Saturday, 22 February 2003

I haven't done much bicycle riding in a couple of years.

Some time ago, I got punctures in tires on both of my bicycles, one right after the other. I took the bikes into the shop to get new inner tubes, using as an excuse that they were ready for a tune-up. Then I got two more punctures, one right after the other. I found the whole thing so discouraging, that I just quit riding.

One problem was that, since both bikes had just been tuned up, I couldn't get the tubes replaced as part of a tune-up. But I can't quite bring myself to take the bike to the shop just to get a tube replaced. (It violates both my sense of thrift and my self-image as a capable person who can do things like replace bicycle inner tubes. I try not to let gender stereotypes dictate my behavior, but some are too deeply implanted to ignore.)

Anyhow, long about mid-February I always start looking forward to getting some exercise come spring. Getting the bikes ready to ride seemed like something to do on a cold, wet day like today. So, I got the bikes out and pumped them up, in order to verify which tubes I needed (one 27x1⅛, one 26x1.5). I had a spare of the former, but not of the latter. So, I trudged through the slush to the bike shop (10 minutes away by foot) and bought one. Then trudged back and replaced both tubes.

The actual tire replacing went very smoothly, providing a well-appreciated boost to my self-image (and making me feel foolish for having taken so long to get around to it). Now I just need to wait for some half-way decent weather for riding.

I got a couple of rejections back in the last few days. Sigh.

What I need to do is get some new stuff written and out.