19/05/22 Bicycle Woes

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My bike made a grinding noise. At first it only happened every so often, usually when I was pedaling hard up a hill. I ignored it, in the hope that it would go away. It did the opposite and happened more regularly, to the point where I didn't have to ring my bell any more because the grinding announced my arrival very efficiently.

Then my pedal started to click. Riding was no longer a peaceful affair, what with the clicking and grinding and grinding and clicking.

I took my bike to the bike shop and asked them to fix it up. I asked them if they could perform a magic service and turn it into a shiny red touring bike with Rohloff hubs, but they declined to do that so I had to be satisfied with a run-of-the-mill fixing.

I suffered two days of bike withdrawal and pangs of jealousy as Roger happily went on bike rides without me. Thankfully the weather was bad, so he didn't do too much of that. 


While waiting to collect my bike, we picnicked in the parklands and appreciated the Autumn trees.

I went to collect my bike, handing over enough cash to keep the mechanic in carbon-fibre frames for a year or two, and went for a test ride down the Torrens to the sea and back again.

Sunset at the mouth of the Torrens.

My brakes rubbed, which was a bummer but every bike mechanic I'd ever met was over enthusiastic in the brake-tightening department, so I was used to tweaking that myself.

My brand new pedals were satisfyingly silent.

The grind was gone. Or was it? I thought I was hearing things at first but alas, as I chugged upstream on my way home the grind reared its ugly head and once again challenged my bell for dominance.
'I'll fix you' I thought, and recorded the grind for future educative use with the bike mechanic. This was quite difficult as I had to pedal hard while holding the phone close to the offending part (or what I thought it was, anyway) and avoiding all the commuters who zipped past me on their way home. 

I went home and rearranged the next day's plans to include a return trip to the bike mechanic.  By then I needed something to distract me from unfixed bikes, so I went and brushed the cat.

What's that you say? You'll brush me? Well I could allow that I suppose...

Brushing the cat was a good way to end the day.

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