Why I Love Nelo’s Bike Shop

I had a little spill on the bike Wednesday night; the left brake hood wound up bent to the inside. My friend Corey just manhandled it back into place but it worried me…was something damaged? Would it be weak? So I stopped by Nelo’s this morning for him to take a look.

Nelo himself helped me, as he usually does.  He took a look and said, “Nah; it’s fine.  It’s made for that to happen.” He gave me a little talk about why you want give there. Then he checked all my alignment and noticed my seat was a bit out of whack, so he fixed that. He also checked to see that my wheels were true and gave me a little tutorial for “the next time you have a little fall, because falls happen all the time” about wrestling things back into position. And then he told me he thought my chain was a little dry, so he whisked the bike into the back and lubed her up for me.

We chatted a little bit when he came back out with the bike, and I asked him what I owed him. He said nothing and told me to ride fast at the time trial.

Nelo’s is about the only store that’s truly convenient for me but that’s not the only reason I go there almost exclusively (I like Jack & Adam’s too, but that is a big haul for me so I go there if I’m already going south). It’s because of Nelo himself. He is so wonderful and great with advice and help. He never makes me feel stupid or like less of a cyclist, and he talks to me as though he knows I’m just out there, flying along.

I’ll never forget what he said to me when I was picking my bike up after her pre-Ironman tune-up; he patted me on the shoulder and said, “You will ride like an eagle.”

Awwwww.