On local businesses and customer service.

I bought my bike in January from a shop called Cycle Logic, on Hillsborough Street here in Raleigh. I stopped by there first and rode the Raleigh Venture. It has push buttons gears, a super comfy seat. It's a great bike. They would even throw in all the proverbial bells and whistles too, like a helmet, lock, water bottle, patch kit, extra tube, etc. The price was right. Sadly, the owner of the shop is a complete jerk. I went to REI and tried a couple more bikes in the same price range. They did not compare. The seats weren't comfortable, they had the twist shifters, and nothing extra was included. I bought the Raleigh bike. I didn't feel good about it. I feel like making a purchase in this shop validates his behavior.

I had to take my bike in for service today. It's not downshifting between 5, 4, and 3. The front brake is too mushy too. The owner helped me today. I told him about the front brake. His response made me feel like he thinks I'm stupid. If one year free service was not included in the purchase of the bike, I'd go someplace else. I am all about giving my business to a small, local shop. Even if REI is a "co-op" it's still corporate. The guy who owns Cycle Logic is such a dick that he makes it hard to want to give him my business. Once I get my bike back, I'm going to All Star. They are nice people.

Of all the gin joints in all the world...

I had to work today, to make of for last week. I was riding my bike to the bus stop when who comes walking down the sidewalk towards me? My old friend, Chris, that's who. I love this guy. And I haven't seen him in a couple years. We were only able to talk for about 10 minutes before my bus came, but it was really good to see him. I gave him my number and went on my way. I got on the bus, which was as crowded as usual on a Saturday. I sat on the sideways seats and noticed the guy sitting next to me. He was young, probably 18 give or take a couple years, black, and a wee bit slack-jawed. Do you remember ADA Robinette from the first couple seasons of Law and Order? He has the same flat top haircut. The green embroidery on his black backpack indicates his name is James. James had a piece of paper he had printed in a color inkjet printer. It had the shape of a CAT bus on it and he was cutting it out. Very carefully. And he'd laugh and shake his head when the bus hit a bump. Once he cuts it out, he pulls out a full size bottle of school glue and starts folding, gluing and assembling the miniature paper bus. For the record, it was a copy of the Number 10 Longview bus. Once he got the bus glued together, he pulled a big plastic container out of his backpack. The was about 11" by 13" by 4" with a clear bottom and a blue hinged lid. He opened the lid and, to my surprise, it was chocked full of miniature paper buses. In fact, there was no room for the newly finished No. 10, so he took out a model of a new TTA bus to make room. He closed up the box and put it back in is backpack. He rode the rest of the way with the green paper bus in his hand. All of this took maybe 20 minutes and was simultaneously one of the funniest, coolest and most confusing things I've ever seen on the bus. I can only imagine what my face looked like when he opened the plastic box.

I left work about 1:30 and rode to the transfer center. The bus dropped me off in Raleigh around 3, which would normally be really annoying except that it was a really nice day out and...Chris was at Moore Square waiting for his bus. We got to talk for about another half hour. I'll get to see him later this week when we have more time. What I just love about this guy is that no matter how long it's been since I've seen him, it feels like yesterday.

I had a great bike ride today to. I rode about 9 miles today which is a personal record for someone who isn't convinced yet that she's not going to fall over on the bike.

Yo, Rickshaw!

I got a chance to travel in a Raleigh Rickshaw this weekend. It was awesome. My driver was Matt. He plays hockey, works at Whole Foods, and is getting ready to bike to New Orleans. He really liked his second job and said he does it three or four times a week.

Why take a taxi that burns fossil fuels when you can take a rickshaw that burns pasta and tofu? They have a dispatcher, so I call them to come get me at my apartment and take me downtown. I love it.

Raleigh Rickshaws

Bikes, books and buses.

I had to go into to work today. It would have been a total bummer if I didn't get in a nice bike ride. There's a TTA bus, the 101 to be exact, that goes from downtown to the Transfer Center, but nothing that goes to my office. So I rode my bike. Using the bike rack was easier than I thought. What I was unprepared for was sitting in the front of the bus moving at highway speeds watching my bike bob around like a buoy at sea. I know the bike rack is firmly bolted to the front of the bus, but it was quite wobbly. I rode up the hill from the depot to Davis, and a mighty little hill it was. Sam the Bus Driver even commented that he was impressed I made it up the hill. Unfortunately, the rest of the way to work was also uphill. With a misty, windy rain in my face. It was still a nice ride. And it meant going home was down hill. Even on a Saturday the folks driving on Miami Blvd were assholes. That makes me sad. It rained fairly hard while I was working, which meant my seat was SOAKED by the time I left. That was very unpleasant. Hopefully my seat will dry out at some point in this lifetime.

Sam was driving. I like Sam. Sam is super chatty. Sam always knows someone who can help you out and he'll be happy to talk to them for you. Cross Eyed Mary was unhappy with her job and somehow Sam knew the president of Duke and was going to talk to him for her. Today, Sam was going talk to another bus driver for me, to have him drive off his route to drop me off at my office on Saturdays. I told him I liked riding my bike.

On Hillsborough Street, near the Wilmont, a man was waiting for the bus. As the bus stopped, Sam says, "Oh Lord, are you kidding?" I wasn't paying attention until now. He opens the doors and asks the guy if he's moving. Homeboy gets on the bus with two double bagged paper bags, a liquor box, and a big black garbage bag. They were all full of books. A plastic garbage bag full of books? Doesn't that defy all laws of common sense, physics and gravity? It took this dude 5 full minutes to get his crap on the bus.