And the final installment of Searching for a New Ride...
I've had my new Kona Kahuna for a little over a week now and have been able to get out for a handful of rides. The eventual arrival of my new bike unfortunately coincided with the holidays -- and I've been jammed for time -- but I've managed to get out for a few rides, including a terrific ride on Christmas Day.
The bike, so far, has been great -- although my high regard for JRA Cycles took a plummet upon final delivery. (Sigh. Nothing is perfect.)
Some interesting questions have come up this past week from several friends and teammates --
"Did the bike shop compensate you in any way for the several delays? Six weeks was a long time to wait on a stock bike that you were originally told would take a week -- and then three -- and then ultimately six. You lost a lot of training time." No
"Not even a water bottle? Socks?" Hahaha... no. (But kudos to Fitwerx for their branded water bottle, socks, and the sweet little wedge bag when I bought my Trek Domane -- which arrived without issue.)
"Did they check the fit, make sure you were comfortable on the bike? Adjust the seat height, position or angle? Make sure the stand over clearance was adequate and confirm they ordered the right size for you?" No
"Show you how to make any adjustments? Explain how to adjust the suspension? Make sure the brake levers were in a comfortable position for you?" No
"Did they make sure the handlebar height and position was ok? Width ok? (Especially since your road bike needed narrower drop bars because of your narrow shoulders?" Ummmm... No.
"Have they followed up on the sale, reminded you of the break-in period with a new bike, and suggest you bring it in for complimentary adjustments after 100 miles or so?" No. And I know this is usually standard OP, but they never mentioned it.
"Did they at least suggest you take the bike out for a quick spin before leaving the shop?" Hahaha....
^^ Life with pro cycling friends.OK, so, that's all something to consider before making JRA Cycles my go-to bike shop.
I love the bike... I loved the initial bike buying experience at JRA Cycles... and I definitely liked Adam and appreciated his time... but I'm really disappointed by the endgame. It feels like JRA Cycles was more interested in completing the sale rather than welcoming me as a new customer.
Fitwerx definitely scores higher marks for customer care and service. I may not love several aspects of my Domane -- it's unfortunate it's never been the right bike for me, though an overhaul of the gearing might help, and I'll talk to Geoff about it in March. When all is said and done, Fitwerx takes pretty good care of me and my road bike when I need them. Marty and Geoff have always been super.
The jury is now out on JRA Cycles.
Kind of a bummer.
