<<Because you can drink beer while you do it. >>

You could also drink beer to celebrate someone else cleaning your bike!

"Would you be ok if your local car dealership posted pics of your car and talked about how poorly maintained it was on a forum? How about if your plumber posted pics of the piss stains on your toilet? I'm sure you can think of many other examples"

If there was no way to link me to the photographs how am I harmed. So much has been made of the poster's bike being displayed on the internet but no one has explained how this caused any harm.

No one even knew who owned it


That's exactly my point too. Tom didn't print the guy's name and address and call him a filthy slob.

I don't mean to be a dick, but this latest group of bikes we got going to Ironman florida are.... Quote | Reply

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the poorest maintained group of bikes I have ever seen headed to an Ironman.

We have a bunch of bikes here for pick-up by Tri-Bike transport. The people who own them are telling us, "They are fine- ready to go.... I had it all tuned up!"

This is what we found this morning:

• One broken frame (severly dented and cracked under top tube at seat tube).
• Three bikes with more spacers on the steer tube than any fork manufacturer would be comfortable with.
• Six (6!) rear brake cables with housing seriously kinked at the rear brake barrel adjust making the brakes feel very stiff and sluggish.
• One seized BB producing an incredible amount of drag.
• Two bikes with the handlebar tape on backwards so that it rolls up when you grip the base bars.
• One bike with the elbow pads on backwards.
• A bike headed to Ironman Florida for a 10:10 finisher but equipped with a 12-27 cogset. This cogset nearly exceeds the limit of the rear derailleur on the bike and actually rubs the top jockey wheel in the 27 tooth cog with the "B" screw turned all the way in. Who needs a 12-27 in Florida? the course is flat!
• All bikes are not just dirty- they are filthy.
• Numerous corroded stem bolts.

I don't want to come off as uppety or snobish or a know-it-all, but these people trained hard and long and paid big money for these bikes and to be in the race. They are paying good money to get their bikes to the race- but they are not performing even the most basic PMCS (Preventive Maintenance Checks and Services) on them.

It seems like people would learn from wathcing the Tour de France on TV. That they would get used t the idea that the bikes are washed and maintained. I know the average athlete can't do that after every long ride- it isn't even necessary. But it is a good idea before a big, important event like Ironman.

It bothered us so bad we just decided to wash the bikes, lube them, safety check them and re-tape the ones that are done backwards. I just couldn't stand to see these bikes sent to the race in this condition.

And yes, I did photograph them all.... But i am too busy working on them right now to put up the photos. they are ugly.....


"Don't be too quick to judge. Assume the best in someone until they prove otherwise." -Slowtwitcher, 8/30/05




Anyone else see the irony in Tom's tag line?

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You call yourself a Christian, I call you hypocrite. You call yourself a patriot well, I think you're full of s**t

NeoCon by the Rolling Stones

HAHA, I made a post about the same thing earlier this morning, seems like Tom shouldn't be too suprised when his title included the words "I don't mean to be a dick." If you have to say that, chances are you are going to come across as a dick...for better or for worse.

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Portside Athletics Blog

As I stated already, Tom was entrusted with this mans bike and he broke that trust.

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Proud Founder of the Jamis Mafia- Daring to be different.

The most basic point is it's unprofessional for a business owner or employee to ridicule a customer. Posting the pictures in this context amounts to ridiculing the owner. It's sad that our expectations of businesses have sunk so low that something so basic isn't noted.

 "The most basic point is it's unprofessional for a business owner or employee to ridicule a customer."

Amen! Tom was paid to pack a bike. In the process of doing that he gave the guy shit. It doesn’t matter if he was damaged or humiliated in anyway. The deal was to pack his bike and Tom used it as a publicity tool. No harm but a big foul.

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customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

I do not think the picture should have been posted either. Yes, Tom did not put the person's name out there, but he did give enough details for someone with enough time to figure out who it is.

"The most basic point is it's unprofessional for a business owner or employee to ridicule a customer. Posting the pictures in this context amounts to ridiculing the owner. It's sad that our expectations of businesses have sunk so low that something so basic isn't noted."



That pretty well sums it up. Time to move on.

Not only did you not know who owned the bike but the pictures were only of select areas. Was it good or bad to post them, that is questionable. In my opinion you get what you get when you turn a nice bike into a piece of shit by not maintaining it properly.

As for the potential loss of customers that do not want their dirty bikes pictured, well as a business owner you do not want those customers anyway, they are more trouble than they are worth.

"As for the potential loss of customers that do not want their dirty bikes pictured, well as a business owner you do not want those customers anyway, they are more trouble than they are worth."



