Fixing my bike
Last week I discovered that I my bike had a flat back tire. This prompted me to look at my tires and I saw that both of them were pretty worn out. The tires were almost on the verge of breaking down completely! Especially the front one.
Ah, well, having no time to fix them, I put off the work for a whole week, and this morning I got upset about having no bike to run my errands with, since it would take me the whole day to run all my errands by foot or bus! So I decided promptly to fix them, even though I had to skip my workout, and that made me feel annoyed.
The first thing was to get new tires. I went to the local bicycle repair man (Bicycle Repair Man!), who has his shop only 50 meters from me, and bought myself two new sets of both inner and outer tires. I got a chock from the price. 400 kr for all of them! “Maybe”, I thought, “maybe it’s not that expensive after all? Maybe this is how much tires cost nowdays? Maybe they’re special tires that will last longer than the last ones? Maybe I’m so used to buying cheap stuff that it only looks expensive?”. That, and I really wanted to get my bike fixed today, made me buy them. But I was feeling alot vexed!
The front wheel came of easily and in a matter of minutes I had a brand new tire on it! Then came the back wheel… I usually fix my bike myself. From exchanging the chain, or hand breaks, or saddle or anything else that breaks down, or needs to be replaced, so I’m used to taking off the wheels and tires and know all the right moves to apply… until… until today. Today I ran into the Rust From Hell, when I tried to remove the last nut.
I used all my force and even a hammer to try to remove the nut, but it didn’t budge an inch. Finally I managed to get the wheel itself off by hammering on the bolt that the nut was stuck to. But the nut still stuck there, and I had to get it off or I wouldn’t be able to put the tire back!
Somewhere here I almost lost it. I was ready to send Hellspawns to tear the limbs off from anyone who was involved in designing my bike. I was ready to call forth the Hordes of the Undead and unleash them on anyone who so much as glanced in my direction! I was ready to scream until heaven wept and dead angels fell down on the earth, and the earth itself buckled, spewing out lava, starting earthquakes that shattered the cities and then sell my soul for the Legions of Hell to come forth and torture everyone to death!!! But I ended up taking my wheel to the bicycle repair man to see if there was anything he could do.
After waiting in line for 10 minutes it was finally my turn. I showed him the wheel, pointed at the nut, and he said: “Oh, so that things jammed, eh! One moment.” I followed him to his workshop where he applied some rust-be-gone spray and Lo and Behold, the nut came off! And he didn’t even charge me! Pweh! Was I happy that I hadn’t sold my soul to make the earth a living hell!
It took me only a few minutes to get the wheel back on and suddenly I was done! Without anyone ending up dead! Wuhuu! The next big surprise came when I tested the bike. It practically flew forward! I had no idea how much resistance a pair of almost broken down tires can offer someone riding a bike. Now I know! These new tires, packed with air, make me swooosh around the city with almost no effort! The only downside is that it now takes me only 10 minutes to bicycle to the Dojo, instead of 12.5 minutes, which means less exercise to enter into Funbeat… 
Technorati Tags: Hell, Undead, Nut, Funbeat, Bicycle
Jens wrote,
I must say I to am glad you didn’t sell your soul, I’m not that keen on living in hell…
By the way if I drop of my bike at your place maby you could have a look at it, I think it could do with a new pair of wheels too.
August 15th 2006 at 09:41 (9:41 am) — Using
Firefox 1.5.0.6 on 
Windows 2000
Caroline wrote,
From what I can remember from the last time that one of my tires broke (this was obviously before I lost the bike altogether
) they actually are kind of expensive. So we were either both ripped off, or none of us were. However that may console you. 
“Pweh! Was I happy that I hadn’t sold my soul to make the earth a living hell!”
August 15th 2006 at 09:44 (9:44 am) — Using
Firefox 1.5.0.6 on 
Windows XP
Edward Aschan wrote,
I take it most things in your life have gone your way or this world wouldn’t be such a nice place. I have this odd sounding creaking coming from my bike somewhere in the vicinity of the pedals/chain/wheel - well, what ever is below the saddle and makes that annoying noise - could you please look at it. You do realize that this blog just made you THE Bicycle Repair Man in our little circle of friends. :pom:
August 15th 2006 at 14:28 (2:28 pm) — Using
Firefox 1.0.6 on 
Windows XP
Martin wrote,
I actually went to Biltema (the somewhat local “buy everyting for your car, bike and boat-needs and then some”-shop) today to buy a new tire for the bike I (actually my girlfriend) lent to one of the new japanese exchange-students. The old one was so worn down the tube poked out in places…hope she got home safe yesterday.
The point, of course, is that I only paid 50kr for it and a matching tube would have set me back 20kr more for a total of 140kr for the set of two tires and two tubes you needed. 
I also have to say that I find it hilarious how well the “Technorati Tags” sum up this rather long entry.
August 15th 2006 at 18:26 (6:26 pm) — Using
Firefox 1.5.0.5 on 
Ubuntu Linux
Caroline wrote,
Maybe Mika was going for a slightly higher quality than Biltema?
August 15th 2006 at 19:37 (7:37 pm) — Using
Firefox 1.5.0.6 on 
Windows XP
malte wrote,
400 kr is an ok price for tyres and innertubes, I think. Now you need to invest in some 5-56! And somewhere out of the rain to keep your bike…
August 15th 2006 at 22:13 (10:13 pm) — Using
Firefox 1.5.0.6 on 
Windows XP
John Kim wrote,
“was ready to call forth the Hordes of the Undead and unleash them on anyone who so much as glanced in my direction!”
you are a very scary person mika, someone who should not be messed with
August 16th 2006 at 04:47 (4:47 am) — Using
Internet Explorer 6.0 on 
Windows XP
Mika Perälä wrote,
Jens:
Of course! Just drop your bike here, and I will see what I can do with it 
Edward: Yep! I’ve led a relatively good life! Nooooooo! I’m not the groups bicycle repair man!!!
eeg:
Martin: I wanted to fix the bike real quick, hadn’t so much time during the day. And yeah, the technocrati tags I had fun with
Happy that they got noticed 
malte:
5-56? Hmm. It’s an oil of some kind? Could be useful, yes 
John:
I’m actually very kind, as you know 
But somedays… somedays… The need to unleash the Zombie Army can get really overwhelming!
August 20th 2006 at 01:07 (1:07 am) — Using
Firefox 1.5.0.6 on 
Windows XP
Edward Aschan wrote,
Pump my tires last thursday. Come friday morning the front one blew and I barely made it to work before all air had escaped. Luckily the bicycle repair man (not Mika despite all innuendos above) could fix it over night so I got it back saturday morning. It cost 265 kronor for new inner and outer tired as well as the work. I don’t think you were ripped of paying 400 for the parts.
August 21st 2006 at 08:09 (8:09 am) — Using
Firefox 1.0.6 on 
Windows XP