Trying my best to be visible, I went with a yellow shirt, and bright orange shoes. (I have this thing about not dying.) As I was downloading Runtastic's Road Bike App and walking down the hallway, I heard something that sounded like a balloon popping..
umm.
My Wife: "Was that your tire?" (She is smart as well as beautiful!)
Umm.
Me: "Yes. Yes it was."
It seems the front tire.. while sitting there leaning against the wall - had decided it was no longer for this world. Now this could have become a big annoyance, but all I could think of is that I wasn't riding it at the time. (Remember my liking the not-dying thing?) I have to imagine it would have been one heck of a wreck, worthy of Ralph himself, if I had been flying down the road and it had done that.
Well, I tossed my orthotics in my running shoes (The Saucony Kinvaras. I wanted the heel rise yesterday) and figured who was I to argue with what ever god or power decided I should run rather than bike?
It only took about 500 meters and a super pronounced limp to realize that the god or power in question obviously meant for me to go for a nice walk, not for a run. So I (apparently) headed out for a nice 3 mile walk...
Man does walking take a long time. I just kept going... "1 mile. 19 minutes and change.." wow.. I should be just about done with my 3 miles at 19 minutes.. Should only have 6 or so minutes to go, not 38! LOL! But it was a gorgeous night. You get to see things differently as you walk, compared to being out there running.
I followed a lady walking her dog "Rosie" for a ways. Rosie had to be having more fun running in circles (tripping over he leash) and just prancing. It was really, really fun to watch.
I watched a kid by a pond with a piece of fishing line (no pole) that was bound and determined to figure out a way to catch a fish!
So tonight will be another 3 mile run. My foot still hurts today, although not as bad as yesterday. I suspect I am looking at a week or so of no running. I am going to make sure I give it a chance to sub-side, but not enough time for it to be next year. :)
Meanwhile I checked to see if there were any bicycles on freecycle, craigslist or a local yardsale site. They were either over my current budget of 100 bucks (the smart/beautiful wife just switched jobs.. you know how that can effect finances!), or were kids or commuter bikes.
There was a bike that was as old (older?) than mine, but a bit higher quality for 150..
I am debating emailing the seller and offering that $100. Or I could suck it up, and walk this week.. Maybe do the free 7 day membership at gold's gym to use a bike or elliptical there. That would let me wait and spend a bit more on a bike to get something better. (hey, you never know - I might get into triathalons someday!)
Its nice to have options.
Um, knucklehead, you just need a new tube! Or maybe a new tire entirely, if there's an actual hole in it... but what you REALLY need is to take it to a local bike shop (that's LBS to you non-riders, which CLEARLY you are *LOL*) and get it tuned up. They will true the spokes, clean the chain & derailleur, check your breaks (IMPORTANT!) and cables and fix whatever needs fixing related to the moving parts. There's nothing wrong with that beautiful Raleigh - no need for a whole new bike, just a tune-up. At the very least, a new tube & tire, which you can get at Target.
ReplyDeleteSweet ride! Definitely head down to your local LBS and say "hello" and I am totally co signing with Max in regards to keeping your bike, damn its nice mate. Take care and be well!
ReplyDeleteLOL. I left a bit of information out! The breaks on it - one set is dead, the other barely works. Needs new cables as well as pads. New wraps for the handle bars. Seat cushioning is non-existant. Both wheels need to be trued (I tried to do that myself.. While they wobble LESS, it certainly didn't go as planned!)
ReplyDeleteI replaced the tires and tubes last year - which makes me really nervous about my competence as the front tire popped just sitting there..
So, I figure if I can get a ready-to-go bike for 100 bucks on craigslist or at a garage sale, I will probably come out cheaper than getting everything done that I would need to do on the Raliegh. Then I can pass this on via free-cycle to someone that isn't as ham-handed when it comes to mechanical item.s
Am I wrong on my cost-comparison?
We do have several around here (LBS), I stopped by one a while back and wasn't all that impressed. They were definitely interested in sucking as much money out of my wallet as possible.. I need to go by some others.
ReplyDeleteI think you'll probably come out about the same, if you find a good shop who can take care of it for you. Guess it depends how much you like the fit & style of the bike in the first place. There's probably a little barb inside your rim that made your tire pop, or you didn't get the tube seated right - if there's a kink or a bunched up spot, it can do that (though usually it happens right as you get it to max pressure!). You can get a seat and bar tape cheap at PerformanceBike or Nashbar dot coms :)
ReplyDeleteWalking does take forever! Especially with a dog! Ugh lol but you do notice a few things you don't notice while running which can be nice sometimes.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your bike. I need one too and I should really consider checking out Craigslist. I've always been a bit skeptical about the whole site but I've been hearing a couple of nice things about it.