Bicycle, Bicycle, Bicycle, I Want to Ride My Bicycle

My bike, OK FINE, Nicholas' bike, has needed air in the front tire for a while now. It finally occurred to me that my outdoorsy next door neighbors would probably have a pump. Yesterday, I saw The Dad and I inquired. Indeed they did. He sent his 7-yr-old son over with it.

Foiled again!

I figured The Dad (I don't know their last name to say Mr...) might fix it for me. (Stop cringing my Feminist Friends.)

OK, fine. I'll do it myself.

SO FIRST, I surveyed the scene, then attempted to attach the pump. I only succeeded in letting out more air. Not good. OK, there must be more to it. SO NEXT, I googled "how to inflate a bike tire". I identified my "valve stem" as a Schrader valve. Still, the video wasn't so helpful, because it really did seem like I was doing it the way I was supposed to. FINALLY, I gave up.

My tire significantly flatter than when I started, I'm thinking, "Before, I could have at least RIDDEN the bike to the bike shop on Main Street (aka Main Street Cyclery). NOW I have to WALK it there like a tool. Great. Just great."

So today, I put on my bike shorts (Thank you, Hilary Cosgriff!) and prepared to suck it up and walk it over to MSC. As I was getting ready to leave The Dad asked about the bike. SO in the charmingly self-deprecating way that I have I said with a laugh, "I'm embarassed to admit it but I managed to let all of the air OUT. Hahaha..." (Look Mom! Employing "the helpless girl technique"!)

The Dad, My Hero, (Not to be confused with the 1994 HIT movie, My Father The Hero starring Gerard Depardieu & Katherine Heigl.) came over and we fixed it right up. I was a little nervous the tires might be over-inflated, but apparently they have just been under-inflated the whole time I've been here. Nice, I know. HEY! My last bike was a Huffy. THAT'S how long its been since I've been on a bike. And I CERTAINLY have never had to do any of the maintenance-y stuff myself. That's why we have Dads and brothers. Just wait 'til next week, I'm FINALLY going to take the Jeep to JiffyLube.... unless, do you think The Dad, My Hero might help me change the oil? Hmmmm.....

Well, anyway the tires got inflated, the pump got returned, and I rode about 12 miles. What a difference properly inflated tires make!

I'll keep you posted.

k8