Specialized Faces Backlash Over Unpaid Workers + GCN Introduces ‘CRAZY’ Fees - The Wild Ones Ep.56

[@mrpokeit]

Deepest condolences Francis. Sounds like he was a truly wonderful human.

[@TBATTIECYCLING]

❤

[@jcoul1sc]

Condolences

[@ericgacari6215]

@@TBATTIECYCLING

[@William.A]

Handling it way better than I did Francis! Lost my dad when I was 23, also cancer, but found comfort in cycling. The old bastard really wanted me to cycle when I was little, but I felt rebellious and gave it a pass. Only now he’s gone have I realised how cathartic and freeing cycling feels. Sometimes I feel bad about it, but I like to think he’s chuckling away as if to say he was right all along. I suppose that’s also why I’m here commenting!

[@domlen]

One important point on the GCN+ discussion: The old GCN+ price was 39.99 EUR for the yearly plan, which was an absolute no-brainer, especially with all the great documentaries and race coverage included. The new price on YT+ is more than triple that, and as far as I understand, it doesn't even offer the full GCN+ catalog, no new docs (at least for now), and also no race coverage. So, as a fan, it's really hard to understand why the price has tripled when the value seems to have decreased. Sure, the old business model might not have been sustainable and could be part of the reason for the whole Discovery+ shuffle, but tripling the price while offering less value feels like a bold and risky move, in my opinion. I'm currently stuck on the couch together with the mighty C virus and we both would love to dive into some GCN docs, but not at this price point... (Yes, I know comparing a monthly price to a yearly price isn’t entirely fair, but I’m comparing what I paid before with the only option I currently have)

[@drummerman122]

Totally agree it’s a rip off. If they can’t afford to produce the content then close GCN down. Most of their videos are crap now anyway.

[@cyclingslowlytoseethings]

They are good documentaries and if they were making more of them it might be worth the outlay. Can't see it's worth it for just the old content though.

[@Robert-vl3ur]

Would not pay $1 for anything GCN pushes. Their content is such junk even being free would be overcharging people.

[@rob-c.]

@@Robert-vl3ur I am going to assume you didn’t see any of it then. A lot of documentaries were genuinely very very good. The standard KZbin stuff is made for the algorithm and the difference between the quality of that and the documentaries is/was astronomical.

[@chrisrye13]

Yeah I was gutted they had to close GCN+ but I just made sure I watched as many of them that I cared about before I lost access 😂 and to everyone saying GCN content is poor, as above, the long-form documentaries on GCN+ were great, and the budget to produce them must have been fairly big (especially in comparison to standard KZbin stuff)

[@nickpatten5263]

My sincere condolences to you and your family Francis.

[@jessicamccarthy6429]

I use KZbin premium and love it! I agree with Francis GCN should play the long game and publish the documentary’s for free, I would watch them all but will never pay a monthly fee for them just because I already pay for so many subscriptions I can’t justify adding one that is so singular

[@scoresandflames]

My condolences Francis. I've lost my father to cancer as well. He spent about a month with us after his diagnosis was announced.

[@Laura-dw4yo]

GCN is...fascinating. They are almost the reason I didn't get into cycling because 95% of their content is "you need generational wealth to afford a bike that's even worth riding" and 5% is "we're going to ride this normally priced bike because it's so funny to live like a poor for a day". Yet, despite being sponsored to the point of being detrimental to the sport, they still can't stop from demanding more. I swear GCN thinks that every cyclist on earth has a trust fund. I'm glad I found Cade.

[@danielakerman8241]

The proof of GCN’s approach is in the numbers: massive subscriber base and daily videos with tens of thousands of views. What they do is expensive to produce, regardless of the bikes used. In addition to a World Tour Team’s worth of presenters - each pulling a salary - they have writers, producers, multiple camera crews, editors, other staff, and offices that all need to be paid for. I doubt VERY HIGHLY that GCN is taking the mick and rolling in massive profits. I don’t begrudge them creating whatever economic model they need in order to stay in business and provide the content they do. Its either for you or it isn’t, but the criticism of them is ridiculous at this point, and comes from the same type of people who complain about ads on Spotify or got all their music on Napster to avoid paying anything to the artists creating it.

