comédie à la bicycle
Feb. 24th, 2025 09:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ceagleTo try a change of pace and get a bit of exercise, I rode my old folding bike to the mechanic to pick up my car. I bought it over 15 years ago and it stows in the back seat, avoiding the need for a bike rack.
Alas, there's no escaping it's 15 years old and has gotten a bit rickety. I hardly ever use it anymore, since I bought an electric bike. Plus I've got a couple other normal bikes that are easier to use when I don't need a folding bike.
But... I went ahead and pumped up the tires, and did a 'flight check' before leaving and things seemed in okay order.
As I rode onward, it seemed like a few things on the bike were disintigrating ride under me!
Not even a full mile into it, the front brake failed. Luckily the rear brake kept working. I've got to see if I can fix that, I s'pect.
Then my water bottle flew across the street after hitting a bump. Had to secure that a lot better than the first time.
Next, my front light just came apart in pieces onto the ground suddenly. I had checked and it was working before I left! But I guess the plastic has gotten too brittle to hold together.
Next to go was my front reflector. Also a casualty of brittle plastic.
I got more than half way along the trip, and when stopped at an intersection, I discovered that 3 of the 4 screws holding the storage rack had flown off! Luckily the last screw held on all the way to my destination.
Thank goodness the chain didn't break!
Alas, there's no escaping it's 15 years old and has gotten a bit rickety. I hardly ever use it anymore, since I bought an electric bike. Plus I've got a couple other normal bikes that are easier to use when I don't need a folding bike.
But... I went ahead and pumped up the tires, and did a 'flight check' before leaving and things seemed in okay order.
As I rode onward, it seemed like a few things on the bike were disintigrating ride under me!
Not even a full mile into it, the front brake failed. Luckily the rear brake kept working. I've got to see if I can fix that, I s'pect.
Then my water bottle flew across the street after hitting a bump. Had to secure that a lot better than the first time.
Next, my front light just came apart in pieces onto the ground suddenly. I had checked and it was working before I left! But I guess the plastic has gotten too brittle to hold together.
Next to go was my front reflector. Also a casualty of brittle plastic.
I got more than half way along the trip, and when stopped at an intersection, I discovered that 3 of the 4 screws holding the storage rack had flown off! Luckily the last screw held on all the way to my destination.
Thank goodness the chain didn't break!
