The bicycle gods were with me as I trudged around Portland a couple weeks ago. I'd been out doing a bunch of errands, and was just about to my last stop when I walked right by my stolen purple Cannondale, locked up to a bike rack at a car-park. Actually, I didn't walk by it--I started hyperventilating. There was no doubt that it was my bike. They only used that color purple one year, and all of the extras that I'd added to my bike were still there. I didn't have my cellphone on me ('natch), so I went in search of the lot attendant. Turns out that he was the new "owner", but that he'd gotten it from a local restaurateur, who'd bought it from, well, some guy. Now, I know Randy, the restaurant owner, so we walked over to have a chat with him. Randy did the right thing and I went home with my newly-recovered purple Cannondale.
At first I was too nervous to lock it back on the rack at our condo, but the day after my first ride, I got over it. I also got a titanium u-lock.
I had been riding Matthew's "beach cruiser", a bike that is fine for the city but just a shade too big for me. I hadn't been able to muster up much enthusiasm for getting a new bike--maybe feeling a little guilty that I hadn't protected my old one the way I should. But as the time drew near for the annual "Worst Day of the Year" ride, I started to wonder if I could ride the too-big bike for 18 miles. Sooo glad that I didn't have to make that decision!
I've got to take it in for a tune-up--there's a new clicking noise associated with pedaling and the fork is a little loose--but not for the next couple of days. Ever since the "Worst Day" ride on February 10th, the weather has been great! I hear we're in for rain on Wednesday--maybe I'll take it in then . . .
Monday, February 18, 2008
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