July 24 rides

[Owlie]

Took two short bike trips. The first went fine. Second one didn't go so well. I decided I'd bike to the library to pick up a book I need for my presentation. This involves sidewalk riding because the library is otherwise inaccessible (university library). I did a couple of loops around the area afterward, and then headed home.

The pedestrians around here are idiots. I was leaving the library "oval", and there was some girl with her headphones in walking in the middle of the path. I yelled "Bike behind you!" Several times. She didn't hear me. By this point, I was afraid that I might hit her even if I braked, and wound up ditching into a flowerbed. That was when I discovered that there was a ROCK in the the flowerbed. I dusted myself off, walked the bike over to the bench, and tried to clean all the salvia bits out of my chain. There was no way I could ride the thing back, so I somehow managed to call my boyfriend without covering the rest of myself in chain grease, then walked the bike home so he could look at it. Report is not particularly good: Not only did I scratch my poor baby, but also knocked my rear wheel out of true and screwed up my front derailleur (sp?). :mad: :(
Next question...can I afford the repairs? :(

[Ana]

I had a good 10 mile ride yesterday through the park :) Mostly flat so easy riding :) Mostly enjoying the new bike :D

[denda]

I did 17 miles today. A little windy, but not too bad.

[leathela]

Took two short bike trips. The first went fine. Second one didn't go so well. I decided I'd bike to the library to pick up a book I need for my presentation. This involves sidewalk riding because the library is otherwise inaccessible (university library). I did a couple of loops around the area afterward, and then headed home.

The pedestrians around here are idiots. I was leaving the library "oval", and there was some girl with her headphones in walking in the middle of the path. I yelled "Bike behind you!" Several times. She didn't hear me. By this point, I was afraid that I might hit her even if I braked, and wound up ditching into a flowerbed. That was when I discovered that there was a ROCK in the the flowerbed. I dusted myself off, walked the bike over to the bench, and tried to clean all the salvia bits out of my chain. There was no way I could ride the thing back, so I somehow managed to call my boyfriend without covering the rest of myself in chain grease, then walked the bike home so he could look at it. Report is not particularly good: Not only did I scratch my poor baby, but also knocked my rear wheel out of true and screwed up my front derailleur (sp?). :mad: :(
Next question...can I afford the repairs? :(

Sorry to hear about this mishap:( Did the girl even notice? I get very concerned biking near people with iPods, because so many of them are totally oblivious to what is going on around them. For that reason (and a few others), I greatly prefer trails/parks/country roads to urban areas...which unfortunately, I get A LOT of around here.

I would take your bike to your LBS as soon as possible, so that they can assess the price of the damages for you. Hope your bike is back in good condition soon!

[leathela]

24 miles before work...actually quite windy, but a beautiful day nonetheless. I kept mostly to the roads but did a few miles off road, through a wooded area and field. I love riding off road in the morning; something about it makes me even more appreciative of nature and all the elements.

Today my boyfriend and I are biking over the Brooklyn Bridge and all over Brooklyn. The forecast is fantastic for today, so the ride should be fun. I'll probably do some more riding this afternoon, too. (I have intervals planned). Hope to end up doing around 35.

[Owlie]

Sorry to hear about this mishap:( Did the girl even notice? I get very concerned biking near people with iPods, because so many of them are totally oblivious to what is going on around them. For that reason (and a few others), I greatly prefer trails/parks/country roads to urban areas...which unfortunately, I get A LOT of around here.

I would take your bike to your LBS as soon as possible, so that they can assess the price of the damages for you. Hope your bike is back in good condition soon!

Nope, didn't even turn around. :mad: I much prefer biking on trails, but I don't have a car and my university's campus is decidedly urban. (The trails are also better maintained than the paths around here!)
BF took another look at the bike later last night. It's actually better than I thought. I'd just knocked the rear wheel out of its holder, and BF says the derailleur looks okay. The bike's fine, but we're going to take it to the LBS tomorrow just to make sure. They owe me a 30-day tuneup, so they can check it over and we'll deal with any repairs there. The only actual damage that we can find is a couple of deep scratches that go through the clear coating on the aluminum. I think some clear nail polish or something is in order. It's less of an issue because it's aluminum rather than steel, but it's probably a good idea nonetheless.