Any question answered...

I see, wasn't aware of that difference.

I'm sure that's the situation yes, Storage = hoarding.

However, garage=workshop (if you don't have to put a car in it).

3 or 4 people sharing would make sense

Dude it's a pun based on voting with your feet.

What are you talking about? Dammit didn't post any pictures.

My guess is that a huge amount of their business in small obscure parts is by post, so it's just quite sensible to have flat rate postage that covers everything from a single washer up to a set of brake levers without making a loss on most orders.

My guess is that a huge amount of their business in small obscure parts is by post, so it's just quite sensible to have flat rate postage that covers everything from a single washer up to a set of brake levers without making a loss on most orders.

It's difficult to judge the actual cost of postage and labour involved in picking and packing small orders. I can accept that it's not negligible, but I can't believe that it's the same for the two items I mentioned. With their current system it just feels like someone buying a single bolt is subsidising other larger orders. If that's what it takes for them to keep going then I'm not going to quibble; they provide a very valuable service, but they're not a charity.

I still think it's a reasonable idea to club together to get small items posted together though.

Does the width of the straddle cable hanger affect the braking power on a centerpull brake?

Assuming you value someone's time at London minimum wage, and they can do all the deliveries in a single hour, you'd need at least 5 orders combined to cover the cost in saved postage, and being realistic you're not going to be able to sort/deliver them in under an hour.

Its similar to the idea about driving to get cheaper petrol. By the time you factor in the value of your time going to wherever it is you are better off just sucking up and paying for the difference

It's difficult to judge the actual cost of postage and labour involved in picking and packing small orders

It's not that hard, and it's the kind of thing the big outfits go into down to the last penny to find efficiencies.

I can't believe that it's the same for the two items I mentioned

It's not the same, but it's close enough that it's not worth adding multiple tiers of p&p (or s&h) prices. I mean, I could charge 6p extra postage for orders which go in boxes rather than envelopes and another 3p for orders containing caps rather than just covers, because I have to pick and wrap a screw, but it's easier to just make it £2.50 for everything and hope the extra picking and packing is covered by bigger things being more expensive so the margin on the item goes towards the extra cost of getting it to the customer.

Does the width of the straddle cable hanger affect the braking power on a centerpull brake?

It has an effect on the geometry, which in turn affects the mechanical advantage curve. You'd need to actual maths to work out which way you're moving the curve at the biting point on any particular installation.

It's not the same, but it's close enough that it's not worth adding multiple tiers of p&p (or s&h) prices. I mean, I could charge 6p extra postage for orders which go in boxes rather than envelopes and another 3p for orders containing caps rather than just covers,

I think you're overstating the granularity I'm suggesting. A 49p set of mudguard stay caps (weight = 5g?) would cost about 70p in postage plus packaging (tiny ziploc + envelope) + picking and packing/posing labour. A £10 saddle would cost at least £3 in postage plus more in packaging (jiffy bag/box + padding) + roughly the same picking and picking/packing labour. I think the £2+ disparity in the cost of getting those items out to the customer could be reflected in a single lower price band for postage.

My guess is that the thinking is that it's just not worth SJS's time to post anything if there isn't a bare minimum of profit e.g., £1 on it. For anything over a fiver that profit is probably in the cost of the item; for anything less than a couple of pounds that margin is made up in the P&P cost. That's totally understandable, but it is irritating when you just want the sub-Twix-cost widget to make something work properly.

you're overstating the granularity I'm suggesting

It's just reductio ad absurdum. SJSC p&p charges are exactly as granular as they have decided is sensible, over many years of trading. They are also objectively very low compared with the full cost of getting an online order from stock shelf to customer. If they were going to add to the granularity, it wouldn't be to make sending out one washer less than £3.50, it would be to make sending out anything bigger than a PiP Letter more.

I’m trying to adapt one type of camping stove gas to another, from the more expensive screw on to the cheaper aerosol shaped push fit. I bought a freestanding adapter with this hose at the end, and the normal push-to-screw adapter.

Is there a simple adapter to attach these two pieces together?

1 Attachment

It's just reductio ad absurdum. SJSC p&p charges are exactly as granular as they have decided is sensible, over many years of trading. They are also objectively very low compared with the full cost of getting an online order from stock shelf to customer. If they were going to add to the granularity, it wouldn't be to make sending out one washer less than £3.50, it would be to make sending out anything bigger than a PiP Letter more.

That only works as long as SJS is the only source of odd bolts, shims, stays, tape and widgets.

Which, I grant you, is likely.

But, if for e.g. Wiggle bought a warehouse full of such stuff then SJS would be reliant on existing customer loyalty to overcome the larger operations logistics operation.

If WiggleCRC thought they could move in on SJSC's territory and make the returns demanded by Bridgepoint, they would.

I'd be interested to see what the relative turnover was between SJS (the physical shop), SJS (mail order), and Thorn Cycles; AIUI the reason (at least initially?) they have such a wide range of obscure stuff is that they're retrogrouchy cycle touring specialists at heart, and serve a similar clientele.* Spa Cycles fills a similar niche, albeit on a slightly smaller scale (and with added Yorkshire customer service...); I doubt there's the profit in it for it to be worth a big player's while.

*(Which, given the trad CTC member's aversion to spending money, would not seem like an immediate road to riches - IMO the 'Bandits of Bridgwater' nickname says as much about their customers as it does about SJS...)

Yeah you're probably right. Not sure if there are official NDAs in place, but probably not worth the hassle if someone who shouldn't sees it. A lot of it could be reworked potentially but, you know... time.

Not sure if there are official NDAs in place

You must know what you've signed. If you've joined a company this century, there's probably a non-disclosure clause in your employment contract.

One other suggestion is that perhaps the £3.50 is also an incentive to place higher value orders. It may be there to actively discourage people from ordering one off small parts, which would be a waste of their time. Price can be used to be a disincentive too.

I like SJS. I like that they are not engaging in the race to the bottom that has decimated bike shops. They also pretty much always have what I need.

Without the race to the bottom, a more local friendly bike shop might have stayed open and would have given you the part for free because you buy stuff from them all the time instead of online.

Also given your propensity to post about various expenditures and subsequent reputation for doing do, moaning about £3.50 for postage is not your best look.

It’s the value, not the cost, that I think is lacking. Anyway, we are going round in circles now.

I see what you mean, I thought you meant project specific NDAs, but yes there are related clauses in my contract.

'I'm planning on leaking my employer's confidential materials to its competitors. This is the relatively small and tight-knit industry I work in. How can I cover my tracks, people on a public forum, some of whom probably know my identity?'

smh

Two black spacer-seeming plastic discs in the box with new Deore Boost chainset. What are they for? Filling in the gap between bb and crank arm? I’ve put them on either side but they don’t seem compressed at all

Deore

Which part number? Find the EV on https://si.shimano.com/#/en/search/Series?name=DEORE&generation=M6100&type=MTB and the parts will be described.

They’re these - got one 3mm and one 4.5mm in the box, even though it says to just use two 3mm. I’m assuming they’re to take up the slack between the press fit bb and the crankset but I can still wiggle them around with everything on and torqued up correctly

1 Attachment