[@BrotherMichigan]

Specialized needed that money to pay the lawyers suing small independent bike shops for \*checks notes* using the name of a city in France for some of their products.

[@ghislainhofman7097]

Ha the fact a massive Asian bike maker had come along & tell them to stop trying to protect there copyright

[@andrelam9898]

Frances, my condolences. I went through something similar. My dad also wanted to simply enjoy every remaining day. My mom kept asking if "there was anything I needed to asking him? Honestly no. We also talked, we enjoyed working on projects around the house, fix the car, etc. Embrace the wonderful memories every time you miss him. It has hit he hard a few time when I'd grad a specific tool that I now owned and we had last used together... I'd miss the comradery we had in doing things together. I am thankful I have those wonderful memories. I have friends and coworkers who have had an exceptionally flawed parent. They have pain that is harder to process. Anytime his loss hurts, I focus back a great memory and remind myself I was lucky to have an awesome dad... I wish you strength

[@wufler28]

I lost my dad last year because of cancer. He was such a nice guy that he never told how bad it was, so from he said he had cancer to he was gone, it was a few months. So that was great.

[@ghislainhofman7097]

Sorry for your loss mate

[@obfuscurity]

I’m not crying, you’re crying. Seriously, thank you for sharing your experience with your father, Francis. Hope you and your family are doing well.

[@freerunning]

So good to have the normal format back 🎉

[@hommoassnaager5134]

Specialized throws money at influencers and other sponsored goofies but doesn't chip in for people that are basically slave laboring for them, even though the sum is pocket change to such company.

[@SuziMoore]

During a bout of illness, i signed up to gcn+ for 40 quid for the year for something to watch, ill be forever grateful the docs which lit up my cycling passion, within a short time my interest moved to watching racing, ive fell in love with the sport, gcn+ closed so to watch cycling im now paying 70quid a year to get cycling on discovery+ im not paying 12quid a month for 1-2 videos. There is however, a handful of gcn+ films which where so motivational id love to be able to pay a one time purchase fee, or if on free KZbin i agree with Francies, they would forever make revenue on views as some would keep getting watched over and over. X

[@HindsightFPV]

Oh man I just got choked up, don't really know you or your dad but I heard everything you said about him and knew he was an important man in your life. Never expected to tear up during this podcast. My heartfelt condolences to you and your family. I love how positive you are about this unfortunate news and I love how you hold on to those memories.

[@etc3redsox]

Francis, I’m brand new to the sport and have been binge watching all the Cade videos anxiously awaiting a new episode of the pod. For this to be my first one, what a blessing to hear you talk about your father. I immediately called my dad to catch up. We are lucky to get to talk quite often. Your strength and love for your family is completely admirable, and you have my sincere condolences for the loss. Much love and glad to have you back!

[@alexandre5204]

I came here to learn about bike news and end up learning about how to handle grief. Thank you for sharing sincerely.

[@ChrisPoepping]

My condolences, Francis, mom passed from Pancreatic Cancer last year. I'm so glad you got to spend time together. Mom passed suddenly.

[@Joshuavoice29]

As someone who paid for and thoroughly enjoyed GCN+ while it existed, there is no way in hell I'm paying that much money just to watch it again, minus the racing.

[@Rose.Of.Hizaki]

The absolute mental strength of your Dad. He knew exactly what the road ahead was like, where it led to and he didnt stop to worry about it. Sounds like Dad had the absolute time of his life before it was his turn to board the train.

[@stevec6232]

Specialized won't get any purchases from me anymore!

[@dan77773]

Its a bit murky... the chinese factory owners go bust (probably because they skimmed off the $) and its the clients who owe the workers? that doesn't make sense at all... unless there is specialized stock in the factory which can be liquidated. Why should the clients be liable for the factory owners mistake? If this happens in Vietnam the factory owners will not be allowed out of the country unless all debts are cleared.

[@CarnivoreDMD]

@@dan77773Agree 100% and all Chinese corps are officially CCP. We need to STOP supporting CHINA.

