My bike is dying. I bought it off a co-worker for $400 about 15 years ago. He'd used it as a commuter for about 10 years leaving it in the rain and riding through snow. An unidentifiable creak has become a part of my morning and afternoon rides. Everything is tight through the drivetrain, chainring, crank and bottom bracket, but this strange sound, almost a moan, comes from the frame. I've never heard it from a friend's bike or any that have landed in the shop. I'm pretty sure the frame is rusted through and will soon fold in half underneath me while I'm sitting at a traffic light. But I want this machine and friend that has served me so well to go out in a blaze of glory. My top idea right now is to take on vacation to Hawaii and ride it off a pier that's 20 feet over the water at top speed, then just swim to shore and leave the bike as an artificial reef. I just need to figure out how to do it without burning my legs since, obviously, the bike will be on fire while I'm riding it off the pier.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Saying Goodbye
My bike is dying. I bought it off a co-worker for $400 about 15 years ago. He'd used it as a commuter for about 10 years leaving it in the rain and riding through snow. An unidentifiable creak has become a part of my morning and afternoon rides. Everything is tight through the drivetrain, chainring, crank and bottom bracket, but this strange sound, almost a moan, comes from the frame. I've never heard it from a friend's bike or any that have landed in the shop. I'm pretty sure the frame is rusted through and will soon fold in half underneath me while I'm sitting at a traffic light. But I want this machine and friend that has served me so well to go out in a blaze of glory. My top idea right now is to take on vacation to Hawaii and ride it off a pier that's 20 feet over the water at top speed, then just swim to shore and leave the bike as an artificial reef. I just need to figure out how to do it without burning my legs since, obviously, the bike will be on fire while I'm riding it off the pier.
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