That can't be good

[mousme]

So, inspired by dizietsma's latest post, I made my way through the thousand pounds of junk currently occupying my parents' garage (not their junk, sadly, but it has to stay there until the condo repairs are done) to see what had happened to my bicycle.

I haven't used my bike in, oh, about seven years. Even then, I was useless at routine maintenance. I rather think that the poor bike needs a lot of TLC. One of the grips on the handlebars is split, the tires are completely flat, and part of me suspects they may need to be replaced entirely. I assume tires aren't meant to make dry crackling sounds when one presses on them, anyway.

There's a bicycle shop just around the corner from here. I figure that if I can just get the bike away from my parents' (with two flats and no car, that's going to be interesting), I can bring it there and ask them to take a look at it and see just how badly it's fared since I've neglected it.

I think that biking from here to work is actually doable. It's uphill to go to work, but the inclines aren't too steep, and I suppose I can always walk the steeper bits until I get into better shape. It's worth a shot, anyway.

I wish my head would stop hurting. Maybe it's caffeine withdrawal. I'll make some coffee and see if that helps.

Also: new icon. It makes me think of fearsclave.

Comments

Caff Withdrawal

[ankhorite.livejournal.com]

Oooh. Savant & I have both had fierce headaches from withdrawal.

Yay on the bike idea! I think that's a great plan.

[dizietsma.livejournal.com]

A nice cup of tea can take the edge off a caffeine withdrawl headache. Or a chocolate bar, but that has calorie implications. Much mellower than slamming an espresso, that's for sure :)

As for the bike, I'm happy to advise on any parts replacements you might need. Grips, you can get a new pair at Canadian Tire for $6. Tyres, you can pick up a good competent cheap pair at MEC for around $6-$10 each, but first I would advise getting some air inside your existing ones and see how they fare once they're inflated. If they've been flat for years, the inner-tube may have petrified or cracked and so that would need repairing or replacing, but the outer tyre should in theory be okay until you're ready to replace it. As an example, my steel hybrid bike came with two flat tyres, which appears to be the main reason why the old owner gave it away. I needed to repair two punctures in the rear inner-tube and one in the front, but after that it was airtight and I rode them for a while before switching to the snow tyres, and then since april I've been riding them again. They're the original 10yr old cheapo made in Vietnam tyres that came with the bike, and yes they crinkle a bit when I deflate them too, but once they've got a bit of air inside they're still in good shape :)