[@AlexdaCunha]

imagine you build a house, hire a company, and pay for it. The company does not pay the workers. Do you think the workers have the right to ask you for their salaries after you have paid the house to the company you hired? should the workers come after you?

[@dan77773]

@@AlexdaCunha not a great example, a house is a very different prospect altogether. And even so you as the house owner wouldn’t be liable to pay the tradies as you’ve already paid the builder. The tradies are contracted by the builder. The tradies should take the builder to litigation. And so should the house owner for breach of contract, if what you are saying is true.

[@ridgebackdk]

bike clothing in general are extortionately priced anyway .. seems to be the way it is ..buy as cheap as possible and tell the dumb public its top end fabrics and sell as much as we can fool them into buying it for.....

[@williamsylvia3962]

I’m not a huge fan of the new GCN prices but they do create great content. I think that they are an important part of the cycling industry and are definitely worth supporting in my opinion. They’ve been a big part of my growth as a cyclist.

[@mitch_smith]

When GCN plus was a thing, i believe i paid 99.00 per year. That also gave me access to races, but the main feature were the full length films. Now, it is a pay more for less program. I would, frankly, pay the same for annual fee again, however, now it's 180.00. that is just to much money, for less service. I will say, the quality is amazing. Frances i'm sorry for your family loss. It took me 2 years to remove my dad from my favorites on my phone, it's a long and slow process. Take care of your self.

[@jefff1416]

So glad to have the gang back together! It’s so nice to see someone with such a healthy attitude towards the passing of a parent; something most all of us have/will experience. Thank you for sharing about your dad. It helps with the healing, not just for you, but for all of us who have experienced the same thing. ❤

[@dbiscoc287]

Your dad will continue to be proud of all the work you’re doing. Sincerest condolences, Frances.

[@jacobcrossley2654]

Many condolences Francis, I lost my dad last year too cancer too, I know how tough it is. TNN are fantastic and such a great space for people to heal together.

[@DC-lu5qs]

What an absolutely lovely tribute to your Dad, Francis. I'm so glad that you got to spend some great time with him, that he got to meet your wife, and that you are left with so many fond memories. We'd all be lucky to live our final year like your dad did. I'm sorry for your loss, and I feel especially for your mom, who has come on here and said hello to a bunch of us now and then. I can't fathom losing my lifemate. I hope that she is doing OK.

[@olih27]

GCN really screwed the pricing. There was massive demand for these films but the price point is just completely outrageous. Very unfortunate because they are some of the best cycling documentaries out there

[@timothyvanhorn7618]

Sorry for your loss Francis. I didn’t plan on crying today but man cycling is such an incredible community! Such thoughtful compassionate people and comments. Glad to be a part of it and thanks for everything you guys do for cycling!

[@LukeGJPotter]

Sorry for your loss Francis. On the GCN issue, surely people will pay the £12.99 for a very few number of months. And then cancel and never become a member again.

[@filipruml]

That's what I'm deliberating on because the documentaries seem like high production and I don't mind paying for them but 12.99 is a bit steep long term. If it was maybe 4.99-5.99 I would probably subscribe and just forget about it.

[@olih27]

You don't even get the full catalogue, I think there is a selection of 25 films at any time which will be rotated, so you can't just watch them all in a month.

[@vehicle-stuff]

About the Clothing factory scandal. A factory is producing products and gets payed by their clients. In this case some other big names. If they payed the factory for those products then they are done. That is it. If the factory closes and does not pay it's employees then the government is responsible for the workers, not the clients of the factory. What's stopping the next factory not paying its employees when the clients can do that too. That is bullying for the clients. Imagine you are a school and you order food for your students from a restaurant. And that restaurant does not pay its workers, but the school payed for all of it's delivered food. How the school is supposed to pay more to compensate the unpayed workers. No, it can't. The only way is to never get food from a restaurant that has the same management like the last one. Otherwise they will do the same thing again and again. Now the school can rise awareness for that problem, may be a charity to get some money, spread the word and etc., etc. But if the management is not taken accountable then this will repeat and repeat and the client (the school) will go bankrupt or increase it's prices.

