18 January 2010

More bike adventures!


Oh my gosh.

So I started on the bike right after breakfast. The chain was pretty much rusted so it barely moved. I greased that up really well, then made sure every individual link moved with a pair of pliers. Cleaned up some of the rust with a toothbrush, re-greased, cleaned up excess grease, then finally it seemed to be moving smoothly. That took about an hour and a half.

Next: I loaded the bike up in Luke's car to take it to the gas station to get air in the tires. For some reason the back tire's nozzle was hard to position just right to get air into it, and it took several tries. Magically though, I got air in it.

When I got home I was so excited to take it for a test ride in the park. The seat's kinda jacked up and torn so it absorbs water and would make your butt wet if you sat on it, so I put a plastic bag over it. I was riding in the park, picking up speed. The wind was in my hair, the sun was shining, birds were singing... it felt glorious. Then, without warning, *KLUNK* the entire pedal fell off!

I went back to pick it up and noticed it was missing a nut. Searched around for that for a bit, then gave up.

Off to Home Depot. Got home with some nuts. They were too small. Back to Home Depot. Finally, one fit. Yay for ghetto-rigging! I also tightened the kickstand while I was messing around with it.

Stuck a random basket I found it the shed on the front of the bike, found a padlock, and I was off to Walgreens to run an errand. Mapquest said it was 1.6 miles from my house. Piece of cake!

I set off, happy as a clam, and got to about a block away from Walgreens when the sidewalk just ended. It was a busy street and I didn't feel comfortable riding on it, so I had to turn around. I was so close!

By that time I was getting kinda tired and I was no longer happy as a clam riding my bike. I was huffing and gasping and sweating, and my legs were aching. I finally made it home tired and thirsty. Oh, and the gear shifter is broken so it's permanently stuck on 7, but you can change the big gear so it's not that bad except when you get tired and then pedaling takes SO much energy!

I also need to get a decent seat or get some padding on my ass. I feel like my crotch is bruised. It was like riding on a freaking rock!

Now, I have to take a shower and drive to Walgreens. At least I got some exercise- about 3 miles on the bike. And I have a bike! A fixer-upper, but a bike nonetheless. :o)

2 comments:

  1. Yay!! I hope you have a good helmet :-P

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  2. Yes - don't forget your helmet!!
    Biking seems so lovely and fun - but it's a freaking lot of work. I scored a bike a few months back, and I basically never ride it now. It sucks. I want to, but there's pretty much only one place close enough to bike and the route is all ugly and boring. I want a little path through trees and along streams that leads to a lovely open air market! :)

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