Saturday, May 17, 2008
The New Bike
I got a call at Noon today from Laura, telling me the bike was ready for pickup.
I had just gotten home from the Commissary run with Regina. I headed right out after getting the groceries put away.
The bike is beautiful and ready to go… althoug Danni said something about the lights… I wasn’t really listening.
He also pointed out a blemish in the saddle that he said should be addressed by the Breezer people and a new saddle requested. I confirmed the blemish… it looked like something had hung up on the saddle and punctured a small hole… I told hime I’d do that.
I trucked the bike home in the back of my pickup and put it into the garage - and did a cursory inspection - removing various bits of shipping protection.
When I took the plastic bag off the saddle, I poked at the “hole” and found it to not be a hole at all… just some extraneous material from the saddle manufacture. I plucked it off and the saddle was perfect. I did call Danni and tell him that is was no big deal - just in case he was concerned.
The bike is good to go!
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Friday, May 16, 2008
Bike ready for pickup tomorrow
I didn’t want to bug Danni too much - since the order was placed on Monday. I waited until today to call him and inquire… trying to look like I was too cool to be as excited as I really am.
Danni said the bike arrived today and he was getting it all assembled. He said it should be ready for pickup Saturday afternoon sometime.
I told him I’d be by around 2:00 PM on Saturday to check.
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Monday, May 12, 2008
The order has been placed
Received email from Amy confirming that Po Man’s has ordered and paid for the Uptown8.
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Saturday, May 10, 2008
The Check has been delivered
Check for full amount has been dropped off at Po Man’s.
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Friday, May 09, 2008
Contacted Po Man’s
Out and about this morning… and knowing that Po Man’s has been made aware that the bike is ready to be shipped… I dropped by. Danni said he was good to go and needed a check. I told him I’d bring one by tomorrow, Saturday.
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Thursday, May 08, 2008
It’ in the pipeline!
Note from Amy that the container has been offloaded at their distribution center in Ohio and mine will be ready to ship as soon as the order is placed by Po Man’s.
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Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Went By Po Man’s
I was out and about, taking my Mom to her hair appointment so I decided it would be a good time to swing by Po Man’s and put a face to this Breezer deal.
I stopped by and met Danni and his wife, Laura. They were warm and inviting… but probably wondering why anyone would pay that much for a bicycle.
I just wanted to put my face to the deal and give them my contact informaton in case they needed anything to smooth this deal out. It was a smart thing to do. Now they actually know who the “nut” is that is ordering this bike.
Danni did say that he might need some money up front, so he could order and pay for his part of the bike from Breezer, when the time came.
I told him I’d be happy to pre-pay for the whole thing, if need be.
I also got a note from Amy that the container of Breezer bikes has hit port. It should take about a week to clear and be shipped to Ohio and then the individual bikes shipped out the week after that.
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Monday, April 28, 2008
PO Man’s Bike Shop
430 School Ave
Panama City, FL 32401
(850) 522-6601
Danni and Laura Griffin
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Friday, April 25, 2008
Po Man’s Bike Shop - It’s a go!
I asked Amy Allis at Breezer Bikes to see of Po Man’s Bike Shop in Springfield could handle the job. I gave her the contact information and she called Po Man’s
Amy email me to say that Po’ Man’s Bike Shop was a go.
I have passed by Po Man’s a zillion times over the years. It’s a little dumpy place on School Avenue in Springfield, Florida. It deals mostly with rehabilitating old bikes and reselling them. It’s no super-store by any means… but it does have the capacity to receive and assemble my Uptown8. Woo Hoo.
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Update
Amy tells me that once the bicyles arrive at a California dock, the are shipped to their distribution point in Ohio somewhere and from there, they’re shipped to the local bike shop… Still no firm word when the new bikes will hit the U.S. but Amy has already reserved me a Medium Diamond Frame 2008 Uptown8. We’re getting closer!
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Thursday, April 24, 2008
Steve’s Bike Shop
1926 W 23rd St
Panama City, FL 32405
(850) 769-6808
Steve’s Bike Shop is one that Amy Allis had in her records as a shop that Breezer Bikes had done business with in the past.
