I don't know whether I'll be doing as much cursing as I thought in assembling some of our tandem parts or whether I'm just cursed when it comes to tandems.When buying our tandem, the guy selling it gave us a pair of what I would call 'cable stops'. I'm not sure if that's the correct name or not but they're the bits which screw on near the top, at each side of the downtube for the gears' (I think. I'll be sure to check before running the cabling through) cable housing to 'finish off' in. I know I should have checked when we were getting them but it turns out he gave me two right-sided 'cable stops' rather than one of each.
I phoned the surly customer 'service' buggers at SJS Cycles this morning and they were able to add these to my existing order but it was an unpleasant experience speaking to them and I'll not be going there again in a hurry unless I've no other options (Which may well be the case with tandem parts). Don't get me wrong. It's not the shop SJS Cycles which is the problem. It appears to be good and stocks some great stuff difficult to find elsewhere but, to say the least, their telephone operators could be a little more civil. They definitely don't entice one to wish to ring them again with their unfriendly surly attitude. It's a shame really as the shop itself, as I mentioned, is good. Maybe I just caught them on an off day.
It seems also that Wiggle doesn't have one of the cheap seatposts we ordered in stock and will have to put in an order for it. That means my poor Stoker, Kirby Girl, is going to have to make do with an old seatpost for a while, unless Wiggle hurries on with getting the other one in. I know that sounds selfish, with me getting the new seatpost, but it makes more sense doing it that way. The Captain's seatpost is going to have the Stoker's bars and a bottle cage mount on it and I can't be assed taking them off and putting them on again.
On further inspection of the tandem, it seems there's a bit of undesirable motion in both bottom brackets. I think it's not enough to worry hugely about at the moment but it's certainly something to prepare for in the future. I've never changed the bottom bracket on a solo bike let alone a tandem. I hope it's easy. By the way, does anyone know if a tandem uses standard chains and what 'speed' of chain should be used for the left side?
I phoned the surly customer 'service' buggers at SJS Cycles this morning and they were able to add these to my existing order but it was an unpleasant experience speaking to them and I'll not be going there again in a hurry unless I've no other options (Which may well be the case with tandem parts). Don't get me wrong. It's not the shop SJS Cycles which is the problem. It appears to be good and stocks some great stuff difficult to find elsewhere but, to say the least, their telephone operators could be a little more civil. They definitely don't entice one to wish to ring them again with their unfriendly surly attitude. It's a shame really as the shop itself, as I mentioned, is good. Maybe I just caught them on an off day.
It seems also that Wiggle doesn't have one of the cheap seatposts we ordered in stock and will have to put in an order for it. That means my poor Stoker, Kirby Girl, is going to have to make do with an old seatpost for a while, unless Wiggle hurries on with getting the other one in. I know that sounds selfish, with me getting the new seatpost, but it makes more sense doing it that way. The Captain's seatpost is going to have the Stoker's bars and a bottle cage mount on it and I can't be assed taking them off and putting them on again.
On further inspection of the tandem, it seems there's a bit of undesirable motion in both bottom brackets. I think it's not enough to worry hugely about at the moment but it's certainly something to prepare for in the future. I've never changed the bottom bracket on a solo bike let alone a tandem. I hope it's easy. By the way, does anyone know if a tandem uses standard chains and what 'speed' of chain should be used for the left side?
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