Oops, whats the most expensive mistake you've made?

DaveB said:

Just been reading Triatlon and Multisport magazine where they have a
write up on an up and coming triathlete. Erin Densham was asked her most
expensive thing she's ever broken. Her reply was "Two racing bikes on
the roof of my car, driving into undercover parking". Yikes I can
imagine that would be pretty expensive.

DaveB

I heard of one that was minor damage to the bike, major damage to the car & carport!

DaveB said:

Just been reading Triatlon and Multisport magazine where they have a
write up on an up and coming triathlete. Erin Densham was asked her most
expensive thing she's ever broken. Her reply was "Two racing bikes on
the roof of my car, driving into undercover parking". Yikes I can
imagine that would be pretty expensive.

A friend of a friend did that under a tree recently, although I doubt the
bikes were quite as valuable. IMHO it's a daft way to carry bikes.

--
bpo gallery at http://www4.tpgi.com.au/users/mvw1/bpo

quote='Michael Warner'On Fri said:

Just been reading Triatlon and Multisport magazine where they have a
write up on an up and coming triathlete. Erin Densham was asked her most
expensive thing she's ever broken. Her reply was "Two racing bikes on
the roof of my car, driving into undercover parking". Yikes I can
imagine that would be pretty expensive.

A friend of a friend did that under a tree recently, although I doubt the
bikes were quite as valuable. IMHO it's a daft way to carry bikes.

--
bpo gallery at http://www4.tpgi.com.au/users/mvw1/bpo[/QUOTE]

I agree - I'm putting the baby seat on the roof rack and the bike inside the car tomorrow!

Ritch

no contest, I thought it was the first time I got married, but I was wrong, it was the 2nd time .....

Campagnolo ergobrain!

*mutter*

till

till! said:

Campagnolo ergobrain!

Why so? What's wrong with it?

aeek said:

Why so? What's wrong with it?

hmmm, although it is wired , and delivers a comprehensive range of output and functions (other than HR) it delivers REAL readings, not guestimates like some and it is a svelte & beautiful looking piece of equipment ( like all Campy)...so yeah, Why so?

Michael Warner said:

DaveB said:

Just been reading Triatlon and Multisport magazine where they have a
write up on an up and coming triathlete. Erin Densham was asked her most
expensive thing she's ever broken. Her reply was "Two racing bikes on
the roof of my car, driving into undercover parking". Yikes I can
imagine that would be pretty expensive.

A friend of a friend did that under a tree recently, although I doubt the
bikes were quite as valuable. IMHO it's a daft way to carry bikes.

From memory, that's the only way u're allowed carry bikes on your car
in Germany on the autobahns...

aeek said:

Why so? What's wrong with it?

It can work out my speed, and cadence fine, but where it is supposed to work out what gear combo im in? It doesnt really work very well, or at all.

till

till! said:

It can work out my speed, and cadence fine, but where it is supposed to work out what gear combo im in? It doesnt really work very well, or at all.

till

from a quick googling it seems that the manual could be better
http://www.campyonly.com/roadtests/ergobrain_test.html
hopefully you still have all the bits.

quote='acalcium'Michael Warner said:

On Fri, 24 Jun 2005 18:43:21 +1000, DaveB wrote:

From memory, that's the only way u're allowed carry bikes on your car
in Germany on the autobahns...[/QUOTE]

What, you can't toss them in the back of your hatch ?

aeek said:

from a quick googling it seems that the manual could be better
campyonly.comergobrain test.htmlOpen ↗
hopefully you still have all the bits.

its all in the set up, do the configure to tell you which chain ring and which cassette gear you are in, ( some people just look down) and it remembers, and configures for 9 or 10 speed, and double or triple chainring....

like all manuals that start out in another language, maybe some get lost in translation, but at least Campy's is not as iffy as some from Asia, where the english translation is worse than the chinese original....

my only beef with the ergo brain is that the wiring harness can be stressed and if broken at the contact points near the mount means a new unit ( yep my LBS did this to mine and well, they bought me a newy didnt they!)...so whilst it's not wireless (yet!) it is still a bloody good little smart box.

DaveB said:

Just been reading Triatlon and Multisport magazine where they have a
write up on an up and coming triathlete. Erin Densham was asked her most
expensive thing she's ever broken. Her reply was "Two racing bikes on
the roof of my car, driving into undercover parking". Yikes I can
imagine that would be pretty expensive.

DaveB

I saw this last week....a mature rider who had always rode a custom and never had any problems, could climb well, downhill superbly, and managed 200 + klms a week, ( for over 60's) and does a Sat Morning hit out of 80klms at very high bunch pace.....OK, that's him...well he has a few spare bucks and decides he needs reward...so one day driving past this swanky looking LBS he spies a black jewel-like conversation piece in the window...does a double take and heads straight in the door.

