My experience with Racer Sportif

In the summer of 2002 I was searching for a replacement for my 1975
Bottechia road bike. I had already rebuilt the Bottechia a couple of
times over the years and I figured it was time to splurge and find
something more modern. I wasn't looking for anything special, just
something to commute to work with here in Toronto. Racer Sportif is
close by so I decided to check them out. After some discussion with
the salesrep, I bought an aluminum frame road bike with a mixture of
Tiagra and Sora components and the widest tires they could fit on the
frame.

I picked up the bike a few days later and began to use the bike to
commute to work. Within the first week I noticed that the right
crankcase cap was coming loose and I returned the bike and they
tightened it up no problem.

The bike is light and quick but the ride is harsh, choppy and not very
comfortable for my daily commute.

My communting riding pattern over the next few weeks was to use the
new bike
in good weather and the old bike in foul(rainy) weather. After doing
this, I began to like the feel of my slower old cromoly bike better
than my new bike. This being the case, I decided to have the wheels
rebuilt and the rear sprocket and chain replaced as well. Back I went
to Racer Sportif and had them do the work. The price was a little bit
steep, but they explained to me that they could not put off the shelf
wheels on the old bike, and they would have build custom wheels to fit
it. They built new wheels for the bike and replaced the other parts as
well.

All was fine for next few weeks when I used the bike sparingly in foul
weather. The next spring of 2003 I began my routine of new bike in
good weather and old bike in foul weather. I really like the ride and
feel of the old bike and began to ride it more often. One day while
riding to work, the rear wheel started to wobble. Taking a look I
noticed that the tire was coming off the rim. No problem I just let
the air out, set it back on, pumped it up and continued on my way (I
carry all the basic tools, a spare tube and a pump on my commute). A
couple of days later the tire came off again. This time I said I'd
better replace the tire. So I popped into MEC (Mountain Equipment
Coop) to pick up a new tire on my way home. I put the new tire on and
noticed that it didn't sit in the rim properly and only the bead is
catching the rim.

At this point I went back to Racer Sportif and asked them what they
think the problem is. They told me the tires were fine and were
seated satisfactorily in the rim. They asked me what pressure I was
keeping the tires at and I told them 70lbs. Ah, that's the problem,
they said I should keep the tires at a higher pressure. Fine I said, I
pumped them up to 80lbs as they recommended and within a week the
other tire blew off the rim while the bike was parked at work.

Being downtown, I went over to Europe Bound on Front Street. The
young man and I went through his inventory of tires until we found one
that fit pretty good. He replaced the tire and tube. I asked him
what he thought about the rims and wheels. He said that he could have
given me better wheels off-the-shelf for less money than I spent. In
other words I did not need custom built wheels for the bike.

I went back to Racer Sportif and asked them what they think the
problem is? They told me it looks like defective tires and they would
have to contact the distributor to rectify the situation. Well over
the course of the next few weeks they gave me all kinds of excuses as
to why they haven't been able to contact the distributor and they
would not replace the tires or compensate me for the tires and tubes I
had to replace. It's now been 6 months since I first contacted Racer
Sportif regarding the tires and I still have no answer from them.

So after spending a good chunk of money at Racer Sportif, they were
unwilling to do anything about the the product they sold and installed
for me. They would rather lose a good customer instead of simply
replacing the faulty tires for their cost, which is probably $20. I
guess I didn't spend enough money!
Needless to say, I will be avoiding the place like the plague!

In the meantime, over that time period I have bought three more bikes
since, for the rest of the family, and none of them came from Racer
Sportif.

Paul

"foggy" wrote in message
om...
In the summer of 2002 I was searching for a replacement for my 1975

snip..

In the meantime, over that time period I have bought three more bikes
since, for the rest of the family, and none of them came from Racer
Sportif.

Paul

I've never liked Racer that much, and that's going back to 1980 when I first
started racing. Both Racer and High Park Cycle were both the "race shops"
down there back then, with Bloor Cycle being the monster shop. I never
liked either Racer or High Park, mostly due to the attitude of the owners I
think. We swung a deal once (the shop I worked at..) to purchase a Gios
Torino frame from there for a customer. We got a certified cheque to
complete the transaction (their request) and went down to pick up the frame.
When we got there, they decided to cancel the deal. Ever since then... ;-)

I like Silent Sports up at Yonge and Doncaster or Chain Reaction down at
Royal York and Dundas. And, of course, Duke's is a big shop downtown but I
haven't heard much about them. You should also check out Urbane Cyclist
which is also downtown. They cater more to the fixie and urban commuter
crowd.

Cheers,

Scott..

"S. Anderson" wrote in message ...
"foggy" wrote in message
om...
In the summer of 2002 I was searching for a replacement for my 1975

snip..

In the meantime, over that time period I have bought three more bikes
since, for the rest of the family, and none of them came from Racer
Sportif.

Paul

I've never liked Racer that much, and that's going back to 1980 when I first
started racing. Both Racer and High Park Cycle were both the "race shops"
down there back then, with Bloor Cycle being the monster shop. I never
liked either Racer or High Park, mostly due to the attitude of the owners I
think. We swung a deal once (the shop I worked at..) to purchase a Gios
Torino frame from there for a customer. We got a certified cheque to
complete the transaction (their request) and went down to pick up the frame.
When we got there, they decided to cancel the deal. Ever since then... ;-)

I like Silent Sports up at Yonge and Doncaster or Chain Reaction down at
Royal York and Dundas. And, of course, Duke's is a big shop downtown but I
haven't heard much about them. You should also check out Urbane Cyclist
which is also downtown. They cater more to the fixie and urban commuter
crowd.

