Sterling House

[Paul Boyd]

Oh dear. Despite my best efforts, a colleague ordered two BSOs from the
above emporium of tat for the bargain price of £100. One of them turned
up at work today. My God is it awful!?!?!? We needed to borrow a
forklift to unload it from the lorry (not really, but it's might heavy!)

It does have one thing in it's favour. It did come with some air in the
tyres. After lunch I'll be attempting to make it rideable. Oh, and it
has a bell

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

 

[elyob]

"Paul Boyd" <usenet.dont.work@plusnet> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Oh dear. Despite my best efforts, a colleague ordered two BSOs from the
> above emporium of tat for the bargain price of £100. One of them turned
> up at work today. My God is it awful!?!?!? We needed to borrow a
> forklift to unload it from the lorry (not really, but it's might heavy!)
>
> It does have one thing in it's favour. It did come with some air in the
> tyres. After lunch I'll be attempting to make it rideable. Oh, and it
> has a bell

I wouldn't bother helping. If they didn't listen to your verbal advice, why
help them with physical aid?

 

[Paul Boyd]

elyob said the following on 30/05/2007 13:17:

> I wouldn't bother helping. If they didn't listen to your verbal advice, why
> help them with physical aid?

Ah, but I like fiddling with bikes! This one now has wheels that are
straight enough to allow the brakes to get close enough to the rims to
actually work without rubbing. The amount of flex in the braking system
has to be seen to be believed and even now it's possible to pull the
lever back to the bars without too much effort, albeit more than would
normally be used - it's impossible to have it any other way.

The gears now work, all five of them at the back. The front changer
seems to shove the chain about after a fashion, and I honestly can't
work out if it's meant to be indexed or not! I can't pump the tyres up
properly because I only have a Presta pump at work, and no-one with cars
has any kind of pump with them!

I must admit that I didn't realize just how bad these bikes are. I'm
sure my first Tensor bike many years ago wasn't that bad - most buyers
won't have someone to set them up, and they'll just toddle off on an
unsafe bike. But at least they'll have a bell. Bah!!!

Oh, this was £100 for both bikes, BTW, not each, although I think the
ones that actually arrived should have been £150 the pair - they're full
suspension jobbies!

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

 

[Trevor A Panther]

"Paul Boyd" <usenet.dont.work@plusnet> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> elyob said the following on 30/05/2007 13:17:
>
>> I wouldn't bother helping. If they didn't listen to your verbal advice, why
>> help them with physical aid?
>
> Ah, but I like fiddling with bikes! This one now has wheels that are
> straight enough to allow the brakes to get close enough to the rims to
> actually work without rubbing. The amount of flex in the braking system has
> to be seen to be believed and even now it's possible to pull the lever back
> to the bars without too much effort, albeit more than would normally be
> used - it's impossible to have it any other way.
>
> The gears now work, all five of them at the back. The front changer seems
> to shove the chain about after a fashion, and I honestly can't work out if
> it's meant to be indexed or not! I can't pump the tyres up properly because
> I only have a Presta pump at work, and no-one with cars has any kind of pump
> with them!
>
> I must admit that I didn't realize just how bad these bikes are. I'm sure
> my first Tensor bike many years ago wasn't that bad - most buyers won't have
> someone to set them up, and they'll just toddle off on an unsafe bike. But
> at least they'll have a bell. Bah!!!
>
> Oh, this was £100 for both bikes, BTW, not each, although I think the ones
> that actually arrived should have been £150 the pair - they're full
> suspension jobbies!
>
> --
> Paul Boyd
> http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

To my shame I admit that I bought a BSO from Sterling well over ten years
ago! It lasted about 18 months of very much local use and I wasn't serious
about cycling then -- -- it got me to my garage and the local shop. It wasn't
a suspension thingy but it needed constant attention to keep it fit (ish) for
the road. I put a new rear hub in towards the end of the year but I gave up on
it and donated it to the local recycling depot -- I wouldn't have given it to
anyone -- too bl**dy dangerous!
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.
www.tapan.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk

 

[elyob]

"Paul Boyd" <usenet.dont.work@plusnet> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> elyob said the following on 30/05/2007 13:17:
>
>> I wouldn't bother helping. If they didn't listen to your verbal advice,
>> why help them with physical aid?
>
> Ah, but I like fiddling with bikes!

Where do you live?

 

[Paul Boyd]

elyob said the following on 30/05/2007 15:02:

> Where do you live?

A long way away

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

 

[Mark Thompson]

> Oh dear. Despite my best efforts, a colleague ordered two BSOs from the
> above emporium of tat for the bargain price of œ100. One of them turned
> up at work today. My God is it awful!?!?!?

At least you're just a bod. I sell bicycles for a living and failed to
persuade a friend not to buy a heap of dual-suspended junk from Halfords.
B'ah!

 

[Ekul Namsob]

Mark Thompson
<pleasegivegenerously@warmmail*_turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com> wrote:

> > Oh dear. Despite my best efforts, a colleague ordered two BSOs from the
> > above emporium of tat for the bargain price of ˛100. One of them turned
> > up at work today. My God is it awful!?!?!?
>
> At least you're just a bod. I sell bicycles for a living and failed to
> persuade a friend not to buy a heap of dual-suspended junk from Halfords.
> B'ah!

Has your friend now been persuaded? Or do we need to send the boys
round?

Cheers,
Luke


--
Lincoln City 0-2 Southend United (AET)
Swansea City 2-2 Southend United
We went up twice with Tilly and Brush

 

[Mark Thompson]

>> At least you're just a bod. I sell bicycles for a living and failed
>> to persuade a friend not to buy a heap of dual-suspended junk from
>> Halfords. B'ah!
>
> Has your friend now been persuaded? Or do we need to send the boys
> round?

The teasing he gets over it should be punishment enough. The montronsity
was slightly cheaper than the one I recommended so he probably has made the
right decision - he's only ridden in once, the unfit brstrd <sighs>.

 

[Simon Brooke]

in message <[email protected]>, Mark
Thompson ('pleasegivegenerously@warmmail*_turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com')
wrote:

>>> At least you're just a bod. I sell bicycles for a living and failed
>>> to persuade a friend not to buy a heap of dual-suspended junk from
>>> Halfords. B'ah!
>>
>> Has your friend now been persuaded? Or do we need to send the boys
>> round?
>
> The teasing he gets over it should be punishment enough. The montronsity
> was slightly cheaper than the one I recommended so he probably has made
> the right decision - he's only ridden in once, the unfit brstrd <sighs>.

On the other hand if he'd got the one you'd recommended he'd have probably
ridden it much more often - because he'd enjoy it.

--
[email protected] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

;; If you're doing this for fun, do what seems fun. If you're
;; doing it for money, stop now.
;; Rainer Deyke