Happy Ride – Happy Bride! - May 11, 2019
Our friend Bob says of my hubs, Laur, “Flat tire, eh? Now where have I heard that before…” This will give you a bit of a hint as to where this story is going…
Monday, May 6, 2019 – finally a day where there was enough sun and warmth for a bike ride. Laur proposed that we ride to Welland as a “starter ride” (50k round trip) and I proposed Port Colborne (84 km.) Our compromise was we’d decide when we got to Welland. (How well does Laur know me?!)
I filled up my fanny pack with water and granola bars and sun screen. I didn’t pack a lunch because I was convinced we’d (or I’d) make it to Port Colborne and have lunch at our favorite spot. Laur’s back pack on the other hand was strangely light. He’d emptied it when we returned home from S. Korea and never put any of his stuff back.
Said I to Laur, “Aren’t you going to bring your bicycle repair stuff?” Laur said, “The stuff weighs a ton and we never need it! Nothing ever happens!” I mentioned that I frequently knock my chain off my gears and we have both had spokes go rogue. Laur compromised by bringing a screwdriver and vice grips.
Our intent was to leave by 9 am but the bike tires had to be pumped up and Laur wanted to grease our gears. The grease part he would regret later on in the day. (Hee hee hee!!!) We were on the bike path of the Welland Canal just after 9:30 am. Yee haw!
I describe bike-riding in St. Catharines as being flat and it is most of the time – except for that wee ascent up the escarpment of about 50 meters (150 feet if you’re speaking American.) We were both able to do it on our bikes, but it was tough. There will come a year when we have to walk it, but it’s not this year.
We stopped at the top for a few minutes. Laur asked how I was doing, especially since we had a 20 km/hr wind to push into. I said, “I’m challenged, but I’m fine.” Laur who has been toying with the idea of buying new bikes to replace our 13 year old Raleigh warhorses said, “Maybe we don’t need to get new bikes after all.” I heartily agreed. I love my bike. Laur puts his in our storage locker after a ride; I keep mine in our apartment.
Got to Welland where we normally have our granola bar. Laur said, “Ready to turn back?!” Those were almost fighting words for me. I responded, “No!” He said, “I thought you were finding this really tough?” I said, “Challenging but not impossible… Besides, I haven’t packed us a lunch and I’m getting hungry.”
We continued on. Our regular “eats” place, Smokin’ Buddha, turned out to be closed on Monday. That’s OK, we have an alternative restaurant there – Canal Side – and they offer vegan options. Turns out everyone had the same idea – go out for a walk or ride and go out for lunch. (Though I expect we were the only ones wanting chicken-free chicken aka “chick’n” – and willing to pay more for it!) The place was packed. The owner/server was as surprised as all of his clientele. There was a bit of a wait but it was worth it. The owner’s wife has a gift business beside the restaurant and it closes on Monday so she can have one day off. But not this day! She got called in! Happy man, happy clan!
We started back – a little later than our usual – but hey, we’re retired. It doesn’t matter – except there was rain due later in the afternoon. We hadn’t got out of Port Colborne before Laur realized he had a flat. The “nothing ever happens” had happened. No worries, we had passed a bike repair shop. We walked our bikes there only to find out it was closed on Monday. Laur was ready to call a cab but when we are close to the American border, our phone service gets a little wonky.
What to do? Laur asked two young people walking by if there was another bike repair shop in Port Colborne. “Yep! Across from the Tim Horton’s!” It was going to be a long six block walk but it was still going to be shorter and cheaper that walking to a place where we could get phone reception. (The idea that we could just use a phone at any of the local businesses that were open on a Monday failed to register with us.)
We got to Buckner’s Source for Sport at 10 to 2. Laur asked the very friendly front desk gal, “Do you repair flats?” She said, “Yes, but our bike tech has Mondays off!” Augh! Then she added, “But I do have a high school student coming here after school. He’ll be here around 3:15.” Here is how Laur describes what happened next.
**“But if you can fix it, you’re welcome to use our tools,” said the angel in disguise as store clerk. I dusted off my 3+ decades-old bike-fixin’ knowledge and got to it. Jan said it must be muscle memory [cuz it sure wasn’t my brain power, she meant…] Perhaps. I completed changing the tube, mounting the tire, and pumping it up, then tried to put on the chain… Yes, I’d forgotten to fit the chain over the sprocket before remounting the wheel. Had to let the air out, take off the wheel again, and do it properly. But it worked like a charm. I felt like a grad student with a 10-speed again.**
What was my role? I went over to Tim’s and got the angel and Laur and me some coffee and a 10 pack of Timbits. I kept well out of Laur’s way but knew things were going well when he was humming along to the classic rock radio music. And when I heard the tools fall to the floor and heard some murky murmuring, I knew they weren’t.
Our angel noted that she used to sell Raleighs a few decades ago. She said, “They were really good bikes!” Still are! I looked at those newer shinier bikes and thought to myself, “Hussies!”
As we were about to leave I said to Laur, “Are you thinking of buying an extra tube?” He said, “Would you get out of my head?! That’s exactly what I’m doing!” We left around 3 pm – about 15 minutes ahead of when the high school student would have showed up. Laur said, “I’m beginning to consider getting new bikes again.” My response was, “Laur, new bikes get flats too.”
(Bob will be thinking, new cars too…)
We must have really booted it (“booked” it, for my American friends) – it helps to have 20 km/hr wind behind you and see those rainclouds that are being pushed along with it – because we were home sweet home by 4:30 pm.
As Laur was putting his backpack away, he found another backpack that was the actual pack he used last year. He also found no less than 20 granola bars in it! “No wonder it was so heavy!” he said. He dumped out the bars and replaced them with a bike tire tube, portable air pump, the vice grips and his trusty screwdriver.
