Mine is about the same age. Before that I had a hybrid lite Raleigh. I have just put it into Halfords for a service and repair as I couldn’t figure out how to adjust the gear shift. I reckoned it was worth the cost of the repair and replacement parts if it came to less than the price of a half-decent new second-hand bike.
I bought the Dawes Discovery as I had had a lucky win playing around with shares at the time. I wish the exchange rate would turn around in my favour right now .
8 months and 6,000 km and I broke the last one (crack in the carbon fibre where the seatpost slots into the frame) but Giant have replaced it under guarantee and this is what the new one looks like 
!
3 Likes
nice to hear of a guarantee working as it should… 
Quite, Stella, have heard of a lot of cases where the company (Trek, Giant, Canyon, Orbea and others) tries to wriggle out of their responsabilities 
In my case Giant honoured their garantee as did Canyon a few years ago
It hasnt got a saddle - or has it 
? What do you sit on?
“what do you sit on?” … not a lot 
2 Likes
On the subject of bikes, does everybody know they can get 50€ from the gorvernment for having their bike repaired/serviced?
Coupdepoucevelo.fr : une aide de 50 euros pour la réparation et la reprise en main de votre vélo
although most vélocistes that are doing it (and the majority aren’t) are snowed under (at least they are in my area)
Decathlon is doing it and doesn’t seem to be snowed under down here in the south-west.
In any event it is worth a try, 50€ isn’t to be sneezed at.
Grahame Pigney
P Help save paper - please don’t print this email unless you really need to.
P Sauvegardons la planète. Avez-vous vraiment besoin d’imprimer cet e-mail?
I’m in the south-west too but I wouldn’t let anyone at Décathlon touch my bike!
1 Like
I now what you mean my dad and his friends had a pro that did pro teams fly In from northern Italy every year to tune their bikes
1 Like
I’m in need of a big frame are they any good dealers in sw France do anyone now?
1 Like
Plenty in my area (Albi and Rodez) but most people have a bike in mind then go to the vélociste who deals in that make/brand. In Albi I can recomment Albi cycles, Giant Albi, Andouard (in St Juéry who also makes frames), l’Atelier du Cycle, GP Cycle are ok but they no longer have their ace mécano (he’s a friend who now specialises in carbon repairs from home). In Rodez: Unik Bike (he also owns Giant Albi with Alex Geniez) Boutonnet and Rodez bike in Onet le Château too.
Don’t forget Canyon and Rose if you’re happy with mail-order factory-direct bikes (I’ve had 2 Canyon and would happily have another one… currently very tempted by the just released Aeroad that Van der Poel has been riding this season)
Oh, and just to say I’ve got nothing against Décathlon, quite the opposite (and they sponsor our local club as I do too ) they do make some half decent bikes, especially for the money and their top of the range road bikes (Van Rysel) are well worth a look, but you’ve no idea who will be setting the bike up and what he’s like as a mécano!
1 Like
3 Likes
Halfords, wouldn’t touch them with a barge pole now. My poor darling Dawes Discovery came out a hell of a lot worse off than when she went in .
The technician wouldn’t accept the quick release handles were missing, He claimed there weren’t any on the bike !
The brakes bars didn’t squeeze equally.
The rear wheel was n’t correctly fitted, they had added a wrong part and was loose on the frame.
etc.
+++
They wouldn’t accept my 1/5 star customer comments on the feedback survey. 1 star as you can’t put 0 stars
Does anyone have a second hand bike suitable for a short legged 5’2" keen lady cyclist please ,
I’ve not been on here for a while but I caught this thread. I haven’t yet delved into all the chat that’s gone before; I thought I’d come in uninfluenced and chuck in my two-pennorth.
I was a keen cyclist most of my life - until I had a knee replacement op’, and it took the pleasure right out of it: it feels like a rusty hinge and gives me that feeling like when you scrape your fingernails down a blackboard 
I think my longest ride, back in my yòóf, was from Manchester to Chester to Rudyard Lake to Buxton and back home: about 120 miles in a day.
Any-road-oop-lad, I flogged my nice Cannondale, as my days of lengthy rides were obviously over, but kept my old folding bike that was rescued out of a skip some 35 years ago - because it wasn’t worth selling - BUT - I had a rummage around eBay and bought a kit to make the old thing electric powered. It’s a 36v system so I rigged it to use the Bosch 36v batteries I use on some of my garden tools. I sawed off the handle of a strimmer to mount the battery and can take a charged up spare with me: one to go there - one to come back. Change out of £200 and it goes like the clappers (whatever a clapper is…) I fitted a 7 speed Shimano hub gear on the back wheel too - for when I actually feel like pedal assist is called for.
And, whilst picnicking by our local canal at Evran, I see that the Mairie has installed a bike work-station to fix common problems on your ride. A neat idea!
5 Likes
Yes. 5000km per year. Road, mountain and ebike
I can add that I ride on zwift a lot as O.Toulouse. You find riding with CLS and TBR groups normally in the evening.
HI, We are a Chambre D’hotes in Brittany France situated along side the Nantes et Brest Canal and the Euro Velo route 1 including the La Velodyesse route. The summer is buzzing here with Cyclists and cyling enthusiasts from all over the world. I am currently writing for the online magazine @VieMag a 6 part series on the journey along the canal either on foot or by bicycle you can find that article by searching the web if you are thinking of cycling the canal check our website for overnight accomadation Central brittany B and B
we would love to host you
Kindest regards
Sharon
1 Like