My Trusty? Stead

Do you remember my mentioning the two wheelers we use as our every day transportation?  Jbird found mine sprawled over the grassy verge, with failed brakes, and loose handle bars.  He tightened the handle bars and managed to regain the left brake (back wheel).  It's a cute powder blue girls bike that can and will.  The lightest one we've had. I adopted it as my own.  

I have had a long standing relationship with that one brake Jbird had fixed.  After braking, and often while still in motion, a wire chord - my own technical term - would often pop out.  I learned to check it and pop it back in as was required while I rode.  It was both frightening and exhilarating.  As I got better at fixing while in locomotion, it became more exhilarating than frightening. 

The other day, the brake popped out completely.  I thought it was done for, but Jbird took some tools to it and it seemed to be better than ever.  No more popping out wire chord! 

Today, it failed me completely.  Luckily I had just got done with the steepest part of my ride but I was still on a downward slope, and about to go through a STOP SIGN.  Seriously.  Luckily I was in Bloomington's downtown area where, sprawling with students, drivers are super slow to avoid accidents and being sued, as only Americans know how.  I yelled and motioned at the car about to go through the intersection "my brake has failed my brake has failed!"  I'm sure their wind shield and my accent were enough barriers for them not to understand, but my continuous forward motion and hopefully distressed looking face stopped them in action.  I got through the intersection, foot braked, and jumped to safety.

Note to self: Must. Stop. Riding. Broken. Cute. Powder. Blue.