27.10.2023 SOREL M Mac Hill Lite WP Boots at 1500kr leaking after only two days! NO refund. NO replacements!

 ~o~

 Friday 27th 43F/6C. Outside temperatures are falling slowly but steadily. Denmark is heading for another unwanted record. Wettest year ever. This despite a drought in the spring. The living room dropped from 67F at bedtime [11pm] to 61F overnight. Slept well, got up only once at 5am. Then decided to get up at 6am as I was lying awake. The small glass of milk after dinner is working. No more beer or coffee in the evening. When should I drink a small tin of beer? I have no idea. I don't seem to need to go to the toilet all day either. Too much information? Try living with it! 

 I shall have to take the SOREL boots back to Odense. These boots were great. Until they LEAKED. So comfortable that I didn't notice I was wearing them. Usually I rush to take off my outdoor shoes as soon as I get home. These were like slightly clumpy slippers. Not heavy and with relatively smooth soles. Deliberately chosen for the e-bike's flat pedals. 

 Light enough not to be noticed while pedalling furiously uphill at over 100rpm. Stayed put on the pedals without twisting or slipping sideways. Smart enough not to look out of place. In any setting in which I am likely to find myself. 

 Plain black, leather uppers with understated grey and black soles. Grippy in every situation I have encountered. The perfect winter cycling boot. Except that the attached label, which claims they are "Waterproof," doesn't hold water!

 08.30 Still dark grey but light enough for a walk. I'll try out the new/old jacket.

 09.00 43F. Heavy overcast. The back field flooding looks about the same. Nothing to worry about so far. The flooding on the field adjoining the drive has vanished. Unusually quickly. The flooding on other fields was even worse.

 The new/old Goretex jacket is windproof but has no warmth of its own. It stinks of the washing cycle the charity shop [?] has presumably put it through. A popper is missing at the front. Leaving a gap at the midriff unless the full length zip is also used. Closing the zip reduces breathability. 

 I like the high neck to protect against wind and heat loss. Didn't like the [typical] short [stylish?] length at the back for cycling. Not even with my very upright position on the e-bike. Deep side pockets provided shelter for the hands and any small items. A nuisance on a bike. Because they would interfere with pedalling with anything in them.

 Good value for the £5 equivalent outlay? Probably, for walking, with a little extra work. Not least a wash to be rid of the chemical "perfume." At the original £20 asking price? No. I would have been disappointed. Would I pay hundreds of pounds equivalent for a new one? No. I'd seek a more cycling oriented jacket. Long at the back, with rear pockets, not at the hip. And, only if I was in the market for something "better" than the Endura. 

 The latter ticks most of the cycling boxes but no doubt there are more modern [Hi-tech lighter and moe breathable] materials. It is a bit too warm [breathability?] in milder weather. Undergarments are required for cold and wet conditions. No doubt this is also true of 'big name' waterproofs too. "Layering" is a well established clothing system for extreme conditions. If only one could trust online reviews to agree on best performers! 🙄

 Shouldn't 'labels' for Asian manufactured goods be prosecuted for public endangerment? For selling black and dark colours for cycling specific jackets? I think Sky team was responsible for starting this dangerous trend. Yet another cynical ploy for publicity at lowest cost. The TdeF became a boring, predictable train. Big cycling "labels" are still pushing the same, dark colours. The managing directors of these "labels" should be made to commute for miles in heavy rain and heavy traffic. 

 After dark, in winter, mixed town and rural roads, puddles and blinding headlights. While wearing the same black shite these profiteering barstewards push. Onto the drooling cycling morons who buy the stuff! Just because they remember their favourite, foul  mouthed, drug-addled racer wearing the same strip. Forgetting that the riders often have no choice of kit and don't race after dark. And if it rains many riders will abandon! Because their clothing isn't up to scratch! 

 14.10 Returning from a ride to Odense. 61km on one battery starting at 100%. Down to 20%. The Bosch batteries are obviously temperature sensitive. I was getting higher mileages in the summer. 

 I took back the leaking SOREL boots to the shop. Four days after purchase! Three days after first being worn. Denmark doesn't have consumer protection. So I have no idea where I stand legally under EEC rules, if any. 

 There was no mention of a refund or replacements. Just straight into a claim under guarantee for faulty goods. Which could take UP TO A MONTH. The boots have to be returned to SOREL for testing. If it takes a month then they must be weighed down! With testing claims under guarantee! I wonder if I can claim interest on my loan of 1500kr to the shop for one month? While I continue to wear a pair of running shoes. Instead of the boots for which I paid 1500kroner/£175!

 My right sock became wet this  morning when I tried on the SOREL boots. The SOREL boots had been in the warm overnight but the wet one hadn't dried out. I shan't be going back to that shop once they sort out my claim. Consumer protection in Denmark means protecting the dealers. Not the customer. You aren't allowed to mention them online. In case it breaks a law protecting THEIR privacy.

 Dinner was a fish pastie with chips and peas. Followed by a glass of milk. I enjoyed the milk.

 I forgot to mention that Goofle is allowing Firefox to upload images to Blogger again.

~o~