a short bicycle ride... is equivalent to a long walk
which is to say...
if you take a short bicycle ride and you have "a mechanical"
if you do not have the tools to make the repair
your short walk can become a long tedious walk
often making you late
I have learned this lesson before... a lesson that is the reminder of another lesson
FIX YOUR BIKE THE NIGHT BEFORE A RIDE NOT THE MORNING OF THE RIDE\COMMUTE
earlier this week with nearly all of my bicycles broken I rode my New Belgium Fat Tire Beach Cruiser to work... it was a mixture of novelty and change of routine
not planning on a post work ride I figured I could just suit up once
suit up to walk the dog... then in that same clothing ride my bike to work... then work that day in that clothing
well...
it turns out I sweat
no matter how hard I try to ride mellow
I fast pedal such that I break a sweat
throw a back pack on my back... and well... my upper body was drenched
unfit for work
no worries... I am not an executive in the board room
I let my shirt dry and worked in a t-shirt for the start of my day
then on the ride home from work there was a sound
no too frequently... but occasionally there was a metallic click\grind\snap type of sound coming from the chain
I suspected a stiff link... but did not pay it much mind as it did not happen so regularly
once home I was just stoked to be home... I put the bike aside and forgot about things until the next morning
then once again dressed for work... not dressed for a bicycle ride
I pulled my bike from the garage in my business casual and got ready to rush into work
but only after I took a second to lube the chain... a task that only takes a minute
a task that should have been done the night prior
alas no... miss diagnosis in the PM
reevaluation in the AM
it turns out the issue was my coaster brake
the bolt that holds the lever in place had rattled off
the bolt that holds the lever in place had rattled off
in a rush to make it to work on time I grabbed a couple of zip ties and hooked it up
to my displeasure... about halfway to work I slammed on the break and broke the zip ties
the rear wheel locked in place with the free spinning coaster brake arm
I walked it back home half carrying the bicycle that would not roll
frustration at its finest
ah... lessons learned
or at least
lessons taught
FIX THE BIKE!
LEAVING THE HOUSE ON A BROKEN BIKE IS A RECIPE FOR SOMETHING
LEAVING THE HOUSE ON A BROKEN BIKE IS A RECIPE FOR SOMETHING
and
BRING THE APPROPRIATE TOOLS
nothing less than a patch kit, a pump, and a multi-tool
appropriate size tube is a time saver
appropriate size tube is a time saver
anything more may be extra weight
