Friday, April 18, 2008

woohoo! I got my bike back

So, a mere 2 months (ugh!) after being hit by a semi, I got my trusty
commuter and backup race bike, Hilary, back. That's after Sir Edmund
Hilary, brave adventurer, and yes, I name all my bikes, they have
personality, I can't help it.

Not sure about the red bits on the paint job but you don't get to ask
questions when you get a crash replacement bike.

CycleSports in Oakland did a great job with a tricky part list - I have
an Octalink crankset fitted to an Ergomo bottom bracket (both of these
are rare things mechanics don't see much), and they work very well as
long as you install them carefully. If you don't, they pretty much suck.
CycleSports took the time to install it carefully and on a first test
ride it seems to work quite well. Much appreciated.

I have a raft of insurance forms to fill out still, and each of them is
trying to get me to describe the car I was in when I got hit, so that'll
be creative getting my money back.

But I'm just thrilled to have all my bikes working again.

I used to be a one bike guy, but with as much riding as I'm doing now I
have to say only having one machine is totally inconvenient. It's very
hard to fix all the wear and tear and keep a machine in racing condition
all the time when you need to ride it to work too.

Anyway, this is a pretty good Friday present for me, and it leads in to
a low-stress weekend with no racing so it should set the tone.

Hope all 3 people that read these scribblings have similarly good things
to usher in your weekend.

-Mike

4 comments:

runjoelrun said...

One of the three checking in. Hope you'll be out there Sunday

Mike Hardy said...

Update: after a much longer ride, there are still some parts I need on it (like a frame pump and some new tires) but the bike build itself is great and the power readouts are in line with what I expect. I'm a picky person but I've got a working bike here. Excellent.

Anonymous said...

After facing a squeeky hub, creaking bottom bracket, and shifting issues with only a fixed-gear as a stand-by (and we all know your feelings about track bikes on the road), I am right there with you on having multiple bikes! I will be looking forward to drafting off of you computer at the port ride soon enough.

Oooh, and I got good news too on Friday (see my Sea Otter Race Report at the TO site!).

That's the check in from your second reader!/maury

Unknown said...

Number 3