Does your bike talk to you?

[Tri Girl]

Just wondering if it's karma, or my bike saying "quit riding me freak- I need a break." I took Oscar out this morning for a nice 100 mile ride, and he had other plans: mile one I ran over a sticker and had to change a front flat, mile 3 the back tire blew out (never had that happen-there was actually a hole in the tire), got that semi fixed enough to get back to the car and then the front derailleur cable popped off and I couldn't get it fixed.
Grrrrrr... I left Oscar alone in the car (with the windows rolled UP) and went for a 2 hour run instead. Hope he had time to think about what he'd done.

Perhaps bikes DO have temperments and like some alone time as well...
Guess I get to buy those new tires I was thinking of, but now DH can't moan because I really NEED them now (I buy far too much cycling stuff).

Does your bike talk to you????

[Bad JuJu]

Holy mackerel, YES! This morning I got caught in a rainstorm--no lightning but buckets of rain--on my way back to my car. As I was passing the public library, I stopped to stand under the overhang for a few minutes and wipe the rain drops off my glasses. Also, it was raining so hard it actually hurt when the drops hit me.

Anyway, I couldn't get JuJu (yes, I use my bike's name as my TE user name ) to stand up against the building--she kept wanting to slip down sideways. So I figured she'd had enough fun, as had I, and I'd better get both her and me back to the trailhead, rain or no rain, before we decided to take a nap right there in front of the library. So off we went, and miraculously, the rain just then let up a little, so we finished in just a light shower. Hmmm, can bikes predict the weather?

[CR400]

If it did talk to me it would likely have a few things to say over and over.

First off "let's go for a ride, come on just a few miles at least" would be a daily demand. Then
"Is that all the faster you can go, I can go much faster then this pathetic speed." Grr!!!!
"Clean my chain its been a week, oh yeah get that cassette and derailler why your at it, ohh I feel much better now, thank you, opps you forgot a spot on my frame"
The one I hate the most " loose some weight so we can climb faster, ride faster and you're easier for me to carry for hours without a break." Now that is aggervating, I hope I raised a better bike then to be that rude.

[7rider]

Mine, in quite a mean-spirited mood this morning, says "You took that hill like THAT??? You don't deserve me!"
Well, geez, it was only, like, hill number 30. I was tired!

[Tri Girl]

Hmmm, can bikes predict the weather?

I don't know, but I do think they sense evil...


Wow- glad you made it back to the car in one piece!!!

[ladyfish]

Mine is probably saying "hey! did you forget about me? Let's go riding NOW!". I've been out of town for two weeks and didn't get much chance to ride the week before we left, either. So my bike is feeling lonely and neglected. That should change as soon as I get back home!!!

[Bad JuJu]

This is only a tiny bit off-topic: Did anybody see the episode of "Friends" when Phoebe got an adorable bike, but was afraid to learn how to ride it? Ross talked her into trying by telling her the bike was dying because she wouldn't ride it. Phoebe acted all sarcastic about his story, but then when he left the room, she hugged the bike and said, "Please don't die!"

I loved that episode!

[Tri Girl]

I love that episode, too! Too funny! What if Ross' story is true.....

[colby]

Does your bike talk to you????

Definitely. I laughed out loud at the bike sliding down instead of standing against the building, that's happened to me and I did the same thing -- alright, then, let's go! I've also experienced "don't put me here, I'm not safe!"

When I ride alone, we keep each other company. It sounds crazy, I'm sure, but we "talk" about how far we've made it together, the things we'll do in the future, the places I'll take her in the future. When we go to a new place we haven't been before, we discuss the new territory. If we have to cross the street somewhere we haven't crossed before, we strategize the intersection. When we're on that last 2-3 miles, we talk about what a great team we are, and how awesome we are to make it this far. Hey, it gets me to the end feeling strong, I'll take what I can get!