yea for velo

i took my bike in for a long overdue service today. i booked it in at velo bike hub-- one of the newest bike shops in the area and the closest to home (less than 10 min walk). that was my first time there (other than a quick gear cable replacement one afternoon) but zac has had a service with them before and was impressed. i brought my bike in probably about 9:45am and they spent a few minutes looking over it with me to see exactly what needed to be done on top of a service so they wouldn't have to call me to ask permission to replace the brake pads or anything. they also have a deal on that they set you up with a free water bottle and rack (which i needed) with every service so that was good. they also provide you with a free courtesy bike or metcard while your bike is being services. i took the courtesy bike-- it was fun to ride around (and came complete with pannier rack so i could attach my pannier bag for a trip to c.e.r.e.s. market). i got a text less than 2 hours after i left my bike saying it was ready for pick up. that was quick service! they're quite busy in there too (i did have my bike booked though so i'd assume that gives me a bit of priority over walk-ins). now i have a smoothly running bike with good rear brakes again and properly inflated tires-- so much nicer to ride!