June 17, 1997

REI

It was an up and down ride to the REI store in the suburb of Carey, NC. I got to the store around 10:30 a.m. The staff there were really friendly. I told the bicycle mechanic that I was having some problems with the Specialized bike that I had bought the first of the month at one of the REI stores in Atlanta, GA. This was the one that I had bought to replace the one that got stolen in PA back in April.

What I thought was going to maybe be an hour repair session lasted for almost eight hours. There were lots of people involved in the repair of some of the problems that could have been fixed in Atlanta before I had actually bought the bike or repaired before I took the bike out of the store. The bike got overhauled with a new bottom bracket, rear cluster, and a chain put on for free.

I also got money refunded for the handlebar light, mirror, and pump that didn't work. Since I stayed on through the noon hour, I got ten dollars for food. I used that money instead to buy a closed foam cell sleeping pad.

There was a slight problem with the front derailleur in changing gears but they didn't have one of my kind in stock. It was on warranty so a new one was ordered and arrangements were made for it to be waiting for me at the REI store in Ft. Collins, Co.

The repairs and new equipment must have been worth over two hundred dollars but there was no charge to me. Thanks goes to the Ali (the store manager), Eric (bike shop manager), and Scott (the mechanic).

After a couple of false starts because the derailleurs hadn't been set up for touring loads, I got back on the road around 6:30 p.m.