An esteemed member of the Slowtwitch community, originator of the largest thread on the forum (The Hottie Thread) and all around good guy, Khai, stopped in for a visit today.
Khai got to see us at a rather unremarkable operational evolution. We were swamped this morning but pretty much dead as a doornail during most of the time Khai was in.
Interestingly, Khai frequently sees other forum members around his hometown of Vancouver, B.C. He was in town for work and stopped over for a visit.
Always a pleasure to meet someone from the forum. It’s nice how small our community really is, even though it is spread over a big planet.
It wasn’t completely unremarkable. I have high hopes that Aderhold helped me finally get my left cleat in the right position. To me, that would be quite remarkable.
It was kind of funny. As I was warming up on the trainer I recognized this guy creeping around the shop and suddenly realized it looked like Khai from the Smartass Camp pictures. I just didn’t know quite how to ask without sounding like a weirdo if it wasn’t him.
How does it feel to be a celebrity Khai? Good to meet you, hope you had a good visit in D-Town.
He bought a couple jersies. It was kind of funny, while he was here the B.F.A. came in (Brazilian Flight Attendant) so that was a little embarrassing.
Overall, he got a decent exposure to the whole Bikesport experience. It’s a shame he had to leave, it would have been nice to hang out a while. Like all pretty much all Slowtwitchers, I liked the guy.
I had a real challenge getting in to see Tom. My first attempt was on Tuesday evening, but I was detained at the border for nearly an hour while they grilled me and searched my car with dogs. By the time I got to the shop they were closing up, and I just had time to introduce myself as Tom was loading up his 5 backpacks worth of gear and Mike A was on his way out the door.
I returned the next day (crossing at a different point) where I was detained a second time, but only for about 20min. These guys seemed less interested in me than the previous group, and I was on my way fairly shortly.
I think the lesson is that a guy who lives in Vancouver crossing over into Detroit from Windsor in a rented car draws some heat.
Tom’s store is a nice place! Quite organized, and well stocked. Tonnes of news clippings and race paraphenalia all over the walls, and a few classic posters and other gems in the back that I don’t imagine “normal” customers get to see. There’s a mini-shrine to Frankie Andreau, too.
I not only got to meet Tom and Mike A (and another dude whose name escapes me presently), but was surprised by JackAttack as well - who caught me totally off-guard by recognizing me, but it’s really cool to meet another ST’er. I hope he got his knee issue sorted, and Mike looked like he had a good handle on the situation. One of the things I’d hoped to get to see was a bike fitting, and I sort of got to see a bit of that today. Not a “real” fitting, but it was a glimpse into the way these guys work. If I lived in the area, I’d buy a bike from Tom in a second. Hell, I’ve considered it even living in BC, but I have two local bike shops that I try to support (one for roadie stuff and the other for tri).
I too, wish that I could have hung out longer - and in reality could have, as my flight was delayed by an hour. Not knowing that however, I left in good time to make it back without any stress or worries. Next time I’m in the area, I’ll definitely go back to hang out some more. Maybe I’ll even remember a picture, too.
Well, as an ex-girlfriend she swung by the store with a couple of kids in tow and a big smile to give the man an orange that she’d been saving for him all day.
Tom’s store is a nice place! Quite organized, and well stocked. Tonnes of news clippings and race paraphenalia all over the walls, and a few classic posters and other gems in the back that I don’t imagine “normal” customers get to see. There’s a mini-shrine to Frankie Andreau, too.
The only reason I’m taking Bryce this visit is so that I can finish reading the clippings!
There’s a mini-shrine to Frankie Andreau, too.