[@tjtennisicmroll2k]

They have no legal argument that specialized should pay, so they have to blackmail them through dumb and dishonest media. Even covering these stories makes me never want to watch Cade media again, so dumb and dishonest.

[@neilashton9459]

Condolences to Francis on your Dad’s passing. And nice job filling that 1/2 hour with the listener question on GCN+ / KZbin. Paying for good journalism is definitely growing ( ala Substack etc. and in the cycling space. Since Outside Inc hoovered up so many publications then let go of most staff it has oddly resulted in better (now independent) content producers like Escape Collective and Ben Delaney’s KZbin channel. The exception is the outlet Outside kept - the now digital only Velo which is now totally superficial and has zero long form content. I am happy to pay to be an Escape member and Ben (who was Velonews editor before the purge) is now putting out a ton of content for free and it is way better than anything he was able to do before. That said this can only go so far as we are getting subscriptioned to death.

[@Hill_Walker]

As someone who works in rf/cyber security, I have often wondered about this. The researchers seem to have been looking at hijacking the signal. But even just jamming wouldn't be a crude but very easy and effective way to sabotage the signals.

[@ish474]

There are no words that ease the pain of loss but I am happy you had all the time with a great dad you did.

[@bastikbwicked278]

So sry for you and your family

[@jamesgodwin6484]

I said this on Bens channel the other day, I remember when you said you were taking time to spend his remaining days with him. Glad you got time to spend with him and truly my deepest condolences to you, your mom and all the family. On another note I think one of the only people id paid sub up to is you guys really. Also have YTP for all the reasons you said Fran, I also originally had google music so it made sense for me to just move it all into one. One of the few things google did ok enough to make sense and keep/upgrade into.

[@wolfganghuber7873]

Hello francis, I was really touched at the beginning of the video. Nice to have you back. And even nicer to see that you are as positive as you described your dad. ❤

[@stevegriffiths605]

GDay Gang, My deep condolences to you Francis. I lost my Dad 5 years ago last week and miss him badly. A childhood standing on the road sides cheering him on and all the other 100 or so TT boys back in the 70s. We used to do a big north Wales loop from Warrington, via Cheshire lanes to Wrexham and the LLangollen, a cafe stop for beans on toast and then over the Horseshoe Pass to the Llandeglas and back round Chester and home to Warrington. A nice 120 as a 15 year old on a steel Fred Grubb frame back then and Dad on his Harry Hall. I took him mountain biking in the Dales and again north Wales later in life and when i returned to the UK we would always go for a spin, slow and Dads pace. I remember also taking him to Bala for a day out on the road bikes and up over te Bwychy Gross to Lake Vrynny and a lap of the lake and bake. Amazing days i will treasure for the rest of my life. before Dad passed he always insisted i take is best bike back to Aus' with me. I stripped it down to frame, Campag fluted seat post and fork and his saddle. Dad used to have indexed shifters on his drops and i was always trying to get him to put a set of Ultegra or 105 mechanical GS on it but he wouldnt budge.... i would take it up to the Lakes when he couldn't ride and i would take it up the Wrynose and Hardknot just to hurt myself with those dropper shifters and lever set up like the 80's boys. He even timed his passing so that in 2019 i could get over for his send off and also take his bike out to the Worlds in Yorkshire. I had to chuckle to myself as i rode out of Kettlewell in the pouring, freezing rain and floods that poured over the dry stone walls that morning. Dad wouldnt want it any other way.. I brought it back after his funeral and have put old Ultegra on it and some Mavic Carbon SLs. It rides amazingly smooth and is a s quick as my FACTOR OV.....! I miss him badly Francis but like you the memories will live on forever in you and what you do. Thanks guys. its a fabulous show. Keep up the great content and humour too..... and Lady !!

[@ChrisWagner-bh3vn]

Specialized has had this reputation since the 1980's when they were selling water bottles.

[@walkerbikes8]

Yeah they make good bikes but their business practices are 💩 to say the least

[@fede1275]

Sorry for your loss Francis, my condolences.

[@danielakerman8241]

Hey Francis. My dad got diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in October and I lost him 4 months later in February. I feel for your loss. Be very grateful you had time to enjoy life with your dad and do some nice things before he left this world. It sounds like that is exactly your approach and that is as it should be. Hugs to you, mate.

