yesterday i got so scared

boy we gotta get that boy a bicycle. the older son keeps riding the commuter bike, the venerable follis, which leaves me with the white bike in its road configuration. a wonderful bike, to be sure, but suboptimal for commuting. i rode it in the rain on monday and the accumulation of grit was horrifying; i spent much of monday evening cleaning the chain, removing and cleaning the chainring, and then just letting it dry for 24 hours before putting it all back together last night (i made him take the bus yesterday). all that tender loving bicycle care is nice, but boy-ee. there are other things i could be doing. to day i let him ride because he's going to work after school, so i was back driving the bus this morning (those bars are 42 centimeters; i measured them this morning). it was dry, although thunderstorms are in the forecast.


our basement has bikes the way some basements have mold. front and center is the breeze, getting closer and closer to being finished. i had forgotten what a pain cheesy side-pull brakes can be to get adjusted properly; the front one just keeps pulling to the side. but we'll figure it out. i rode it around a little yesterday, in its highest gear (shifter not attached yet) and it had a pleasant, boat-like feel. those schwinns weigh a ton.

/^\ /^\ /^\ /^\ /^\ /^/ \./ \./ \./ \./ \./ \.