Mr. Jenkins
by tim
Timmy Tracks
Biking, Platteville local, and anything else.
Blog rebelion.
by timI just mentioned that maybe I would switch to a different blogger, and mine went on strike. Creating all kinds of grief. We finally calmed down my site, and we have reached an agreement. We should be able to keep things moving forward from now on. Sorry to all those dedicated blog readers.
Bicycle Abuse.
by timBicycle Abuse.
At what point do you step in and call the authorities to report an abuse situation?
I see customer’s bikes in the shop all the time. Some are nice, some are not so nice. Every once in a while a customer will bring in a bike that has been neglected &/or abused. It can be a sad sight. Sometimes the owner doesn’t mean harm, but without proper bicycle caregiver skills the poor bicycle is neglected – whether it be left outside over night on the front lawn, or heaven forbid, parked along the garage all through the winter. Ugh! The thought is hard to bare.
There are times though when it is just pure abuse. My heart truly reaches out to those poor treadfull souls. Just recently we had a victim….err I mean bicycle that passed through the shop. I will change the names to protect these folks from local humiliation (especially in Lancaster). The owner we will call Bob. The victim I will refer to as Trek. Bob is a hard working man and I don’t believe he means harm. But…..he rides Trek hard. Rain, sleet, snow, 100% humidity, no matter what the weather, that bike will be driven. (The poor thing reminds me of one of those buggy ponies, all so skinny and foaming at the head tube). Bob himself is like a workhorse, blinders on, driving forward to work, from work, to the Farm, then back home. Never does he hear the chain crying for oil. The cables, moaning as they are ratcheted dryly through their housing. Never does he hear the cars honking as he blocks traffic while he rides down the middle of the road, Oh wait that’s another story.
When Trek came in wearing worn used tires it was limping on the hind wheel. Broken spokes! It had been forced to ride, EVEN WITH FIVE BROKEN SPOKES. Oh my, give me a moment, sniff….sniff…sniff. I am not sure whether I should call Bicycle Advocates and try to relocate this bike or maybe confront Bob about his pure neglect.
While she was at the shop I gave her a Physical (Over Haul) because she had complaints of pain in her brakes and numbness in the hubs. Sure enough after some examination, she was rushed in for emergency surgery on her hubs. Her bearings were contaminated and she even had some bearings that were worn in half. Not only that, but she had worn cups and cones, Gasp!!!! It was ok though, we did a cone replacement. She will have to get by with the bad cubs for now though. Upon further examination, she had worn out brake pads and her brake arms were frozen with OXIDIZATION on the inside. They wouldn’t swivel a bit. We did emergency brake arm removal. Don’t let that get out though – we wouldn’t want folks to treat her bad. After all it’s not her fault she had dangerously bad brakes.
I hope my photo comes through above. We have had some problems at the lab lately. But we should have a photo of Trek going through extensive therapy. At this time I would ask that you all pray for Trek and Bob. Yes Bob too, that maybe their relationship would mean enough to Bob that he would show some Love and Respect for Trek. Treat her like an equal. Treat her like he would like to be treated.
Well, the authorities are here now, so I must go and make a statement. Please let this be a lesson to you all. If you are having problems at home, please seek out your local Momentum Bikes for help. Don’t let the abuse take over. You can make a difference; just call 608-348-6888. Thank you for listening.
Sometimes they even plead with me not to let them go back.
Riding in the Oatmeal
by timTook a trip on Sunday and road from Platteville to Mineral Point. Primarily on the snowmobile trails, a few roads. It was only 30 miles, but took me two hours and forty-five minutes, because of the oatmeal like snow conditions. Temps were in the 30’s so it made the snow soft and was quite an effort to trudge (not sure if thats a word, but it sounds like what I was doing) threw. With only 15 pounds of air in my tires, I was able to float on top. It took a lot of energy to keep the wheels rolling on the wet soft snow, and if I broke threw the snow, I hit ice and spun out. Above is a photo of my steed waiting for more action. I hope those who love the snow are enjoying it, and those who don’t…sorry for such a sucky winter. I hear Arizona is nice this time of year.
Winter Time
by timAAACK! I feel over worked, but not really. I seem to be behind, but things are slow. I have way to much to do and I can’t seem to get motivated. OK! That’s it, I am going for a bike ride. Crap, It’s shitty out….Damn, I am stuck on the trainer again. whirrrr whirrrrr whirrrrr for an hour. I start out cold & freezing (the basement is a even 50 degrees), and end up with a puddle of sweat under me. My fingers are still cold though? That much sweat and cold fingers, don’t add up? A positive note is my butt’s not sore anymore, Maybe I have built up enough callouses down there not to feel anything…..Wait a minute….I can’t feel my…. umm…. part. Well this really sucks. No pain in the ass, but I am not going to be good for anything else. Anyway, I hope your winter is warmer and you can feel all your parts, that need to be felt.
cheers Timmaaayyyy
