Wednesday, December 17, 2003
WATCH OUT, REAR END!
I had a little incident on the way into work this morning, an equipment incident that is. As I was crossing the Walnut St ped bridge my seat suddenly shifted forward, and if I would have got off right away I might have avoiding the rest. Unfortunately, I kept pushing onward and the next thing I know I hear a snap, and falling metal, and my seat collapses down between my legs. Good thing I caught support on my pedals or my rear might have been too comfortably close with my seat post.
So my seat post bolt just snapped. Who'd of thunk it, I wasn't even doing anything ruff or tuff, just flat and forward, and I have even lost weight since starting my commuting routine, so no jokes like that. Anyway, the other bummer is that the bottom bracket that holds my seat in place fell away with the bolt piece, and since I was on the Walnut St bridge, the open grate surfaces opened wide and the bracket lost itself in the Susquehanna River below. I pedaled standing the rest of the way to work, and never would have believed how tiring that is, especially on my arms, if I hadn't tried it.
So I had Sue pick me up on her way from the shop and we stopped by the LBS where they were kind enough to fish out a replacement bracket for me. They didn't have any replacement bolts though, so I tried the hardware on the way home and only found some typical bolts. I bought one to try, at least until I get a proper replacement. If nothing else, this might be a good opportunity to get my back-up bike out, or at least switch seats.
Thinking back to yesterday's rant on the plowing and clearing of city sidewalks, I have to ponder about how tough it would be to access the sidewalks if I were anything but a normal healthy individual. If I were physically challenged, had bad arthritis, used a wheel chair, or was elderly, I don't know how I would have negotiated over the big snow piles blocking the ramps onto the sidewalks, and blocking the curbs too. Who is thinking about this out there in municipal land? Anyone? Ever think about going out and finishing the job with a shovel in these access spots?
Commuting song of the day: "Hey Ya" by Andre3000 of OutKast. Genius, as Sue says.
So my seat post bolt just snapped. Who'd of thunk it, I wasn't even doing anything ruff or tuff, just flat and forward, and I have even lost weight since starting my commuting routine, so no jokes like that. Anyway, the other bummer is that the bottom bracket that holds my seat in place fell away with the bolt piece, and since I was on the Walnut St bridge, the open grate surfaces opened wide and the bracket lost itself in the Susquehanna River below. I pedaled standing the rest of the way to work, and never would have believed how tiring that is, especially on my arms, if I hadn't tried it.
So I had Sue pick me up on her way from the shop and we stopped by the LBS where they were kind enough to fish out a replacement bracket for me. They didn't have any replacement bolts though, so I tried the hardware on the way home and only found some typical bolts. I bought one to try, at least until I get a proper replacement. If nothing else, this might be a good opportunity to get my back-up bike out, or at least switch seats.
Thinking back to yesterday's rant on the plowing and clearing of city sidewalks, I have to ponder about how tough it would be to access the sidewalks if I were anything but a normal healthy individual. If I were physically challenged, had bad arthritis, used a wheel chair, or was elderly, I don't know how I would have negotiated over the big snow piles blocking the ramps onto the sidewalks, and blocking the curbs too. Who is thinking about this out there in municipal land? Anyone? Ever think about going out and finishing the job with a shovel in these access spots?
Commuting song of the day: "Hey Ya" by Andre3000 of OutKast. Genius, as Sue says.
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