The sales guy says, "This is the answer to all your prayers" the lightest, most stunning best performing bike on the market" ....woohoo it was the Ridley Excalibur"

OK top end groupset with Carbon record, superb wheels, great tyres, light frame....ahhhemmmm, then what is the problem?, and why an expensive mistake ??

well, falling in love with this bike's look, he bought it there and then, unridden and expected to now be the leader of the pack not only on looks, but in performance.....

well, first ride, he climbs on, and heads out into the traffic...hmmm it didnt feel right, ....a but light, yeah thats to be expected, ok but now everything is working right,mmmmmm but it still doesnt feel right......ok here's a hill, accelleration should be easy, whooooaaaaa, he said he almost tipped over backwards...hmmmm ok well made it to the top, now lets ease down hill...... shhhhiiiiiiiiiitttttte!!!!!!!, this thing is soooooooo wobbly, what's wrong?, its unstable, doesnt have the high end speed performance he was used to from an Alloy custom and well was just an ill fitting unacceptable ride!...

and the Swanky LBS's sales guy said "its all about weight mate", this is the best bike ever, worth every cent of the $MEGA's I will take off you, so payup and go have fun.....but it wasnt it IS ALL ABOUT MATCHING GEOMETRY TO PHYSIOLOGY, tube lengths and angles, especially for him the seat post angle and head tube angle......

Bottom line, after he tried to ride it for two weeks and found that even when his old bike builder tried to adjust his position after a few sheepish admissions of buying the bike without checking...it wasnt possible to get the new Ridley to a positional fit that would let him ride it for any benefit, not just performance...the pain in the back and knees, the lack of stability and the tippyness over the back, all meant

THIS WAS THE MOST EXPENSIVE MISTAKE HE EVER MADE!!

This is a true story!, no bulldust, and he is now riding his old custom again, the new Ridley is in the shed, and will probably stay there.

rooman said:

snippage...

bwahahahahahah

is that Cadel's excuse for colarbone No.4???
(poor bugger)

F"Collarbone? [censored]! Do the entire ACJOINT 3rd grade and get back to me..."Dutch

Left a brand new pair of bike shoes in the roof of the car and drove off. Never saw them again...

rooman said:

This is a true story!, no bulldust, and he is now riding his old custom
again, the new Ridley is in the shed, and will probably stay there.

Rooman, you have to stop ghostwriting for JK 🙂

DaveB said:

Just been reading Triatlon and Multisport magazine where they have a
write up on an up and coming triathlete. Erin Densham was asked her most
expensive thing she's ever broken. Her reply was "Two racing bikes on
the roof of my car, driving into undercover parking". Yikes I can
imagine that would be pretty expensive.

While it *only* cost me around $1200, this was a bad one, and could
have been a lot worse -
Was riding back from a hard session at the Hawthorn velodrone,
mostly on autopilot, following the wheel of a mate, when we
overtook a couple, on the yarra river trail - I didn't look as we
did it, and smaked headfirst into a bloke coming the other way on
a new Giant comething (alloy, 105). Crash is my fault,
I pay for all his busted bits - new shifters, new seat, new knicks ...
and a new helmet for me (they work!)

Bike on the roof is no worries at all, but a bike on a strapon (!)
rack with a car with plastic bumpers (everything these days ....)
is quite a worry.

Dominic Sansom said:

Left a brand new pair of bike shoes in the roof of the car and drove
off. Never saw them again...

I left an expensive helmet on the ground once, never saw that again either.

Marty

"Carl Brewer" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Bike on the roof is no worries at all,

as long as you lie it on its side!

I did a good job on our tandem with a *solid* specially made roof rack.
Driving home from a weekend away at Daylesford, with the rack creaking a
little on the roof bars around corners, just to remind me it was there. Even
turning into our street I was reminded 'roof rack'. But we pull into the
driveway and the cat is there to welcome us. He sits in front of the car and
meeows. I ask Margaret to get out and shoo him away. She picks him up, then
I drive the car in, straight under the carpor.. CRAAASH! tinkle, tinkle!

Tandem on the roof is pretzled. Rear window of the hatch is smashed (by the
strong steel rack). Kids are screaming, but OK of course.

Lots of shopping about for a new frame ensued, but we finally wrote off the
old tandem and got a good price on a 'new' second hand one for $1800. Panel
beating, new hatch and rear window came to $2300. At least the car insurance
covered this, but they only gave us $200 for damage to sporting equipment.

So now I carry the tandem, and sometimes other bikes, on the roof, but I
turn the bars sideways, take pedals off one side , and strap it down on its
side. Much better for the nerves.

Cheers
Peter