by 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.
I agree with you 100%. All of the guys in his shop are people who love the sport, and are in the business for that reason. Even after the stupid things I\’ve done to my bike, I\’ve never had them be anything but positive and helpful. We\’re in the same boat, being up north; they\’re literally just down the street from us — they\’re almost exactly as far away now as before their move.
Did you get to visit with their new rescue dog, Vino?
All the folks at the store are very nice. And they actually moved closer to me! Nobody ever moves closer to me, lol.
Was Vino at the old store? I remember a pit bull (I think it was; is that what Vino is?) who was just a big old sleepy lump most of the time, very sweet. But I think that dog was more brown than Vino, so I don\’t think I\’ve met him. I love love LOVE their big dogs!! They are just about as big as my bike.