The Organic Climber – Vegetarian running, cycling, swimming, rock climbing and raw foods.

In my previous I mentioned our stolen bikes. Well, we have now had them replaced with the help of Allstate Insurance and Jack & Adams Bicycles in Austin, TX. We hardly had any problems with Allstate, other than convincing them of the value of my bike, but in the end they gave me the full retail value, and priced Kristy’s bike reasonably well also.

The result of the whole stolen bike fiasco was upgrades! Because of the generous pricing we received on the bikes from insurance and the sale we found on our new bikes we were able to get something considerably nicer. I’m still bummed about having Kristy’s bike stolen, thought. It was unique and custom built. Even though her new Felt Z85 with 105 components is a stellar bike, it’s just not the same (see previous post for photos).

My old bike was a Cannondale Caad9, which I loved. When shopping for new bikes I was torn between the new Cannondale Caad10 and the Scott CR1 Team carbon fiber bike. Both were extremely light and race ready. But ultimately the Scott won me over because of the excellent customer service I received from Jack & Adams Bicycles, not to mention the extensive test riding I was allowed to do. The other bike shop down the road would only let me ride around the shop and didn’t take the time to size me properly like the staff at Jack & Admas did.

Now I have a bike that fits like a glove. Just this past weekend I went on a 45 mile bike ride and coasted up hills, keeping up with the fastest riders in the pack. The carbon frame rides extremely smooth. It’s like riding on rails. It handles well and is a climbing machine. I’m not 100% sure the Cannondale wouldn’t have been a better fit, but Cannondale should really think about who the let rep their bikes. If they aren’t willing to let customers take longer test rides, they aren’t likely to gain loyal customers.

Previously I thought I would have ridden Cannondale for life, but when you walk into a shop full of arrogant triathletes that could care less about sizing you for the proper ride, you better believe I’m going to buy a bike from somebody that is going to size me properly

Having recently started Bearded Brothers, I recognize the importance of good customer service. We make a strong effort to reach out to our customers and address any concern they may have by solving their problem. But understanding good customer service really stems from experiencing it myself, both good and bad. We learn what not to do from poor customer service and what to do from good customer service.

Now, I’m not saying I will ride Scott Bikes for the rest of my life now, but they have definitely one me over in terms of recommending their product to other people and I will likely look at their bikes first for future purchases.

Last weekends ride was the longest and fastest yet. We rode 47 miles and averaged a speed of 18MPH, some stretches were probably closer to 22+MPH. Those sections were definitely more challenging, but the Scott made it a tad bit easier. Here is part of the RunKeeper data from the ride. It’s not totally accurate due to turning on the GPS late and not stopping it during a pit stop, but you get the idea of how speedy we got!

Cycling, Uncategorized by OrganicClimber
bicycles, cannondale, jack & adams, road bike, scott, stolen
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