Dear So and So

[salsabike]

Wow! That is amazing.

[Pax]

An insurance company doing the right thing??? Kinda blows my mind.

[Eden]

An insurance company doing the right thing??? Kinda blows my mind.

Gotta say Allstate does seem to be OK… I got rear ended (not seriously thankfully) a couple of months ago and the person who hit me had them for insurance. I've had zero hassles with the claim. They made it very easy.

[azfiddle]

I am tempted to just go with another Specialized Ruby because I know it fits me. My stolen bike was a 44cm. I went to the Trek store yesterday where my friend works and he put me on a 47 to try (on a trainer). We moved the seat as far forward as possible and swapped out the 90 mm stem for a 70 stem and I still felt like I wanted to be slightly further forward. That said, I rode a 47 cm Trek Lexa in Ireland for 10 days and it was set up according to the measurements from my bike fit on the Ruby- and it felt right from the start.

So I may take a look at a few other bikes - but no one ever has 44 cm frames in stock for me to try

[azfiddle]

Thanks- that link was quite interesting- the comparison chart especially.

[OakLeaf]

I've had very positive claims experiences with Allstate also, both moto and car. But, several years after my last claim (long enough that I was confident that wasn't the reason, it was just the customer churn that insurance companies like to do), they jacked my premiums up so high I really had no choice but to switch. I could've bought a new bike (motorized or non) just with what I've saved in premiums. Progressive has a good reputation, but I was and still am nervous about switching to a company that I don't have any claims experience with.

Anyway it sucks it had to happen, but enjoy the bike shopping.

[rebeccaC]

Rebecca--can you tell us a little more about this? Sounds interesting.

I'd like to know about the gps tracker too.

just saw this....I use a tracker called Spybike. It’s made in the U. K. and I bought it last year in France. It fits into the steerer tube so you can’t tell it’s on the bike. Using a sim card it also communicates with your phone for configuration, movement warnings, battery levels etc. They were going to release one that fits inside a seat post. Don’t know if they have yet. It did take me awhile to figure out the best configuration. I only have to charge the lithium battery every two months+ to keep me in the range of 4-5 months of battery use. I’ve done test tracks a couple of times on rides into the santa monica mountains, to my office and back home and to a friends house.


There is a Portland woman, Kris Akins, who is developing one called Bike Trak, which I heard will have one model designed to fit in the handlebars. It will probably be a good one according to a friend in Portland who knows about the development of it. Akins is also doing an app that will let police officers see a pop-up on their in-car computer or smartphones when a Bike Trak equipped bike registered as stolen is within 500 yards and can then help zero in on it.


Dear Michael

I prefer saying ‘independently owned and operated’ to your saying my marital status was ‘single looking for a husband’
Thankfully…no, make that I’m grateful….this contract is now FINISHED…….

YAY

[azfiddle]

Thanks- cool information on the tracking devices.

[Crankin]

We've had excellent service from Progressive. Our rates even went down, despite the fact the Commonwealth thinks I am a bad driver, because I had 2 incidents in 3 years (one a parking lot fender bender). Unfortunately, one of the tickets was really 2 tickets, so I got to go to "bad driver" school, with the scum of the earth last summer. The teacher, who I am sure is used to dealing with the worst of society (she mentioned that she has had to have police escort people out of the room) did not believe me when I said I have a preferred driver rate from Progressive, and then she went on to tell me that I have to have high insurance rates, because I live in Concord.

[ny biker]

Dear person who invented mail order pharmacies::

I hate you.

I have waited weeks to get a prescription that I need in order to breathe. Delays delays delays. You won't ship the prescription because it's more than $100 so you need payment but I have no idea that you need payment so I expected it to be shipped already. Then you chose the ridiculous DHL - USPS method of shipping which takes twice as long as normal packages. Then the stupid blizzard hit and that delayed things more. Now I find out through the tracking information that the post office claims to have left notice for me because my mailbox is blocked. Well my mailbox is not blocked and there's no notice anywhere. They are trying to deliver it to the wrong address. I don't even know if my local post office has it or if it's in another state somewhere. When I call the ^**%$%^&* pharmacy they say in the most patronizing voice possible that if the post office can't find it they will "investigate" and meanwhile I will be allowed to ask my doctor to send the prescription to retail pharmacy but of course tomorrow is Friday so by the time I reach the doctor it will be sometime next week. Did I mention I need this medicine to breathe?