Amy attempted FAX and phone contact with little success.
I attempted same. I did not get a lot of joy out of trying to make arrangements with Steve’s Bike Shop. Luke warm/non-committal telephone conversations; non-working FAX machine; unreturned phone calls, unanswered phone messages all added up after about 3 days to the decision to abandon my efforts to work with Steve’s Bike Shop.
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Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Probable Delay
In trying to set up arrangements with a local bike shop, I’ve learned from Amy that there are no 2008 model of the Uptown8 currently available… They are expected soon from wherever they are made but currently if all the arrangements were in place, I’d still have to wait until the 2008 Uptown8s were available.
I’ll wait for a 2008 model because it has the enclosed chain guard. The 2007 models do not have a totally enclosed chain guard - but a few of those models are available…
I haven’t got arrangements on this end finalized yet, so it’s no big deal.
I have been attempting to make arrangement with Steve’s Bike Shop on 23rd Street, here in Panama City, but I’m not getting a warm fuzzy feeling that they are as excited as I am about making these arrangements. If I don’t find joy soon, I will blow Steve’s off and find another option.
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Monday, April 21, 2008
Amy Allis
Amy Allis is the person I worked with to obtain the bike.
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Friday, April 18, 2008
The time has come…
Well… a couple of weeks ago gasoline here hit $3.36 per gallon and I guess that my alternative transportation trigger got pulled.
I decided then that it was high time for the return of a good bicycle to the lifestyle… a bicycle I could use to commute the 7 or 8 miles from home to work. Lord knows it wouldn’t do my calorie count any harm…
I started looking around the ‘net to figure out exactly what I needed - and more importantly - what I would eventually end up “wanting”.
Sure, I could Goodwill it for $50 or thereabouts, but what fun is that? I know myself well enough to understand that only a Cadillac will do.
Well, I read this, I read that… I googled this, I googled that… and finally found out that what I wanted/needed was called a “Comfort Bike”. I’m not 35-years-old anymore so an expensive “Road Bike” isn’t what I needed nor what I wanted. If I were going to go out and do a couple of hundred miles on a Saturday - and wanted to do it at 40mph - maybe a Road Bike is what I needed but not this time.
A comfort bike is the way to go and the Breezer Uptown 8 is what I’ve settled on… not all that certain why… but here are some of my reasons:
- It’s designed for urban/city enviornments
- Enclosed Chain Guard - lots less dirt/grime/grease and no tattered pant legs that get caught up in the chain
- It’s the most expensive Comfort Bike on the market - and I sometimes live by the “Hawley Rule of Economics” - “It costs more… therefore, it’s better. (Douglas R. Hawley, 1970)
- I can afford it. I can pay cash for it.
- It’s just been planned for and designed by someone who knows bicycles - Joe Breeze
From the Breezer website, I found that the closest dealer is way down the state of Florida in the Naples area… some 600 miles away. That’s peachy if I wanted to take a 2-day road trip - with gasoline at an all time high. Not what I wanted to do.
I emailed Breezer Bikes and was contacted by Amy Allis - who told me if I could get a bike shop close to home, they could have the new Breezer shipped to the local bike shop and we’d go from there. For some reason, Breezer will not ship directly to the consumer. I guess the bike needs a good deal of expert setup. Anyway… I’ve settled on the Uptown8 and I’m working on getting one soon.
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Still Working Well
I just got a note from a new friend in Texas who is having water softener difficulties… That promped me to come here and add a long-overdue update.
My new system continues to work like a charm… I’ve been keeping tabs on the water consumption each morning. I take the dogs out and on my way back in, I swing by the system and read the meter - then add that day’s reading to my spreadsheet.
Seems I’m going through an average of 120-130 gallons per day (three people in the house). Some days doing laundry will drive it up into the low to mid 200’s but some other days it’s down below 100.
I can say I’m quite happy with my new system and quite proud that I did it all myself.
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