Bikerowave Rules!

I haven't been on my bike in a few days. Last rode it for a short ride with my folks last weekend, and then the exigencies of existence got in the way.

I've had to buckle down to get some things taken care of, and that's meant cutting back on the weekday fun rides and my standard weekly shift at the bikerowave. This is a drag, but luckily one that will be resolved in a matter ofweeks.

On my last ride, I noticed that my rear wheel had come visibly out of true, and seemed to be flexing oddly around turns, so today, when I ended up with a free evening, I figured "No problem, I'll ride over to the bikerowave, take the wheel off, true it up, and then pitch in a bit to make up for my missed shift."

This was my first time visiting bikerowave as someone with a bike to be fixed, rather than someone who was there to help fix, and it's pretty much the greatest place ever!

I got there, threw my bike up on a stand, took the rear wheel off, and put the wheel on a truing stand, only to find out that in addition to needing to true the wheel, I was going to have to replace two broken spokes (hence the flexing). This meant removing the tire, the tube, and the cog set, replacing the two broken spokes, re-tensioning all the spokes, and THEN truing the wheel.

Luckily, one of the volunteers working tonight had some experience in wheelbuilding, so she got me all sorted out. Two hours later, I had the wheel fixed, reasonably true, and back on the bike. This didn't leave me much time to be helpful, but it did give me a sense of what it's like to be at the bikerowave as a customer, and it's awesome!

To be able to come in with a bike in need of repair, and get all the tools and help you need to fix the bike yourself, and then roll out again a while later with a fixed bike and some new skills is just fantastic.

If you're on the Westside, and you want to volunteer, want to learn how to fix bikes, want to fix your bike, or want to buy a bike and then fix it up your way, then by all means check out the bikerowave. (If you don't live on the Westside, then by all means check out bike oven or bicycle kitchen.)

Happy Fourth of July Everyone!