Welcome to CR Erik and Kendra!
Eric: The left rear wheel fell off of your car? Hope you weren't injured. That reminds me of a story of when I was working as an Auto Mechanic's Helper at a local gas station right after I graduated High School.
At the time, everyone was going off to college and taking life seriously while I was sitting around with my thumb up my rear end. Anyhow, I was the guy who did all of the grunt work in the shop (oil changes, lube jobs, clutch jobs, tire changes, etc.)
One day this old lady pulled up in with this big ol' Cadillac from the 70's with a right rear flat tire. I jacked her up (the car,) removed a panel that hid half of the wheel, and then removed the lug nuts. I pulled the wheel off and found a nail in the tire which I quickly patched. I aired the tire back up and "hung" it on the lug bolts and threaded each lug nut on one full turn. I had the pneumatic lug tool in my hand and was just about to zap the lug nuts back on when I was called upon to write up a service ticket for a customer who was bringing his car in for a vacuum leak. I could see the elderly woman getting stressed at how long it was taking me to deal with this guy. On my way from the service writing station back to her car I ran and jumped every two steps (tucking my head during the jumps) as if I were "jumping through hoops" for her. I slammed the big hub-cap back onto her wheel, let the jack down and said, "Here ya go!" The big Eldorado sat idling while she paid the cashier who was seated behind bullet-proof glass smoking a Winston cigarette.
As she was pulling away, I heard all this strange metallic noise coupled with creaking and rumbling. She didn't even get out of the lot before the wheel buckled, tore the Cadillac wheel-well housing from the body and basically folded outward. The woman saw everything and was enraged to say the least. "Did I remember to tighten the lug nuts?," I thought to myself. It did not help matters that I was stoned out of my mind on good green bud which I had smoked before work. I saw my boss and the head Mechanic come running toward me. The boss verbally assaulted me and then demanded that I go get a floor jack. Once the car was elevated, the wheel kind of swung back and forth. I pulled the hub cap off and found three of the studs that hold (held) the wheel to the lugs had broken; the broken pieces fell to the ground. That was the only time I had a job wherein the boss begged me to quit!
But it doesn't stop there.
One day I was going to Berkeley and had to take the Dumbarton bridge to get there. Some guy in a VW Jetta was about 7 cars ahead of me and to the right. He had one of those cheap bicycle racks where the front wheel is pulled off and placed on a thing that looks like a flimsy fork. There are some people who can't stomach removing the wheel and putting the bicycle INSIDE the car; they have to "show-boat" their toys. Well this guy had a Masi Gran Criterium, very nice indeed. Well, this guy forgot to tighten the QR because the wheel flew out of the rack, hit the second car behind it (inflated rubber tire dead-on the top of the car) and went right over the rail of the bridge into the Bay.
Kendra, I have tried to discuss bicycle parts with the masseuses I frequent, (I mean visit,) but they really don't care. I have offered parts, bicycles, bicycle repair, but they only seem to be interested in shoes and fancy cars. One time I brought pizza and ate it with all the girls in the lounge before disappearing into one of those dark dimly red-lit rooms with the mirrors on the ceiling. I came out of there less $140.00. I encouraged them to run a "Pat Robertson Special," but they said it would be bad for business as they didn't want to charge "$700" for a massage.
I would also ask these women if they knew anyone selling bicycles or had any family members with old racers. One woman saved an old Peugeot checkered flag (I think they were tied to the brake cables as selling decor back in the 60's and 70's.) I sold it on eBay of course.
I too am fat from inactivity. I just took myself off of Zoloft and I actually feel 10 times better. Maybe I'll stop sleeping all day and see what life has to offer?
Ted E. Baer Palo Alto, CA
+++++++++++++++++++++++++ "Out of the rubbles of Trent Lott's house -- he's lost his entire house -- there's going to be a fantastic house. And I'm looking forward to sitting on the porch." George Bush 7-2-05 +++++++++++++++++++++++++
> My incentive for riding was avoiding police and
> being "safe" getting
> home drunk. I got the riding bug from one of my
> very best friends
> (Starla) who was a bike messenger. She encouraged
> me and me being a
> massage therapist, offered massage in exchange for
> bike parts. Within
> two weeks I was rolling on a piece of crap aluminum
> Diamond Back road
> bike that didn't really fit me. I rode that bike
> the last four plus
> years until my Masi (that I bought from Starla who
> opted for her
> Davidson instead) magically came together a couple
> months ago.
> That old Diamond Back came in very handy when I got
> into trouble with
> the law in February 2004 and I lost my license for a
> bit. I am young
> (26) and still learning my lessons. I have been
> better the last 16
> months though (clean and sober now) and stopped
> cussing out cops (I
> was an honery drunk).
> Now my Masi is at Elliott Bay Bicycles ("the
> Hospital") needing some
> MAJOR work after being hit by a van last week.
> I am now bikeless and depressed. I sold my project
> Peugeot so I could
> buy dog food and am now looking for something cheap
> to get me through
> until the insurance battle is over.
> I digress...sorry for the bit of venting. Just
> bored here hoping to
> not get fat from inactivity.
>
> I look forward to other's stories of how they got
> into biking!
>
> Kendra "Bikeless In Seattle" Coatney
> Washington State
>
>
>
>
>
> On 9/6/05, Oldtrikerider@aol.com
> <Oldtrikerider@aol.com> wrote:
> > Hi, Phil. I, too, found myself in trouble with
> the state (Colorado) mot
> or
> > vehicle Department. So I purchased my first
> ten-speed, a Schwinn Varsit
> y and
> > began to ride to work. Four months and 30 pounds
> later I bought a Gitan
> e
> > Tour de France, the first of two TdF's. Since I
> am reluctant to replace
> what
> > already works, I gradually found myself owning a
> few old, I mean vintage
> , bikes.
> > How many others on the CR list were encouraged
> to opt for alternative
> > transportation, i.e., the bicycle?
> >
> > Paul Patzkowsky
> > Longmont, Colorado
> >
> >
> >
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> > Classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
> >
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> >
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