Bike Riding in the City… A (Nearly) Forgotten Pleasure
Posted on June 26, 2009 by diane
Photo by wvs, flickr
My poor, neglected, locked-up-in-storage bike got a tune up this week. I actually had to knock the dust off before taking it in for fear of shaming myself completely.
One tire was totally flat. The tube needed replacing due to a missing little piece of metal inside that part that sticks out where you inflate the tire. (I’m sure all of these bike parts have official names… clearly however I am an amateur rider and not in the know on such matters.)
I rode my bike home from Performance Bike in Lincoln Park and it was a blast! Gorgeous weather, and early enough in the day that there weren’t millions of people crowding the lakefront path. It reminded me what fun bike riding can be, and that you can get places pretty darn fast! Given Chicago’s traffic, riding a bike will often get you there in the same time it would take to drive.
Here’s a picture of the newly fixed “thingamajig”:
I have to put a plug in for Performance Bike as well. Because I purchased my bike there I get a free yearly tune-up for life. This includes:
* Adjust brake & gear settings
* True the wheels
* Tighten loose bolts
* Provide complete safety inspections
