33 bucks later and some stupidity remounting the rear tire at home the bike is back on the road. 🚲 Those rear spokes are a bitch to work with – – it was nice to be able to drop the bike off at noontime and they had it fixed by 1:30 PM. I left work about 15 minutes early to pick up the bike, but honestly I could have waited to five o’clock as they don’t close until 6 PM but I wanted to get home and get back on the road.

I am just glad that I got it back today. ☺ When I dropped it off they didn’t promise it back until Wednesday. Always under promise over deliver. I really hate driving in to work, something I’ve thought about a lot while looking at houses. Maybe I should buy a house in the city. Or rent. Until I don’t have to work in the city any more. I realized if I couldn’t pick up the wheel at work today, I probably could have left my truck overnight at the office,. Parked out by the state pool vehicles, I doubt anyone would touch it. They probably have security cameras in the lot. Kind of an industrial neighborhood though.

Of course mounting the new tire was a comedy of errors that took me much too longer. 🃏 First time I managed to put a flat – – probably a pinch flat – – in the tube. Those new never mounted mountain bike tires can be a bitch to mount. Fortunately I have a back up tube. So I patched the tube, put it in storage, and the good tube was mounted. But the second time through I put the tire on backwards. So I start the process off from scratch. 🛞 What a fucking joke I’m am at times with my fingers. Found a bent spoke on the front wheel, and I should replace that, but at least that wheel doesn’t involve pulling the cassette to replace spokes, not that the $33 fix on the rear wheel was on that side. But the shop did a good job at truing the real wheel, and that new tire finally installed rides great. The front wheel isn’t out of true, but I tighted up the spokes, including the bent one. Despite the bent spoke the wheel seems quite true. That said, I should replace it before it breaks. Unfortunately the spokes I bought for the other bike aren’t big enough for this one. I think that front spoke got damaged when I wiped out riding trail at Thacher Park. 🚵

Just for a good test ride and to try out the new rear tire, 🚲 I rode down to the town park this evening and around some of the suburban streets in town. Not too far. I thought about going to bank to deposit that check 💴 and to the Slingerlands Arboretum to explore it in springtime 🌳 but it was quickly getting dark and I’m tired.

Shit breaks all of the time. 💩 That’s the truth with life, no matter how careful you are with it and maintence. Using it, means using it up. Sometimes going to the mechanic is the best course of action, 🛠 as they can get you often back on the road quicker then doing yourself, especially if the job requires specialized tools like replacing the rear spokes do. Great the the shop got me back on the road the same day. I was always surprised that CDTA with all their diesel mechanics, farms out all their diesel rebuilds to Cummins Turbo Diesel shop off – site and I think they use another vendor to rebuild transmissions. Same thing with farmers – – they usually will send their tractors 🚜 off site for complicated repairs and engine rebuilds. Sometimes when others can do things quicker or better then you can, it’ makes sense to pay. I’m going to be able to ride in tomorrow, and makes me happy.