Reality Talk Blog

Should I be Able to Find a Common Replacement Part?

Posted on 02. Sep, 2009 by Devo in Just Dumb

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As you read in my post on drivers and crosswalks, I’m an avid rollerblader. Each day off I have I go out first thing in the morning and do many miles at a time and in the city there are many instances where you have to come to a stop or close to it so braking is a frequent thing. My latest blades are only 2 months old and having already put a lot of miles on them, the obvious result is that the rubber brake on the right skate has worn out. Not surprisingly so, but what is surprising is that I cannot find a brake at any store within a reasonable driving distance. The brand I have is Rollerblade and Rollerblade has only 2 options for brakes, one where the brake fastens from the side, and one where the brake fastens from the bottom. Mine fasten from the bottom. Pretty simple and not a lot of product for a store that sells inline skates to stock. That’s what I thought and it has shocked me that the stores I visited sell many different models of Rollerblade skates, but don’t stock the brakes.

The guy who was attempting to help me out in the first store I visited was dumbfounded that I would even think they would stock brakes for inline skates, but offered to go into the service area and try and make one for me. What? Are you kidding me?

My point is that sure my brake wore out, but I naturally thought that because I could easily find them for my previous skates, I would be able to find them again for an even more popular brand. I didn’t even consider that I may have to order them online and that I should have done that before it wore out so I wouldn’t be stuck not being able to skate. Now, I have had to order them online and wait for delivery all the while setting the blades aside.

This to me doesn’t make any sense. I can see that if the skate failed in some way like a rivet broke or even the break housing snapped, then maybe you would have to order those parts, but a part that is assumed to wear out and definitely needs to be replaced is something that should be stocked in a store specializing in this.

Yes, the end result of my futile travels was to order a brake online. No, not one but 4. This way I won’t have to worry about it for a long time.

Here’s another one I file under Just Dumb

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Tags: online shopping, sports