Strike 2!!!!!

Aug 9, 2011

Ever have one of those weeks when shit goes wrong immediately?  This is that week for me.

Strike 1 Mechanical failure

Montag 520 am.  .3 miles from house on my way to work.  Giant Via Raw single speed.  Deceptively nice morning, finally cooling off at night.  It rained sometime during my sleep, streets sorta wet.  But the rear wheel starts to feel bad.  Cracks in the road more noticeably pronounced.  Tire noise on road getting louder.  NO !  Quick grab on the brakes to stop for inspection.  Lean and bend over and grab the rear tire.  Yep, losing air.  Turn this beast around for a fresh horse.

Fortunately, I always leave early to give myself time to cool down and change clothes, screw around on the internet and to buy myself time for mechanical failure.  Two previous times it happens when I am over half way to work.  Water Works Park.  I have no choice but to ride it as far as I can.  Damn the tire.  After work flats, two in Water Works, will see me repair on the spot.  Not today.

Fresh horse requires lights, transference of payload and air it its tires.  I grab the only available bike with bags, a 89ish Cannondale SM800 Beast of the East.  I purchased this from a friend several years ago and after two hard winters of my Mary commuting on it I recently stripped its frame and replaced or cleaned everything.  I left the studded snow tires on it.  Studs are well worn anyway and there are other priorities in the stable.  But low air pressure.  Bummer.  This cost me another 2 minutes.

The restarted commute is uneventful.  More joggers now and more daylight.  I am about 15 minutes behind my schedule but still "early" to work.

Strike 2!!!  Human error

I patched the tube last night.  Simple puncture,  Tire free of debris.  Could have occurred Friday on my wet journey home from the store or Monday morning.  Saturday and Sunday the Via sat still in the laundry room.

Pleased that the tire held air overnight I confidently rolled toward work.  The front tube was patched in June or early July and it has held air with issue.  The back should too.  Park Tool patches.  1) find hole 2) clean area around hole 3) apply patch  No glue, no mess.

So with a peaceful mind I set sail thinking about everything and nothing at all.  Somehow the thought "I wished I had more cash today" floated through my mind.  And I thought that if I had more cash it would be in my wallet that is in my fanny pack in my pannier along with my Principal Financial Group security card.  The PFG is the only essential thing I need to bring to work, that and clothing.  And that mere chain of thought set off the alarm.  DID I GRAB THE FANNY PACK????!!!!!????

ALL HALT!!!!!!!  Quick search gave no joy.  Time to turn back.  As consolation, I am a mere 1.5 miles from home.  Further than yesterday but not too far.

This mistake added 3 miles to the day.  I get to work with 20 minutes to mess around and change.  Not bad.

So I have had mechanical and self failure.  Will tomorrow bring another person's failure to make Strike 3??