Yup, if I were a bike shop owner I would not want a bunch of rich guys who can't clean or maintain their bikes as customers. Especially when they need components replaced and a new 4k bike every couple of years - screw those guys.

"Right to privacy" certainly not nor would I advocate for such a thing. However most business people get the consent of an individual, particularly if that individual is a customer, before using their bikes as an example, particularly as a bad example.

I think this is not a question of "right to privacy" as much as lack of respect.

As far as "Going farther than Tom" I guess I don't see that. Both lacked respect, however Tom drew first blood.

I guess, as a business person, I have a hard time understanding seeing myself do something like what Tom did. However I also don't operate in an industry were a 6 month lead time is "ok" delivery either. Christ we could design, build and ship a machine that could assemble a bike in that amount of time...ok 8-10 months maybe.

~Matt

Take this thread to the Slowman newly created Tom Demerly Room please.







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Good idea or at least start charging.

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customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

Good luck finding a privacy law that forbids posting pictures of a bike brought into a store for shipping. Plus libel laws wouldn't even work here because of the "intent" involved with it. What I'm seeing is a lot of people who hate Tom post in agreeement with Victorbike.

I'm still at a loss as too why any of the posters to this thread would give one shit if pictures of your bike were posted on this forum. Is your self-esteem so wrapped up with the condition or type of bike that you own that you find it a reflection of yourself. If it is your really fucked up in the head.

Whats the difference here between this and those that take triathlon race pictures of a website and make fun of them.

Matt,

I am not a lawyer, but perhaps there is a difference between a person and ther personal possesions.

As for Tom's actions, in the grand scheme he was again trying to point out that:

1. Many bikes in this sport are poorly maintained.

2. Many bikes in this sport are being ridden that are potentially unsafe.

3. Many people are riding ill-fitting bikes.

All of the above are 100% true facts. You can stroll through the transition zone at any triathlon to figure out these facts.

Fleck

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Steve Fleck @stevefleck | Blog

You have obviously never owned a customer oriented business for yourself, those are the types that generally only come in to test drive and buy elsewhere, or will work you over to the bare bottom price, neither one of which are worth the effort.


What did Tom make in shipping the bike? Those people could not have been regular customers or their bikes would not look like that, hell I give my LBS shit over how he does not clean his bike nutil after a Saturday ride I clean it myself. It is a personality trait to not let dirty bikes out on the road.

This is not personal, but if you have been there done that you would understand, some customers are not worth it no matter what the cost. I am still not saying it was the right thing to do though.

Actually what you see is a lot of people who disagree with Tom and hate has nothing to do with it. Tom forgot for a sec who butters his bread. His job was ship the bikes. If someone got hurt it doesn't matter. The customer trusted him to ship the bikes and instead he chose to use them in a public way without the customer's consent. I for one wouldn't do buisness there because the chances are high that your personal life is rumor foder. You bring in a bike and the mechanics might point things out to other customers showing what a dip shit you are. Can I prove it? Yeah Tom did it on the forum.

"Whats the difference here between this and those that take triathlon race pictures of a website and make fun of them."

Simple. Tom was payed to ship bikes and keep his yap shut about his customers. Pictures on a website are just that. Pictures on a website. Now if the photographer came on the forum and said "Hey look at these stupid fuckers!" Then you would be apples to apples.

Tom broke trust and doesn't care. It's America but I for one have changed my view of him.

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customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

Very lucid post and very well put. Although I didn't change the opinion I had of Tom.

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"Yeah, no one likes a smartass, but we all like stars" - Thom Yorke


smartasscoach.tri-oeiras.com

I still love the dude as a dude but as a buisness owner he is typical of what retail is today.

Your still the world's greatest coach though.

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customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

Definately a difference between people and "things", however no one likes to be held up as a "poor example".

Again what Tom did was perfectly fine, just a tad bit disrespectful, IMHO. As you pointed out the same point could have been made using any number of pictures of any number of bikes from any number of locations. Had these bikes been a bit more anonamous none of this would have come up.

Again Tom did nothing wrong, in fact some might say he did everyone a service. However I think at very least we can acknowledge the method that he used was less than optimal....at least from his customers point of view....obviously.

~Matt

I'll put that quote on the testimonials section of my new webpage, thanks! ;-)

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"Yeah, no one likes a smartass, but we all like stars" - Thom Yorke


smartasscoach.tri-oeiras.com

"at least from his customers point of view....obviously. "

What other point of view matters? This forum doesn't pay his bills his customers do.

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customerjon @gmail.com is where information happens.

Light, yet filling...

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"Yeah, no one likes a smartass, but we all like stars" - Thom Yorke


smartasscoach.tri-oeiras.com