[@paulnunnerley]

My condolences to Francis. My own dad died a couple of years ago and it's been a journey. Everything is fine and I appreciate my family more then ever before. Sounds like his dad was an absolute legend! Thanks for the summer TDF series and looking forward to seeing how the channel develops!

[@user-shaneselby23]

Sorry for your loss Francis , you and your family are in my prayers 🙏

[@oheso]

Cheers to your dad. I'm learning more about him now than I never knew, and I love him. Not the same scale at all, but I had a Parisian mate who succumbed to pancreatic cancer a few years back, and all the Oly stuff is bringing him to mind every day. I think, Oh, I must share this with Romain! Keep sharing stuff with your father.

[@yfillion]

Brands often don't outsource to save money, they outsource because they give it to companies who make a lot of similar products and have expertise

[@markpringle2011]

Condolences Francis, but what an inspiring attitude from you and your dad! I recently discovered your channel guys and absolutely love it! Top team. Best wishes from a Brit retired to the Andalucian campo (via Gosforth and London).😊 Oh, and I'll never buy anything Specialized again.

[@j_ckkennedy]

Very sorry to hear about your loss Francis, but the outlook you have, along with the warmth and humour you talk about your Dad with is how I could only hope to be in your situation. Good to see you back! Glad to hear that KZbin Premium is better for the creator! I watch more KZbin than traditional tv, so it’s well worth it for me, but I had wondered how KZbin split it between creators and how it stacked up vs ad payments!

[@malcontent_1]

Lovely that you spent time with family this past year. My best wishes to you & your mom. I lost my dad at 7 y.o. too, but I still have amazingly vivid memories of our friendship.

[@adamsibbald1163]

It is so good to have you all back, really missed the show, it seems ages since the TDF daily’s finished.

[@GrouEEf]

Sincere condolences and also thank you for your kind words about your dad. I love the way you handle the situation and make the best of it. ❤

[@itsmepickles]

Condolences on your Dad, so hard to lose a parent. I like your outlook on to live as he were still here. Sounds like he also had a great outlook even in his last moments and that he was a great man.

[@htdtr]

RIP your dad Frances, he sounds like a legend, sorry for your loss. Great outlook on your 31 years together

[@eugeneyem]

This just made my day. Welcome back, lads and Emily :)

[@plhrph1]

Great to see you guys back. Sorry for your loss Francis. Even though there was no Vuelta update I wondered if Jimmi noticed that Roglic was "chippin' away, chippin' away".

[@_MattyG_]

Glad you are back. I was running out of off menu episodes 🤣 Sorry to Francis and his Loss. Great advice, I lost a cousin and my grandmother this year both unexpectedly. But the advice about think as if they were alive and just give yourself the advice they would give you is solid ❤advice

[@billkosses3808]

Never ever ever buying anything Specialized again until there's an update on this channel stating that all the El Salvadorean workers have been paid what they are due in full by Specialized.

[@mracer8]

Why is Specialized don't have all their merchandise Make in America? MAGA

[@charlesmansplaining]

Specialized as a company really have balls. I don't buy anything from the brand and now that I've herd this bit of news I will never even visit their website again.

[@stevevitale2596]

So if my local pub goes bankrupt and I have paid my tab, I'm still on the hook for the workers wages? That doesn't make any sense at all. If Specialized owed the company money for fulfilled orders then that money should go to the workers. But if they had paid all the invoices, then they are under no obligation to pay them.

[@charlesmansplaining]

@@stevevitale2596 Regardless, their products are still way over-priced and I can find better value elsewhere.

[@billkosses3808]

@@stevevitale2596 Yeah. It's not about law, it's about doing what's right and not screwing over workers, like the other firms have done.

[@frazmars]

So nice to have you lovely people back… deepest condolences my dear Francis

[@richb8709]

Sorry for your loss, Francis. Thank your for the reminder to check in with my dad. It’s great to have the whole crew back together again!

[@waisinglee1509]

My condolence! So glad that you had the time and were there for him.

