First Impressions Matter
Posted November 14, 2011
The following is an extract from our first downloadable ebook that was released back in June – I Cyclist. You can download it here - http://bit.ly/ebook-ICyclist
It was a cold but sunny March day. Spring was threatening to make an appearance but there were puddles on the ground - evidence that winter still had it's frosty fingers gripped tightly around our necks. I un-docked my trusty Bianchi from the car and wheeled it gingerly towards the train station at Richmond.
It started to rain again. A young family passed me. This was their destination for the day. They excitedly sprang down the steps only to watch their youngest daughter fall sideways into a puddle. "Great start to the trip!" smirked dad, picking up his sopping wet two year old. I gave him a knowing nod as I thought of my young daughter and what she would be like when she got to that age.
Inside the station I looked for the man who I had never met, the man who held my dreams in his hands, the man who could answer all my questions and solve all my problems - the man who would be building my custom built dream bike. All I knew was that his name was Tom Donhou, he was carrying a red bag for identification and he was an awesome up and coming bike builder.
I'm not really sure what I expected him to look like. He turned out to be a regular looking guy, albeit very cool and of a similar age to me. To my surprise he was not wearing a Super Hero cape with "Mr. FrameBuilder" embossed in gold letters down the side. I didn't mention it to him.
The evening before I had been watching TV with my wife, some kind of entrepreneurial / design / media related program. Five minutes in I made a bet with my wife that every single computer shown in the program would be some sort of Mac. Sure enough we spotted around 7 Macbooks and several iPhones.
No designer in his right mind would appear on national TV with a PC or chunky Dell laptop. So when Tom pulled out a pencil, bit of paper, tape measure and Macbook pro - I knew I had come to the right man. Being a non-designer type I strictly use PCs but I was comforted to know that the bike builder I had chosen was quite the opposite. It confirmed to me why I had chosen him to build my dream bike - he was not just someone who was handy at frame building, he was also a designer - therefore the bike would not only ride beautifully but it would also be more than just aesthetically pleasing, it would be a work of art!
We discussed bikes and kit whilst he noted my essential measurements and indeed the Bianchi's geometry and make up. We discussed; my riding style - aggressive and fast; my comfort requirements - aggressive and fast; my desired handling characteristics - agile, aggressive and fast; and how the bike should look - like a beautiful blue bike - that is aggressive and fast. And then he was off.
The man had travelled across the whole of London to meet me and was now on his way back to Norwich. This was far and beyond the level of customer service that I am normally slapped in the face with. This was personal, customised bike building at its very best. I walked away full of expectation, hope and excitement. My Bianchi wheeled sulkily back to the car, probably scoffing about being replaced by a younger model - "made of steel no less - a far inferior material to my modern aluminium tubes!"
Download I Cyclist now - http://bit.ly/ebook-ICyclist
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