Sometime back, my cycling kaki Mohd Radzi Mohd Noor had stated his interest on getting a Tern Joe P24.
This is basically a 26" folding bike from Tern and its what he wanted.
So, being the responsible foldie and a friend, I placed an order from K2 Asia.
It was a long and disappointing wait.
After six months, I was told by the company's rep that the bike is currently not being produced.
It would have been easier for the K2 guy to break the bad news so that I could search for an alternative dealer to get the bike.
K2 left me in a lurch and as expected, they just laughed it off while we breath in mud.
No worries, Singapore to the rescue!
I told Radzi that if he really wants the bike, I am willing to make a day-run to Singapore to get it.
He agreed and asked around.
This led to My Bike Shop in the West Coast area.
I never had a good experience with this bike shop.
Last time I was there, some long-haired Baboon gave me the shit face.
So, that said, I had to swallow my pride and bear the shitty treatment Singaporeans would usually give us Malaysians.
But I was wrong.
The situation was otherwise.
We drove down to Singapore and right to the shop, found a place to park and went down to business.
A guy by the name of Denis who manages the place had greeted Radzi.
Compared to Mr Baboon, he was rather polite.
And speaking of product knowledge, this guy is prepared to take on any questions. Pretty impressive.
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| Radzi, sealing the deal with the Denis dude.. |
I guess that the K2 Asia people were scared shit about selling Terns in Malaysia.
They just want to play safe by selling what they think is suitable for the local cyclists.
I don't blame them because the last monkey who ordered the bikes ended up with a container load of low-end models.
At the Singapore bike shop, the guys know exactly what they want to sell.
In fact, the Denis dude wanted to push his Tyrell bikes, citing that they are the best bikes in the Galaxy.
He even cited the winner of the OCBC Foldie Challenge, a Singapore national cyclist who clocked in more than 50km/h on the sprint the finish line.
"Aiyaaa.. If the winner is an Ah Soh from a HDB Flat, I will throw all my bikes into the sea and get Tyrell, you have my word!," I told the Denis dude.
Jokes aside, this guy is professional. He even tried to sell saddles to Radzi and recommended a Wellgo quick release pedal. Wellgo? What!!!!!
Anyway, the nice thing here is seeing the guy preparing all the paperwork and trying to get a GST refund for Radzi, which I knew, won't happen because it's meant for airline passengers.
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| The store's mechanic setting up Radzi's bike |
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| Happy camper: Radzi and his new Tern |
I must say that I am amazed at the good PR at this bicycle shop.
We traveled all the way to the island, spent more than eight hours on the road and when Radzi paid for the bike, the Denis dude threw in some freebies.
He gave a bottle cage, bell and a set of blinkers.
At the end of it, the guy pulled out a rabbit out of his hat.
He gave him an "ass saver".
This is some sort of fender and when I asked him how much it costs, he said "12 Singapore Dollars.."
Well, FUCK THAT! I am not going to pay 12 bucks for a piece of flimsy plastic.
Anyway, it was good gesture and I can't fault the Denis dude for being courteous.
Only thing I observed that he was being absolutely nice to Radzi all the time because the cash was coming out of his pocket.
As soon as we've loaded up the bike, I began the four-hour drive back to KL.
To Radzi, it was a befitting birthday present.
Way I see it, I had fulfilled my vow for a friend. I would have done it for him anyway.
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