So Far, So So

Week One was, well, a weak one. (Sorry.) Sunday's slow leak turned into Monday's Quest for Patches and the discovery of a broken spoke (and not the good kind.) By Tuesday, WIITWTWS (while-I'm-in-there-with-the-wrench syndrome) had set in. Wednesday's complete wheel rebuild bled over into Thursday, when I finally got in a test ride to run a small errand. The week's big finish, though, was today's long mosey around the East Austin Studio Tour, which really is the smartest way to do it. So the final score was: seven* car trips, two by bike.

So one of the hurdles to overcome in the next year is, how to deal with mechanical problems. This shouldn't be any different from being car-dependent, but it is (even though bike repair is much cheaper and easier to do at home with a few tools). It's a sad state of affairs that to employers, "reliable transportation" = "automobile ownership," no matter how crappy the car. Come in a few minutes late because the bus was behind schedule, and you'll get a dirty look and probably a note in your (boss's mental) file. Of course, your driving co-workers will be just as held up by the same traffic, but that's just an unavoidable happenstance. (I've heard working parents say that if a child is sick, they'll call in with car trouble because that's more acceptable.)

One possibility is a backup bicycle. I actually had a foster bike, Bonnie the Blue BSA (seen below), until she recently found a loving home. After I nursed her back to health last spring, I intended to overhaul my usual ride** before giving her up, but fate and procrastination intervened. It's a viable option for the future, especially if I keep taking in strays.


Actually I did have an alternative to four days of greasy fingernails, although I didn't think of it until just now. When I discovered the additional problems, I could have simply taken the wheel to my local shop, which is just a few minutes away on the handy No. 3 bus. Quicker and less stressful, but I wouldn't have learned as much.

So, lessons to apply towards my goal:

• Maintain a relationship with a good, convenient shop - or two or three.
• Do as much maintenance on my own as I can while I still have the car, both to get the bike tiptop and to get in the practice.
• Once that's done, become a foster mom again.
• Move inside the car2go operating area. (I'm guessing this one will come up again.)

And so we shall proceed over the next 51 weeks, dear reader, cataloging obstacles and forming strategies for dealing with them. Stay tuned.

*Probably more, I'm just forming the habit of keeping track.
**It's shameful that after four years, this trusty steed has no name. A little help with that?