Cheers,

Scott..

My original Botechia was from Bloor Cycle. I also purchased a Raleigh
for my wife back in 1984 from there.

I've bought a couple of seats from High Park Cycle (Dundas & Keele)
but the place is a mess. I have also been into Chain Reaction to have
a look around but that was many years ago when they were closer to the
Humber River on the north side of Dundas.

As I mentioned I'm a 'fair weather' commuter and I pick up most of my
bike supplies from MEC where tubes are still the best deal.

I'm not sure where Urbane Cyclist is but I do pass John St. on my way
home so I will have to pop in in the spring to check things out.

Have a merry one!
Paul

...and the widest tires they could fit on the frame.

Could very well be a rim/tire mismatch problem. I can tell you
what works well for me, but I can't tell from your statements
where the problem is.

Sheldon has a table on line that pretty much covers what the limits
are in terms of wide tires on narrow rims, etc.

I only run Conti TT2Ks on my clincher rims, I can tell you that
a 32 will work well on an MA-2 but a 38 won't.

A 38 will work well on a CR-18 as will a 32 but a 28 might not.

A 28 will work well on an MA-2. I never tried one on a CR-18,
but I wouldn't be optimistic.

Racer Sportif may be unwilling to rebuild the wheels with wider rims?

--

_______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY MIND_______________________
------------------"Buddy Holly, the Texas Elvis"------------------
in.edu__________

"Eric S. Sande" wrote in message ...
...and the widest tires they could fit on the frame.

Could very well be a rim/tire mismatch problem. I can tell you
what works well for me, but I can't tell from your statements
where the problem is.

Sheldon has a table on line that pretty much covers what the limits
are in terms of wide tires on narrow rims, etc.

I only run Conti TT2Ks on my clincher rims, I can tell you that
a 32 will work well on an MA-2 but a 38 won't.

A 38 will work well on a CR-18 as will a 32 but a 28 might not.

A 28 will work well on an MA-2. I never tried one on a CR-18,
but I wouldn't be optimistic.

Racer Sportif may be unwilling to rebuild the wheels with wider rims?


Seems to be a little confusion about my long winded original post. I
had the new bike built with tires as wide as possible on a narrow
frame. I think the tires are 28 because the inside of the fork is very
narrow. The problem I had was with the rebuilt rims and tires for the
old bike. These tires are 32 and just going through an inventory of
different tires, all 32 in width, we (the fellow from Europe Bound and
I) finally found a tire which fit pretty good. I can't remember the
make but it is an all black inexpensive tire.

The good news is that both replacement tires have remained in place.

I did read Sheldon's recommendation and I think I remember him saying
that you should measure the inside width of the rim and then review
his chart to see the recommended tire width. I never did this, but
just looking at the rims, I would say that they are wide, so I
probably should be putting on a wider tire. I guess the point is why
didn't Racer Sportif put on tires to match the rims?

Regards,
Paul

You might check the tire size descriptions on
http://www.airfreetires.com
Solid rubber tires are more sensitive to the correct tire diameter and
width.

foggy wrote:

"Eric S. Sande" wrote in message ...
...and the widest tires they could fit on the frame.

Could very well be a rim/tire mismatch problem. I can tell you
what works well for me, but I can't tell from your statements
where the problem is.

Sheldon has a table on line that pretty much covers what the limits
are in terms of wide tires on narrow rims, etc.

I only run Conti TT2Ks on my clincher rims, I can tell you that
a 32 will work well on an MA-2 but a 38 won't.

A 38 will work well on a CR-18 as will a 32 but a 28 might not.

A 28 will work well on an MA-2. I never tried one on a CR-18,
but I wouldn't be optimistic.

Racer Sportif may be unwilling to rebuild the wheels with wider rims?

Seems to be a little confusion about my long winded original post. I
had the new bike built with tires as wide as possible on a narrow
frame. I think the tires are 28 because the inside of the fork is very
narrow. The problem I had was with the rebuilt rims and tires for the
old bike. These tires are 32 and just going through an inventory of
different tires, all 32 in width, we (the fellow from Europe Bound and
I) finally found a tire which fit pretty good. I can't remember the
make but it is an all black inexpensive tire.

The good news is that both replacement tires have remained in place.

I did read Sheldon's recommendation and I think I remember him saying
that you should measure the inside width of the rim and then review
his chart to see the recommended tire width. I never did this, but
just looking at the rims, I would say that they are wide, so I
probably should be putting on a wider tire. I guess the point is why
didn't Racer Sportif put on tires to match the rims?

Regards,
Paul

In article ,
"Eric S. Sande" wrote:

A 38 will work well on a CR-18 as will a 32 but a 28 might not.

A 28 will work well on an MA-2. I never tried one on a CR-18,
but I wouldn't be optimistic.

28c tires work fine on CR18s. I've been running 28c Conti Sport 1000s
(which measure more like 25-26) and before that Super Sports on them for
years.

About Racer Sportif; I haven't been there since the mid 80's when they
tried to pull a bait and switch on me. Eventually I got the bike I'd
ordered but I've never been back.

-Cary