I’m not sayin’ a thing! 😊
Monday, May 6, 2019 – finally a day where there was enough sun and warmth for a bike ride. Laur proposed that we ride to Welland as a “starter ride” (50k round trip) and I proposed Port Colborne (84 km.) Our compromise was we’d decide when we got to Welland. (How well does Laur know me?!)
I filled up my fanny pack with water and granola bars and sun screen. I didn’t pack a lunch because I was convinced we’d (or I’d) make it to Port Colborne and have lunch at our favorite spot. Laur’s back pack on the other hand was strangely light. He’d emptied it when we returned home from S. Korea and never put any of his stuff back.
Said I to Laur, “Aren’t you going to bring your bicycle repair stuff?” Laur said, “The stuff weighs a ton and we never need it! Nothing ever happens!” I mentioned that I frequently knock my chain off my gears and we have both had spokes go rogue. Laur compromised by bringing a screwdriver and vice grips.
Our intent was to leave by 9 am but the bike tires had to be pumped up and Laur wanted to grease our gears. The grease part he would regret later on in the day. (Hee hee hee!!!) We were on the bike path of the Welland Canal just after 9:30 am. Yee haw!
I describe bike-riding in St. Catharines as being flat and it is most of the time – except for that wee ascent up the escarpment of about 50 meters (150 feet if you’re speaking American.) We were both able to do it on our bikes, but it was tough. There will come a year when we have to walk it, but it’s not this year.
We stopped at the top for a few minutes. Laur asked how I was doing, especially since we had a 20 km/hr wind to push into. I said, “I’m challenged, but I’m fine.” Laur who has been toying with the idea of buying new bikes to replace our 13 year old Raleigh warhorses said, “Maybe we don’t need to get new bikes after all.” I heartily agreed. I love my bike. Laur puts his in our storage locker after a ride; I keep mine in our apartment.
Got to Welland where we normally have our granola bar. Laur said, “Ready to turn back?!” Those were almost fighting words for me. I responded, “No!” He said, “I thought you were finding this really tough?” I said, “Challenging but not impossible… Besides, I haven’t packed us a lunch and I’m getting hungry.”
We continued on. Our regular “eats” place, Smokin’ Buddha, turned out to be closed on Monday. That’s OK, we have an alternative restaurant there – Canal Side – and they offer vegan options. Turns out everyone had the same idea – go out for a walk or ride and go out for lunch. (Though I expect we were the only ones wanting chicken-free chicken aka “chick’n” – and willing to pay more for it!) The place was packed. The owner/server was as surprised as all of his clientele. There was a bit of a wait but it was worth it. The owner’s wife has a gift business beside the restaurant and it closes on Monday so she can have one day off. But not this day! She got called in! Happy man, happy clan!
We started back – a little later than our usual – but hey, we’re retired. It doesn’t matter – except there was rain due later in the afternoon. We hadn’t got out of Port Colborne before Laur realized he had a flat. The “nothing ever happens” had happened. No worries, we had passed a bike repair shop. We walked our bikes there only to find out it was closed on Monday. Laur was ready to call a cab but when we are close to the American border, our phone service gets a little wonky.
What to do? Laur asked two young people walking by if there was another bike repair shop in Port Colborne. “Yep! Across from the Tim Horton’s!” It was going to be a long six block walk but it was still going to be shorter and cheaper that walking to a place where we could get phone reception. (The idea that we could just use a phone at any of the local businesses that were open on a Monday failed to register with us.)
We got to Buckner’s Source for Sport at 10 to 2. Laur asked the very friendly front desk gal, “Do you repair flats?” She said, “Yes, but our bike tech has Mondays off!” Augh! Then she added, “But I do have a high school student coming here after school. He’ll be here around 3:15.” Here is how Laur describes what happened next.
**“But if you can fix it, you’re welcome to use our tools,” said the angel in disguise as store clerk. I dusted off my 3+ decades-old bike-fixin’ knowledge and got to it. Jan said it must be muscle memory [cuz it sure wasn’t my brain power, she meant…] Perhaps. I completed changing the tube, mounting the tire, and pumping it up, then tried to put on the chain… Yes, I’d forgotten to fit the chain over the sprocket before remounting the wheel. Had to let the air out, take off the wheel again, and do it properly. But it worked like a charm. I felt like a grad student with a 10-speed again.**
What was my role? I went over to Tim’s and got the angel and Laur and me some coffee and a 10 pack of Timbits. I kept well out of Laur’s way but knew things were going well when he was humming along to the classic rock radio music. And when I heard the tools fall to the floor and heard some murky murmuring, I knew they weren’t.
Our angel noted that she used to sell Raleighs a few decades ago. She said, “They were really good bikes!” Still are! I looked at those newer shinier bikes and thought to myself, “Hussies!”
As we were about to leave I said to Laur, “Are you thinking of buying an extra tube?” He said, “Would you get out of my head?! That’s exactly what I’m doing!” We left around 3 pm – about 15 minutes ahead of when the high school student would have showed up. Laur said, “I’m beginning to consider getting new bikes again.” My response was, “Laur, new bikes get flats too.”
(Bob will be thinking, new cars too…)
We must have really booted it (“booked” it, for my American friends) – it helps to have 20 km/hr wind behind you and see those rainclouds that are being pushed along with it – because we were home sweet home by 4:30 pm.
As Laur was putting his backpack away, he found another backpack that was the actual pack he used last year. He also found no less than 20 granola bars in it! “No wonder it was so heavy!” he said. He dumped out the bars and replaced them with a bike tire tube, portable air pump, the vice grips and his trusty screwdriver.
I’m not sayin’ a thing! 😊