I rode my new bicycle to work for the first time today. While riding down my street, a cager almost struck me while backing out of his driveway; he only stopped after I yelled “WHOA!” at him several times. I think for commuting in town, I’m going to need an airhorn; this one looks promising. (I use my horn quite frequently when I’m on the motorcycle.)
The bike is ready for its first tuneup, as the rear derailer is out of alignment: the bike bounces between sprockets in the lower gears, making hill climbing impossible. Further, the front brake is rubbing a bit. I think most of this can be attributed to cable stretch, as the derailer was out of alignment before I crammed the bike into the trunk of my BMW three times (once on its own, once attempted with a suitcase, and once again on its own) for the drive back to San Luis Obispo.
I’m also going to switch the brakes so that the front brake is on the right hand, and the rear on the left hand. This matches the layout on motorcycles and scooters. Once that’s done, I intend to hit the parking lot for some braking practice (something I still do from time to time on the motorcycle).
The bike’s going into Cambria Bicycle on Friday.
Tags: Bicycling, front brake