The Weakest Link

Not entirely unexpected, but I've had another mechanical hiccup. I'm beginning to think that I'm really too fat to ride a bike! I really don't know how I managed it, but my drive chain snapped yesterday. I was starting from a dead stop and using body weight to get going. A couple turns in I hear a creak - pop! Just that quick I nearly fall over because the pedal falls without any resistance, and then the chain gets wedged in the back wheel and causes it to lock up. Thankfully I didn't fall - the car behind me didn't seem very patient.

It was a shameful walk from the bus stop to the bike shop. Am I the only one who gets funny looks when walking my bicycle? Thankfully, the guy at the shop is reasonable and competent. A whole $15 bucks later I was back in business! I swear that they're too cheap on the labor ($5 for 20 minutes of work) but you won't hear me complain. My lovely wife and daughter met me there and we had a homemade dinner "out"! It made for a long evening but certainly not a bad evening.

Still, a broken chain is a bummer. And it got me thinking about spare parts. This is one of those things where someone can go overboard and bring too many things. Right now, I bring absolutely nothing. My reasoning behind this is that my bike route is close to the transit routes, so the farthest I'd have to walk is to the next bus stop. I'm curious what other people carry with them. A tube and pump seem like reasonable things to bring, but my pump isn't very portable. And I don't know that I'd want to do something like changing a tube on the side of the road.

For everyone out there, let me know what you bring with you in the comments. Not just parts, but riding gear, extra clothes, towels, bungee straps, anything!

I've been biking, really!

I know I've taken a small hiatus here, but to calm everyone's fears I have been diligent on the bike. I don't think I've used the van for getting to work for over a month now. I've started to get over the sore legs (and behind) to really enjoy the ride.

That said, I'm still quite slow - I average about 10 mph. That's about my cardiovascular limit for now. Slowly I'm increasing my distance, hoping that the required endurance will help with my overall ability (including speed). Just to be clear, my weight and general fitness haven't changed much, but I think a gradual improvement is more natural anyway. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Lastly, I'm linking to a video. Consider this my public service announcement.

Do The Test