maryland challenge. We need your miles, need to keep you rolling!

Probably the best reason to have two bikes is so you can keep riding when a part breaks. Allowing you to take a few days or longer finding a good deal on the part you need. A back-up bike removes the urgency of repair and thus perhaps sometimes the cost of the repair. If your wife gets the impression that fellow wheelman will show up at your door the next day with spare parts when things break, that might negate your argument that another bike would be a sensible purchase. So yes, a ‘covert” seatpost exchange, perhaps delivered to your place of work, maybe a good idea.

When a spoke breaks, sometimes it leads to more spokes breaking, sometimes it means you need a new wheel. Riding as much as you do, you will need new wheels sooner or later. Having a back-up bike will allow you to keep riding while your shopping for new wheels or other parts that wear out.

So yes, for a daily rider, owning two bikes can actually save you money.

I broke a seatpost bolt once. I’ve broken half a dozen frames. That’s why I say it’s rare but it happens. I know a rider who carries a spare seatpost bolt in his repair kit because he broke a seatpost bolt once, but I think that’s overreacting. Nothing lasts forever.

[KLizotte]

@Rod Smith 55001 wrote:

So yes, for a daily rider, owning two bikes can actually save you money.

And if you find a bike, or two, for a seriously good price you should buy them now because really, you’ll just save money down the road….

Opportunity costs are so over rated.

[ebubar]

Confirmed a 27.2 mm seat post size.

If you have a spare, i’m willing to meet you anywhere metro accessible at almost anytime tomorrow.

I basically only have set hours to work on Monday’s and Wednesday’s at the moment. All other
days/times are my own…for riding and getting back all those missed points from broken equipment!

[Rod Smith]

It’s in my bag. Farragut or Dupont best Red line stations for me unless I’m on the hill or in Rosslyn. 10:30 to 11:30 is when I’m sure to be near there. Bring your bike and saddle and ride home!

[ebubar]

I was all set to praise my local trek dealer for getting me my seatpost in 2 days rather than the week they originally told me.

Seatpost came in and is a nice shiny black all over and now has 2 bolts for double the glute support! It will match my bike wonderfully until I get the post home and realize its missing the bottom platform with the railing cutouts for me to actually be able to connect the seat. I figured they screwed something up (which seems to be a trend with
this shop) and called them to ask about exchanging the seatpost for one that, you know, is actually complete.

I’m told by the manager that he personally looked at the post and everything was there. Oh really? Were you there when they dropped the post getting it out of the bag? I suspect the piece in question was dropped then too and never given to me. Still being a relatively new biker, I didn’t think to look and make sure everything was there. Shame on me and now I have to pay for a new seatpost.

What really bugs me though, is this level of service. IMHO when I call your shop and say your seatpost wasn’t complete, the correct response is “oh, bring it in and we’ll take a look at it and fix it if something’s missing”. Do they think i’m trying to cheat them somehow? Is there really a huge market for folks stealing pieces of seatposts? If so, i’ve got a great seatpost here that’s only missing a third of what you need to make it work!

Rant done…:mad:

[ebubar]

On a separate note, big thanks to Rod for providing a replacement seatpost when I was anticipating a longer wait.

It will prove to be even handier now that I’ll be dealing with an uncooperative local shop. I’ll most likely end up having to buy
a seatpost in the end, but your generous loan will allow me to at least be obnoxious until the bitter end!

[Rod Smith]

What an braying jackass! He personally looked at the seatpost but it sounds like he wouldn’t know ass from his elbow if he could see either. Get the replacement by all means, but use the seatpost I gave you for as long as you like. Is the post I gave you long enough? If so, you can keep it. I don’t need it. I have a longer one but it’s part of a project bike I’m trying to build up. The longer one you can borrow, but I’ll want it back eventually.

[Author]

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