My Dirty Secret
I have a confession. I really don’t know that much about bikes. I just like to ride them. For me it’s more about lifestyle.
So when it comes to bike repairs sometimes I get myself into situations. It’s not that I don’t have the ability fix a bike, I just don’t have any experience. But still, how hard can it be? I once changed the spark plugs on my old car to save a few bucks. That worked out fine… the mechanic never actually said that was the reason it died.
But I’m not scared of getting my hands dirty (and luckily bikes don’t have engines.) I like to do things myself when I can. Things usually start out like this:
So I set aside afternoon to spend it with my bike, a couple wrenches, and a romantic comedy (Richard Gere helps me think about gears):
However then things don’t go exactly as expected… parts don’t fit, directions are unclear, the project changes scope. It’s really hard to ask a YouTube video questions.
And eventually I end up going to the bike shop where one of these guys save the day:
hahahah thats exactly ME! i never knew there is sum! like me at all.. <3 u!
Did you jiggle it??? That is too much! I’m dying with laughter over here. This is one of my favorite posts. Its right up there with the one about your brother. 🙂
The people who tell you you need to learn how to fix your bike? I dk about you, but my experience is that they are 100% men, and they are 100% people who like to fix things. There’s nothing wrong with this – let them fix their bikes.
You should know basic bike maintenance – how to inspect a bike tire, how to fix a flat; how to keep the drive train clean. How to keep the rims clean enough that you aren’t swapping out brakes all the time and blowing out the rim in less than 10,000 miles.
Have the shop guys, bearded or not, do the rest. Bake them homemade yummy treats, come in with a six pack of tasty malted beverages, buy things at the shop, and most of the minor work will come for the cost of the parts.
If certain men didn’t insist all the time that other people should absolutely know how to fix their own bikes before they took up riding, more women would ride.
I’ve been shown to how change a bike tire flat…several times. But have not yet tried it. (Let me cower in my corner please.)