[@CycletheNation]

I love riding no handed! Not only does it look cool (!!!) but it really does give the shoulders a rest and a chance to briefly change position. I do it loads (including downhill when I'm not trying to go a daft speeds) and it's very relaxing. BTW - great to see this podcast back, and sorry to hear about Francis' dad - he seems like he was a cool fella and passed on a great sense of humour.

[@JerryHilts]

GCN vastly undercharged for GCN+ and is vastly over charging for he current offering. I would have gladly paid three or four times more for GCN+.

[@michaelacedeno]

Sorry to hear that Francis but glad that you’re on the right side. As someone who was almost a vendor (I’m a freelance photographer) Specialized did not want to pay me for using my photos for their marketing purposes. This is quite common in the cycling industry sadly.

[@_MrSnrub]

So sorry to hear your father passed, Francis. You show little signs of mourning, and I commend you for that. I hope you have had time to work through the challenges of loss and you and your family have some semblance of peace. Sending some love to you and your family. Of all the times we tried, I've still been up all night writing songs of you. And even though you're gone they will still live on in a memory or two. - Camp Adventure [Delta Sleep]

[@greggjames448]

I’m sorry to hear of your loss. You speak so fondly of your dad and he was clearly a wonderful human ❤being

[@hightechhighlander]

Wishing you and family well Francis. Glad to see you back on the Podcast.

[@crankgreenwatts]

Sorry for your lose Francis. Your Dad sounds awesome and a real trooper whom set you a great compass for life. As one whom lost their Dad early I hear you. Let his humor, smiles and downright top bloke bring happiness in your own life 💚 Fantastic cast and brilliantly done by you all. Keep them coming please 🙌

[@williamcrampton394]

Hi Guys. Great to have you all back together. Francis, I am so sorry to learn of the passing of your Dad. You manage to keep a positive attitude though, so well done to you. And you got Married too? Congratulations on that too. Great video. Thank you.

[@ewan4882]

Jimmi needs to get in the sea (a) for referring to Aliens as “alien 2”, and (b) having such poor taste that he actually liked Alien 3.

[@TimR123]

Thank you Francis for sharing a bit of what's been going on. I'm sure I'm not the only one who's been wondering. Sorry about your Dad passing but glad you had time together.

[@1Morriz]

❤ Sorry to hear your news. Fantastic to have you back.

[@robbchastain3036]

I always enjoy hearing about your low-burn crush on GCN and if people want to support them, great, they become patrons of the cycling arts. And woohoo, I am a low-tier supporter, a Super Domestique I think I am, I am I am. And I was a member of their sock club, too, and I gave away most of those colorful Italian-made socks to a friend who is an avid cyclist. And all in all I think it is great that we can form communities through media and membership on KZbin. And I still make sure I have my two centavos at the ready at the start of the month for your guitar case, too. 😀

[@andrewcalladine2507]

Deepest condolences Francis, very glad to hear that you were able to spend as much time as you did with your Dad. Hope you and your family are ok.

[@tybrody3718]

Sincere condolences Francis. Your father sounds like an absolute legend and your outlook on his absence was inspiring. Sharing that could certainly help others experiencing a similar scenario.

[@a1white]

Deepest condolences Francis. I lost my mum to cancer last month, which has absolutely devasted me, so I can emapthise with your loss.

[@PhilB303]

Sincere condolences Francis. Glad you spent quality time with him!

[@edlaverack]

Truly an inspiration. Sending our love folks. 🙏

[@CB-ss9gj]

Love the low-key dig at Nike as well for a similar situation they are in ... "Just Fix It" ... brilliant.

[@joeschmoe4361]

Glad to have y'all back😃

[@hobbitilius]

I'm sorry to hear of your fathers passing Francis. I hope you can lean on the people around you. Many heartfelt greetings.

[@EMTBonsai]

Deepest condolences my friend, I've been there many yrs ago lost mine 2 weeks before my 18th coming up for 22 years now not a day goes by I don't think about him and would love just 1 more pint with him! But yeah the same situation health issues but keep positive grief hits in weird ways took me almost 2 years to Accept it was real.

