bicycle wizardry

Today I not only repaired my bicycle, but I made it magical. That’s right, magic was involved. My old tires were completely dry-rotted and parts were flaking off. I have been riding my bike like this for over three years, but I had no idea what kind of effect it was having. After changing the tires today and taking it for a ride I gained over a mile per every five minutes in speed without any additional effort. The ride felt smoother and so much better; magic I tell you! 

Now I have changed a bicycle tire before, but never without assistance.  This time I was completely on my own, and while it is a relatively simple task, the act of removing the rear tire and reconfiguring the brakes and gear shifts is not. I had to tweak, and re-tweak several times. At one point the tire even came loose as I tried to ride the bike. I also fixed my three gears.  For years they have been randomly shifting at will.  I have never been able to get the bike to shift properly; but today I was able to take the whole thing apart, and put it back together in working fashion. I now have THREE gears on my bicycle that work! In the end I was able to get it all worked out and had an amazing 10 mile ride around the city.  

I also acquired a new bike rack and pannier to carry all of my work documents and a change of clothes. It was so nice to be able to have my body free of the heavy bag so I could enjoy the breeze as I rode. I will also be picking up a new wooden front rack tomorrow for additional carrying space. Tomorrow is ride your bike to work day as well, and I am feeling pretty damn prepared to ride my bicycle to work.