And can I please go just one day without something going wrong?????????

[Crankin]

I feel for you, NY. I stopped using mail order for my 2 meds. DH uses it for his Crestor, but that's it. I hope you get it resolved, the snow melts, and you feel better.

[Catrin]

Ugh, sorry to read this NY. I also use mail order, and so far have only had a problem once with it. Quite frankly THEY should have contacted your local pharmacy to get you something today. Grrrrrrr

[OakLeaf]

Ugh NYB. Surely hoping that your string of bad luck is over.

FWIW, if your meds are generic, sometimes you can even save money by buying them at a retail pharmacy. For me, with generic meds, even though I have to pay the insurance company's premium, to me it's worth the small monthly cost to support my local independent pharmacy (and I pretty much break even anyway, when I combine the meds that cost less than my mail-order co-pay with the ones that cost more). Most likely, your pharmacy can tell you the retail price for maintenance meds under your plan. My insurance company's website says only that they'll charge me more for buying at retail - nowhere does it say how much. But brand name drugs are another thing. I won't go mail-order unless I have to, but I switched from prescription to OTC eye drops because my cost to buy them retail is triple the mail order price (way more than it was in 2014), and I only learned that by refilling them that last time.

[ny biker]

Many years ago, when I was in college in Philadelphia, I took a break from studying one afternoon and went shopping at Wanamaker's department store. While there I ran into our marching band director, a talented man who also directed several other musical groups on campus and also loved to cook. I remember he said to me, "When the going gets tough, the tough buy Cuisinarts."

Well I am not a cook. But after the emotionally exhausting experience of scaling the Great Wall of Postal Apathy to find the one person at the post office who was able to understand that the mail carrier was trying to deliver my package to the wrong address and that it contained medicine rather than something frivolous, I needed a giant dose of helpful people. So after work on Friday I went for the best kind of retail therapy. First I went to the Whole Foods near my office to stock up on yogurt. The cashiers there are always very friendly. Then I went to my LBS where I bought a clip-on fender for my mountain bike and a new Camelback bottle. I also enjoyed a nice chat with the owner. Then I went to the Container Store to look for a new tote bag or gear bag or something to keep my stash of extra jackets, tights and other layers for winter rides. For fall, winter and early spring rides I've been using a giant clear plastic bag to bring various extra clothes with me to the ride start so I can make last-minute additions or changes depending on weather conditions. But the bag is starting to tear and I would like to replace it with something more breathable. After wandering around the store several times and chatting with one of the friendly people working there, I chose a very large nylon tote bag
in a cheerful orange pattern. Then to make it easier to find small things like arm warmers and neck gaitors I chose a small nylon laundry bag from the travel section. I went with blue with orange polka dots for that. My plan is to keep the smaller bag inside the larger one. A more structured duffle bag with multiple sections would probably work a bit better but I really didn't want to spend that much money. And the colors of my new bags make me smile.

Dear Claude, I haven't seen you in decades but I hope you are doing well and enjoying a life full of music and good food. The way you arranged the songs we played taught me so much about music, the depth and layers and ways it could convey different meanings through something as simple as a tempo change. Thank you.

[Crankin]

He sounds like an awesome guy. DS #1 was in band for years (gr. 5-12), and at his senior banquet, he gave the HS band director a huge hug. I think he meant it, too, but the guy was surprised.
I am glad you had a good experience at the container store. I have never been there, and next weekend we are going to go there, to go get organizers for the bathrooms in the condo. DH and I are going to use separate bathrooms, except for when we have guests, of course, as we are so used to having double sinks, after 20+years of that.