[@NoelSlevin]

I'm a long time KZbin Premium user. No adverts saves me literal hours a month, it's well worth it. Lock screen playing is also a good bonus. Enjoy my extra valuable watching 😆

[@johnkinder9041]

Another point on the GCN pricing is that the acces to the videos at £12.99 per lonth is not for new content but for access to the old videos - and even then rationed to only 50 videos per month. I like GCN but there's no way I'm going to pay any of their rates.

[@artoffighting04]

Just a thought, weren't these films made under 'Warner Bros. Discovery'? In which case they cost them nothing as there past owner paid for them.

[@lovemesomedetail]

wasn’t warner bros only in there for a year or two? so they only were a part of a small fraction on their library of documentaries?

[@artoffighting04]

@@lovemesomedetail True. But before Warner bros. did they ever release Docos? I don't remember them doing that, This only came about because they had a platform to release them and get paid for them.

[@veloman59]

Condolences Francis your Dad sounds like he was a really great positive human being. Glad you had such a quality last couple of months with him.

[@Sai-tb1xt]

damn... all the best wishs for francis and his family. i even teared up a lillte when francis recaped his last few months

[@peter04345]

Condolences. People are precious because we know that our time with them is limited. Thanks for talking

[@sazridesbikes]

You are a wonderful person Francis. So sorry for your loss..hold dad close to your heart..keep your lovely friends around you too. Sincere condolences to you and yours 🙏🏻

[@DrivenLivin]

Sorry for your loss Francis 🤍 sending prayers and good vibes to you and your family

[@jamesb9070]

Your dad sounds like a legend mate. Condolences to u and your family x

[@h31sman]

I agree with Jimmy that I’m becoming anti tech myself. I swear this is the year that all my stuff is breaking. 5 years seems to be a shelf life for a lot of electronic stuff these days. Give me dependable, boring & durable again! Also, on Francis’ point about living as if the person is still there: I do that as well with family that has moved on. There’s a nice feeling having a quiet conversation with your loved ones that brings peace.

[@Keule_from_Mars]

My condolences to Francis and his mom. My dad died not even two years ago. He had pulmonary fibrosis and the doctors gave him 10 months.. he almost made it to christmas but died on the 15th of december. we spent a lot of time in those 9 months. talking, because that was all he could do. nothing was left unsaid. tough times, still kinda rough but i am glad, that i had the chance to say goodbye. Family time is important. Dont let it fall short. Listen to those same old stories. over and over. you will miss them. i feel you.

[@sleepysamk1400]

RIP Francis dad

[@brockjennings]

Condolences to your family and his friends, Francis. Your papa faced his mortality with dignity and courage, which shows so much class. Chapeau!

[@cuebj]

Riding no handed is a very useful test of bike set up. Age 69, I can't do it like I used to - I'm pretty certain the bikes have more frisky handling than 20+ years ago. About 1985, I borrowed my wife's Falcon Westminster Reynolds 531 frame main tubes and fork. On a downhill section of the commute, took my hands off the bars to see how it went. Within seconds, the whole bike was resonating like the Tacoma Bridge Disaster film. Realised that those ladies frames were fundamentally unsound, even from a reputable maker, and every person riding them was absorbing the frame's innate tendency to flex massively. About that time, bike companies brought in what they called 'mixte' frames for smaller riders. That might have mitigated the flex but were a stop-gap. Don't get ladies frames. You don't see many nowadays but some hire bikes have a single downtube - I assume they will also tend to flex unless very heavily overbuilt

[@dominicmunson4480]

Condolences, Francis. You have a great outlook which no doubt you get from your old man. He was clearly a legend.

[@dibbygibby]

So sorry to hear about your dad, Francis - the locals of Surbiton/Long DItton will miss him - take care mate.

[@chnyuk]

stay strong Francis and everybody involved

[@TESTA-CC]

God Bless You & Your Mum Sorry To Hear The Sad News. ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@troycollett8540]

Mate very sorry to hear about your loss

[@grahamricketts-bq1ft]

Condolences Frances, you clearly had a great relationship with your father

[@MrAlexshellard]

Dude so sorry for your loss, that's such an inspiration though thank you.