Last Updated on: July 29, 2018

Well, I won’t be categorical about it. Sometimes an advice might save you time, trouble and money. However, at other times it might actually be better not taking an advice. Even if that means learning a few things one in hindsight perhaps could have done without.

It of course all depends, on many factors and variables. As for variables, many of them are beyond our control. Hindsight might also lead to the inevitable conclusion that had you taken the advice, an opportunity to learn fist hand might not have happened.

But why on earth post a blog about this..well, here it goes

A couple of weeks back I decided it was (high) time to get a stationary cycle, also called a bicycle ergometer. If you’ve passed midlife, and want to stay in reasonably good shape, yet don’t feel an urge to sweat out in a gym, then such a contraption might be one of several good investments you can do.

I am trying to spare my knees, don’t run quite as much as I used to anymore. But I bike a lot, a interval training methodology that, if nothing else, seems to do the trick for me.  Bicycling in spring/summer and fall, skiing in winter. But with climatic fluctuations this year, pretty extreme truth be told, skiing conditions seems unrealistic.

Wonder if this is going to be the very first winter without snow in my region. Hope not, but the signs are there. 10+C into the first week of December is unheard of at my long/lat. Asked my 90+ years old neighbor today, if he had any recollection of weather pattern similar to what we have this year. He said no.

Where was… ah yes. So, in order not to lose momentum and feel like starting all over come spring, I decided to buy a bicycle ergometer. Found a model that didn’t cost a fortune, looked ok, had the right functions.

The guy in the store advised me not to buy that model. Said they’d had a few returns on it. I should move up a level of two, get something better, sturdier, more geared towards high frequency usage.

Trying to do the right thing I therefore let myself be talked into buying a more expensive model/type. One he claimed they’d had very little trouble with. And for sure, it seemed sturdier, had a few options and gizmos the cheaper model didn’t.

If I really needed those extra function is of course an entirely different question.

Anyhow, let myself be talked into it and returned home with the new pedal based torture instrument. It sat around for about a week before I finally had time to begin the job of mounting it together.

The first thing I discover is a plastic cover cracked. Made a trip to the store. They of course have no replacement parts. Left the cracked piece of plastic, they ordered a new one to be sent to me.

This weekend I finally had time to do the last job and getting all pieces together. Looking forward to getting started with an additional training program. What happens? One of the pedals simply cannot be screwed into the bloody crank arm!

No matter what I did, the damned thing would not go in. Tried to swap the pedals, so to assess exactly what’s wrong. Turns out it was the crank arm. That part cannot so easily be swapped out. Now, wasn’t I adviced to spend the extra cash to avoid precisely this situation?

It’s ironic, and annoying. More time and energy spent to return the thing and get a new one.

Hence the advice, if at first you have an idea, made a decision maybe you’re better off sticking to it? No matter what someone tells you. If you like me have done a fair bit of research in advance it might be a better option. Have you had a similar experience?